Question:My 2-year-old male chihuahua was underweight so I started feeding him puppy food to help him gain weight because I know it's high in protein and fat. He's finally reached a healthy weight, is it okay to leave him on the puppy food? I know there's a risk for obesity because of the high fat content but, as long as he keeps a healthy weight, are there any other risks or health concerns associated with keeping him on puppy food? Are there any essential vitamins present in adult dog food but missing from puppy food? Anything in puppy food that could be harmful to my adult dog? Too much of something? Are there any long-term risks?
Thanks for the input!
Answers:
according to my nutrition book, the level requirements of lysine, arginine, tryptophan (all amino acids), calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, copper(all minerals), vitamin A, and vitamin D are all higher for puppies making the puppy food higher in all of these which probably isnt good for an adult dog because it exceeds the adults needed amount. Once he is back to a weight that you like I would wean him back over to normal dog food. If he starts losing weight when he is back on the adult food then he might has a metabolic problem and might need to see a vet.
Now that he has regained weight put him back onto adult dog food. Puppy food is often too rich for a healthy adult dog. Some dogs are okay with it. I'd say get a bag of adult dog food and feed him half adult and half puppy until the puppy food is gone and then go to strait adult. puppy food being fed to adult dogs can cause bone and joint problems from all the high nutrients. Really there is no bad problem with it as long as he isn't fed it all the time. if you see he is losing weight put him back on half and half, or strait puppy
If your dog is not gaining extra weight, then it shouldn't be an issue. I would do half puppy and half adult though, because you want to maintain the weight not have him keep gaining weight. I would switch to straigh adult if he shows any sign of too much weight on him.
If you wanted to continue using the puppy food, mix it half and half with the adult version of the food, and watch his weight. It is not going to hurt him.
try switching to the same brand that u r using but regular adult food. What u can do is mix 1/2 and 1/2 1 cup of each the puppy and the adult. see how that work less of a chance of getting too fat.
I'd keep an eye on it. I often feed my rescues puppy food. Often they come in, in poor shape and you want to see some results. If you start noticing he's gaining weight, switch him back.
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