Great Pyrenees Dietary Requirements

[Le Canard de Barbarie]

I have a GP that is almost six months old now. For the most part she has been raised on Diamond Lamb & Rice for large breed puppies. I also feed her at times the raw giblets from processing my ducks

Lately, many of my customers have preferred to have the carcass cut up because they just want the breast, legs and thighs. This leaves me with a carcass with a little meat still left on it, such as in the tail, back and wings. What I have been doing lately is dicing the bony carass up with a meat cleaver into little chunks and frying it Then I will add some of this mixture, grease and all, over her dry kibble. She seems to enjoy it much more than plain dry kibble, and her coat is very soft. Furthermore, winters here in the Michigan Upper Peninsula can be brutal, and I figure she would need the extra calories since she is a 24/7 livestock guardian dog.

Am I asking for health problems with this diet when she gets older?

 

[bgelber]

you might try boiling it like a soup rather than frying it but other than that there is nothing wrong with it.

The only thing you have to be careful with a GP is beef. They don't tolerate beef well.

 

[Le Canard de Barbarie]

Quote:
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to give that a try on the next carcass. In fact, I'll even boil up the duck legs and head in the mixture.

I like the idea of using everything from the animal for food, except for the feathers, intestines, etc. It also makes my dog's food bill more reasonable.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I'd get her off the puppy food, although it may be too late already
Giant breeds dont need to grow too fast

 

[Le Canard de Barbarie]

Quote:
What kibble do you suggest I feed her?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote:
What kibble do you suggest I feed her?

Any good adult feed with meat as the main ingredient

High intake of calcium is associated with various bone diseases in Large and Giant breed dogs. Owners mistakenly believe that "more is better" and attempt to supplement all kinds of things with bigger breed dogs. Diets high in protein also increase the growth lameness tendencies for large dogs. Most experienced breeders also recommend that no vitamin or mineral supplement (other than Vitamin C) be given to puppies of these larger breeds.

http://www.doglogic.com/food&feed.htm​

 

[mekasmom]

I personally would switch her to adult food and feed her the meat raw rather than fried or boiled. Adult food would help her avoid panosteitis (sp). And raw bones (especially poultry bones) don't splinter like cooked ones can.
Our vet also suggests giving puppy vitamins to large breed dogs x2 to keep their leg bones straight and strong. I have never bred large breeds, but we have several that we purchased as pups. Especially in the st. bernards, he says to give two vitamins a day for the calcium until they reach 6mo then give one a day up to 18mo. You might ask your dog's vet for his suggestions.

(forgot to add the "K" in ask, so it's edited)

 

[Akane]

Balancing nutrients on a large breed dog is the problem. You can grow a large breed puppy fast if you have a very good food. I fed mine on things like evo and timberwolf organics which are around 40-50% protein and 20-30% fat. As an adult I often feed her puppy food if I can't get afford a really high energy adult food because she requires so much. I wouldn't do it with anything but the top premium foods though since if they are shorted anything you will have health problems. In order to be affordable most foods have to cut a corner somewhere or they cost $50+ a bag. You either have to give them plenty of everything in the right amount or control the growth with an adult or large breed puppy food.

Personally I'd just give mine the duck raw with bones. They got lots of quail carcasses after removing the breasts earlier this year and they are going to get some whole chicken this fall. Plus deer bones and organs. There's nothing better balanced than whole prey and no better supplement than raw bones with meat still on them. You can't cook bones though or they become dangerous so if you want the meat cooked you have to skip feeding the bones.

 

[Rosalind]

How much does she weigh? Pyr girls are supposed to be 80-120 lbs, so if she's less than that she should stay on the puppy food until she puts more weight on. Is she a picky eater otherwise? Pyrs are also known for not eating a whole lot, being picky compared to other giant breeds.

We supplement our Pyr's Wellness kibble with small amounts of cottage cheese and yogurt and that canned meat that Wellness makes, cooked ground venison, glucosamine/chondroitin jerky treats and the occasional apple slice. He weighs only 90 lbs. and usually leaves some food in his bowl after a whole hour of dinnertime. He's been known to spit out biscuits given to him.

Picky bugger.

 

[chickenzoo]

I don't feed my GP's any type of meat that resembles what they are supposed to be guarding........ LOL