Puppies switching to adult dog food

[Wyluli]

I was told that it is a good idea to switch a puppy to adult dog food at 6 months of age. This way they will not be as likely to get overweight and at this age they really no longer need the extra puppy "stuff" in dog food. Has anyone here heard this before and do you think it is a good idea?

[Mordy]

in reality, you don't need a puppy food at all. a good quality product with the designation "for all lifestages" is fine. just make sure you do not feed a food that just states "for maintenance" to a growing pup.

it's much better to let a puppy grow slowly and evenly, even if that means it will reach its mature size and weight a little later. overfeeding will cause them to grow at the maximum rate, which puts a lot of stress on the skeleton and can lead to other health problems as well.

for anyone who hasn't read it yet, here's a great article on a study done by the cornell university:

http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicl.../dog-diet.html

[Wyluli]

Originally Posted by Mordy

in reality, you don't need a puppy food at all. a good quality product with the designation "for all lifestages" is fine. just make sure you do not feed a food that just states "for maintenance" to a growing pup.

it's much better to let a puppy grow slowly and evenly, even if that means it will reach its mature size and weight a little later. overfeeding will cause them to grow at the maximum rate, which puts a lot of stress on the skeleton and can lead to other health problems as well.

for anyone who hasn't read it yet, here's a great article on a study done by the cornell university:

http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicl.../dog-diet.html

Thanks for the info. After looking over the bag of Chicken Soup food, it states "Adult dog forumla provides complete and balanced nutrition for the maintenance of adult dogs". Uh Oh. What is generally the difference between the "maintenance" and "all stages" foods?

Ug, now I gotta go look for another dog food for Fritz!

[Mordy]

those statements designate the suitability of a particular food for different lifestages, as per the AAFCO nutrient profiles they must meet.

an "all lifestages" food will supply sufficient amounts of nutrients to growing puppies as well as adult dogs and pregnant or lactating bitches. the puppies and pregnant/lactating bitches make up for their extra requirements by eating larger quantities, but the composition of the food must be adequate to make this possible.

a "maintenance" food is only appropriate for the nutritional needs of adult dogs. this is formulated in a way where eating a higher quantity of food will not supply enough, or too much, of certain nutrients.