I was out walking my dogs and a lady commented on my JRT of 8 months, when I said the word puppy, she said at his size,he would now be an adult,is this right? I do know smaller dogs mature quicker than big ones,but as he's a mini jack,hes practically fully grown now.Do I have to consider adult food now for example? Thanks for any help, Susi.
I don't consider a dog to be an adult till it is at least a year old . My own little poodle is 14 months now and very puppyish so I still consider her a puppy
I would say about eighteen months minimum for a small breed. As far as adult food is concerned, I would fed adult food anyway.
Can I ask why adult food now? I thought puppies needed the extra vits etc for growing bones? or is this an advertising ploy? Susi.
I would also swich to adult food at this age. He will not be growing as much as when he was smaller now and the protein level will be a little lower in adult food. I switched both my staffords onto adult arden grange at 8 months old and have had no problems. Yasmin x
Technically he is still a puppy up until 12 months old I always change my pups over to Adult food by 6 months of age as I prefer the slower growth.
Puppy chow is formulated for fast growth. Large breeds do better with an early switch to adult chow. I don't think it makes much difference in smaller breeds. Surely the higher profit margins on puppy food have no influence on recommendations.
my pup is now 8months,i am now putting him on a 'good quality' adult kibble for large breeds so if a small breed defo adult food if its specificly for 'small breeds' as they need different protein/fat ratio.if its not tailored for small breeds then imho if he is 'high energy' i would keep him on puppy food a little longer than i would a large breed dog.
Hi, Can I ask a question based on your thread? My pup is 4 months and at 12 weeks the vet told me to switch to adult food as soon as he would eat it due to her thinking he was going to be a bigger dog. I thought as he was growing larger quicker he would need the pup food with extra vits/protein but it seems not. (I have switched him to adult food now and he's perfectly happy) Can someone explain this to me? Is puppy food not really all that much better in terms of vitamins/protein or is the difference not enough to affect a larger dog? Sorry to jump in on your thread susi226, but I just wondered from some of the responses. Many thanks
hi imho your pup needs to be on puppy food still,although medium/large breeds i would advise swapping earlier than recomended,but not 4 months! the trick is not to overfeed your pup,and grow him lean,go by body-condition not packet guidelines.;-)
Puppy chow is part of the same science that puts abundant, affordable meat on our tables. Those with the motivation and resources learned long ago that the fast growth creates more joint problems in large breed dogs. The simple solution is an early switch to adult chow. How soon? I have seen credible sources suggesting anywhere from weaning puppies on adult chow to 7 months if feeding a large breed puppy chow. In those cases where good people disagree, I usually say go with what your vet says. So whenever you switched, likely it was OK. I tend to lean toward the earlier switch. If you want to avoid fast growth, I think you need to do it while the puppy is still smaller. It is also very important to keep the puppy lean for the same reason. Chubby puppies may be cute, but lean is healthy. There was an extensive discussion of weight in a recent newsletter from a service dog school. ''Obesity is the number one nutritional disease affecting dogs. It's estimated that 25-45% of dogs in the US are obese. Studies have shown that joint and locomotive problems increase by 57%, circulatory problems by 74%, respiratory problems by 52%, skin problems by 40% and cancer by 50% in animals that are overweight. Large breed dogs that are overweight also are more prone to developing hip dysplasia. Obesity is especially dangerous for young puppies, as their underdeveloped frame cannot support the extra poundage that it must carry.''
Thanks for that. I should really have just asked the vet shouldn't I, but I just stood there nodding my head like an idiot saying OK a lot! Makes perfect sense considering possible joint concerns later. Thanks for the info, very useful stuff.
I am totally confused now! our JRT is 4 1/2 months old now, and I thought we needed to change him to adult at 6 mths? SHould I wait to a year of age? Again, sorry Susi226
I have always switched pups to adult at 6 months. I see no reason to feed a dog on puppy food for the entire year. Some breeders I know wean their pups straight onto adult food and the pups do just fine.
small breed dogs grow quicker than large breeds,but they need higher protein and fat.....if your pup finds it hard to keep weight on stay with the puppy food till about 10months...if the opposite(a tad podgy) change to the adult food around 6months...your call ;-) ;-)
