Puppy food- safe?

[Freppan]

Hey all. I had a question for you guys because I am concerned about my aunt's corgi. He's a tri-colored male of about 8, maybe 9 months, still intact. I asked my aunt what food she fed him as a puppy and what she feeds him now. She said that she has always fed him IAMS puppy food, and that she always will until the day he dies! She said that she has been reading about cancer in dogs and the reason they get cancer is because there is not enough animal protein in their diet. She says that dog food companies tend to put too much grain and rice in their products. Iams puppy food has the highest amount of animal protein that she has found.

I was just wondering if this was safe. It seems odd to me that puppy food would sustain an adult correctly.

Any thoughts?

EDIT: Nutrition facts

Crude Protein not less than 28.0%
Crude Fat not less than 17.0%
Crude Fiber not more than 4.0%
Moisture not more than 10.0%
Docosahexaenoic Acid not less than 0.10%
Omega-6 Fatty Acids not less than 3.00%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids not less than 0.30%

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by Freppan

She said that she has been reading about cancer in dogs and the reason they get cancer is because there is not enough animal protein in their diet. She says that dog food companies tend to put too much grain and rice in their products. Iams puppy food has the highest amount of animal protein that she has found.

Has she looked beyond grocery store brands? Although with some of the Purina specialty lines that are making their way into grocery stores, a few of them should top IAMS puppy food. There are a long list of foods with animal based protein that can top the IAMS puppy food and with far less grains in them. EVO being one, some of the new Wellness formulas being another and those are just off the top of my head. Specialty pet supply stores, as well as the box pet supply stores are full of different foods and options.

I was just wondering if this was safe. It seems odd to me that puppy food would sustain an adult correctly.

While it isn't a food I'd feed or a feeding protocol *I'd* follow or recommend, IAMS puppy food isn't all that different than their adult food last time I read the labels. Puppy food will sustain an adult just fine.

Have you tried to give her any recommendations?

Debbie

[Freppan]

Thanks for replying! I did send her an email earlier today asking if she had looked into anything else recently, because I wasn't entirely sure that puppy food was the best choice for an adult.

But if you say that he should be alright on it, then I guess he'll be fine. I just know that I'll be using a different diet for my own corgi!

Edit: On second thought, I'll look into the brands you talked about and suggest them to her. You can't be too careful.

[Michael Romanos]

I wouldn't agree with your Aunt. What eskewed ideas some people come up with to support what they administer.
Scientists associated with canine nutrition are letting us realise that what is healthy and non fattening for humans is very much similar to what is healthy and non fattening for dogs. So less red meat, less dairy-type products, more grain, more veggies, more fruit. And so on it goes.

[Freppan]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

I wouldn't agree with your Aunt. What eskewed ideas some people come up with to support what they administer.
Scientists associated with canine nutrition are letting us realise that what is healthy and non fattening for humans is very much similar to what is healthy and non fattening for dogs. So less red meat, less dairy-type products, more grain, more veggies, more fruit. And so on it goes.

Okay, so you don't support less grains and more protein? EVO was no grains and lots of protein, and it looked alright to me. Are you saying that grainy food IS good for dogs? I have never heard that before.

[Michael Romanos]

You'll find that super premium dry dog food producers are spreading their products to include so called natural elements - but basically they are catering for the misconceptions that a lot of people have towards protein predominance versus a more balanced diet. Some of the products that Royal Canin currently produces has a high protein content. As I have said a number of times, dogs in the wild will eat anything that moves and is small enough for them to hunt and kill. They have never known about grain or about a host of exceptional vegetables or a complete and balanced diet. There is one group of wild dog/wolf in South America who are almost entirely vegetarian - and they seem to live longer overall than other wild dog groups. Wild dogs have a short life - one such group on average live til they are 4 - and suffer from lots of ailments, mostly to do with their poor and restrictive diets and weather elements.

[momentaiamber]

Canine Caviar Hollistic Dog/puppy foods meets the needs based on the percentages very well. The Chicken and Pearl Millet Puppy is formulated very well for corgi's. This is what I'm putting mine on when I pick him up. Check out Home > Canine Caviar Pet Foods

[fogebotom]

Just a few notes on the subject--you need to be more concerned about the quality of the ingredients then the actual nutritional content. Did you know that feather meal is an empty protein source used by many companies in livestock feeds-it does raise the protein level in the food without the expense of a meat protein. Similar to the recall issues with the China made products this last year.

So with that comment-look for meat meals in the ingredients as they are more concentrated and contain less water. Remember ingredients are listed based on their weight not on their caloric or nutritional content. Say whole fresh chicken is the first ingredient, take equal weight amounts of the chicken meal and fresh chicken, process out the water. Your end result will be less fresh chicken then meal.

Dogs in the wild often eat the internal organs of animals, including the stomach contents of the grass eaters they kill. Those animals have already semi fermented and processed their diet. At home it's not unusual for my crew to have a hayday cleaning up the dropped pellets from the horses.(I feed pellets as it's jump started the digestion process for the horse and allows for more absorbtion of the vital nutrients.) They nibble on grass out in the pasture too. Eat mulberrries of the trees, windfall apples and pears. So the correct carbos in moderation is good for a dog-corn is not all bad, it works best if it's a processed corn product then a whole grain item. Any grain needs to be a meal as our dogs aren't cows and can't ferment and process a whole grain as well.

What I look for is information on the company also-where they get their ingredients and where it is made. Grocery store brands such as Euk and Iams have less quality control due to the multiple locations where it is made. So one bag that I purchase on the east coast can vary considerably from the same formula that I get that is made in the southwest.

For years, the logic was that high protein puppy food was causing all the issues with the mature dogs and joints. New studies show that it wasn't the protein but the fat levels. Puppies should have moderate levels of protein with lower fat levels. Feeding puppy food for the life of the dog can be an issue with dogs that have kidney problems, dogs that are not active and can't turn that protein into energy quick enough. All in moderation as my grandmother says.

I don't feed puppy food to my dogs past one large bag - as in, momma dog gets to eat puppy food a few days before she whelps, while she is nursing and then the puppies are grueled on goats milk, rice cereal then slowly introducing the mashed puppy food. Once that bag gets low, mom is usually weaning, puppies are then introduced to the adult dog food the rest of the gang here eats. I have actually ran into issues with growth on one cardigan when it started sneaking puppy food from the babies. Once I got him back on a lower protein, fat product, he got better.

Overview-know the ingredient sources, look deeper into that ingredient list and there are loads of good quality products out there, just gotta find them.

Cindy and the crew

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Freppan

Hey all. I had a question for you guys because I am concerned about my aunt's corgi. He's a tri-colored male of about 8, maybe 9 months, still intact. I asked my aunt what food she fed him as a puppy and what she feeds him now. She said that she has always fed him IAMS puppy food, and that she always will until the day he dies! She said that she has been reading about cancer in dogs and the reason they get cancer is because there is not enough animal protein in their diet. She says that dog food companies tend to put too much grain and rice in their products. Iams puppy food has the highest amount of animal protein that she has found.

I was just wondering if this was safe. It seems odd to me that puppy food would sustain an adult correctly.

Any thoughts?

EDIT: Nutrition facts

Crude Protein not less than 28.0%
Crude Fat not less than 17.0%
Crude Fiber not more than 4.0%
Moisture not more than 10.0%
Docosahexaenoic Acid not less than 0.10%
Omega-6 Fatty Acids not less than 3.00%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids not less than 0.30%

I think that feeding an adult dog puppy food for it's whole life is overkill. Puppy formula foods are higher in protein, fat, calcium and calories. They are made for growing puppies.

Chances are the dog will get fat on it eventually.

If she's looking for a food with less grain in it, Iams is not it. Corn is the second ingredient in their food.

Foods such as Innova, California Natural ect. have fewer grains and are IMO, better foods.

Also, I don't feed my puppies a puppy formula food. I wean them onto the adult formula (forumulate for ALL life stages) food my other dogs eat. And when I did feed a puppy formula I switched them off it by 4-6 mos. That was the advice I was given from one of the then top breeders in the country, when I got my first corgi.

So, my advice is to switch to an adult food now and even consider changing brands if she's worried about too many grains. (The grains don't cause cancer by the way, but they will feed it if a dog gets cancer.)

Peggy
There are lots of foods out there will

[Michael Romanos]

I wouldn't accept Peggy's advice when she states to NOT feed Corgi puppies with puppy formulated food.

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

I wouldn't accept Peggy's advice when she states to NOT feed Corgi puppies with puppy formulated food.

Your prerogative, some of us will choose not to accept/support your advice to feed S/D and other foods laden with corn.

And for accuracy, Peggy's exact words were:

"Also, I don't feed my puppies a puppy formula food. I wean them onto the adult formula (forumulate for ALL life stages) food my other dogs eat. And when I did feed a puppy formula I switched them off it by 4-6 mos. That was the advice I was given from one of the then top breeders in the country, when I got my first corgi.

So, my advice is to switch to an adult food now and even consider changing brands if she's worried about too many grains. (The grains don't cause cancer by the way, but they will feed it if a dog gets cancer.)"

Nowhere did she state not to feed puppy food.

Debbie