Restricting Food Intake For Growing Puppies?Mr Abady's PremiseVeterinarians and some breeders routinely advise that the feed intake of growing puppies be restricted during growth.They fear that allowing puppies to consume as much feed as they desire (which is limited to the amount of food that will supply their caloric needs, thereby preventing them from ingesting more calories than they require) could cause them to develop more weight than their tissues can carry, potentially resulting in structural breakdowns. While the observation that the unlimited intake of feed may result in catastrophic breakdowns is correct, the point that is being missed is that this observation does not apply to all feeds, but only to improperly formulated feeds produced from raw materials of inadequate quality. Ironically, these trouble-causing feeds are often the very ones recommended by Veterinarians. The act of restricting the food intake of the puppy (keeping it lean) is an attempt to slow down the rate of growth to a level that will match the quality (strength) of the tissues generated by the diet. It is an admission (conscious or otherwise) that the feed is improperly formulated, that it causes too rapid a rate of growth in relation to the strength of the tissue being generated, or stated conversely, the quality of the tissue being generated by the diet is unable to meet the demands of growth. The answer, therefore, cannot possibly be to restrict the intake of a feed already demonstrated to be inadequate. While under-feeding may, in some cases, prevent immediate collapse, it can set the animal up for long-term problems due to under-nutrition. The feeding of improper diets, therefore, presents a "Catch-22 situation". Fundamentally, growth must not be impeded or the animal will fail to develop properly. Growth must proceed at a normal pace and its requirements must be satisfied by the diet. THE PROBLEMAdditionally, the high levels of fibrous materials and other indigestible substances in most Big industry products (beet pulp, cellulose powder, flaxseed meal, wheat bran, tomato pomace bentonite,) interfere with the availability of the already under-characterized nutrient content of the rations. Material such as soybean meal, beet pulp and tomato pomace contain saponins, which, in addition to causing bloat and a multitude of other problems, accelerate the growth process and interfere with the enzymes that are involved in the processing of protein. Saponins also can cause conditions in the digestive tract that interfere with the absorption of nutrients. This combination of low levels of quality protein , insufficient mineral content, high levels of fibre and other indigestible materials, and growth accelerating substances like carbohydrates and saponins, is the factor that underlies most growth problems. THE SOLUTIONThe growth period is a stage in life when the dog's nutrient and caloric needs are at their greatest. The only way that these needs can be met is by allowing the dog to consume as much as it desires of a properly designed diet which must include ample supplies of top-quality feeding materials and be well characterized in fat, protein and minerals while being low in carbohydrates and fibre. Clearly, saponin-containing ingredients should not be present. While most veterinarians may be unaware that diets exist which can be fed freely, without causing catastrophes, such diets nevertheless DO exist, and they are manufactured by the Robert Abady Dog Food Company. Abady Products are appropriately nutritious and fully meet the needs of growing puppies while being in concert with scientifically verifiable principles of feeding.
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Canine Reproduction
