Nero is now 16 months old and we still feed him Arden grange puppy/junior food. When should we switch to the adult food? Or should we have switched already?
Re: when to switch to adult food Doesn't it say on the packaging? Or could you google the brand's site and follow their advice? My puppy's good is ok until 2 years old I think.
Re: when to switch to adult food I've heard conflicting things about what to feed puppies. A lot of brands have puppy formula and some vets talk about it as a gradual change. I was talking to a man who owns a holistic dog food/toy store...it's basically a human version of an organic, health food store...and he's big into not doing puppy food. He thinks it's pointless. He says puppies are much more adaptable and it's best to switch flavors and brands around so that they develop adaptable stomachs as they grow. He says it's important to at least switch flavors with every new bag. He's bred labs for over 30 years and says none has been sick so it was tempting information. Especially because I also like to feed myself non-processed, organic food.
Re: when to switch to adult food I am sticking with the same food at the moment; it's eukanuba puppy/junior . I like the idea of organic unprocessed and vegetarian but I don't impose vegetarian on my pets. I need to research raw food more too. Chepi has carrot, sweet potato, apple and recently tinned mackerel . Must look more on the raw feeding posts!
Re: when to switch to adult food We're just switching Pongo now from CSJ puppy to adult. He is 14 months. I think we've left it much longer than we needed to, but it doesn't seem to have done any harm. Incidentally, our breeder was also a big fan of getting young dogs used to different tastes - she said to add 'something' to most meals, either some meat or fish or eggs or vegetables, stock or gravy.... not much, just different every time, and just enough to get them used to different tastes and happy to eat anything. (Although being a labrador that never seems to have been much of an issue for our Pongo...!)
Re: when to switch to adult food Interestingly, my breeder said not to introduce anything new until 6 months as it was easy to develop allergies before then.
Re: when to switch to adult food [quote author=Jane Martin link=topic=9864.msg143433#msg143433 date=1423842001] I am sticking with the same food at the moment; it's eukanuba puppy/junior . I like the idea of organic unprocessed and vegetarian but I don't impose vegetarian on my pets. I need to research raw food more too. Chepi has carrot, sweet potato, apple and recently tinned mackerel . Must look more on the raw feeding posts! [/quote] Yeah, I don't do vegetarian either but I've tried the advice of switching around. I'm using a brand called Nature's Variety (grain free, soy free, etc) that's supposed to be as good as kibble can get to raw food. It's working well, he's digesting it fine and seems to really enjoy it. It's a little pricey but you also feed less because it's pure protein. In the future I might do a combination raw/dry diet. It gets expensive though. There's also raw treats to at least get some nutrients in there without killing your wallet.
Re: when to switch to adult food The general thinking is puppy food through 6 months at least, and then transition to an adult food...but as others have said - it depends so much on the brand and quality - so take heed and follow the manufacture's recommendations. With my dogs I try and feed a premium puppy food for their first 6-9 months, and then transition to adult food - but also I do add things to their meals and offer them lots of different flavors - both proteins and fruits and veggies. With all larger breed dogs, you want a slow and consistent growth rather than a really fast growth to protect their joints and skeletal development and maintain their health over the long term.
Re: when to switch to adult food Our vets offers a free MOT/check-up at 6 months which we have had today. We asked about transitioning to adult food and they recommended we keep Inca on puppy food until 12 months as a complete puppy food is designed to give them what they need while they are growing. I can't say I adhere to everything I'm told but with feeding I probably will if Inca continues to look good on it. I supplement with a few titbits of other things while training and she loves fruit and vegetables but kibble makes up the bulk of her diet.
