When your dog is a puppy it is in a growth stage and need more protein than a adult dog. When your dog grow older and enter into "senior citizenship" the metabolism starts slowing and your dog need less energy.
Actually it is the same mechanism as with humans.
But dogs, being such a diverse group of breeds (small, medium and large) have some slight differences in terms of when lifestage changes occurs.
When you do a nutritional assessment in the Furry Fitness App we will ask you if your dog is a puppy or old dog based in the birth date of your dog. But due to the lifestage difference between breeds we allow you to define this yourself.
For how long is your dog a puppy?
Small breeds (under 25 pounds when fully grown)
Small breeds reach adult size at 10-12 months of age. These breeds will be ready for adult dog food at 9-10 months of age.
Medium sized breeds
Dogs such as English Springer Spaniels, Australian Shepherds, and Border Collies are 25-50 pounds when fully grown, and they reach adult size at 12-15 months of age. With growth rates between those of small breeds and large breeds, medium-sized dogs will be ready for adult dog food around 12-14 months of age.
Large sized breeds
This are considered dogs that is over 50 pounds when fully grown. There are many large breed dogs, from the Boxer to the Great Dane, so the point at which these breeds reach mature size and weight can vary between 15 and 24 months of age.
How Old is Old?
Small dogs are considered senior citizens of the canine community when they reach 11-12 years of age. Their medium-sized friends become seniors at 10 years of age. Their larger-sized colleagues are seniors at 8 years of age. And, finally, their giant-breed counterparts are seniors at 7 years old. Therefore, a Great Dane becomes a senior citizen far earlier than a Pomeranian.
How nutrition needs are affected by age?
Puppy diets
Overfeeding a puppy should be avoided, as it can lead to obesity in later life
Puppy growth diets that are divided into those designed for pups will be greater than 25 kg when fully grown and those that will be less than 25 kg when fully grown. This division is due to growth rates and the age at which maturity is reached. Large breeds should grow at a slower rate over a longer period. Diets designed for these breeds are modified with lower energy levels, thus preventing rapid growth rates.
Slight underfeeding, which does not induce a reduction in full growth potential, will aid in increasing the animal’s lifespan. Despite this, high energy-dense diets are required in growth diets due to the limited capacity of the stomach, and the quantity of food able to be consumed in each meal.
If you have a puppy, Furry Fitness strongly recommend that you use a pet food that is specifically designed for your breed or size (small, medium, large).
Senior diets
Energy requirements for senior animals are reduced; due to a decrease in activity levels and expenditure. Some active senior animals may require an energy density higher than that provided by senior diets, so a compromise between senior and adult maintenance is required.
How the Furry Fitness App use your dogs date of birth?
When you create your dog profile and add your furry friends birthday the Furry Fitness app will use that date to help on recommendation of pet foods when you do a nutritional assessment. Of course you do not need to use our recommended foods, but it will give you a pointer as to what life stage food you should consider using.