from puppy to adult food....

[Guest Anonymous]

hi, i have a shetland sheepdog puppy and he will be a year old on wednesday may,17 and i was wondering when to chANGE FROM PUPPY FOOD TO ADULT FOOD FOR A SHELTIE. SHELTIEGIRL

[Guest Anonymous]

You should wait until the pup is at least two years old.

However..... I feed puppy food up until 4-5 then move straight to the senior diet. I read, when I was young, that its good to skip the adult food altogether. BUT, I also put other things in the dry food... cabbage, carrots, chicken, raw beef....on and on....

[Guest Anonymous]

Hmmm, interesting.

My vet recommended taking my dog off puppy food at 7 months. Said it was like high octane fuel for him that he didn't need anymore. I'm sure much just depends on the individual dog.

Many of the higher quality foods don't even make a puppy formula as their food is balanced for all life stage & very nutrient dense and wholesome. So, if you're changing to a higher quality food you have no concern on losing anything. If you're feeding a more moderate brand it might be wise to stay on puppy a little while longer. ???

[courtnek]

larger dogs (labs, goldens, and the giants) often dont reach maturity until 2 years old or older. However, puppy food is not always the best thing for a dog that grows slowly. I think I would check with my vet, and get his/her suggestions.

[imported_fila]

My vet had us to switch from puppy to adult food for our mastiff
at 5 months of age. The puppy food has a lot of protein and
our pup was growing soooooooo fast.

[TDG]

here is my take on it:

once puppies are weaned from their mother's milk, they do not need a specific type of puppy food anymore, since their digestive system is fully developed by that time.

all the extra nutrients puppies require to grow are in the extra amount of food puppies eat. if you compare food intake per pound of body weight, the amount required decreases over time as the puppy grows. if a food does not provide enough nutrients for a puppy, it is of such poor quality that it shouldn't even be fed to an adult dog.

foods for different lifestages are an attempt of dog food manufacturers to make their products take up more shelf space, thus become more visible, so more people will buy their brand instead of that of the competitor.

there is absolutely no scientific proof that feeding puppy food is required, other than provided by some dog food manufacturers who want to sell you a product. basically the same thing as the old "don't feed your dog table scraps" myth.

[Guest Anonymous]

TDG napisał(a):

here is my take on it:

once puppies are weaned from their mother's milk, they do not need a specific type of puppy food anymore, since their digestive system is fully developed by that time.

all the extra nutrients puppies require to grow are in the extra amount of food puppies eat. if you compare food intake per pound of body weight, the amount required decreases over time as the puppy grows. if a food does not provide enough nutrients for a puppy, it is of such poor quality that it shouldn't even be fed to an adult dog.

foods for different lifestages are an attempt of dog food manufacturers to make their products take up more shelf space, thus become more visible, so more people will buy their brand instead of that of the competitor.

there is absolutely no scientific proof that feeding puppy food is required, other than provided by some dog food manufacturers who want to sell you a product. basically the same thing as the old "don't feed your dog table scraps" myth.

thats an interesting spin on it...makes sense.....i have been buying two diff foods one for my adult dog and for my puppy and its crazy. but my adult dog i have been feeding high energy dog food and my puppy i have been feeding large breed puppy. wondering now if there is a real diff between the two??not ready yet to let go of the idea that there is a big diff and let them share food

[TDG]

if the puppyy is a large breed and you feed a high-energy formula to your adult dog, i do not recommend feeding the puppy the same food as the adult. it comes back to the same thing: you want a puppy (epsecially large breeds) to grow slowly and evenly to give muscle and bone equal chances to adjust, and not as fast and as much as possible.

however if someone is feeding a regular adult maintenance food of a good quality (like canidae, innova, eagle pack etc.) with moderate protein and fat content ( about 22-25% and 12-15% respectively), there is no need to feed a puppy a separate food, if the adult food is labeled as appropriate for all lifestages. if an adult food is not labeled as suitable for all lifestages, i personally wouldn't feed it at all, not even to an adult dog.

every year the pet food industry is doing a better job to keep pressure on pet owners and make them feel bad if they don't buy the highly specialized product X or Y. the sad thing is that in many cases you can do so much better going with human grade products when it comes to quality, especially when you look at mainstream, mass-market products sold at large chain pet stores and department stores and so on.

it's all a big joke.