Puppy vs. All Life Stages Food There seems to be a pretty even divide in my research between feeding puppy food and all life stages food...what is everyone's experience here? We have been feeding Pepper puppy food and he's 6 months, 10 inches long and 6 pounds so I think he is where he should be in terms of weight, however I am wondering if we should be looking at transitioning away from puppy food to ALS over the next month or two and then when he's a year, we go to adult food? There are no vets here to ask these things, so I'm really appreciative of everyone's help here on YT! :) Pepper and I say thanks in advance! |
Yorkies are generally switched over btwn 6 mths - 1 year, depending on personal preference. I always push it out more toward the year if it's a tiny one. If you switch to ALS, you can stick w/ it if you want - you don't have to switch to an "Adult" food. If you compare ingreds, oftentimes the nutritional analysis is the exact same. |
^Yup! I believe I switched Toki over to an ALS around 7 months (?) or so. It was nutritionally very similar to her previous puppy foods. She even came to us from the breeder on a grain-free ALS food (Earthborn Coastal Catch). I wouldn't get so caught up in "puppy" vs. "adult" vs. ALS as long as you are picking a high quality food with adequate nutrients :) |
We feed ours ALS food. When we first got Maggie, she wouldn't eat her puppy food and would only eat what the other dogs ate. We switched all the dogs over to an ALS food and have had good luck with it with all our dogs. Our 2 youngest dogs were on ALS food since we brought them home as puppies. |
I know this is an old thread, but I was wondering if anyone has any further thoughts about puppy vs. ALS food? I'm having trouble getting my 3 to eat their proper "adult" & "puppy" food. The nutritional analysis of food I am currently feeding is (ingredients are very similar, same brand): PUPPY- Crude Protein (% min.) 29.0 Crude Fat (% min.) 18.0 Crude Fiber (% max.) 3.5 Moisture (% max.) 10.0 ADULT- Crude Protein (% min.) 22.0 Crude Fat (% min.) 16.0 Crude Fiber (% max.) 3.5 Moisture (% max.) 10.0 But I was considering 2 brands of ALS food with a protein content of 38% or 29%. Do Yorkies need that much protein? Is an adult food supplemented with some extra protein okay for a puppy? Or would a puppy food be okay for a young adult/teenager? After some research, I noticed that there really isn't a huge difference between puppy & adult foods. Is it all just a marketing ploy? |
I think a good all life stages food would work fine for both dogs. We fed all life stages food for our dogs because they would always want the same food (or each other's food) all the time. It just made things much simpler. We fed Nature's Variety Prairie foods when we had both puppies and adult dogs. They have since added puppy formulas so I am not sure if they still call their "adult" formula all life stages. We haven't fed Nature's Variety for quite some time now. We are currently feeding Horizon (Legacy and Amicus) and Fromm Four-Star foods. Personally, I think I'd consider the 29% protein food over the higher protein food. The yorkie pup might handle that better. Sometimes it is just trial and error to find the right food for all your dogs. The main things I'd look at carefully is that the food is an all life stages food and watch the calcium, phosphorus, and ash levels, and make sure it has DHA for proper brain development. You can consult with a vet nutritionist if you're unsure. |
I was wondering the same thing since I have a 9 month old and 4 month old, would be switching over the older pup soon but free feed most of the day. |
We free feed most of the day too, so it works out best for all the dogs to eat the same food. That's made life a lot easier for us. |
I like to free feed as well. It's been tough with them eating each other's food all the time :( I don't want to have to crate them to eat. I wouldn't want to eat in a crate. Lol. I was thinking that 38% seemed a bit high for protein. They're all doing so well on their food right now. I hate to change, but it would be tremendously more convenient if everyone ate the same food. Fromm's 4-Star line would be my first choice, but I have a finicky one who won't eat it. It's interesting that there's not much of a difference between most "adult" foods vs. ALS foods. I found an interesting article on Canidae's website about ALS food & nutritional requirements at different life stages: Natural Pet Food, Healthy Dog Food, Cat Food, Treats | CANIDAE |
Sometimes crating is best for you dogs. If you have more then one. That way you can keep track of what they eat. If they are all gobblers then no biggy. Give them the bowl then done. But if ones a gobbler and another is picky. One is gonna get fat and one is gonna get thin. Not eating is also a good indicator if one is feeling blue. JMO |
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