What are Dog Life Stages?

Much in the same way as humans, our pets need specific diets and nutrition as they grow through to adulthood and beyond. Therefore, there are specific diets that tailor to each individual life stage of our dogs and cats.

Puppy

Puppies need more energy to grow and develop properly. A suitable puppy diet will essentially contain more calories and fat, to give them the fuel needed for the growth process. Growing and flourishing into an adult dog takes a lot of work! So, depending on the breed (bigger breeds take longer to grow) puppy food should be used until around 10-24 months.

Quick Tip: Some brands are nutritionally advanced enough to be fed across all life stages. This means you don’t need to switch the food once the puppy is fully grown. Keep in mind you may need to change the amount you feed as your pet progresses further into adulthood. Simply keep an eye on their weight and condition and adjust their daily feeding amount as is needed.

Senior Dog

As dogs get older their nutritional needs will start to change. With age dog’s metabolism will start to slow down and they will become a little less active. So, to avoid weight gain senior foods will be formulated with lower fat and calories. Plus, of course age takes a toll on a dogs hardworking body. The best Senior foods will come with a healthy dose of joint care to soothe, protect and support your pet as they age gracefully. Most senior brands are designed to be implemented over the age of 7, however it very much depends on the individual pet. Some dogs might start slowing down and needing support from slightly older or younger than that.

Light Dog

It’s important to note that some light foods are designed to suit both overweight and senior pets. Light diets are formulated with lower calories and fat to help reduce excess weight and keep dogs fighting fit. Lighter diets will contain more fibres to help keep an animal fuller without adding too many calories into the diet. A fantastic ingredient to look out for in light foods is L- Carnitine! This ingredient helps dogs to metabolise body fat easier and maintain lean body mass.