[MyPemCharlie]

I'd be more concerned about the quality of the food, not whether the label says "Puppy", "Adult", "All Life Stages", etc. A human family who eats well-balanced, nutritious meals feed their kids the same. A human family who eats candy bars, sodas and chips shovel those things into their kids. I'd say their is a similar difference in dog food ingredients.

A second point is that there are a lot of Puppy formulas packed with protein, extra calcium and other supplements. Science has indicated that these overly-rich puppy formulas show increases in hip and elbow displasia and other skeletal problems by producing rapid growth spurts. Many vets recommend switching to adult food in breeds prone to bone problems (like Corgis) before one year in order to slow growth. The dog won't be a smaller adult. It just won't get to its full size as quickly, which could be much better for the bones.

Just pay attention to ingredients. Some puppy foods are not overloaded with supplements and some adult foods are too rich for puppies. The opposite is also true...depends on the brand. As Debbie said, "It's marketing."