The Best Rule Of Thumb For Making The Switch
Every dog is different, but in general, its a good idea to switch over to adult food once your puppy reaches about 85 percent of his anticipated maturity weight. So if your Chihuahua is expected to reach a weight of six pounds at maturity, switch her over when she weighs about five pounds.
If you have a very large or giant breed, ask your vet for advice or consider having an x-ray performed to determine whether your dogs skeleton is mature enough to make the switch.
What Food Should I Feed
Most puppies come to their new parents on some form of kibble. Kibble is a highly processed, starchy energy source. While 100% kibble diets are often associated with inflammatory conditions or obesity in adult dogs, kibble can be used as an affordable way to meet the high energy needs of growing puppies. According to veterinarian Dr. Nathan Heilman, puppies need a minimum of 20% of their diet from starch to fuel growth. Most commercially available kibble likely contains about twice this amount.
According to Dr. Heilman, ideally upon bringing your new puppy home, you would begin feeding a partial whole food diet made with human edible ingredients. This means that in the morning, your puppy would receive the dry food/kibble diet, and in the evening, he would eat a nutritious high-protein whole food diet, at about twice the volume as the kibble served as breakfast. The whole food diet is composed of either great quality homemade dog food , or a commercially prepared raw food.
Why feed a whole food diet? Dr. Heilman says for their first year, dogs generally tolerate high energy foods well. If fed these kibbles continuously, they will often develop inflammatory symptoms, as their bodies simply cannot handle all of the energy of these highly processed foods. By feeding your puppy half of their nutrition as whole foods, you will be moderating the Warming nature of the kibble, with meat and vegetables.
When To Change From Puppy Food To Dog Food
During the first months of your dog’s life, food is essential to ensure proper growth and development. It’s the stage when more energy input is required and you should provide your dog with food that’s rich in nutrients and protein, calcium, phosphorus and fibre that has a high energy concentration. Getting rid of puppy food and starting with adult food before time can result in serious abnormalities, especially in the joints. To prevent this from happening and to know when to change from puppy food to dog food, check out this article at OneHowTo and we’ll give you all the details, depending on the breed of your dog.
The change of dog food from puppy to adult must be done at the end of the dog’s development and growth. Thus, your puppy’s breed plays a crucial role, since each one develops at a different time.
Small breeds, such as Chihuahuas or Yorkshire terriers, reach maturity long before the larger breeds. Puppies belonging to these breeds reach adult size at around 10 months old. Therefore, it’s at this point that you should change the puppy food to regular adult food and reduce the number of feeding times daily. If you want to know how much food to give your dog depending on its age and size, check out this article on how much to feed your dog.
If you want to read similar articles to When to Change from Puppy Food to Dog Food, we recommend you visit our Pets category.
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What To Look For In Adult Dog Food
To keep your dog healthy throughout his adult life, look for food with high-quality, nutritionally complete ingredients. According to the American Kennel Club, A good dog food will contain meat, vegetables, grains, and fruits. The best dog foods contain high-quality versions of these ingredients that are appropriate for your dogs digestive system.
Whether you feed your dog dry kibble or wet canned food, read the label carefully. Small differences in wording such as beef versus with beef or beef-flavored are more significant than you might think. If a product name claims the food is beef, for example, it must contain at least 70% beef . With beef, on the other hand, requires only 3% of the food to be real beef.
If youre still puzzled, always look for these words on the package: is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles, according to AKC. The Association of American Feed Control Officials, or AAFCO, provides ultra-important regulation on the manufacturing quality of animal food around the nation.
Remember that a dogs nutritional needs will vary depending on its size, breed, and activity levels, so you may need to consult your vet for the most trustworthy recommendations.
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How To Switch A Puppy To Adult Food
When it is time to switch to adult food, make sure you do it slowly. Youll want to transition over multiple days and watch for any upset stomach issues. To learn the correct way to adjust a dogs diet, read our full article on how to change your dogs food safely.
If you need ideas on which food is healthiest for your dog and most convenient for you, check out dog food delivery options, including fresh recipes from A Pup Above. Fresh pet food companies make it easy to customize your dogs diet based on age, weight, energy level, and diet, while at-home delivery ensures you always have the next meal on hand.
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Pregnant Or Nursing Dogs
Pregnant and nursing dogs have different nutritional requirements than other adult dogs. These dogs should be eating food that is calorie dense and high in protein. Look for foods that are at least 22 percent protein.
It may seem unusual, but feeding puppy food, like Purina Pro Plan Focus Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food, to a pregnant or nursing dog is a good way to meet these requirements. Because puppies, like pregnant and nursing dogs, also need more calories and protein than other dogs, food made for them is suitable for dogs who are moms or moms-to-be too.
And heres the good news for your pregnant or nursing dog: Unless she is overweight, you can let her have all she wants.
How Long To Feed Puppy Food
Puppies need a complete and balanced puppy food until they reach maturity. Although dogs who are one year or older are often considered adults, this isnt always the case.
For dogs, adulthood depends more on breed size than their age. Because large and giant breeds take longer to mature, they need to eat puppy food longer than small- or medium-sized breeds.
Heres how long to feed puppy food based on breed sizes:
- Toy and Small Breed Dogs: Many toy and small breed dogs weigh less than 20 pounds at maturity and reach this size between 9 and 10 months of age.
- Medium Dog Breeds: Medium-sized dogs weigh between 21 and 50 pounds at maturity. They tend to reach maturity around 12 months of age.
- Large & Giant Breeds: Large breeds and giant breeds weigh between 50 and 100 pounds, respectively, and can take 18 months to 2 full years to reach maturity. They need to eat puppy food longer than small- and medium-sized breeds.
If you have a mixed breed dog or arent sure how big your dog will be at maturity, its best to consult with your veterinarian. They can tell you when to switch to an adult dog food and help make it a successful transition.
As puppies get older and reach maturity, it is important to monitor their food consumption. Leftovers in a bowl could signal that your puppy is getting full and needs less calories throughout the day. Start by offering less food per feeding and continue to monitor his body condition, says Purina Nutritionist Karina Carbo-Johnson, MS.
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Labrador Puppys Size & Growth
Now that youve read the signs, you know exactly how your pups size and age will affect his nutritional requirements, and how he will start to loose his interest in the puppy food.
There are specific mineral balances needed for puppies of large breeds so that they develop their joints optimally and on schedule.
Your veterinarian should always consulted regarding your Labradors growth, and you should continue feeding him large-breed puppy food until he appears to be nearing the end of his growth plates.
First A Little Bit About Feeding Your Puppy
A growing puppy should only be fed a formula which provides enough nutrients for their rapidly growing body. While it is important that they have access to plenty of food this should be controlled and only given to them at feeding times. Feeding times for most puppies over 8 weeks old will be twice a day, with larger breeds needing feeding at least 3 times a day while still young.
Leave the food out for 10 minutes only and then remove it, and wait for the evening meal before you feed the puppy again. Puppies will learn quite quickly that their food supply is limited and that they should eat their fill when its available. As the food quantity is being controlled by humans there is no danger of the puppy overeating. This feeding schedule should carry on throughout the puppys life as it also reinforces the humans as dominant, in charge, and in control of all of the food.
Allowing a puppy to overeat can be habit forming, and may eventually lead to weight and health problems as the dog gets older, such as skeletal disorders, obesity, and diabetes. If your puppy needs vitamin and mineral supplements it should only be supplied on your veterinarians orders.
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What Happens If You Feed A Puppy Regular Dog Food
Its very possible that you will be worried about the safety of your puppys adult dog food if his big brother dishes out kibble to him, or if his small digestive upset causes him to ingest bits. Adults should avoid a consistent feeding schedule of dog food in the long-run, however, because these foods will cause long-term injuries.
Transitioning Properly Saves Paper Towels
If youve been feeding your dog puppy food for a year, and one day you suddenly put a bowl of adult food out for him, there will almost certainly be hell to pay in the form of a dog with an upset stomach complete with vomiting and diarrhea. And you know that if you have white carpeting or a prized rug, Murphys Law says thats where your dog will lose control of his lunch.
Make the switch gradually over the course of four to seven days. On day one, feed her 75 percent puppy food and 25 percent adult food. On day two, make it half and half. On day three, go with 25 percent puppy food and 75 percent adult food, and on day four, the transition is complete . Your dog is now officially mature, and you can feed him adult food until he reaches senior status, at which time youll want to change formulas again to address any medical issues and provide him with the unique nutrition requirements for aging dogs.
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When To Stop Feeding Your Dog Puppy Food
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Proper nutrition is an important part of caring for puppies and adult dogs. Most owners know that puppies need food specifically made to promote growth and development. However, many owners struggle to determine when the time is right to switch to adult dog food. This is because there is no rule that applies to all dogs. Different dogs grow at different rates. You and your vet can estimate the best time to make the change to your puppys diet.
How To Transition From Puppy To Adult Dog Food
This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 11,070 times.
Puppy food is specifically formulated to give a puppy the nutrition it needs to grow up strong and healthy. However, once a puppy gets old enough, it should transition off of puppy food and on to adult food. This is because the caloric and protein requirements are very different for a dog than they are for a puppy. The key to this transition is to figure out the right time to take your dog off of puppy food and to complete this transition in a way that won’t make your dog sick.XResearch source
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Large To Giant Breeds
Large to Giant breeds can often take double the time to reach their mature weight and height. Therefore they are technically puppies for longer. On average it will take a larger breed a year and a half to reach their adult weight and a giant breed two years. These large breeds are often at risk of irregular growth due to an improper diet. This can include moving your puppy onto dog food too quickly. Problems such as joint pain and arthritis can occur. Hence why it is so important to begin switching your puppy to dog food at the right time.
At the beginning of a puppys life, they will be taken to the vets regularly for check-ups, shots, and possibly neutering/spaying them. We advise consulting a vet during one of these visits about their advice with your particular large breed pup. As this is from a professional, you can feel confident in knowing you are providing the best care for your dog. Furthermore, they can look at your dog as an individual and give tailored advice and check their growth rate right then and there.
How To Switch Your Dogs Diet To Adult Dog Food
Think its time to make the switch from puppy food to adult dog food? Great! The key thing to keep in mind here is that its a process.
With that in mind, the best way to transition is slowly. Even if youre transitioning to a well-balanced, high quality dog food, transitioning too fast can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and other issues related to digestion. This can even potentially lead to your dog refusing or disliking that particular type of dog food, because they associate it with feeling sick.
So ease into it. When its time to make the switch, start by feeding your dog 80 percent puppy food and 20 percent adult food. A few days later, increase the amount of adult dog food to 40 percent, and reduce the amount of puppy food to 60 percent.
Follow this pattern of increasing the amount of adult dog food, and make sure that you are removing the same amount of puppy food that you are adding in adult food. You dont have to follow a strict and exact formula here, but you will want to make the transition over a period of at least 7 days, and preferably 10-14 days.
And if you run into any difficulties getting your dog to eat the new food, make sure to check out our guide on how to get your dog to eat. It has some helpful tips that might make the transition easier.
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A Perfect Time To Switch To Adult Food For Your Labrador Puppy
At this stage of your pups development, breed-specific foods have greater levels of protein and calories that required for proper growth.
A labrador puppy can start eating adult dog food once they reach the age of 12-18 months, certain factors need to be considered.
Have you ever wondered why puppies and adults eat different food? Relax, Im glad you asked.
Youve surely thought about this before, so Im assuming many of you already know the answer for the rest of you who dont, here it is.
Puppy food is specially designed to be nutrient-dense to meet their nutritional needs. On the other hand, adult dog food contains nutrients that suited to animals that have passed their growth phase.
As they grow, what they need to eat changes. From puppyhood through teenhood, and later on into a dogs senior years, it is important to consult your pets veterinarian on what to feed your dog.
Here are some factors to consider:
Why When And How To Switch Your Puppy To Adult Dog Food
Right now, your puppy probably has a ton of energy and wants to play all the time!
And a lot of that energy will continue into adulthood. But, just like us human beings, its natural to have some slowing down of their metabolism as they exit their childhood and teen years and grow into an adult.
Thats the main reason your puppy will need a change of food
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Bully Max: A Dog Food For All Ages
Transitioning to adult dog food the right way is a simple but important step to ensure your furry best friend is healthy and happy. Just make sure you make the switch at the appropriate time based on the breed of your dog. And always remember to transition your dogs food gently and gradually, over a period of one to two weeks.
Another option is to choose an All Life Stages formula, which is a dog food thats been formulated and approved for both puppies and adults. Here at Bully Max, we produce an high protein dog food thats packed with natural, healthy and high quality ingredientsand its an All Life Stages formula, making it a perfect choice for your dog no matter how old.
They grow up so fast, dont they?