Can Adult Dogs Eat Puppy Food?

Your veterinarian can help you understand the subtle differences your dog may have based on their unique needs, but feeding your pup according to life stage (puppy, adult and senior) is a great place to start.

Dogs have varying nutritional needs as they advance through life. For example, a dog food formulated for puppies will provide the essential nutrients in the correct amounts to support healthy development. Puppies have higher caloric needs relative to their body weight, higher protein and fat requirements and higher demands for specific nutrients, such as calcium and phosphorus. When you think about how much a puppy's skeleton, muscle mass and brain grows to reach adulthood, you can imagine why a puppy's nutritional needs are so much higher.

Adult Dog Food Basics

Similarly, adult dogs' nutritional needs are primarily focused on supporting their overall health and well-being, including keeping them at a healthy weight. But compared to a puppy food, an adult dog food will typically:

• Be lower in calories.
• Be lower in fat.
• Be lower in protein.
• Have a different balance of essential nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, to support the adult life stage.

Given that puppy foods generally have higher levels of calories, protein and fat, can adult dogs eat puppy food — perhaps by feeding them less to help make up for the differences in formula? While some adult dogs will be fine eating puppy food on a regular basis, puppy food is not the best choice for all adult dogs (and adult dog food is not suitable for puppies). If you cut back the portion size of puppy food to keep an adult dog at a healthy weight, you risk cutting back certain nutrients too much, which can lead to nutrient deficiencies.

As a pet parent, it's important to understand that nutritional excesses can be just as harmful as nutritional deficiencies. Excess fat intake can result in obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart, joint, immune system and respiratory disease in dogs. Excess protein can cause strain on the kidneys and liver, increasing the risk of disease, while improperly balanced minerals, such as calcium, can result in bone diseases. While an occasional nibble of puppy food won't harm your adult dog, feeding your adult dog puppy food on a regular basis simply isn't the best choice for them.

Knowing when to switch from puppy food to adult food is important to maintaining your dog's optimum health. Most puppies will be ready around one year of age. However, large and giant breed puppies, like German shepherds or Great Danes, may need to stay on puppy food for closer to 15 to 18 months. This is because it often takes larger breeds longer to reach their full adult size.

Always check with your vet before transitioning your dog from puppy food to adult dog food to ensure they're ready. Switching at the wrong time can predispose your pup to avoidable challenges in the long term. For example, dogs who are taken off of puppy food too early may experience growth disorders or nutritional deficiencies. Dogs who stay on puppy food too long may be fine but are at higher risk for obesity and a variety of other health conditions.

When your vet gives you the green light, make the switch gradually over the course of at least one week (you can stretch this out over a longer period of time if you prefer or if your dog is a finicky eater). To support house training efforts and help prevent gastrointestinal upset, adult dogs should continue to be fed and exercised on the same schedule.

As your puppy transitions into adulthood, gradually switching to an adult dog food formula is essential to their health. Referred to as life stage nutrition, this nutritional standard helps ensure your dog's nutritional needs are met according to their age and physical stage of development and helps prevent both nutritional deficiencies and nutritional excesses.

Remember: Puppy foods are formulated to meet the higher energy requirements of this life stage, so while some adult dogs may be fine eating puppy food on a regular basis, puppy food is not suitable for all adult dogs. Adult dog foods are not appropriate for puppies.

Every dog is unique, and feeding them a food appropriate for their life stage and individual needs is always the best option. Your vet is your best source of information on what and how much to feed your pup. Their expertise enables them to recommend a meal plan based upon your dog's history, activity level, individual health concerns and body condition score, taking a holistic and personalized approach to their needs.