When Should You Switch Your Puppy TO Adult Food?

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

Linda - Royal Canin and some other dog food manufacturers do produce food specifically for junior dogs ie those aged between one year and eighteen months to two years.

Have never seen the Royal Canin "Junior foods" you are talking about specifically for those ages as you mentioned above.

But here is the link, maybe you can find them.

Royal Canin Canine Health Nutrition Dog Food

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

No Peggy, you are wrong. There are definite requirements for puppies, adults and senior dogs - it is not a matter of adjusting the quantities in this respect.

I am not wrong, if you read what I said. What I said was that an adult maintence food is suitable for all life stages. Read the bag, it says so on the bags that it's suitable for ALL life stages.

There may be different requirements for each stage of life but that doesn't mean there HAS to be a different formula for each. You can feed an adult maintence food and be just fine. And by the way, the first litter that I had that never ate any puppy formula food will be 7 years old this month. And still doing just fine.

I've had several dogs make it to 15 and 16 years and they NEVER ate one bite of a senior food.

If AAFCO is a Government agency so what?????

Exactly my opinion, SO WHAT?

By the way, the USA armed forces are a Government agency too.

Again, so what? Just because something is a government agency doesn't make them great. Government agenices shouldn't be taken at face value if you ask me. You can and IMO, should still question things and do your own reasearch and make your own decisions.

Peggy

[glencorgi]

Ummmm ..... no, Peggy isn't wrong and there is no comparison to the United States military and some government agencies - so don't even go there!

I find it quite a 180 turn of feeding recommendations from when I first joined Go Corgi and now in the advice Michael is now championing. Not too many generations ago (as in my grandparents) that individuals didn't need government to spell out for them how to eat healthy. Today we have nanny government trying to dictate and mandate everything from what we eat to how long a leash we can walk our dogs on. Just because Michael has just discovered the AAFCO and is taking it as gospel doesn't mean some of us haven't known about it for a number of years and look beyond minimum requirements and utilise independent thought in making researched choices in what we feed our corgis.

Debbie

[Mvons]

Thank you Peggy and Debbie.

Merrie

[Michael Romanos]

You'll find that there is a universal acceptance to feed puppy food to puppies and adult food to adults and over the last dozen years or so there has been the realisation that senior dogs also have and need different requirements. This is accepted by AAFCO and all the leading international dog food manufacturers and so AAFCO put out standards for all three stages of a dog's life. Vets in general are in support of this feeding programme and the leading international manufactures designate in their material output the normal periods of time that a dog should move through the food segments - eg up to 12 months of age for puppy food, one to six years for adult food and over seven, senior. There are some variations on this according to breed type and size and whether there exists a normal situation or not, and some manufacturers have even gone further of late and produce junior food as a stage between puppy and adult. It is getting very scentific and quite exacting and it is exciting and confusing for dog owners, knowing that our dogs have never had it so good. I cringe at the type of food that my first four Corgis got in comparison to what is available today and what i have adopted from great advice I have received from various quarters. At the time I thought I was doing a great job in feeding my dogs.
A dog in New Zealand lived til he was 26 (probably the world's third oldest lived dog) and he most probably was not properly fed by todays standards. It proves nothing. If he was a pup today, he may live until he was 30 and have a excellent quality of life right through.

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

There are some variations on this according to breed type and size and whether there exists a normal situation or not, and some manufacturers have even gone further of late and produce junior food as a stage between puppy and adult.

What companies(names please), produce "Junior Foods"

[woogiebear]

MilkDud lived 15 years. I wonder.....what is the normal life expectancy of a Corgi?

[Mvons]

Thank you Cheryl, very well composed post. I was too baffled/angry to come up with a reply that made sense and appreciate that you did a reply that I fully agree with. In other words I couldn't have said it better.

Merrie

[quote=Michael Romanos;26072 By the way, the USA armed forces are a Government agency too.[/QUOTE]
Michael you had Cheryl's comment DELETED on this. The least you can do is DELETE YOUR OFFENSIVE comment.

[Fluffypants]

I agree - thanks Cheryl. I think you said it perfectly, so I have nothing to say but

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

If AAFCO is a Government agency so what????? They are a guide to suitable food for dogs that contain everything that a dog requires in the way of minerals, vitamins and nutrients that is known up to these moments in time. They made some fairly minor changes to their standards in 2006 from that of 2004.
By the way, the USA armed forces are a Government agency too.

......

Originally Posted by Checkers

And what the F*** is that supposed to mean?! That comment makes absolutely NO sense in context of this discussion as, I might ad, MOST of your posts don't make any sense. How the hell you manage to put food on the table as a writer is completely beyond me! I suggest you try to stick with the very mediocre knowledge that you MIGHT possess somewhere deep in the recesses of that mass in your head and stay out of the things that you know nothing about.... such as the service that my husband and many other wonderful men and women proudly do in an effort to make this world a better place.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

You'll find that there is a universal acceptance to feed puppy food to puppies and adult food to adults and over the last dozen years or so there has been the realisation that senior dogs also have and need different requirements.

Ok, first I don't find any universal acceptance. Since I have not been around the whole universe. I however have talked with MANY breeders in the western US. Seeing as my transporter isn't working well, I don't get much further than that in the universe.

The reason that people feed different formulas is advertising. The dog food manufactures have advertised and convinced the pet owning population that their dogs need different formulas for different stages of life.

Again if you read the label on the adult maintence foods you'll find it says it's made for ALL life stages. Which means it meets the minimum requirements you're so fond of quoting.

Vets in general are in support of this feeding programme

IMO, vets in general don't have enough education in canine nutrition to know what's the best way to feed a dog. Only those who have gone on to do more research ON THEIR OWN know otherwise.

and the leading international manufactures designate in their material output the normal periods of time that a dog should move through the food segments - eg up to 12 months of age for puppy food, one to six years for adult food and over seven, senior.

Sure they do, their business is to SELL dog food. Differernt forumlas have different costs. If you talk to the experts (meaning dog breeders and vets who have more study in this) you'll find many will tell you that an adult maintence is just fine for all life stages.

some manufacturers have even gone further of late and produce junior food as a stage between puppy and adult.

Again, NOT in the US. We don't have that forumla available here.

A dog in New Zealand lived til he was 26 (probably the world's third oldest lived dog)

Did he have a documented birth date? I'm not ready to belive any dog lived that long without some sort of documentation.

Again, there is more than one right way to feed a dog.

And Michael I'd like to know why YOU are NEVER wrong and no one else is ever right? Why do you continually say someone is wrong just because they disagree with your opinion? My opinion is just as good, if not better than yours. And I'm getting quite tired of being told I'm wrong just because I have a differing opinion. Everyone on this forum is entitled to their opinions and shouldn't be belittled for them. I think we all deserve more respect from you.

Peggy

[yonae12]

Dogfoodproject.com -- the website author is a dog nutritionist - not out to promote their brand:

What is the AAFCO?
Before getting into the specifics, I would like to outline what the often-mentioned Association of American Feed Control Officials is. This group regulates the pet food industry, and while the board consists of state and federal representatives, it is not a government body and also includes people directly involved in the industry. According to the definition on their website, the AAFCO "provides a mechanism for developing and implementing uniform and equitable laws, regulations, standards and enforcement policies for regulating the manufacture, distribution and sale of animal feeds", but if this process includes business insiders, they are likely to protect their own interests first before anything else.
__
Discussing politics (especially US/International politics right now) I believe, always will end in heated debates. There are some very interesting viewpoints written so far about dog food. Everyone has it in them to be respectful and civil when discussing dog food!

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by yonae12

What is the AAFCO?
Before getting into the specifics, I would like to outline what the often-mentioned Association of American Feed Control Officials is. This group regulates the pet food industry, and while the board consists of state and federal representatives, it is not a government body and also includes people directly involved in the industry. According to the definition on their website, the AAFCO "provides a mechanism for developing and implementing uniform and equitable laws, regulations, standards and enforcement policies for regulating the manufacture, distribution and sale of animal feeds", but if this process includes business insiders, they are likely to protect their own interests first before anything else.

Thank you for pointing that out.

Peggy

[darci]

Wooo hooo Cheryl........

I think you just stated my thoughts exactly, I didnt know you were psychic...

[Michael Romanos]

Linda - you keep asking for brands of dog food that are specially prepared for junior aged dogs ( normally between one year and 18 months but maybe stretched out to two years). Here are just some of the international producers of junior specific food though some are classified as suitable for both puppies and juniors ie one month to 18 months or thereabouts:
Acana
Eukanuba
Bohemia Safari
Happy Dog
Barker's
Beta
Natures Menu
Royal Canin
Bosch
Pedigree