# Puppy Food vs. Adult Food vs. All Ages Food



## puppydogs (Dec 6, 2010)

To make my puppy food selection even more confusing, I've run across the challenge of puppy vs adult vs all age formulas.

What's the difference for each? When should a golden puppy change to adult or all age dog food? (I heard you don't want to start adult food too early because you don't want the pup to grow too fast as it's bad on joints/bones etc)


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I start my pups on adult food at 4 months of age so they don't put on too much weight too fast. The one time I used an all age food, 2 pups in the litter ended up with orthopedic issues... maybe just a coincidence... I have always had success with skin and soundness with Wellness. When I started feeding Wellness there was no Large Breed so I feed regular Wellness.


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## Garfield (Apr 7, 2009)

Puppy food is more nutritionally geared toward growth, adult food is intended more for maintenance, and all life stages food is sort of a moderate of the two (with its primary nutritional meet for puppies' needs). How long a dog is on puppy v adult food depends on the dog, owner, etc. I've seen dogs changed over to adult food as anywhere from 2 months to 2 years. Theoretically, all life stages can be feed at any & all ages.

In terms of growth rate, large breed dog growth should be regulated to ensure strong bone/skeletal structure. Research points to controlled calciumhosphorous amounts/ratios and this is often accomplished by feeding a large breed puppy food or an appropriate adult or ALS food from an early age (appropriate meaning not too high in calcium or protein).


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

I think it would be much more helpful if vets and dog owners focused on what the best "guaranteed analysis" of a formula is for a puppy instead of getting caught up with the label of "puppy" "adult" or "all life stages" on the front of the bag. I could post the "guaranteed analysis" of 3 different formulas that would be almost identical. But one would be labeled "puppy", the next "adult" and the third "all life stages"

Decide what the the most appropriate percentages of protein, fat, and calcium/phosphorus are for your specific dog, a price range you're comfortable with, and the availability of purchasing the food.

My youngest dog is three now and I fed her Orijen Large Breed Puppy until 7 months of age when we switched to the Orijen Adult formula. The two formulas are almost exact except for a slight difference in calcium/phosphorus. 

If I had a new puppy now, I'd seriously consider starting it on an "all life stages" formula with protein in the 28-34% range, fat at 16-19%, and calcium with a maximum of 1.7%. I believe feeding the correct amount of any food is a key factor in the proper growth of a puppy. Other people might look for differing profiles in the food.


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

Enzo was on a large breed puppy food til about 7 months or so. Then, I tried switching him to a large breed adult food that didn't agree with his tummy after a ssssllllooooowwwwww transition, so I put him on Fromm's 4 star line, which is an ALS food. He's thriving on it. =)


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## Gen Beauregard (Jun 30, 2015)

What age to start feeding adult food?


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