Hi everyone

Been feeding Arden Grange to my dogs for few year s now and i think its great

Just last week though my 12mnth old has gone off it and wont eat it! However he is tucking into the adult dogs lamb and rice meal.
I dont feel happy letting him have this as he is still maturing and not much body on him as he is very active, I dont think the normal adult meal will be calorific enough for him

I was looking at arden grange range and i see the performance and prestige is higher in protein, would i be better trying him on one of these? I cant see what the difference is between performance and prestige can anyone explain ?

Thankyou

Sorry Forgot to say my 12mnth old is on Large breed puppy food, I wanted to really keep him on this till he was around 18mnths

I feed mine on Arden Grange but i change mine on to adult around the six month mark so that the protein levels are lower and they grow much steadier, and mature much slower, i personally find it better for the joints and it has always worked well for me.
My 8 month old pup is 64kg 32 inches at the shoulder no fat and has a lot of maturing to do but i do find the lower protein better for him putting him on adult food has def not stunted his growth.
But every dog is different.
Alot of Great dane people never feed puppy food atall , they always opt for the lower protein adult food.

Peanuts

Mine is not a giant breed but I change at or before 6 months, think a dog at 18 month still on puppy food would be somewhat over active, not that good for young limbs and joints.

If all you want to do is add a few more calories try adding a tablespoon of oil to the food - either an oil your dog either likes or a a flavourless oil he will not notice.  That said, for large breeds it really is better to keep them on the slim side, especially while they are still growing. 

To be honest the large breed puppy (Typical Analysis: Protein 26%, Oil 16%, Fibre 2.5%, Ash 7%, Calorie Content: 416 Cals/100g) is almost the same calorie, protein and fat wise as the adult lamb (Typical Analysis: Protein 25%, Oil 16%, Fibre 2%, Ash 6%, Calorie Content: 415 Cals/100g), so I would let him have the adult Lamb and rice, it obviously appeals.

Not a large breed (but quite big)!
Ours go on AG adult lamb and rice at approx 6 months.

I have fed mine on Arden Grange for the last couple of years, I really struggled to get my Akita to eat alot so changed to the Arden Grange Performance and she seems to really like it so haven't looked back since. 

Hi Brainless

Yes ive just noticed that Im really surprised, if theres only 1% difference in protein and fat then what makes it puppy food? I always thought puppy foods should be a fair bit higher than the usual adult food as growing pups need more goodness . ?

If its the same I may as well let him have the adult, but like I said he still doesnt have much body as he's very active wondering whether to put him on the performance etc....

thanks peanuts,
My pup is on Arden Grange and i did think that 18 months was a long time to be on puppy food for a newf.
I was looking to change him over at around one year but if its safe i will change him over next month when he reaches 6 months.
I cant beleive he's that old already .  Also my older boy is 5 years old on Sunday, where does the time go!!!!!!

> Yes ive just noticed that Im really surprised, if theres only 1% difference in protein and fat then what makes it puppy food? I always thought puppy foods should be a fair bit higher than the usual adult food as growing pups need more goodness . ?
>

It's Large breed puppy food :D, and the current thinking is that they should not be given more nutrients, but be encouraged to grow slowly ergo be fed almost like adults, which is why many breeders an owners of these breeds have been feeding them adult food or switching to it at a young age.  The food companies have just jumped at the marketing opportunity and probably charge more for the food than the adult I expect..

Thing is when the dry foods just started most Puppy foods were no more than 24% protein, and adult was about 18%, after Eukanuba first was imported the bigger better foods upped their nutrient density.

I have always been a label and ingredient reader and never taken much notice of what the label says the food is for.  That is why I use the Prestige for young pups, as that is the level of Protein/fat I wanted and not the weaning food which is higher or the puppy which is a bit lower.  I put them on the Puppy version from 6 weeks so they are used to it before they leave.

It is also why I don't feed the ligth or senior foods, as I believe in keepign the odler dogs nutrition up, just adjusting amounts, as we should do for ourselves.

I rang Arden Grange about 6 months ago to ask what the difference was between the large breed junior and lamb & rice or salmon & rice, and they said the only difference is the added glucosamine and chondriotin in the large breed junior.  So if you add that yourself, there is no reason why they can't have adult food.

Well those are now in the whole of the added range, so sounds like no difference.

I actually contacted Arden Grange to check when my GSD pup should change to adult food.  They said when she was to full height so I changed her before she was a year old (cannot remember exactly when perhaps around 9 months).  She was still growing but not in height.

Louise

There should be a difference in calcium levels of the adult and Lge breed puppy. If there isn't then i cant see the point of feeding the more expensive one,If the pup formula is more??

Ktee glad you said that! Thought it was me being thick!

Ive emailed Arden grange and got a nice email back. They say that by the time the dog has finished growing height wise they should be taken off the puppy food and put on adult. 
They advised because I said my boy has lost a little weight after going off the puppy feed and the fact he isnt that well bodied I could put him on the performance food which is a little more rich than the standard adult lamb and rice.

Sounds good, but Im still confused!!!  Large breed Puppy is something like 26% protein, adult standard lamb and rice is 25%, BUT THE PERFORMANCE is only 25% TOO! I dont get it, whats the difference then?  The only one which is a fair bit higher in the Arden Grange range is Prestige which is 30% and they didnt recommend that.

???

I would email them and ask Ness to call you - she rang me a couple of times when I had questions over their food - couldn't have been more helpful and much easier to understand and ask questions than to keep emailing.