Optimal Transition to Adult Dog Food

[SBK]

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Dear Pet Enthusiasts,

Seeking expert advice on transitioning puppies to adult dog food. Key queries:

1. Age: When to switch from puppy to adult food, considering breed size differences?
2. Transition: Best practices to minimize upset and ensure acceptance?
3. Nutrition: How to adjust for growth and health?
4. Resources: Any vet-recommended research or guidelines?

Your insights are crucial for our furry friends' well-being. Grateful for your input.

Best,
SBK

 

[colettedb]

This is a difficult question to respond to as there are so many variables- I can let you know how I approached it basically I researched the topic to death as there is so much information and formed my preference from emailing companies as well. I decided to switch to a raw diet as I felt this work for my lifestyle and would be best for August.
Regarding vet recommendations I decided to stop asking as they are heavily slanted towards commercial feeding and sidestepped any questions- however there is free advice from nutritionalists at many commercial and raw food suppliers so I went there instead.
You should be able to find something that works for you and your puppy good luck

 

[Hemlock]

I've always put my pups straight onto a normal adult diet once their teeth started emerging at 2-3 weeks, (where in the animal kingdom do the young eat differently from adults?) but I do feed raw, so considerations are different if someone feeds kibble.

 

[excuseme]

In the animal kingdom as mentioned by @Hemlock the young of any raw feeding animal has the same products as it's elders.
Our wild carnivores have survived and evolved without any human or large commercial companies interference.
I too start puppies at 2-3 weeks of age on a diet the same as their mothers, which in our case is Raw, mum's milk starts to dry up from around 6 weeks of age and the puppies continue on the same adult diet for life.

 

[JoanneF]

I get what you are saying, but since we started selectively breeding dogs to confirm to a particular trait etc, some have developed into animals that are pretty far removed from what they would be if they had been left alone. As an example, we now have giant breeds wouldn't have existed without our intervention and as puppies they need a different calcium : phosphorus ratio than adults to make sure their bones develop mass as well as length. I don't know about raw, but I do think if you feed a commercially prepared food it's important to use a puppy version if you have a large breed.

 

[excuseme]

I sort of see what you are saying but what about the various breeds/types of wild cats there are. Their sizes vary from a small Scottish wild cat to the large cats like the Tiger or Lion and many other various wild sizes. They don't have a different raw menu for little or large.
Smaller carnivores will eat a smaller meal than a large carnivore, whether it is a dog or a cat. The smaller animal/puppy will eat less,containing a smaller amount of calcium etc, whereas the larger breed puppy/kitten will eat larger meals which will contain the greater percentage of calcium required.
Does this not relate to the growth and volume of food required throughout a growing life to maturity, and where consumption will slow down to an amount of maintenance only for all species.

PHEW! I am finding this difficult to explain myself!
Obviously I am talking Raw here and not kibble.

 

[JoanneF]

Fair point. I wonder (and I'm completely guessing here) whether the overall anatomy of a big cat like a tiger is more similar to a pet moggy than a big heavy dog like an Ovcharka is to a slight and small breed like a whippet? I don't know, just throwing ideas around.

And I am in the same place as you, I don't know enough to understand how much raw makes a difference over kibble in this particular situation.