...her puppy food to up her nutrition? I want to hike with my dog for a week, I want to make sure she is eating the proper nutrients for the workload we are doing. I was thinking puppy food might work as it has more protein.
I used to backpack with the dogs and what I would take for their food was the (dog food) meat rolls that are tightly packed in a sort of 'sausage like' plastic casing. Familiar? PetSmart or similar usually carries them.
The advantage of this type of packaging is that it's sealed from being scented by bears. There's less packaging to carry as well. I always put these meat rolls in plastic bags for further scent barrier which doubles as a sealable trash container for the remaining packaging once the product is eaten.
On a nutritional level these meat rolls were more palatable by my working backpack dog. The kibble sits sort of like lead on the stomach and swells a lot, requiring a lot of water intake, which requires carrying lots of water. Kibble is a heavy meal and not what a working being wants on their tummy, man or beast. It usually doesn't sit well and then the dog has baited the bears and other unwelcome wildlife. It's fall, and the wildlife is looking for food. Bears have been active this year.
Just an FYI: only through hikers (on the AT) are allowed with dogs (on the trails) through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (i.e., no pets on trails in the NP)