Is all-stage dog food okay for my 9-month-old puppy? Too much protein?

Puppy food is higher in calories and has different quantities of fat, protein and certain vitamins and minerals than adult dog food. As long as Max is not overweight it should be okay for him to have puppy food as long as he doesn't develop diarrhea or other gastrointestinal upset.

All lifestages pet foods are formulated to meet growth requirements but it may not be as dialed in as a puppy formula. Puppy formula will generally also contain DHA to support brain and nervous system development and this may not be found in an all life stage diet. In general I recommend to feed a puppy formula to all puppies. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. A ten month old dog should be eating a diet formulated for growth, aka a puppy diet, until they are at least 12 months old. The top dog food brands that we recommend are Hills, Purina, and Royal Canin. But, any dog food that is NOT grain free, or vegetarian or vegan, should be healthy for your dog. I hope this is helpful!

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.

Great question! Because Ohu is a small breed dog, I would recommend feeding him the Hill's Small Paws adult food. It's an excellent food for small breed dogs like Ohu. I do recommend slowly transitioning from his puppy food to his new adult food to avoid stomach upset. To do this, feed him 75% old food, 25% new food for three to four days, then give him 50% old, 50% new. Again feed this mixture for three to four days, then feed him 25% old food, 75% new food. After feeding him this mixture for another three to four days, give him 100% of the new food. If he does have any stomach upset during this time, such as diarrhea, increase the amount of old food and decrease the amount of new food until the diarrhea is resolved, then continue to increase the amount of new food. I hope this helps!

Hello. It is probably not necessary at this point to switch back. If Kano was a giant breed, like a Great Dane, Mastiff, etc., then I might want her to be on a large breed puppy food, but otherwise, if she seems to be doing well on her current food, there is no need to change. Thank you.