Is Butternut Box Suitable for All Lifestages?

When searching for the best way to feed your dog, you’ve likely come across the term lifestage dog food, so what is it?

What is Lifestage Dog Food?

Lifestage dog food refers to diets formulated to meet the specific nutritional needs of dogs at different phases of their life: puppy, adult, and senior.

Typically, these foods have different balances of protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals to support growth, maintenance, or age-related changes. Lifestage dog food labels are designed to make it easier for dog owners to choose the right nutrition for their pet at each stage.

Puppies

Puppies usually require higher calories and protein to fuel their rapid growth and development.

Adult dogs

Adult dogs need a balanced diet that helps maintain a healthy weight and energy level.

Senior dogs

Senior dogs require fewer calories, joint support, and nutrients that help protect their overall health as they age.

Is Lifestage Dog Food Necessary?

When choosing a food, pet parents are often led to believe they must switch formulas several times over their pet's life, from puppy food to adult food, and then to a senior blend.

The reality is that regulatory bodies, like FEDIAF (in Europe) and AAFCO (in the US), primarily define two comprehensive nutritional profiles for dogs: Adult Maintenance and Growth & Reproduction.

Most commercial lifestage foods, particularly those for adult and senior dogs, have only minor differences in their core nutritional makeup. This is because maintenance (adult/senior) requirements are simply less intense than growth (puppy) requirements.

With that in mind, lifestage dog food is not necessary if you choose a dog food brand which is formulated to the highest standard. A food that is complete and balanced for a rapidly growing puppy also contains all the essential nutrients an adult or senior dog requires for maintenance and health. The key difference then becomes simply the portion size, not the formula.

Does Butternut Box Have Lifestage Dog Food?

At Butternut Box, we do things differently. We echo the belief that with a properly formulated, high-quality, and complete diet, your dog can thrive on the same recipes from a tiny pup right through to their golden years as an elderly dog. That's why every Butternut Box recipe is carefully crafted to be suitable for all lifestages.

Our recipes are not different for a growing pup versus an elderly dog; they are all nutritionally complete, providing the perfect balance of vitamins, minerals, protein, and fat. Every recipe is developed with the help of expert nutritionists to meet (and surpass) FEDIAF guidelines, so you can trust your dog is getting everything they need in every bite. The key to our lifestage dog food suitability lies in our individualised approach to feeding.

Instead of creating separate products with different labels, we focus on adjusting the number of calories and volume of food based on their weight and growth rate over time.

Puppy

Puppies need more energy to support healthy development. During peak growth periods, we provide a larger portion of our food to meet these higher energy needs. All of our recipes contain 60% meat, supporting their vast protein needs during this time.

Adult

As your dog matures and their growth slows, their daily calorie requirements change. We will adjust their portion size to a maintenance level, helping them maintain a healthy body condition.

Senior

In later years, a dog’s metabolism may slow down. We will adjust their portions to reflect lower activity levels, helping to maintain a healthy weight and support their changing needs.

Why Fresh, Complete Food Works for All Ages

Fresh, gently-cooked food provides balanced nutrition that supports dogs at every age. This means your dog can stay on the same delicious, trusted recipes for their entire life, with their daily amount being perfectly portioned according to their individual needs and easily adjusted over time in your online account.

Complete nutrition

Our recipes are nutritionally complete, meaning they contain the right amount of vitamins and minerals for your dog, no matter their stage of life.

Easy to digest

We use human-quality ingredients without any artificial additives or preservatives. We gently cook all our recipes, a process that gets rid of any harmful bacteria while preserving the natural, high-quality vitamins and minerals, making them easy on the stomach for all dogs.

Simple transition

Since the food itself doesn't change, transitioning from one phase of life to the next is seamless. If you need to switch from a different food, just remember to start slowly by introducing a spoonful of Butternut and gradually increasing it over 5-7 days, slowly reducing the old food at the same rate.

Simple and Convenient for Every Owner

Switching to Butternut Box is easy, and so is managing your plan:

Delivered to your door

Our dog food comes as part of a subscription and is delivered to your door every few weeks. Your tasty meals arrive frozen in an insulated box, ready to pop into the freezer or to defrost in the fridge.

Full control

You are in full control over your account and can easily pause or cancel if you don’t need a box. Our friendly Customer Love team is also always on hand if you have any questions.

Treats for all ages

We also offer a range of healthy treats and biscuits, available in your account alongside our meals. Whether you're rewarding good behaviour during puppy training or giving an elderly dog a pick-me-up, you can add them to your subscription or order them as a one-off to your box.