Feeding A Puppy Adult Dog Food

[Sagittarian]

I think it is a great idea to link your breeder to your shortlist. I wonder if it is possible to get onto an overseas forum for your new breed to get ideas on other diets if your breeder hasn't fed dry.

If your breeder is an experienced raw feeder and has successfully raised pups to adulthood with their diet, then you have a great resource to draw on. It may be worth considering following their diet for at least the growing phase. Adding dry food to the mix will throw out the balance with the raw unless the whole diet is revamped.

My other concern is that by feeding adult dry, you do have an issue with the calcium/phosporus rate being designed for an adult, not a growing puppy. There's no way around that. Every premium brand will have the information available, so please do think long and hard before putting a baby onto adult food. We don't do it with humans because of the different needs we have at different stages, so why with a precious pup?

As to feeding large adult food to a medium adult - there is a lot less problem with this, as long as the dog in question is in good weight and doesn't require a higher energy food.

Best of luck with your baby, you sound like you have a lot of fun ahead!

Sags

[RallyValley]

The Calcium:Phospohrus ratio is at the same percent for almost all adult and puppy foods that maintain a Calcium:phospohrus ratio. Calcium is at 1.8% and Phospohrus is at 0.8%!

We already feed our dogs on a 60/40 biscuts and meat diet. My mum cooks the dogs "meal" every week by adding lean cuts of meat, brown pasta or rice, veges and gravy (mum was like "it has to have flavour"). So I am consdering slightly changing this recipie because I know it probably isn't that healthy.

[Sagittarian]

I've just done a quick audit of some of the foods here - both large puppy and adult versions. I can't find one that has both the same cal:phos rate for adult and puppy food. Eagle for example is 1.5:1 for pup and 1.1:0.8 for adult. Royal Canin Maxi adult is 1:.85 and junior is 1:0.7.

As I've said though, working with your breeder is best as they know the breed. :-)

Sags

[hainjo]

I've just had squiz through the posts and may have missed it but what large breed of dog are you buying? Was the breeder recommending adult dry food to slow the growth down of the dog to help prevent problems such as OCD in joints?

[pie]

It's a Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

From Victoria, yay! You have a hard wait ahead of you though! 2 months?

[RallyValley]

I've just done a quick audit of some of the foods here - both large puppy and adult versions. I can't find one that has both the same cal:phos rate for adult and puppy food. Eagle for example is 1.5:1 for pup and 1.1:0.8 for adult. Royal Canin Maxi adult is 1:.85 and junior is 1:0.7.

As I've said though, working with your breeder is best as they know the breed. :-)

Sags

Sorry I knew it was one... Nutro has the same for puppy and large dog. I am leaning towards Nutro I think because the formula is almost exactly the same as Euk puppy, only diffrence is Nutro has calc:phos right and 2% less protien.

Puppy isnt even born yet so its 2 months after mid November!