My SO went shopping today and picked up some food for the dog, adult dog food. We seem to be on different pages on this one. I said at 6 months it's too early. She said he's growing too fast and wants to slow it down a bit by switching to adult food which is less nutrient rich, especially in calcium. She's read new studies stating too many nutrients can add to rapid growth and actually cause hip, joint and bone problems. I agree but I still think 6 months is a bit early. He is 60 pounds (27.5kg)and 6 months old. Thoughts backed by science welcomed.
What is the difference in the calcium content between your old food and the new one she bought? Most good puppy foods these days are not much higher in calcium than adult food anyway. My puppy was weaned onto an all life stages food by his breeder and stayed on that. So was the one before him, same breeder.
Well, I can't be bothered to search out all the links on calcium/phosphorous ratios for large breed puppies to make this a science evidence based reply - you can look those up yourself. Ask your SO whether she looked at the back of the packets? And has SO looked up what calcium she wants to feed and why? And checked that the adult food - less calorie dense so a higher volume fed - doesn't supply more calcium than the puppy food?
I don't think either of us know or will know enough about this topic. I don't have a problem feeding him adult food as long as it doesn't harm him. He's my buddy. Lol. I guess when I asked for science based opinions I was being a bit presumptuous. Any opinions will help. I'm not trying to win a debate just don't want to jump the gun and change his diet too soon. I'm under the impression a 60lb dog at 6 months is large and can see why she wants to slow his growth but I could be wrong there too. Everything I read says wait till 12-15 months at minimum. When do most people switch over or is this a very loaded question??
Hi there, I switched Dexter to junior around 6 months and to his adult food at 12, he is only a small build though and slim ,if anything I have to watch he keeps weight on.....both of these switches followed the general recommendations but I always checked with my vet too. I would ask your vet about Duggan,you can get an idea about his development and whether this food is suitable for him yet ,can you give them a call? X
Pongo went on to adult food at 12 months as recommended by the food supplier. He is a big boy, the same size as Loki at 6 months. But that is his natural size. I don't think you can choose your dog's build, he will be what he will be. If he is overweight (fat) that is a different matter and requires less food; but I don't think that is whatyou are saying?
I've been feeding Molly half pup food half adult since she turned 6 months. This is partly because the variety we use suggests switching to 'junior' at 6 months and that's not easily available. Also we had a 15k bag of adult food we were feeding our spaniel with - he died a couple of months ago, so it made sense.
Large breed puppy foods are designed to have the correct balance of calcium to phosphorous and to prevent rapid growth, which may be bad for joints. So it's entirely wrong to think that a puppy food is promoting rapid growth. Each manufacturer has different guidelines for when it's best to change to junior or adult foods. If they don't state it on the bag or their website, most are forthcoming if you email or phone them. There is more information about large breed diets here: http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/get...or-dog/breed-and-size-specific-dog-nutrition/ One of the most important factors is not over-feeding. If you feed too much, you can damage your puppy. No-one can say from a weight alone whether he's too heavy, because it depends on his height and his build, too, but if you think he's gaining weight too quickly, simply cut down the amount of food you're feeding him.
