Adult V.S Puppy food

[Kyoko]

Today at the pet shop, I was told that wellness core original dog food is good for both puppy and adult.

I was purchasing original fomula and puppy fomula when she spoke about this. She suggest that since puppies can eat original fomula too, may be I should just buy the original fomula instead of buying two separate dog food for two separate dogs. Is this even true? ( I bought both originaland puppy as I originally planned.) And I planned fo feed my younger one puppy food until he is a year old. Is that right?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It would be fine to feed them both the original formula. The nutrient profiles are very similar. The puppy formula has a little more protein, fat and fiber and the adult formula has the tiniest bit more calcium and phosphorus, plus it has glucosamine and chondroitin. None of the values are more than 2% different, (protein & fat) and in the case of some of them, (calcium) it's a difference of half of a percent. 

How old is Pinot? The rule of thumb for switching from puppy to adult food is that you can do it when the dog's skeletal growth is complete, which is usually somewhere between 9 and 12 months for standards.

[Kyoko]

He is now 8 months old. I bought two 12 lb bags of puppy fomula, so I guess I can switch to original fomula after they are gone...His legs are very long and he walks like he has not grown into his legs... So may be at that pont I can re-assess... Thank you always for your expertise!

[Joan Bollaert]

 Natural Balance is also for all puppies and adults, no switching involved.  It's also grain free and on the list of the best foods to feed your dog.   I had no trouble switching mine to it and they've never gotten sick  from it, rejected it or had loose stools from it.  I also decided to start them on that food because it can be purchased in Petco and doesn't need to be ordered or purchased in a specialty store as some of the other brands, like Orijen.  I was afraid that the one specialty store around here would close at some point and then I'd have to order it.  I want to avoid all of that to make it easier for those who might have to take care of my pets should something happen to me.  :)   Sadly, I don't know of one person in my family that would take the time to either go to a specialty store or order dog food online.  This way, they can just go to Petco and buy food.   I'm a worry wart as you can see and think of the big picture of possibities.  I wouldn't want others thinking they could just go to the grocery store or Walmart and buy some generic junk and feed it to my dogs if I wasn't around. 

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

I've recently heard many discussions on this. One "side" of the discussion says that puppies - especially large breed puppies should not have the very high levels of protein and calcium that is normally contained in the puppy foods because they grow too rapidly which is one of the things that cause hip problems. These breeders typically feed regular adult formulas to their puppies, and say that the dogs will reach their normal genetic size - just at a slower rate.   The other side of the discussion says that even though that may be true of some of the "grocery store junk food" that it is not true of the premium foods with a better balance in formulation. I am truly confused myself about this. We have decided to feed our new doodle puppy the FROMM puppy food for large breed dogs which does have a slightly lower protein content than the puppy food for small breeds or then the regular adult food.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Joyce, in the dog world, "large breed" really refers to the giant breeds like Great Danes, Newfoundlands, Bernese Mt. Dogs, and other breeds which are expected to go over 100 lbs as adults and who can take up to 2 years to reach full skeletal growth. Those are the breeds for which you want to be careful about allowing the dog to get too big too fast. I know the dog food manufacturers use "large breed" to apply to any dog over 50 lbs, but it just doesn't apply nutritionally. There are some doodles over 100 lbs, but the majority are under 90 lbs as adults. Standard Poodles, Labs and Goldens all reach full skeletal growth by the age of 12 months. 

There are lots of "all life stages" formulas (what we refer to as ALS formulas here) which are fed to puppies and adults, and all do fine. 

There is also no set agreed upon protein or calcium level which is consistent among all dog foods. There are lots of adult formulas with higher protein and calcium levels than many puppy foods. The differences are negligible in terms of how they are going to affect bone growth, as long as they are within recognized nutrient requirements, which are of our recommended foods are.

So the bottom line is that there really is no clear cut universal guide for whether you should feed adult or puppy food at what age. Unless you have an unusually large doodle, you're okay with whatever you choose, as long as it's a high quality AAFCO approved food.

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

Karen, Thanks so much for that information. This helps a lot. I think I will stick with the FROMM Puppy food for Casey for the 1st year, then transition him to the FROMM adult food. My dachshunds are on senior foods at this time (ages 13, 12, 8, 8). These critters are very inactive couch potatoes!  I'm sure that Casey will be much more active. Can't wait to bring him home next week.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Joyce, you may already know this, but just in case:

We strongly recommend that you not change your puppy's diet at all for the first two weeks after you bring him home. This means food and treats, even if whatever the breeder is feeding is not a good quality food. There are several reasons for this. After two weeks, if all is well with his poop and his digestion in general, you can start to transition to a new food. Introduce all new treats or other foods one at a time. 

Of course I'd love to hear that your breeder is already feeding Fromm, but I only know of one who is. :-) 

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

Karen - Oh my - yes, I do know this, but honestly - I don't know that I can bring myself to go to the grocery store to get what she is feeding them! As a pediatric health care provider, I tell parents this all the time with their wee ones - but then again - we don't feed newborns junk in the hospital!  Sigh - I suppose I could go get a very small bag of Purina One, but just hate to do this.

[Joan Bollaert]

I changed my dogs to Natural Balance in about one weeks time by just adding it to the food they'd been eating all their lives.  No problems.  I think if you're needing to purchase more of the Purina,  you're right to just get a very small bag if you don't have enough left to last about one week.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The puppy needs to stay on the current food for at least two weeks after he comes home, so she needs two weeks worth plus enough to transition over a week's time. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Joyce, I know how you feel. It would kill me to have to buy Purina, too. But you'll only have to do it once. Make sure she gives you the exact formula, I think there are several in that line. 

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

Karen, Thanks. Yes, I know which one she is using. Purina One Lamb and Rice formula. OK - I'll be a good girl and "go by the book" as much as I hate to do this. I have preached to everyone I know to avoid the "grocery store junk food" and will hide it in the closet - but will follow the rules.  I certainly don't want to give my baby boy a belly ache. (can you tell I deal with little ones all day!) :)  But I will be ever so happy when the two weeks is up and can transition to his FROMM.  BTW - I am sure there is a good reason, and not trying to be stubborn- but just curious. What is the reason to leave him on for two weeks before making the transition rather than beginning the transition immediately? Is it to get him through the "settling In" phase of adjustment?