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When should I switch from Puppy to Adult dog food?

on September 23, 2021

You should always take into account your dogs age when deciding upon food to give them. Adult dogs and puppies are two different animals. If you’re a dog owner you will have witnessed this with the differing levels of energy between puppies and adult dogs. If you’re a new puppy owner, you have all this to look forward to and more! Fundamentally, your dog will have different nutritional needs for different stages in their life.


Puppy Needs vs Adult dog needs

The main reason puppy food is different from adult dog food is because of all the calories puppies need to sustain their energy, as well as the need to support the development of their body and bones. Therefore, their diet should be packed with nutritious calories, from a healthy mix of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Whilst avoiding unhealthy calories solely from fatty foods. A fat dog is not a happy dog!

Puppy food is by in large more calorific per bite than adult dog food. This is because most adult dog food contains fibre and grains which will keep your dog’s stomach feeling fuller for longer. Whereas on the other hand, puppy food’s purpose is to get as much calories in their small stomachs in order to keep them fueled up for their zoomies.

What food is healthy for dogs?


Therefore, its best practice to avoid giving puppy food to adult dogs as the calorie density will be far to high for them. And feeding a puppy with adult dog food will be just as inefficient as they will not get enough calories, which has the potential to slow or stunt their growth.

 You must also take into account that a puppy’s stomach can’t hold as much as a fully grown dog, therefore it’s a good idea to feed them small amounts but often. Just be sure to make sure you are strict with your feeding routine so that you avoid creating a fussy eater!

Puppy food is also higher in protein (specifically amino acids, the building blocks of protein), and some vitamins and minerals. Puppy food usually has higher levels of Omega 3 for brain and visual development too. Most importantly puppy food needs to have very specific ratios of calcium to phosphorus (often lower levels than adult foods) especially for larger breeds.

When should you transition to adult food?

In short, this totally depends on the breed size of you furry friend, at some point between 12 and 14 months of age, you should re-examine your puppy’s nutritional needs and choose the right adult formula.
 
Smaller breeds, with an adult weight of up to 10 kg tend to grow up a lot faster and at a more even rate than their larger counterparts. They are usually considered an adult after 10 months.
 
Medium and larger breeds, with adults weighing over 11kg grow in two stages as a puppy. The first and most important growth stage is during the first six months, some puppy breeds can grow up to 75% of their adult size at this stage. Following this comes the moderate growth phase between 6-18 months. It’s in between the 15-18 month period that medium and large breeds tend to be considered an adult.

However, if you are unsure about when to transition from puppy food to adult food, please do not hesitate to get in contact with our team, and we shall make sure your dog is getting the right food to keep them healthy!


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