Can my 8-month-old puppy eat adult dog food if he won't eat puppy food?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. A pug that is younger than 6 months should eat a puppy diet to help her grow and get the adequate nutrients and vitamins she needs. Puppies and adult dogs have very different requirements in terms of calories, calcium, phosphorous, and other nutrients. As she gets older, ie in the 6-12 month range, it is OK to start mixing in an adult or all-life stages diet in with her food. Just be sure the total amount she is supposed to be eating based on what the bag says is appropriate. Eventually, once she is about 12 months, she should be on an adult dog food, for maintenance. I recommend consulting with Beanie's regular veterinarian to see what specific types of food they recommend for her! Top dog food brands include Purina, Hills Science Diet, and Royal Canin. Beanie should NOT eat a grain-free, vegetarian, or vegan diet, as these are linked with dangerous heart conditions and other growth related diseases. I hope this is helpful!

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.

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.

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

Puppy food certainly won't hurt Iggy if he only eats it for a week. The differences between puppy food and adult food are mainly in the calcium/phosphorus balance to help promote proper bone growth, as well as being a bit more calorically dense. As Jessica explained so well, it's important to mix the old and new foods together for about a week whenever possible to minimize the chance of developing stomach upset. I would also look at the caloric density (kcal per can) listed to see if you need to adjust the amount of canned puppy food that he's getting relative to the number of calories he was getting from adult food. I hope that everything goes well!

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.

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!