When we have a puppy at home for the first time, we often make the mistake of swapping puppy feed for adult feed too soon, causing our puppy to not get all the nutrients it needs.
Do not rush, it is a mistake that we have all made. That is why we want to explain when it is the right time to change the diet from puppy to adult. Ready @?
Index of contents
- 1 When should I change my puppy’s diet for an adult one?
- 1.1 Puppies of small breeds
- 1.2 Puppies of medium and large breeds
- 2 Can I give my puppy adult dog food?
- 3 Can I give my adult dog puppy food?
- 4 Differences between feed for puppies and feed for adult dogs
When should I change my puppy’s diet for an adult one?
There is an erroneous belief that makes us think that once our dog has already acquired the height corresponding to its breed or has reached the age of one year, we can change its diet for one for adult dogs.
We must differentiate between small dog breeds and medium and / or large dog breeds. Since depending on it, its development ends sooner or later.
Puppies of small breeds
In this kind of dogs, like the Westy, Yorkshire, Pincher, etc … We must keep the puppy food up to twelve months of life. Which is when at general levels, they have already been fully developed.
Puppies of medium and large breeds
These types of puppies have a longer development, due to the great change they make from their puppy phase to their young adult dog phase.
In puppies of medium and large size breeds, we must maintain puppy feeding up to sixteen months of life In other words, a little over a year and a half. That is, when they finish their body development (high, not width obviously).
Can I give my puppy adult dog food?
How can you? But it is not advisable at all since the food for puppies contains much more nutrients than the food for adult dogs. Precisely, because puppies require a diet richer in nutrients due to its development.
So if you constantly feed your puppy with adult dog food, it may not develop well and suffer from nutritional deficiencies that can end up affecting its health.
Can I give my adult dog puppy food?
Yes, you can give him food for puppies, but keep in mind that since it is richer in nutrients, it is very likely that your dog will end up developing obesity due to this diet.
Dog food manufacturers already know what nutritional needs a dog has at every stage of his life That is why they prepare their food according to those needs.
There is no point in feeding a puppy adult food, or vice versa.
Differences between feed for puppies and feed for adult dogs
We highlight the amount of nutrients, which is much higher in feed for puppies than in feed for adult dogs. In addition, the kibble size is generally smaller in puppy feed, to prevent choking.
Proteins, fats, micro and macro nutrients such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, etc … they are more abundant in specific feed for dog puppies. That is why we must give our dog the feed that corresponds to it at each stage of its life.