Are your diets suitable for puppies?Updated 6 months ago

No. We have not formulated a diet tailored to puppies and neither existing diet meets the AAFCO guidelines for growth stage dogs. We do not recommend feeding our diets as the primary food source until dogs have reached an adult weight (usually 6-9 months for small breeds, 9-12 months for medium breeds, and 12+ months for larger breeds). Dogs that are still growing have a different set of dietary guidelines and adjustments for the ideal micronutrient profile. 

Meeting the growth-stage dietary guidelines with our adult or senior diets would require supplementation of a few minerals for which growing puppies have a higher dietary need compared to adult and senior dogs. The only two nutrients in our diet that are technically below the AAFCO recommendations for growth-stage dogs (puppies) arecalcium (3 g / 1000 kcal for puppies vs. 1.25 g / 1000 kcal for adults) and phosphorus (2.5 g / 1000 kcal for puppies vs. 1 g / 1000 kcal for adults). Most adult formulas are lower in calcium and phosphorus than is recommended for puppies, as adults do not need as much for bone growth and excessive calcium puts stress on kidney function. 

Calcium and phosphorus can be tricky to supplement as they also have a low 'safe upper limit' (i.e. maximum allowable before potential negative impacts), which makes the acceptable window of dietary inclusion relatively small. There are supplements that provide additional calcium and phosphorus labeled for use in puppies, but supplementation requires very careful measurement and we do not recommend taking this approach.