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There are several reasons to switch up your pet's diet. Perhaps your adorable little puppy has matured into an adult and is ready to transition to a lower-calorie dog food. Or perhaps, your dog has developed certain health issues that necessitate a special diet. Whatever the cause, transitioning your dog’s food is a major undertaking. You need to know when to switch from puppy food to dog food.
Following are some general rules of nutritional needs for dog food at different stages of life.
Adulthood is determined by breed size rather than age in dogs. Due to the fact that enormous and giant breeds take longer to mature, they require more puppy food than small or medium-sized breeds. It's best to contact your veterinarian if you have a mixed breed dog or are unsure of how big your dog will be at maturity. They will be able to advise you on when to switch from puppy to dog food and also guide you through the process.
Puppies grow very quickly, so they need specialist puppy food with extra energy, protein, calcium, and phosphorus. Switching them to an adult diet too early can result in bone and joint abnormalities.
How do you know the right time to switch to adult food? You need to wait until your dog is physically mature. As a rough guide this will be:
If you are unsure when to switch your pet over to adult dog food, you can always check with your vet.
Click here to learn more about feeding your puppy.
Puppies and adult dogs have different calorie and nutritional requirements. Eating the wrong food for their developmental stage occasionally won’t harm your puppy but regularly feeding your puppy adult food isn’t recommended.
Read our article on changing from puppy to adult food for more information on when to make the switch.
Simply divide the grams figure by 28 to get ounces. For example, 336g = 12oz.
Any change to your puppy’s diet should be made slowly to avoid tummy issues. Gradually introduce the new food over a 5-to-7-day period. Mix the new food into their diet and increase the quantity of new food (while decreasing the serving portion of old food) and continue until the whole meal consists of the new food.
Puppies can go off their food from time to time. You can encourage them to eat by:
You can moisten dry food by adding warm (but not boiling) water. Offer the food to your puppy when the meal has cooled, and the food has soaked up the water.
Encourage them to eat the food dry if you can because it’s good for your puppy’s teeth.
Mixing your existing dog food with the new dog food for about 5 days is the ideal approach to transitioning your dog's food. This enables your pet’s digestive system to adjust without experiencing gastrointestinal problems.
Note: Divide the daily serving amount into two meals: one in the morning and the other in the evening.
When changing a dog’s food, make sure to keep a close check on your dog during this period. Here are some things to keep in mind to make sure it doesn't have an upset stomach or any other health issues.
Slow down the procedure and give your dog more time to adjust to the new food if you notice a lot of change in these areas. The majority of symptoms connected with an upset stomach should be alleviated by this progressive process of transitioning dog food. Consider gradually reverting to the old diet if the dog food transition isn't working, no matter how gently you go with the meal shift. It's possible that your dog is allergic to the new food. Consult your veterinarian if more significant problems emerge during the transitioning phase.
In general, diarrhoea caused by switching diets should last no more than 3 or 4 days at the most. Some dogs may take up to a week to adapt to the new diet but that is pushing it. In most cases, dogs acclimate to their new meal in two or three days.
The change should be made slowly even with the same brand of dog food because the items likely have different protein and/or carbohydrate sources. However, if your dog has any food intolerances or allergies, it may experience stomach problems (vomiting, diarrhoea, or a loss of appetite).
Most canines will have no trouble switching flavours, but a small percentage of dogs may be allergic to certain substances, proteins or flavours, resulting in vomiting, diarrhoea, or other symptoms.
Unlike us, dogs have fewer taste receptors than humans. They don't mind eating the same food over and over. Once you have found a food that your dog likes, keep with it. Changing your dog's food type or brand can make it sick.
Puppies should start eating solid food once they turn 4 weeks old. That’s when puppies pups stop receiving sufficient calories from the mother’s milk.
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