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Why You Need To Feed Your Pet According To Its Age?
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Why You Need To Feed Your Pet According To Its Age?

perroEditorial
Dec 13, 2021
11 min
267 views

Why You Need To Feed Your Pet According To Its Age Group?

As pet owners, we’ve definitely come across situations when you’re shopping at the pet store for your furry friend’s food and on the packaging, you see things like “for puppies”, “adults”. You catch yourself wondering if there really is any difference between these pet foods. And looking at the price difference, you might be tempted to even get the food that isn’t ideal for your pet. Let’s find out if there is actually a difference between these foods and why you should actually feed your pets accordingly!

 

 

What age group is your pet under?

The preliminary step you should try to take is to know the age group your pet is under. Check out the age ranges of felines and canines:

 

For cats, your cat is classified as a senior once it reaches 11 years of age. It is, however, not that simple for dogs as it depends on breeds.

 

Why should we differentiate according to age?


There are several reasons you should differentiate the food given to your pets according to its age. These include:


Age differences

Much like humans, dogs and cats have different needs throughout their lives. Because they require different nutrients, its important to ensure that they have the right diet.



Dietary requirements

Food is created for different age groups to meet their main dietary needs tackled for their age group.

 


Food differences

There are different types of food that must be given to cats in different quantities.

 


How different is the food according to age group?


Before you get started feeding your pet, it’s important that you first understand the needs, possible health conditions to look out for, and the things/ ingredients to avoid.


Puppy/kitten stage

At the puppyhood or kittenhood stage, your pet will have higher metabolism due to their young age.

High metabolism refers to the faster rate at which food and energy are processed. Energy requirements during the first 4 months are double that of adult dogs and cats.

The puppy/kitten stage is an active stage when young burn out energy very fast.

 

What does your pet needs at the puppy/kitten stage?

• Higher calories
• Higher protein
• Higher fat content
• DHA
• Calcium and Phosphorus
• Need to build bones, muscles, and eyesights

Note: At this stage, it’s better that you feed your pet protein-rich food.

 

FAQ: Can I feed adult food to my puppy?

Many first time owners, confused by the array of choices available, might not understand the difference between puppy food and adult dog food, and may be tempted to feed adult food instead.

Some of us already have an adult dog at home and we might see it as an inconvenience to get another pack of food just for puppies. In this case, is it advisable to feed adult dog food to your puppy? You are, in fact, advised not to feed your puppies adult food. Adult dog food has a lower protein, calorie and DHA content than what is required by a growing puppy. Feeding your puppy adult dog food could actually cause your puppy to have developmental problems! So, you should feed puppy food to puppies and feed adult food to adult dogs.

 


Junior pet stage

At the Junior pet stage, you may need to feed your pet Junior food- an intermediary food to be fed to your kitten or puppy in the later stages of puppyhood/kittenhood, which is meant to help pets transition into adulthood.

 


Adulthood

The way adult dog food is formulated is very different from puppy food. These differences are important for the long-term health of your pet.

When your pet reaches adulthood, there is a change in their dietary needs, with specific levels of protein, calories and other nutrients to maintain the proper weight and energy levels so as to preserve their health.

 

Adult Food VS Puppy or Kitten Food

• Adult dogs and cats need lower protein content from their calories
• Because they have lower metabolism, adults may gain weight easily if fed the same food as kittens and puppies.
• Adult dogs and cats should avoid consuming high-calorie density food.

Note: At this stage, feeding the right amount of food is very important, and maintaining weight is a key point for adulthood. This is because it can lead to obesity and cardiac conditions if not managed properly.

 


Senior stage

At the senior stage, your pet requires a lower level of protein, fat but higher level of carbohydrate in its diet to manage its weight. Weight management is even more important at this stage as your pet will be less active and less likely to move around due to age-induced joint conditions such as arthritis.

To help with joint conditions, senior pet food often contains glucosamine, which helps alleviate joint pain. At this stage, it is also very important to factor in health issues your pet has when determining your pet’s diet.

As pets get older, they often develop more health conditions such as renal issues. It is, therefore, important that you make appropriate changes to the diet according to their pre-existing health conditions. For example, if your senior dog has renal failure, you can feed them Monge Vet Solution Renal & Oxalate Dog Wet Food.

 

Check out some of our products you can feed your pet according to its age!

 

Nurture Pro Original Lamb For Small & Medium Puppy Dog Dry Food
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Aixia Miaw Miaw Creamy Healthy Senior Care Cat Treats
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Hill’s Science Diet Feline Mature Senior Vitality Adult 7+ Dry Cat Food
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NutraGold Holistic Indoor Senior Dry Cat Food
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Burgess British Chicken Kitten Complete Dry Cat Food 1.5kg
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Royal Canin Mini Indoor Junior Puppy Dog Dry Food
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