# puppy vs adult food



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Is it okay to feed an adult dog puppy food?

I think Murph is gonna go on California natural lamb and rice. The adult formula is 21% protein and 11% fat, but the puppy is 26% protein and 16% fat, which seems more ideal. so would it be okay for him if he's a year and a half?


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

It's perfectly fine. Besides large breed puppy formulas, I think most age group formulas are just a marketing gimmick. I've fed puppy food to my adult dog before, too.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Thanks, that's what I figured too. I knew that with puppies, you can feed an adult food (except for the large breeds cause of the calcium levels) but wasn't sure if it was okay for the reverse.


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

Lots of people prefer the puppy version of CN for this reason. I tried to switch my dog (18 months old now) to CN Puppy Lamb & Rice (from adult L&R) a couple of months ago, and his stool got soft and sometimes he wouldn't crap at all. After about four weeks, I switched back to the adult version, and the problems went away on the first day. (I didn't transition when I went back.)


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Interesting, thank you for sharing. I wonder if it's because the puppy has 1.5% less fiber? 

Maybe I will just try the adult then. He's a 1.5 year old frenchie, it's not like he's active, so I don't think I have to worry too much about fueling him for an active lifestyle. I'm at the point where I've had him almost a year, and while he does look the best he has now on Blue's small breed chicken and rice, he still isn't ideal and I'd like to try him on the simplest food possible (that isn't homecooked or raw), so it seems like CN or Natural Balance are the choices, and I think I prefer CN over NB. Though, NB's lamb and brown rice is very very similar to CN's lamb and rice from what I remember...


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

meggels said:


> Interesting, thank you for sharing. I wonder if it's because the puppy has 1.5% less fiber?
> 
> Maybe I will just try the adult then. He's a 1.5 year old frenchie, it's not like he's active, so I don't think I have to worry too much about fueling him for an active lifestyle. I'm at the point where I've had him almost a year, and while he does look the best he has now on Blue's small breed chicken and rice, he still isn't ideal and I'd like to try him on the simplest food possible (that isn't homecooked or raw), so it seems like CN or Natural Balance are the choices, and I think I prefer CN over NB. Though, NB's lamb and brown rice is very very similar to CN's lamb and rice from what I remember...


I'm not sure either. There are tons of people on another forum I go to who like the Puppy version for the extra protein and fat, but my dog just didn't seem to adjust to it. He gets a good amount of exercise too. I'm not sure what it was.

I tried Nature's Variety (both Instinct and Prairie) before CN, and my dog hated it and was a mess. During the transition to CN, his stools firmed up daily, and he actually showed real eagerness in mealtime. 

I do supplement with Grizzly salmon oil; two full pumps in each meal.


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