[Case]

At what age do you guys switch a young dog from a puppy formula to adult formula? In the past I’ve switched at a year, but I recently read that puppy food was recommended for the first two years. Just curious about what you guys do.

[cindy q]

Wondering the same thing I have been using food that says all life stages for my 8 month old standard poodle, should I be using puppy only?

[aquariangt]

Puppy and all life stages are the same thing, by Aafco standards

[Tina]

It depends on the size dog usuMedium-large dog breeds (Collies, Labrador Retrievers, Boxers) are fully grown by about 18 months and at their full weight by about 2 years of age. Giant dog breeds (Great Danes, Mastiffs) may take up to three years to reach their full weight, though they should be fully grown into their paws by about 18 months.

I personally changed over all of my puppies at age one but if I had known this information back then I would’ve waited until age 2.

[DogFoodie]

AAFCO only recognizes two profiles for dog foods. One is growth and the other is adult maintenance. Foods that are labeled for puppies are the same as foods that are labeled “all life stages.” Any dog can be fed an ALS or puppy food. I feed both of my now-adult dogs ALS foods, which are the same as puppy foods.

[Tina]

I’ve read some brands of dog food that say for all life stages but the AAFCO label says for maintenance. ALS brands of dog food are very unclear to whom they are really for. Yes wolves out in the wild eat whatever they want at any are but dogs aren’t wolves. Dogs have been domesticated for over thousands of years and throughout that time as well as breeding dogs loose more of their natural instincts and become more reliant on different life stages of dog food. Without this dogs become sick easier, die at an early age and even loose their own natural ability to heal on their own. Dogs need us to supply them what they need to live daily including proper food, extra vitamins, exercise and lots of love.

[DogFoodie]

Legally, a food cannot be labeled “All Life Stages,” if it doesn’t meet the AAFCO requirements for the growth nutrient profile.

[Tina]

Merrick Adult All Breeds
AAFCO Dog Food Nutritional Facts
Real Chicken Brown Rice + Green Pea Recipe Adult Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.

Merrick Puppy All Breeds
AAFCO Dog Food Nutritional Facts
Real Chicken Brown Rice + Green Pea Recipe Puppy Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.

Merrick Senior All Breeds
AAFCO Dog Food Nutritional Facts
Real Chicken Brown Rice + Green Pea Recipe Senior Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.

Merrick Grain Free All Life Stages
AAFCO Dog Food Nutritional Facts
Merrick Grain Free Real Chicken + Sweet Potato Recipe Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established
by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.

Halo Adult
HALO, Purely For Pets® Spot’s Stew® Adult Dog Formula Wholesome Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food is formulated to meet nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.

Taste of the Wild Puppy
AAFCO Statement
Taste of the Wild® High Prairie Puppy® Formula is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages.

These are just some examples from the company Merrick, Halo, Taste of the Wild,. Why do the bags say adult, puppy or senior but the AAFCO label says All Life Stages?

[aquariangt]

They can throw whatever they want on the bag title-that’s all marketing

[Tina]

So any food no matter what the title is good for all age dogs, even prescription diet pet food. What about cat food, is it the same as dog food? Can I feed my dogs cat food and my cats dog food? What if I feed all my pets the same exact thing?

[Case]

The original question remains.

[Tina]

All I can say is contact your vet, they will have your answer.

[Case]

Is it really to the point that we can’t have civil and logical discussions about our personal preferences?

Tina, all the other folks were saying is that formulas must meet certain requirements to be labeled puppy/ALS, while foods that meet those requirements can be labeled WHATEVER.

[aquariangt]

Correct. Marketing is marketing is marketing. Check that label and that will tell you if it’s appropriate for your puppy.

Case-it kind of depends on the breed, I have a sheltie, a miniature schnauzer, and a westie. They are done growing earlier than larger type breeds. I don’t know the science behind the two levels of food, other than ALS/Puppy foods tend to be higher in protein, but I’m not sure exactly when it’s “safe” to switch-but I’ve given 9-10 month olds “maintenance” food before

[Tina]

All I’m saying is to call you professionally trained veterinarian. They are trained to answer your questions such as these. People here are just normal people with opinions to suggest and thats all.

[aquariangt]

You won’t get much agreement to that here. Vets aren’t that trained in canine nutrition, and tend to just tell you what dog food companies feed them

[Tina]

And people here are just normal people that also isn’t trained in canine nutrition. I was talking about the original question…At what age do you guys switch a young dog from a puppy formula to adult formula?

[pugmomsandy]

It depends on the size of the dog. For large/giant breeds, picking a food with the proper amount of calcium and phosphorus and proper calcium:phosporus ratio is more important than picking a food for “growth” or “all life stages” during the first year to 2 years. Large/giant breed pups need controlled amounts, where as toy/small or medium does not require the controlled amounts. You can be feeding too much calcium and phosphorus even though a food is rated for “growth” or “all life stages” during the large/giant breed puppy phase. So I would feed a large/giant breed pup a food with proper Ca/Phos for a year or two.

I deal with toy dogs so I would hypothetically switch as young as 8 months to “adult” food, but personally, I feed “all life stage” or “growth/puppy” food all the time to my toy dogs, even to seniors.

It is somewhat confusing and not as black and white as just “puppy” or “adult” food. If you have a large/giant breed pup, there is a forum topic for that:

/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

and there is a link to a document created by Hounddogmom with foods appropriate for large/giant breed pups in there. I think around page 15 and an updated list around pages 34-35. I haven’t looked in that topic for a while since I have only toy dogs!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[RescueDaneMom]

Case-

I have a Great Dane. I agree that it depends on the size of the dog. The most important thing is to NOT feed a food that is only approved for Adult Maintenance by AAFCO to your puppy. I would feed an “All Life Stages” or puppy food (they truly are the same thing) until at least 1 year. If you have a large breed, then 2 years. If you have a giant breed (like a Dane), then 3 years. I also agree with aquariangt about vets. My vet and I butt heads over what I feed my dog. I choose to feed The Honest Kitchen and raw. My vet says that feeding Purina or Iams is just as good and all I’m doing is wasting my money on expensive dog food. I told him that we’ll have to agree to disagree and we don’t speak on the subject anymore.

I hope this is helpful. Just my two cents 🙂

[Tina]

Nutritional Adequacy Statement or “AAFCO Statement”

AAFCO is an organization that sets the nutritional standards for pet foods sold in the United States.
This legally required statement verifies the testing method used to determine nutritional adequacy.
The statement indicates whether the food provides complete and balanced nutrition for a specific lifestage of your dog (growth, adult, pregnant/nursing), or if the product is nutritionally adequate for all lifestages.
Beware if the package states the food supports “all lifestages.” The product likely contains excessive levels of some nutrients necessary for the most demanding lifestage, which is growth. For example, it might contain higher levels of protein and calcium for puppies, but those levels are inappropriate for an adult or senior dog.

The Best Life for Man’s Best Friend
Adult dog with puppy

Whether you have a new puppy or the dog you’ve loved for years, caring for your dog properly ensures many happy years together. As you care for your dog, even the little things – perfectly selected food, exercise and love – can make a big difference. We want to be a part of your dog’s happy, healthy life, so we’re here to share information on proper nutrition, fitness and special needs.

Knowing the age of your dog is important in choosing their nutrition. If you have a dog and aren’t sure of his exact age, your veterinarian can help estimate that for you.

Adult dogs include dogs of the following ages:

1 to 7 years old for small and medium breeds
1 to 5 years old for large breeds and
1 to 4 years old for giant breeds
As you care for your dog, it’s important to remember that his needs change as he grows. Caring for your dog according to his lifestage means you’re giving him the best care.

[Tina]

Veterinarians know way more then you people think. As far as asking them what dog food brand is the best, no they may not give you the answer that you want to here but who’s to say that your decision is any better then you local veterinarians (who has gone to school for many years)!!!

[aquariangt]

So my cousin is a vet. She had 1 class on companion animal nutrition. When my mom asked her about dog food when she got her new dog 2 years ago her response was “unless your dog has a need for a prescription diet, it doesn’t matter what you buy, they’re all the same”

Yep

[Tina]

Well then the school that she went to was a bad school.

[InkedMarie]

Tina, I think you need to do some research. Vets get very little schooling on nutrition. It’s a shame they don’t get more; maybe they’d stop recommending the foods that most seem to.

[aquariangt]

That was me just making a point-A she went to a well known veterinary school, B that’s how all of them think. If you were to take every webinar from whole dog journal, you’d probably have more education than they get

[Tina]

My point is that we still haven’t answered the initial question at hand and all I’m saying is that a good veterinarian can answer that for you. As far as pet nutrition goes, you all can take what ever advice that you want. Anything found on the internet can be written by anybody and there is no proof that it truly was them that wrote it. Anybody can create a web page saying anything they want because it’s the internet and the internet is full of lies and con artists.

[Case]

With all due respect, I asked when forum members made the transition, not when veterinarians recommended it. However, I did fail to include the pertinent information that my dog is from a medium sized breed.

I was mainly making small talk to see what the majority of forum members did, since I have read differing suggestions. It shouldn’t be too big of a deal.

*edited for typo

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Case.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Case-
My dogs will be three next month and I still feed them all life stages or puppy food. I have no plans to change to a maintenance food. The ALS and puppy foods tend to be a little higher in protein and calories. My dogs are both about 80 pounds and this works out well for them. Good luck. Who knew feeding our furry friends could be so controversial?

[Tina]

“All-Life-Stages” is one type of food and “Puppy” is another type of food. If you people say that “All-Life-Stages” is basically “Puppy” food then why not feed “Puppy” food in the first place? I mean if it’s just all “advertising” then whats the big deal. Why call “All-Life-Stages” that name at all?

[Case]

So that people that have difficulty understanding will feed it.

[Tina]

What??? That doesn’t make sense at all…

[Tina]

People who feed All-Life-Stages dog food should be feeding an all natural raw diet or a dehydrated dog food. Anything else is for those what are to ignorant to completely understand a dog’s true needs.

The only way I would feed a dog All-Life-Stages dog food is if it were a mutt from the pound because usually you don’t know their actual age.

[RescueDaneMom]

“People who feed All-Life-Stages dog food should be feeding an all natural raw diet or a dehydrated dog food. Anything else is for those what are to ignorant to completely understand a dog’s true needs.”

Well, I feel like this is a very ignorant comment to make. Many people can’t afford dehydrated and/or raw. Just so you know, I feed my dog dehydrated and raw but I don’t condemn people for feeding kibble.

[Tina]

“Well, I feel like this is a very ignorant comment to make. Many people can’t afford dehydrated and/or raw. Just so you know, I feed my dog dehydrated and raw but I don’t condemn people for feeding kibble.”

I’m not condemning people for feeding kibble, I feed it myself, I’m condemning them for feeding All-Life-Stages dog kibble and not a specific life stage formula.

[RescueDaneMom]

Well I’m sorry to say that you won’t find many people here that will agree with you. Most of the regulars on DFA prefer All Life Stages food, including myself when I fed kibble. Most specific life stage formula foods are all marketing and very few are correctly formulated.

I am officially done commenting on this topic. I’ve said my piece.

[Tina]

IF IT’S ALL MARKETING, THEN THAT MEANS SO IS ALL LIFE STAGES DOG FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[crazy4cats]

Ok, so right now I’m transitioning from Nature’s Logic all life stages duck and salmon to Victor’s grain free all life stages. Are you saying I shouldn’t be feeding either of these foods to my almost three year old lab mixes?

[aquariangt]

C4C-you’re not new. You know what to do, don’t worry. Your dogs will be just fine

Tina-you’re not right-and according to some other posts i found of yours, 4 of your dogs are on hills, people like that in general won’t agree with what most people on DFA have to say. You are either trolling or unwilling to listen, so there’s not much to say to you

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by aquariangt.

[Tina]

MY DOGS USED TO BE ON HILL’S SCIENCE DIET BUT NOW THEY ARE ALL ON 5 DIFFERENT BRANDS OF DOG FOOD EACH EXCEPT GINGER WHO IS ON A “PRESCRIPTION DIET”

and C4C no your dogs shouldn’t be on that awful food

[Case]

“You are either trolling or unwilling to listen, so there’s not much to say to you.”

Agreed.

[DogFoodie]

Here’s an article, written by Dr. Mike regarding AAFCO nutrient profiles; of which there are two: growth and reproduction or adult maintenance. The rest is marketing. /frequently-asked-questions/aafco-nutrient-profiles/

[Tina]

I’m sorry for my posts last night.
I’m a 26 year old married women who lives with her parents because I can’t afford to move out. My mom is anti-natural dog food and doesn’t believe that it can help with any of the dogs problems at all. I had 2 of my dogs die of cancer in the past and all of my dogs have skin issues. My cats are overweight and are very picky.
I’ve gone and researched my butt off from books to the internet and even going to pet stores and reading the labels of each and every dog food out there. When it came to All Life Stages dog food I found lots of research and most of the answers came out to be both good and bad. My mom says to “ask the vet” he has all the answers but my vet is very old fashioned. Working at Petco for 3 years helped as well because you found out about the truth of these dog food companies and pet stores. They sell you anything that is on sale or has a deal with that company. Please help me and tell me the truth of dog food.

[Tina]

and I’m not a troll, I’m just confused like the rest of the world. I ask people all the time “hey what do you feed your dog” and they reply with something low quality. I’ve saw a lady with a 21 year old Golden Retriever Mix and she had a beautiful coat. She had her dog on Pedigree her entire life so what am I supposed to think. My neighbor has 3 dogs on Taste of the Wild and they all look skinny, bad coats and just plain awful. He’s had them on that their entire life and he even cooks for them. He goes to the store and buys real fruit and veggies and meat and cooks for them. So I am really confused, why does a low quality dog food give a beautiful look to on dog but a high quality dog food along with real fruit, veggies and meat give an awful appearance to another dog?

[Tina]

I’m sorry for my posts last night.
I’m a 26 year old married women who lives with her parents because I can’t afford to move out. My mom is anti-natural dog food and doesn’t believe that it can help with any of the dogs problems at all. I had 2 of my dogs die of cancer in the past and all of my dogs have skin issues. My cats are overweight, unhealthy and are very picky.
I’ve gone and researched my butt off from books to the internet and even going to pet stores and reading the labels of each and every dog food out there. When it came to All Life Stages dog food I found lots of research and most of the answers came out to be both good and bad. My mom says to “ask the vet” he has all the answers but my vet is very old fashioned and when I asked him he said the “all life stages dog food is bad for dogs and will end up killing dogs and even cats. So I got really scared and after loosing 2 dogs 2 cancer I wanted no part of it and would do my best to get people off All Life Stages dog food. Working at Petco for 3 years helped as well because you found out about the truth of these dog food companies and pet stores. They sell you anything that is on sale or has a deal with that company. While working there I would convince people to change their dogs all life stage dog food for something else and it worked. Please help me and tell me the truth of dog food.

[Tina]

and I’m not a troll, I’m just confused like the rest of the world. I ask people all the time “hey what do you feed your dog” and they reply with something low quality. I’ve saw a lady with a 21 year old Golden Retriever Mix and she had a beautiful coat. She had her dog on Pedigree her entire life so what am I supposed to think. My neighbor has 3 dogs on Taste of the Wild and they all look skinny, bad coats and just plain awful. He’s had them on that their entire life and he even cooks for them. He goes to the store and buys real fruit and veggies and meat and cooks for them. So I am really confused, why does a low quality dog food give a beautiful look to on dog but a high quality dog food along with real fruit, veggies and meat give an awful appearance to another dog? How come with all the information that I’ve read and researched that I’m still confused and nothing is giving me an exact answer?

[Tina]

After working at Petco for 3 years, I thought I knew everything that there is to know about dog food. I could sell the most expencive dog food in the store to a costumer with a very low income. People listened to me and believed everything that I said and the Petco that I worked at was proud of me.

[Author]

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