Is grain-free healthy for my puppy? When can I switch to adult food?

Trusty is a good looking pup! I don’t recommend to feed grain free diets unless you know that your dog has a grain allergy. Just so you know, food allergies are uncommon and represent less than 10% of all dogs who have allergies. When pets do you have food allergies, it is usually to the protein, not grains or other carbohydrate sources. Well the connection is not clear yet, there does appear to be a link between grain free diet and heart disease. This likely involves a genetic predisposition to heart disease that the diet exacerbates. I recommend to stay on the diamond food between the two but there are diets I think are better. Royal Canin, Nutro and Purina Pro Plan all produce very high-quality diets that are highly digestible and formulated correctly. Your puppy does need to be eating a large breed puppy food to help avoid skeletal issues as an adult. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Most pets do not have grain allergies. More commonly it's the protein source that causes allergies. For most dogs, grain free is not recommended. For general food, I recommend the brand Royal Canin. It is low residue and highly digestible and this results in great stool quality, minimal quantity and low odor. I also like Nutro and Purina Pro Plan. If you want to rule out a food allergy, the fastest way is a proper food trial using a hydrolyzed protein diet. I hope this helps.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lila. There is a lot of confusion regarding pet food and it can seem difficult to make a good choice. You need to keep in mind that every pet is different and what works for your dog may not work for someone else's. I recommend a food that is certified by AAFCO to start as this means that is meets minimum standards. Next, the puppy need to like it and eat it willingly. There needs to be no vomiting and diarrhea on the diet nor an excessive amount of bowel movements. A dog should defecate 2-3 times per day. More than this is abnormal. Finally, her haircut should be glossy and healthy. If she is meeting all of these requirements on her diet, then there is no reason to change. My only warning is to avoid grain free diets as there is recent research linking them to heart disease. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Copper. I do not recommend feeding a grain free diet. You are correct that some of these diets have been linked to heart disease. Furthermore, most of these diets are higher in carbohydrates and calories. This can lead to unnecessary weight gain. I recommend a well balanced puppy food from a reputable company. Depending on his projected adult size, you may consider a large breed formula. I personally recommend Purina Purina ProPlan or Royal Canin as they put an extensive amount of research into their diets. They have veterinarians on staff and perform feeding trials on dogs as opposed to laboratory analysis. These are benefits small boutique pet food company just cannot provide. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for submitting your question! Personally, I do not recommend grain free foods very often. An extremely small percentage of dogs have true grain allergies and most of these dogs are Irish setters. Grain free diets are high in carbohydrates and typically lead to weight gain. I also prefer to feed a food labeled for puppies instead of all life stages. I feel it will better meet her needs as a growing dog. All that being said, the best diet is the one that works for your individual dog. She must like the food, have no vomiting and diarrhea on it and have a glossy hair coat. These are signs it is meeting her nutritional needs. As for her adult size, you can typically double her body weight at 16 weeks of age. This is typically when she received her last set of puppy vaccines. I hope this information helps!

I agree. I do not recommend to feed pets a grain free diet unless they have a known grain allergy. There are a few brands that I recommend because I think they’re high quality and pets tend to like the taste. Royal Canin is my number one choice. It is highly digestible and low residue and this tends to result in good stool quality with low stool quantity. Another brand I like is Purina pro plan. Nutro is also a good brand. Make sure to transition any diet slowly. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Decreasing her eating amount after a growth spurt is normal. They probably recommended large breed puppy so she wouldn’t grow to fast which can cause bone problems. Once she’s full grown I recommend regular adult food. No reason to do either large breed or small breed since she will be medium size. I don’t think grain free food is worth it. I like a well balanced dog food such as Hills. They do research on their food and include the optimum amount of nutrients, rather than excess. Your breed could become overweight so please adjust the quantity of food to keep her on the lean side. Hills does have some Natural foods, and many speciality foods such as those for sensitive skin and stomach, joints, weight management, and for medical problems also. My dogs start on Hills and stay on for life, changing the specific food as they grow, and even into their senior years, or with medical problems. There is a lot of advertising to sell different dog foods but I like to base my choice on scientific research, not hype. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Bella.