[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi fortunatecookie –

Lucky dogs – Orijen and NV Instinct are my two favorite kibbles. I feed raw now, but when I fed kibble my dog did far better on these two foods than on any others. Both are labeled for “All Life Stages.” The AAFCO recognizes two nutrient profiles: growth and maintenance. If a food meets the more stringent “growth” requirement the company can choose to label it as “All Life Stages” rather then “Puppy” or “Growth.” So a food labeled for all life stages is the same as a puppy food. Personally, I wouldn’t switch to one brand. Feeding one brand continuously is very unhealthy – dogs, like people, need variety, there is no “perfect” food. Both are wonderful foods so I would rotate both dogs between brands and maybe even pick out a third brand to rotate in occasionally.