Puppy vs Adult Food

[StarsGoBlue]

My golden retriever is just a little over 1 year old. I've been feeding him Orijen large puppy food, but I'm wondering if I should switch him to adult food now. Unlike some brands, Orijen doesn't show a recommended age range on the bag, but I've noticed that some puppy foods are for ages up to 18 months.

My puppy food says until 9 months. The main difference I think is the protein content (puppy food is much higher) but unless your dog is seriously active, I think he'll be fine on adult food now. You could always phone up the manufacturer - in my experience they are very helpful.

I just feed a good quality adult food from when they are old enough to crunch it up (current cocker pup was about 6 months) Skinners duck and rice suit both my dogs, old and young.

That's the one I use for my collie battery, as it's hypoallergenic.

I'd put him onto adult food now. He really doesn't need the additional protein that puppy food provides any longer as he's done his fast burst growing already.

Puppy specific food is quite a new thing really, and many people argue it's not actually necessary - that it's more of a marketing gimmick. IMO, good quality food is the most important thing to make a strong, healthy dog - not necessarily puppy specific food.

If your puppy has stopped growing and is just 'filling' out then you can switch to adult food.