The Grass Is Always Greener
Even if you arent worried about feeding separate foods to your dogs, you should still be aware of any food sharing. Its common for one pet to want a taste of what the others got. A little nibble of each other’s food every now and then is fine, but try to avoid letting them make a habit of this.
If you can, feed your dogs in separate rooms and dont leave food sitting out. Scheduled, monitored feedings are best when feeding a variety of pets.If separating them is too difficult, then switching to an all life stage diet might be a better choice.
Need more help finding the right diet? Check out What Should I Feed my Dog? for the information you’ll need to make the best food choices for your dog.
This can help to ensure that all of your dogs are eating the appropriate portions and calories at each meal, and helps to reduce competitive mealtime behaviours.
What Dietary Requirements Do Dogs Have
When a puppy is fully grown, they should move onto regular adult dog food. Dogs who are fully grown need to maintain their already established healthy bodies. Dogs need six basic nutrients that include fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, proteins, and water. The intake of these basic nutrients ensures a well-functioning body and a gorgeous coat.
Its important that an adult dogs calorie diet intake contains at least 10% from protein. Their diets can have up to 50% carbohydrates that include 3-4.5% fiber.
Whats The Difference Between Dog And Puppy Food
by Raw Dog Food Expert | Aug 5, 2020August 13th, 2021 | Dog Food Blog |
Getting a new puppy is an exciting prospect, but one that takes careful planning and consideration. If you already have an adult dog, you might think that you can just feed your puppy the same food you already buy, but our team at Animush Raw Pet Food recommends that you choose puppy food instead. In this article, well go over the difference between food for adult dogs and food for puppies to help you understand why we make these recommendations.
- Nutritional Balance. One of the main ways that puppy food differs from adult dog food is in its balance of nutrients. In general, puppies need to eat more protein than mature dogs and also need higher amounts of other nutrients such as fat, calcium, and phosphorus to support healthy growth.
- Caloric Density. Another way that puppy food differs from food for adult dogs is in the amount of energy it contains relative to its volume, also referred to as caloric density. Puppies have a lot of growing to do, which means they need enough energy to do it. Because of this, puppy food is more calorically dense. At Animush Raw Pet Food, we offer puppy food that will make sure that your new pet has everything it needs to thrive.
If you have further questions about proper nutrition for dogs or puppies, just give us a call to consult our experts.
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When To Start Feeding Puppies Wet Food
Many people wonder if there are different considerations for wet food, otherwise known as canned food. There is wet food designed specifically for puppies. Many people actually give their puppies wet food before dry food when the puppies are weaning because it is easier and more enticing. Some wet puppy food may be better for younger puppies or older puppies or the brand may not be as healthy as another, so you might want to do some research on individual foods. Also, always remember to vary wet food with dry food so the dog doesn’t get spoiled and only want wet food all the time. This is bad for their teeth, expensive, and makes it difficult to maintain adequate calorie intake and nutrition as you can’t leave them wet food when you are away or for lengths of time like you can with dry food.
The Benefits Of Feeding Premium Food
Why move your grown-up pup to a premium adult dog food? Because quality counts. Its crucial to continue his superb puppy nutrition into adulthood. Downgrading to a lower-quality brand at this stage of his life may upset his digestive system, and wont provide him with the same level of nutritional excellence he was raised on.
Think of a baby. When its time to start giving him solid food, you wouldnt dream of feeding your child anything less than the best nutrition you can buy. The same is true for your maturing puppy. He needs the best age-appropriate food there is to help maintain his overall health.
Premium foods, such as IAMS, are specifically designed to provide your dog with a food that has:
- High-quality ingredients
- Clear, bright eyes
- Small, firm stools
Founded on more than 60 years of research into canine nutrition, premium formulas from IAMS help maintain your dogs health and provide him with the nutrition he needs for a long life. Basic brands may not provide these benefits or match the level of expertise that goes into every bag of dog food from IAMS.
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How Do I Choose The Best Puppy Food
You should choose a large breed puppy food from a dog food company that has undergone AAFCO feeding trials. This means that the specific formulation of the diet has been fed to dogs to make sure there are no deficiencies. As surprising as it may seem, many dog food companies make their food based on a recipe and never feed it to actual dogs before sending into the stores. You want to choose a pet food company which invests in scientific research and consults with veterinary nutritionists to provide a dog food that specially balanced for a puppy’s development.
Faq: Arent All Dog Foods The Same
All dog foods are NOT created equally! Different brands contain different nutritional values and are sold at differing cost points. This is a great time for me to remind you that dog food is not a place to cut corners in your budget. Some companies try to reel us in by using words like healthy or complete on their front label. They must assume well look no further than those words in combination with an attractive price when deciding what well feed our four-legged best friends. But they dont know how much we love our dogs, do they?
Unfortunately, there is a lot of slack given when it comes to the claims marketing gurus print on dog food labels, but there is one place on the label that HAS to be strictly FACT: the INGREDIENTS label. This is from where we will decide which dog food brand to buy.
I do not advocate one brand of dog food over another. The links I will share with you today are based strictly on nutritional content and value for that content. What brand my dog eats doesnt matter, and the brand doesnt matter for your dog, either. Nutritional content matters. Having that nutrition come in a lower-cost option is great, but the cost is second to the content.
A little further along I will show you how to read those dog food labels and well compare a nutritionally sound dog food ingredients label to a label from dog food that doesnt measure up.
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Whats The Difference Between Cat Food And Dog Food Faqs:
Who Makes Whats The Difference and Where is it Produced?
Whats The Difference is an independent pet food brand that first started in 2006. It was first created by a dog owner who decided that she wanted to make sure that her dog was fed the very best that she could provide. She was able to do just that by finding a reliable, high-quality food that she knew her dog would love. She then put together a website and sold her food to the local pet store.
WTD has grown from a single product line to a wide variety of products with a wide variety of ingredients and flavors. It is now able to offer customers food that is not only fit for their family pets, but can also be used for pets for those with specific dietary needs and allergies.
The company is based in the United States and is able to maintain strict standards for ethical sourcing of its ingredients. Like a lot of pet food manufacturers, it sells its products through pet stores, and many of its products are even specifically designed to be suitable for people too.
Which Types of Cats is WTD Best Suited For?The WTD brand is best suited for cats that have specific dietary needs or food allergies. Specifically, it is designed to be suitable for cats that are sensitive to the amino acids found in meats .
How Do I Make The Switch
When switching to adult dog food you should allow 7-10 days for the transition. Gradually add more adult dog food and less of their puppy food to your pups dish each day until the change is complete. This gradual transition will help avoid dietary upsets.
Remember individual needs can vary. Feed your dog to maintain an ideal body condition.
Slight appetite changes and occasional digestive upsets are normal in young dogs. If upsets become severe or last longer than a day or two, contact your vet.
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Puppy Food Versus Adult Food
Yes, there is a difference between puppy and adult food. If the food is formulated to the guidelines set forth by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, or AAFCO — and not all dog foods are — there are both maintenance and growth formulas. Some dog foods are formulated for all life stages, meaning that the food is good to feed to both puppies and adults and provides adequate nutrition. Puppy food needs higher protein and fat for growing pups, as well as more calories and different requirements for vitamins and minerals. Feeding a puppy a maintenance diet could cause malnutrition.
Proteins For Bones And Muscles
The biological changes happening to a puppy within the first two years require specific nutrient-rich proteins. These proteins are called amino acids, and they are the foundation of healthy bones and strong muscle tissue. Amino acids are put into puppy food to assist with bone and muscle development. If a full grown dog were to eat a diet high in amino acids, it could lead to higher cholesterol, heart issues, joint problems, and other serious health risks.
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Puppy Food Vs Adult Food: The Question Of Protein
Protein is one of the three primary macronutrients alongside carbohydrates and fats. Protein provides the building blocks for muscle growth and physical development with that in mind, its hardly surprising that puppieslittle, growing bundles of energyrequire more protein in their diet than fully-matured dogs.
How much protein do puppies need?
Puppies are generally advised to get between 22% and 32% of their daily food intake from protein, whereas adult dogs only need around 18% of their daily calorie content to be protein-based. This higher protein consumption supports puppies throughout this growth-driven period of their lives.
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What About A Puppy Eating Senior Dog Food
This is similar to a puppy eating any inappropriate dog food. It won’t harm them to accidentally eat a small amount and the harm will come from getting nutrients they don’t need and not enough of the ones that they do.
This works in reverse. An adult dog and a senior dog will not have their dietary needs met by eating puppy food and are likely to gain weight from the excess calories and protein. High levels of other nutrients and vitamins in puppy food may be too much for adult and senior dogs as well.
Always match the food to the needs of the dog at different ages, weights, and stages of health. It may be helpful to discuss your dog’s diet with the vet to ensure they are getting the best diet and not leading to a health problem or leaving them open to developing one that might be preventable.
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Pregnant Or Nursing Dogs
Pregnant and nursing dogs have different nutritional requirements than other adult dogs. These dogs should be eating food that is calorie dense and high in protein. Look for foods that are at least 22 percent protein.
It may seem unusual, but feeding puppy food, like Purina Pro Plan Focus Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food, to a pregnant or nursing dog is a good way to meet these requirements. Because puppies, like pregnant and nursing dogs, also need more calories and protein than other dogs, food made for them is suitable for dogs who are moms or moms-to-be too.
And heres the good news for your pregnant or nursing dog: Unless she is overweight, you can let her have all she wants.
In The Final Part Of Our Three
Throughout 2019, headlines about grain free pet foods and dogs with enlarged hearts circulated around the news and the industry in general. Manufacturers, distributors, retailers and consumers anxiously awaited any news as to whether or not there is indeed a link between grain-free diets and enlarged heart disease and DCM .
In response, the commotion has brought up an important discussion regarding grain vs. grain free pet foods and which is best to feed pets. Before we dive into what we know, lets take a look at where the DCM issue stands as of now.
DCM Update
To put things simply, there is still no dietary link between grain free pet food ingredients and DCM. And theres been no major update since we last checked in early last year. In June of 2019, the Pet Food Institute released a Q& A document that outlined the DCM issue along with questions from a consumers perspective. They instructed pet owners that the most important thing they can do is make sure your dog is receiving a complete and balanced diet that is formulated for his or her life stage. When asked if any ingredients or grain free food as a whole should be avoided, the FDA stated that they do not advise any dietary changes based on the information gathered so far.
The Result
Whats Next
Grain vs. Grain Free
The question many consumers have is whether formulas with grains are better for pets than formulas that are grain free.
Why Grain is Good
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How To Transition Puppy To An Adult Dog Food
When you stop feeding puppy food, you must change more than just the food he eats. The number of meals and portion sizes will shift, too.
Most puppies eat three meals a day, but adult dogs can eat just two meals per day. The feeding guide on your dogs food label will tell you how much to feed your dog each day and to split the amount into two meals.
When its time to transition your puppy to an adult dog food, do so gradually. A gradual transition helps prevent stomach upset.
Heres a sample transitional feeding plan:
- Days 1 to 2: Feed 3/4 of the normal amount of puppy food and add 1/4 adult dog food.
- Days 3 to 4: Serve half puppy food and half adult dog food.
- Days 5 to 7: Feed 1/4 puppy food and 3/4 adult dog food.
- Days 8 to 10: Serve only adult dog food.
If your dog resists eating the adult food or experiences an upset stomach, extend the transition time as needed. Consult with your veterinarian for more help if needed.
For more information and tips on puppy and dog nutrition from our experts, visit our Pet Expertise page.
When Should You Switch Your Dog To Senior Food
Most dogs are considered mature adults between six and eight, depending on their breed and size. When a dog reaches the age of eight years, it is regarded as a senior. Despite the usefulness of age categories, its crucial to note that each animal is unique. Your pets seniority should be determined by its individual experience and activity level.
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Healthy Dog Food Meets Aafco Nutrient Profile Standards
The Association of American Feed Control Officials sets standards for nutrient profiles for pet foods for a particular life stage. Dog foods must meet these standards to claim they are 100 percent complete and balanced for the life stage of the dog shown on the package.
You can read more about AAFCO dog nutrient profiles here. An easy way to tell if the food you are evaluating meets these standards is to check the package for the AAFCO statement.
This is located on either a side panel or the back of the package beneath the ingredients list. Youll see it written one of two ways:
- is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog nutrient profiles for .
- Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that provides complete and balanced nutrition for .
All Purina dog foods are complete and balanced for the life stage indicated on the package. In fact, we have our own standards that meet or, in many cases, exceed those set by AACO and other regulatory agencies. Our high standards are based on our extensive internal research into quality pet nutrition.
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What If My Cat Eats Dog Food
If your cat ate some dog food while you werent looking, it would be fine. However, dog food does not contain the right nutrients that a cat needs to stay healthy. The biggest thing dog food is deficient in is taurine, essential for developing the kidneys, heart, and eyesight. The balance of other vitamins and minerals will be off as well. Since the cat does not possess the digestive tract to digest plant matter, eating dog food that contains these ingredients can upset your cats stomach.
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