food

[Labs]

Can anyone tell me the difference between puppy and adult? I know that they often advertise a difference, but when it comes to reading the actual ingredients, I never really was able to tell. I'd love to know though.
I've always just fed adult stuff to my pups. They seemed to turn out fine.

Here's the short version. Puppies need calories to fuel the energy they expend, PLUS calories to fuel their body growth. Adult dogs need calories to fuel the energy they expend, but don't need them to fuel growth. So a quality puppy formula has few if any empty calories.

Also, consider the difference in stomach size between a pup & adult. Obviously the pup can't hold as much food as an adult, so puppy formula is a more concentrated nutrition food.

Lastly, puppy formula is a much smaller kibble size than adult formula. It's easier for the pup to eat & digest...

 

[V-John]

Here's the short version. Puppies need calories to fuel the energy they expend, PLUS calories to fuel their body growth. Adult dogs need calories to fuel the energy they expend, but don't need them to fuel growth. So a quality puppy formula has few if any empty calories.

Also, consider the difference in stomach size between a pup & adult. Obviously the pup can't hold as much food as an adult, so puppy formula is a more concentrated nutrition food.

Lastly, puppy formula is a much smaller kibble size than adult formula. It's easier for the pup to eat & digest...

Interesting. Say the protein/fat content is relatively the same... And obviously the caloric content is roughly the same when comparing the two. I've found that most 'High energy" feeds (like Pro Plans Performance for example) are roughly equivalent in fat/protein content and calories puppy feeds.
How can we tell on the bag if calories are 'empty' or not? Or, the feed is more concentrated? Or rather, how is that indicated through ingredients/nutrients or feed content?

I definitely get the kibble size - especially for the super young pups.

 

[Chestle]

The dry kibble that I have chosen to feed my dogs is Farmina brand grain free formula.
It is the only manufacturer I know of who specifies the percentage of protein that is animal based.

Victor also breaks out the percentages of protein from animal/vegetable/grains.

COMPREHENSIVE PROTEIN SOURCES:
61% PROTEIN FROM MEAT SOURCES
22% PROTEIN FROM PLANTS & VEGGIES
17% PROTEIN FROM GRAIN SOURCES

Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Formula | Victor Pet Food

With premium-quality chicken meal as the primary protein source, VICTOR Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Formula is formulated to nutritionally support dogs with normal activity levels. It is easy to alternate SELECT formulas to offer your dog multiple flavors t

victorpetfood.com

That is something I wish all the pet food manufacturers did.

 

[Labs]

Interesting. Say the protein/fat content is relatively the same... And obviously the caloric content is roughly the same when comparing the two. I've found that most 'High energy" feeds (like Pro Plans Performance for example) are roughly equivalent in fat/protein content and calories puppy feeds.
How can we tell on the bag if calories are 'empty' or not? Or, the feed is more concentrated? Or rather, how is that indicated through ingredients/nutrients or feed content?

I definitely get the kibble size - especially for the super young pups.

I've always considered it's about the density of the serving, more so than big differences in ingredient percentages (as you noted, puppy & adult high performance foods both have high fat & protein percentages). I liken it comparing a 1-1/4 ounce load of 8's to a 1-1/4 ounce load of 4's. Even though both charges weigh the same, there are a lot less size 4 shot than are size 8s. If you look at a 1 cup scoop of puppy food next to a 1 cup scoop of most large breed adult food, that cup of puppy chow is much more dense...

And I could be completely full of it, opinions vary...

 

[Dakotazeb]

Lastly, puppy formula is a much smaller kibble size than adult formula. It's easier for the pup to eat & digest...

I don't even think this is necessarily true in all foods. The Kibble size of the new formula PPP Sport 30/20 is quite small.