Charlotte Foster
When do I give puppy food, when do I switch to adult food, and can I take turns feeding? Many dog owners ask themselves this question. Puppy food is ideal for growing dogs because it is particularly rich in easily digestible proteins that the small dog’s stomach can digest well.
You should definitely stick to the feeding amount recommended by the manufacturer. Each treat, each chewing bone, etc. must be deducted from the ration so that it does not become too much. Because you have to be careful: If too much energy is given, this can increase the growth rate of the puppy. This, in turn, can lead to permanent damage to bones and joints. The ultimate size of the dog is genetically determined and cannot be influenced by food. This means that if there is too much food, the dog will grow faster but not bigger. So that you can find the right food for every age, breed, and size, there is a range of wet and dry food that is tailored to the special needs and size.
Rule: Change feed after about nine months
A tip: by looking at the packaging, you can also see how long and how much of this food you should give. Because smaller breeds are mature faster than large, heavy ones. As a rule of thumb: Puppy food can be given for around three quarters to a year, then the changeover should take place. An exception here is the giant breeds, which should be given low-energy puppy food with special ingredients for gentle bone growth for much longer.
Changeover chunk by chunk
If you are planning to switch from puppy food to a different adult dog food, please proceed slowly and step by step. Replace a little more of the puppy food with the new food each day until after about ten days there is only the new food in the food bowl. If the dog absolutely refuses the food, the tried and tested trick of heating it up a bit sometimes helps, because then the smell intensifies. This is an incentive for the nose creature dog.
When a change of feed may be necessary
A change of food can also be considered if the living conditions change: Is the dog undergoing special training, is there a particular mental or physical challenge? Does he have to recover, maybe from an illness or an operation, does a bitch become a mother? Even then it makes sense to change the feed and adapt it to the higher or changed consumption. Conversely, there are also light products for the chubby ones among the four-legged friends, which do better justice to the healthy, slimline. Under no circumstances should you simply reduce the amount of food or let the animal go hungry. If you are unsure about the amount or the composition of a feed, get advice from your Fressnapf specialist store or ask your veterinarian.