A growing puppy needs precise levels of essential nutrients to stay her healthiest. To meet the growth and development requirements of puppies, their bodies require a puppy food with increased amounts of energy, protein and calcium compared to adult dogs’ needs.
Association of Animal Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) statement on a dog food label verifies that the food provides complete and balanced nutrition for either:
puppies or kittens
pregnant or nursing pets
adult pets
all lifestages
Key points
If you see the words ” … for all lifestages” on a package, it means it’s a puppy or kitten food.
The early years
In the early stages of life, young pets need high levels of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to ensure proper growth.
Therefore, a pet food that claims to be “complete and balanced for all lifestages” must contain nutrient levels that are suitable for growth. Are the nutrient levels in foods for growth too high for older pets? We believe they are.
Too high, too low
The “one size fits all” pet food philosophy may sound attractive, but it goes against everything Hill’s has learned in more than 60 years of clinical nutrition research. A food that’s appropriate for growth will contain levels of fat, sodium, protein and other nutrients that are too high for the older pet. Likewise, a food that contains reduced levels of nutrients for older pets may be inadequate for growing puppies and kittens.
All things to all pets
Today, many pet food manufacturers offer lifestage foods for pets. They often tout the benefits of their foods for puppies and kittens, adults or seniors and how these foods are perfectly balanced for each of these lifestages.
However, many of these same companies also offer brands of pet food that carry the claim “… complete and balanced nutrition for all lifestages”!
Are the companies that manufacture these products truly committed to the lifestage concept? The answer is obvious.
