Switching Puppy to Adult food

BarbV

BarbV

Forums Celebrity
Hi everyone

I know I'm supposed to know all about food, but I'm really struggling here

Callan is 14 months old and still on puppy food! Why? Because of all the food I've been looking at switching him to, this seems to still have the right balance of protein, fat and fiber in order to maintain a healthy weight.

Interesting the TOTW adult has more protein and fat than the puppy formula. That makes no sense to me.

I'm seriously considering switching him to NOW! Senior which is what I feed Indy to keep his weight down, grain free and yet a moderate protein.

The only huge difference in adult vs. senior is fiber 3.5% vs. 6%....I think that's actually a good thing for weight maintenance.

Does anyone see any red flags moving Callan to a senior food with 24% protein, 10% fat and 6% fiber? And yes, Callan is starting to lean towards porky. But he currently only gets 1 cup day kibble with 1 tbsp. wet twice per day.
 
BarbV said:
The only huge difference in adult vs. senior is fiber 3.5% vs. 6%....I think that's actually a good thing for weight maintenance.

Does anyone see any red flags moving Callan to a senior food with 24% protein, 10% fat and 6% fiber? And yes, Callan is starting to lean towards porky. But he currently only gets 1 cup day kibble with 1 tbsp. wet twice per day.
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I find this really surprising, that the only big difference between adult and senior is fiber. That really doesn't seem like much! I wonder why fiber makes one variety "senior" rather than "adult." That being the case, I don't see a problem feeding it to Callan. You can always bulk up his fiber by adding some plain pumpkin to the food. Or, you could just feed Callan the adult NOW, unless you don't want to have two separate foods.
 
How many calories in that 1 cup plus 2 tbsp wet? Hanna is up to 19 pounds on 2/3 cup of food daily ( 27%protein, 17%fat and 4% fiber) or about 274 calories /day plus the medium dentastix or equivalent adds another 44 calories. I am going to have to cut her back to 1/2 cup or cut out the dental treats. I can tell she's put on weight when I pick her up.

A full cup of her food is 410 calories, if I fed her that she'd be a little porker!
 
I switched Baker from Fromm's Gold Puppy to the adult Salmon version a little after his 10 month birthday. Right now he gets 1/3c twice a day, with snacks of carrots, lettuce & bell peppers around noon & 7pm.

I am worried that my tiny guy may be a bit heavy for his size, but worry that cutting back to 1/4c twice/day just seems like so little... Hubby has already questioned me as to when we will be feeding him more, because he is "always starving" lol

Barb - why do you add the wet food? Is this something I should be doing?
 
Shelties will eat until they puke ( except for perhaps Dr Shelli's Celtic) - you can't go by how starving or hungry they act. If they are at a good weight then their food is correct - if they are fat you are feeding too much or they have a thyroid issue.
 
bkzoo said:
I switched Baker from Fromm's Gold Puppy to the adult Salmon version a little after his 10 month birthday. Right now he gets 1/3c twice a day, with snacks of carrots, lettuce & bell peppers around noon & 7pm.

I am worried that my tiny guy may be a bit heavy for his size, but worry that cutting back to 1/4c twice/day just seems like so little... Hubby has already questioned me as to when we will be feeding him more, because he is "always starving" lol

Barb - why do you add the wet food? Is this something I should be doing?
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All five of mine get 1/4 cup twice a day and yes, they'll tell me they're starving but their weight is perfect most of the time. In winters like this one, they even border on a pound or two more than they should be. So especially with a food like Fromm, you can feed less and they'll be fine.

I don't add wet food to their meals because you don't need it. If you add some warm water it will make a gravy and it's better for them (less calories) plus the extra water is good for them. Many don't drink enough, especially in cooler weather.

I do add a spoon of low-fat cottage cheese in the morning and one of canned pumpkin at night on top of the food. And they all get a kong with some organic yogurt at night.
 
Had Hanna in at the vet today for her Lyme vaccine, Revolution ( 6 months worth), & heatworm testing ( $312 later) all is good. Turns out my method of weighing her by stepping on the scale with and without her and subtracting the difference is not all that accurate. She weighs 18.2 pounds - not the 19.4 I got at home! The vet said she does not need to lose any weight, but that I should not let her gain any either as she's just about right. So I guess I'll keep her on 2/3 cup daily of dry, since she generally drops some in the summer anyways just from being more active.

Have you decided what you are going to do about Callan's diet yet Barb?
 
I actually have to go feed by dogs now, so can't respond in full.

But to respond quickly to why add wet food? For weight loss! I cut Indy from 1 1/3 cups per day to 1 cup by adding a couple of tbsp of really wet food (weruva) and he has gradually lost about 7-8 lbs. he didn't even notice it.

Wet food has more water content so is easily absorbed. And has less calories as a result. The extra palability also helps makes dogs more satisfied but still some fill

It was a no brainer.

Incidentally, I've used the dog food advisor calorie calculator. It does not work. It would have me feeding Indy more.

Back with more later.....I have two dogs giving me the eye right now....feed me!
 
BarbV said:
I actually have to go feed by dogs now, so can't respond in full.

But to respond quickly to why add wet food? For weight loss! I cut Indy from 1 1/3 cups per day to 1 cup by adding a couple of tbsp of really wet food (weruva) and he has gradually lost about 7-8 lbs. he didn't even notice it.

Wet food has more water content so is easily absorbed. And has less calories as a result. The extra palability also helps makes dogs more satisfied but still some fill

It was a no brainer.

Incidentally, I've used the dog food advisor calorie calculator. It does not work. It would have me feeding Indy more.

Back with more later.....I have two dogs giving me the eye right now....feed me!
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Weruva is a very low calorie food, low carb, high protein. But sure the comparison but my cat just lost 2 lbs using weruva. His cat food was 500 calories cup and weruva 75 to 120 per 6 oz can. Satisfying protein, less calories. Easy. Not the case of all canned foods btw
 
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