Puppy food for longer than a year? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

rachelanne820 · 10-03-2009, 12:00 PM

I have a male yorkie that will be 1 in January. We just got a femal that is 7 weeks old. They are both currently eating puppy food from the same bowl. How bad would it be to continue the puppy food for my male so they can continue to share a bowl? Feeding them separate would be a HUGE hassle...especially since I free feed. I will do what's best for my little guys but I'm hoping puppy food is OK for use past 12 months.

bchgirl · 10-03-2009, 01:43 PM

It's not necessary for your puppy to eat puppy formula....a high quality food is fine.

rachelanne820 · 10-03-2009, 01:51 PM

I actually just today got samples in the mail of Wellness Small Breed Adult food. I can feed this to both? Even at 7 weeks of age?

lucirbc · 10-03-2009, 05:26 PM

many of the high quality foods are all life stages food. that is what i used when i had dogs of all ages. taste of the wild, nature's variety, and wellness core are a few....

BanditSocks2 · 10-03-2009, 08:12 PM

I emailed Wellness to ask the same question because the percentages of protein, fat, calories, and phospherous were nearly identical between the puppy formula and the small breed formula. I got a very generic response that didn't answer my question so I emailed them again. I'll let you know what they tell me. I know the 2 1/2 year old loves the puppy food, and he could stand to gain some weight

Nancy1999 · 10-03-2009, 08:32 PM

I think this is more important for the larger breeds, something about bones growing too fast. Puppy food is usually higher in fat, but if your adult dog is too thin, this might not be a bad option either. Just be certain he really is too thin.

rachelanne820 · 10-04-2009, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanditSocks2

I emailed Wellness to ask the same question because the percentages of protein, fat, calories, and phospherous were nearly identical between the puppy formula and the small breed formula. I got a very generic response that didn't answer my question so I emailed them again. I'll let you know what they tell me. I know the 2 1/2 year old loves the puppy food, and he could stand to gain some weight

Thank you! That would be wonderful to get the OK from the manufacturer! Please do let me know what you find out. Thanks again!!

JKTex · 10-04-2009, 06:57 PM

We had the same problem when we got our Sophie. She would pick out Charlie's adult food and he'd pick out her puppy food. Both were Purina One. We gave up and just fed them Adult.

I've seen the the light and have just this weekend started moving them to Natural Balance (original Ultra for small breeds, small bites) which is good for puppy and adult and it not crap food.

First time they got it, mixed in the bowl (Friday night) with the Purina, they picked the Purina out and left it on the floor.

So they like the NB.

The ugly part of the switch is that our 2 year old went out about 1 AM and pooped which is rare, but he goes out when he needs too or didn't go before bed time. I had reason to track it down on Saturday and found it started out normal and went to loose then he made it back to the deck and loose again then he ended up with a messy bottom and in an attempt to clean up, he left messes in about 4 places in the house before making it back to bed, next to me. Obviously he had a problem controlling it once it went "bad".

Saturday morning was quite the cleaning event.

He's been fine ever since, and still tries to pick the NB out.

I think others gave you links to the food thread which is a great read to augment your own research. I don't know hoe long I looked in to it before I went looking for choice #1 and #2. Found our local Petsmart doesn't carry a lot of what they say they do, or do on-line in the store so I ended up at Petco and they had everything.

angeleyes · 10-04-2009, 07:52 PM

Belle, my Morkie, is a really fussy eater. She quit eating her puppy kibble for a while and so I fed her some Nutro Ultra holistic can food. I have to heat it and feed it to her so she eats. I did not want to keep giving her soft food due to healthier teeth, I realize she was eating "her brothers" Pedigree small bites. I free feed TJ but he's 85 pounds and I can't leave a seperate food down for Belle or he inhales it in one bite!. I bought her some pedigree even smaller bites but she likes his better (they have pretty much the same ingreds.) I decided to just let her keep eating that and supplement with the Nutro as I brush her teeth everyday. She seems to be doing fine on it. Any advise?

FlDebra · 10-04-2009, 08:14 PM

I have 4 dogs (1 puppy, 2 in between and one elder). I free feed them all Canidae Chicken & Rice All Life Stages, perfect for whatever age they are. BTW it contains no fish meal so none of the ethoxyquin).

I would go with an All Life Stages Food myself. I think the only drawback on feeding an adult dog, puppy food is the higher levels of protein. Check your particular brand to see what percentage of protein it contains. Too high, can contribute to pancreatitis over time in some dogs. But I doubt feeding puppy food a few extra months would really cause a problem, nor would feeding adult food a few months early. I have read that some feel the high percentage of protein in puppy foods is not really needed either. Some believe it causes puppies to grow too much too fast. But a good quality All Life Stage food will solve the problems!

Britster · 10-05-2009, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angeleyes

Belle, my Morkie, is a really fussy eater. She quit eating her puppy kibble for a while and so I fed her some Nutro Ultra holistic can food. I have to heat it and feed it to her so she eats. I did not want to keep giving her soft food due to healthier teeth, I realize she was eating "her brothers" Pedigree small bites. I free feed TJ but he's 85 pounds and I can't leave a seperate food down for Belle or he inhales it in one bite!. I bought her some pedigree even smaller bites but she likes his better (they have pretty much the same ingreds.) I decided to just let her keep eating that and supplement with the Nutro as I brush her teeth everyday. She seems to be doing fine on it. Any advise?

Honestly, Pedigree is not a good food at all and I wouldn't recommend it. While some dogs probably do fine on it, it's truly got terrible ingredients and it usually affects dogs long-term, later on in life. Check out Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble for more info. Nutro has been linked to many dogs deaths and had another recent recall, I believe. Some of the brands I'd recommend are Merrick's, Nature's Variety Instinct or Nature's Variety Prairie (Jackson is picky and LOVES Instinct!) Many dogs do great on Wellness, Natural Balance, Taste of the Wild, Orijen, as well. If you must shop at a Petsmart, the only foods I'd recommend there are Natural Balance, Blue Buffalo and possibly Nature's Recipe. Petco offers many more foods with higher quality. I used to not really believe dog food could be THAT bad... but it really is and I've seen the difference in some dogs that go from a low quality diet to a higher quality diet and it does make a good difference.

BanditSocks2 · 10-05-2009, 04:58 PM

This is the reply from Wellness:

Dear Lauren,

Thank you for taking the time to write about Wellness® Puppy.

The Just for Puppy is 30.90% protein and the Small Breed Adult is 28.99% protein. We do not recommend feeding the puppy food after one year of age because there are different nutritional requirements for growth then there are for maintenance. If your pet is one year of age a maintenance diet would be appropriate. The Small Breed Adult will offer you an option that is higher in fat and protein because small breed dogs require more calories per pound of body weight because they have a higher metabolism driver my having a smaller surface area per every pound of body weight.

Thanks again for contacting us.

Heather Rowe
Representative
Consumer Affairs

The protein on both bags say "not less than 28%" but I think they gave the exact percentage, I'm not sure how much of a difference that 2% makes. Overall if I had to choose, I think the Small Breed is a little better, but Bandit seems to like the taste of the Puppy food....decisions decisions!

rachelanne820 · 10-05-2009, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanditSocks2

This is the reply from Wellness:

Dear Lauren,

Thank you for taking the time to write about Wellness® Puppy.

The Just for Puppy is 30.90% protein and the Small Breed Adult is 28.99% protein. We do not recommend feeding the puppy food after one year of age because there are different nutritional requirements for growth then there are for maintenance. If your pet is one year of age a maintenance diet would be appropriate. The Small Breed Adult will offer you an option that is higher in fat and protein because small breed dogs require more calories per pound of body weight because they have a higher metabolism driver my having a smaller surface area per every pound of body weight.

Thanks again for contacting us.

Heather Rowe
Representative
Consumer Affairs

The protein on both bags say "not less than 28%" but I think they gave the exact percentage, I'm not sure how much of a difference that 2% makes. Overall if I had to choose, I think the Small Breed is a little better, but Bandit seems to like the taste of the Puppy food....decisions decisions!

Thank you for sharing. Heather Rowe was the same person I spoke with at Wellness, too. I tried to give Nick the small breed food but he wouldn't touch it. They are sending me a sample bag of puppy food but I don't guess it will do any good to try it.

I also got a sample of Canidae from a pet boutique. Nick LOVED it! I only gave him a few bites so I wouldn't upset his tummy with all these different foods but he was begging for more! Solid Gold is sending me a sample as well as Natural Balance - we will see what he likes the best. I believe all of them are ALS foods. Solid gold said I could feed their Wee Bits to puppies and adults.

I also got some NV raw frozen today. I have heard wonderful things about them so I thought I'd give them a try. I wonder if they are ALS? Have you ever tried them?

Thanks again for your help.

BanditSocks2 · 10-08-2009, 06:34 PM

I think after Bandit and Nala each finish their last bag of Wellness we're going to switch to NV for both of them since it is an ALS food. I'm just trying to figure out if I should feed them Prairie or Instinct. Is grain-free too high in protein?

rachelanne820 · 10-08-2009, 06:57 PM

I've heard that it is...I'm not certain, though. Since mine wouldn't touch the Wellness I have been sampling other brands and it has come down to Innova or Canidae for us. I'm thinkin I'll go with Innova because the kibble is smaller. They both have ALS formulas if you want to check it out. Innova offers a grain-free high protein option, also - if that is what you are looking for. I was able to get samples of both brands from a local feed store. Good luck!!

10-03-2009, 05:26 PM	#4
lucirbc YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: West Palm Beach, Fl Posts: 273	many of the high quality foods are all life stages food. that is what i used when i had dogs of all ages. taste of the wild, nature's variety, and wellness core are a few.... __________________ Luci West Palm Beach, Fl Triton dob 09.06 Newfie/Shepard Mix Lilo dob 06.07 Frenchie/Pit Mix Coral dob 12.1.08 Yorkie

10-03-2009, 08:32 PM	#6
Nancy1999 I ♥ Joey & Ralphie! Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Arizona Posts: 25,396 Blog Entries: 2	I think this is more important for the larger breeds, something about bones growing too fast. Puppy food is usually higher in fat, but if your adult dog is too thin, this might not be a bad option either. Just be certain he really is too thin. __________________ NancyJoey Proud members of the CrAzYcLuB and YAP! ** Just Say No to Puppymills – Join YAP! Yorkshire Terrier Club of America – Breeder Referrals

10-04-2009, 07:52 PM	#9
angeleyes YT Addict Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Hugo, MN USA Posts: 325	dogs like each others foods Belle, my Morkie, is a really fussy eater. She quit eating her puppy kibble for a while and so I fed her some Nutro Ultra holistic can food. I have to heat it and feed it to her so she eats. I did not want to keep giving her soft food due to healthier teeth, I realize she was eating "her brothers" Pedigree small bites. I free feed TJ but he's 85 pounds and I can't leave a seperate food down for Belle or he inhales it in one bite!. I bought her some pedigree even smaller bites but she likes his better (they have pretty much the same ingreds.) I decided to just let her keep eating that and supplement with the Nutro as I brush her teeth everyday. She seems to be doing fine on it. Any advise?

10-04-2009, 08:14 PM	#10
FlDebra Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: FL Posts: 7,651	I have 4 dogs (1 puppy, 2 in between and one elder). I free feed them all Canidae Chicken & Rice All Life Stages, perfect for whatever age they are. BTW it contains no fish meal so none of the ethoxyquin). I would go with an All Life Stages Food myself. I think the only drawback on feeding an adult dog, puppy food is the higher levels of protein. Check your particular brand to see what percentage of protein it contains. Too high, can contribute to pancreatitis over time in some dogs. But I doubt feeding puppy food a few extra months would really cause a problem, nor would feeding adult food a few months early. I have read that some feel the high percentage of protein in puppy foods is not really needed either. Some believe it causes puppies to grow too much too fast. But a good quality All Life Stage food will solve the problems! __________________ FlDebra and her ABCs Annie, Ben, Candy Promoting Healthy Breeding to the AKC Yorkshire Terrier Standard

10-03-2009, 12:00 PM	#1
rachelanne820 YT Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 257	Puppy food for longer than a year? I have a male yorkie that will be 1 in January. We just got a femal that is 7 weeks old. They are both currently eating puppy food from the same bowl. How bad would it be to continue the puppy food for my male so they can continue to share a bowl? Feeding them separate would be a HUGE hassle...especially since I free feed. I will do what's best for my little guys but I'm hoping puppy food is OK for use past 12 months.

10-03-2009, 01:43 PM	#2
bchgirl Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: at da beach Posts: 15,444 Blog Entries: 2	It's not necessary for your puppy to eat puppy formula....a high quality food is fine. __________________ Deb, Reese, Reggie, Frazier, Libby, Sidney, & Bodie Trace & Ramsey who watch over us www.biewersbythebay.com

10-03-2009, 01:51 PM	#3
rachelanne820 YT Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 257	I actually just today got samples in the mail of Wellness Small Breed Adult food. I can feed this to both? Even at 7 weeks of age?

10-03-2009, 08:12 PM	#5
BanditSocks2 YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Crofton, MD, USA Posts: 1,522	I emailed Wellness to ask the same question because the percentages of protein, fat, calories, and phospherous were nearly identical between the puppy formula and the small breed formula. I got a very generic response that didn't answer my question so I emailed them again. I'll let you know what they tell me. I know the 2 1/2 year old loves the puppy food, and he could stand to gain some weight

10-04-2009, 06:57 PM	#8
JKTex Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Flower Mound, Texas Posts: 37	We had the same problem when we got our Sophie. She would pick out Charlie's adult food and he'd pick out her puppy food. Both were Purina One. We gave up and just fed them Adult. I've seen the the light and have just this weekend started moving them to Natural Balance (original Ultra for small breeds, small bites) which is good for puppy and adult and it not crap food. First time they got it, mixed in the bowl (Friday night) with the Purina, they picked the Purina out and left it on the floor. So they like the NB. The ugly part of the switch is that our 2 year old went out about 1 AM and pooped which is rare, but he goes out when he needs too or didn't go before bed time. I had reason to track it down on Saturday and found it started out normal and went to loose then he made it back to the deck and loose again then he ended up with a messy bottom and in an attempt to clean up, he left messes in about 4 places in the house before making it back to bed, next to me. Obviously he had a problem controlling it once it went "bad". Saturday morning was quite the cleaning event. He's been fine ever since, and still tries to pick the NB out. I think others gave you links to the food thread which is a great read to augment your own research. I don't know hoe long I looked in to it before I went looking for choice #1 and #2. Found our local Petsmart doesn't carry a lot of what they say they do, or do on-line in the store so I ended up at Petco and they had everything.

10-05-2009, 04:58 PM	#12
BanditSocks2 YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Crofton, MD, USA Posts: 1,522	This is the reply from Wellness: Dear Lauren, Thank you for taking the time to write about Wellness® Puppy. The Just for Puppy is 30.90% protein and the Small Breed Adult is 28.99% protein. We do not recommend feeding the puppy food after one year of age because there are different nutritional requirements for growth then there are for maintenance. If your pet is one year of age a maintenance diet would be appropriate. The Small Breed Adult will offer you an option that is higher in fat and protein because small breed dogs require more calories per pound of body weight because they have a higher metabolism driver my having a smaller surface area per every pound of body weight. Thanks again for contacting us. Heather Rowe Representative Consumer Affairs The protein on both bags say "not less than 28%" but I think they gave the exact percentage, I'm not sure how much of a difference that 2% makes. Overall if I had to choose, I think the Small Breed is a little better, but Bandit seems to like the taste of the Puppy food....decisions decisions!

10-08-2009, 06:34 PM	#14
BanditSocks2 YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Crofton, MD, USA Posts: 1,522	I think after Bandit and Nala each finish their last bag of Wellness we're going to switch to NV for both of them since it is an ALS food. I'm just trying to figure out if I should feed them Prairie or Instinct. Is grain-free too high in protein?

10-08-2009, 06:57 PM	#15
rachelanne820 YT Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 257	I've heard that it is...I'm not certain, though. Since mine wouldn't touch the Wellness I have been sampling other brands and it has come down to Innova or Canidae for us. I'm thinkin I'll go with Innova because the kibble is smaller. They both have ALS formulas if you want to check it out. Innova offers a grain-free high protein option, also - if that is what you are looking for. I was able to get samples of both brands from a local feed store. Good luck!!