Well we can agree to disagree. I have been "in dogs" professionally since 1991, and base my opinions on not only emerging science, but what I have seen with my own eyes. Dogs presenting with Pano due to Puppy food, switched to Adult or even a Senior formula and seeing the disease resolve, not to mention the other growth disturbances I have personally seen in dogs raised on Puppy food, like severe "Eastie-Westie" fronts. You can diagnose E-W fronts due to nutrition vs. genetics by picking the dog up behind the elbows and letting the front legs dangle. If they hang straight but go E-W on the floor, it is nutritional. If they hang E-W it's genetic.
Scientific studies throughout have brought in cal-phos and protein-fat ratios to the table as reasons - regardless of the mechanism, I have seen it time and again.
It is likely that some of the pet food companies have made steps to help regulate growth through large breed formulas, but I don't necessarily trust them. I know of vets who see a Dane come in and their first thought is "cha-ching!" - yes, go ahead and feed puppy - I will tell you to switch once you present with Pano and later, bloat...
I never feed Puppy at all - simply Adult formulas. I stay away from crazy high protein level foods (like Evo) until the pup is at least 12 months old and make sure that chicken fat is not in the top 4 ingredients if I can help it, as it has been linked to bloat.
I also take care to keep them lean, no "pounding" (running a distance or jumping a lot) on the joints until they are 24 months old, and I exercsie them moderately.
It has worked well for me - none of my large breed dogs have ever had an issue - all have xrayed as good as, or better, than their parents, and so far the few pups I have produced have also followed suit.
Everyone raises their dog(s) as they see fit. What works for one may not work for another - even individual metabolism is different - so there are no hard and fast rules - just what I have found to work for me.
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