My dogs eat each other's food. Can my adult dog eat puppy food?

The young puppy should be on puppy food in order to provide the balanced nutrition she requires for healthy growth and development, a large breed puppy food is recommended for optimal joint health. It is not ideal for adult dogs to be on puppy food as they may continue to 'grow' and become overwieght so you will have to monitor very closely if he has access to puppy food that he does not become obese

Yes, puppy food is a "hotter" diet higher in protein and carbs. It is formulated for a growing puppy that needs the extra nutrition. An adult dog may gain excessive weight if fed a puppy formula regularly. The higher protein content may also put undue stress on the older dog's kidneys. If possible, feed then separately or take up the puppy food if you free feed.

Yes that is perfectly ok. They are both balanced dog foods. Just check the bag to see how many calories per cup so you can adjust as needed (meaning if more calories in the puppy food you will have to feed a little more adult food or vice versa). I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Growing puppies have specific nutritional requirements that differ from adult dogs, particularly with respect to their calcium and phosphorus balance, and an overall increased calorie demand. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies for a growing puppy can result in a variety of problems, so as a result, a puppy should not eat adult dog food on a regular basis. An occasional bite from their older housemate’s bowl should not pose any problems, but stick with puppy food as their dietary staple.

What a shock for you! I would hope that Remy is fully weaned, but to make sure that she is used to dry dog food, you can give her a puppy mush. I would soak a high quality puppy formulated dry food in warm water until soft. Then mix that with puppy formula such as KMR to make a mush the consistency of oatmeal. Over the next two weeks, gradually increase the amount of dry puppy food and decrease the amount of water and KMR you use until she is eating the dry puppy food only.

If your puppy is doing well on this food, I would certainly recommend not switching at this point. If you are concerned about the calorie content for your adult dog, you can calculate her testing energy requirement (body weight in Kg times 30 plus 70) and then divide by the number of kCals per cup of the food to determine how much you should be feeding.

I would not recommend pupy food for adult dogs unless absolutely no alternative is available. Puppy formulas tend to be higher in minerals and proteins for growth and are richer than recommended for regular maintenance diets