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Originally Posted by FlDebra Thanks -- I did see that the % varied a little by the "flavor" but the OP had a puppy so I was really looking at puppy foods. Do you mean that puppies should be given adult food to stay in the 21% protein category? Some brands were only that low in their adult line.
I did some research online and have decided that 28% is the most recommended Protein ratio for puppies. I did not see anywhere that recommended staying at 21% or below for puppies -- only adults, but if a puppy is not getting a lot of exercise they might need the lower amount. Mine are so active that I am pretty sure they need that extra protein. We have a huge yard fenced and they run like crazies out there. My Jack Russell has never been happier! Finally someone to keep up!
This has been a good thread -- got me reading and understanding the difference in needs. In fact, I decided to change my JR's food. Her name is Candy but we call her Hidalgo (race horse fame)  Chicken Soup, Canidae and Innova are my choices so far. I have not tried all that you listed. I liked what I read about Innova best but I think they may have eaten the Chicken Soup better. They were great with Canidae but no local source for me. |
In cases where the kibbles are for "all life stages" the feeding recommendation on the back of the packaging will tell you how much to feed a puppy vs. an adult dog. The puppy portions will sometimes be as high as 2x the adult portions. That's so that the puppies can get the protein levels they need to grow. Personally, I think it's easier to just get puppy food with 28% or higher protein and feed that to the puppy until 10 months old, then switch to an adult or all life stages food with approx 21% protein.
I used to feed bunjee, my puppy, Innova Evo when he was a puppy. The kibbles were small and tasty to him. I love that his poo was nice and solid, never mushy. But that was when I took him out more too. I don't take him out to run around nearly as much as I used to and although food with 42% protein might be fine for a very active adult dog, I think it's too much adults with average activity.
I tried so many different types of food with bunjee, but his pickiness with food wasn't nearly as bad as my rescue dog, bubba, which I got as an adult. I had to find food that they both liked otherwise bunjee will steal bubba's food and will probably upset his stomache with two different types of food like that. Since bubba's thriving on Natural Balance's Potato and Duck, I decided to keep them both on it. The kibbles are good size for them. The ingredients are good.
If you're searching for new food, you might want to try Flint River Ranch as well. They're baked, not extrude like most dog foods in the manufacturing process. Human grade ingredients. It's rich food hence, less to feed, which results in less poo. My only complaint is that the kibbles (which has no uniform size) and can be a little big for my boys.
FYI, Innova and Canidae will send you samples for free if you email them. Chicken Soup has a sample pack (i think it was a 1lb bag) you can purchase for $2 or $3. That way you can try the food with your little ones before you commit to a regular size bag.