Bindi Mom Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 I am still feeding Bindi puppy kibble. When should I switch her to adult food and do I mix the 2 for a while? She is almost 9 months old. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Freckles LaLa Mom Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 I was under the impression it was when she hit the year mark. I could be wrong....any one else know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadows Mom Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Yep, one year mark. Start by mixing a little adult food into the puppy food, then each day add a little more adult food and less puppy food until its all replaced. We usually take about 1 week to 2 weeks to do the full switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelb'smum Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 I changed at the 6 month mark... some people on here will say don't even use puppy food (I think ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 I changed at the 6 month mark... some people on here will say don't even use puppy food (I think ) I'm one of those. My pups are put straight on adult food. Puppy foods tend to promote faster growth and fat puppies, neither of which promotes optimal health, especially WRT to the joints. So I would recommend switching now rather than waiting longer. JMO. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 I'm no expert (hah! couldn't resist ), but I also agree with not feeding puppy food. You can feed an "all life stages" food from the beginning. In any case, it's definitely a good time to switch Bindi over. As for mixing the two, you could. My dogs have never had a problem switching foods "cold turkey", so that's what I do. I've heard some dogs do better if you slowly transition them, so it could go either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustopherJones Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 At the vet's recommendation, we also switched over at 6 months; we actually started mixing the foods at 5 months, and completed the transition by the 6th month. But then again, I am not an "expert". (Sorry, I also could not resist the temptation...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip4420 Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Our vet said switch any time after 5 months. So I put Dale on Junior for a few weeks and then got him on adult at 7 months. My last Bc switched at 6 months straight on to adult but I don't remember seeing junior food around then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 I'm with the "go ahead and change now" folks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Ditto! And from what I've learned I will never use puppy food again. There really is no need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 My pups are put straight on adult food. Puppy foods tend to promote faster growth and fat puppies, neither of which promotes optimal health, especially WRT to the joints. So I would recommend switching now rather than waiting longer. JMO. As usual, I have no expertise of my own to provide, only links. I also have no opinion on the subject, as I seem to acquire only cast-off dogs in their post-puppy adolescence. If you like, you can explore the issue of whether puppy foods "promote faster growth and fat puppies" via several articles linked here (scroll down to "Large and giant breed puppies"): Dog Feeding Info One of the links is to a page by Royal Canin that says, among other things: Owners are often tempted to switch their puppies very early to adult food: they do that for economical reasons, because they underestimate the duration of growth, or because they falsely think that “too-rich-puppy food” could be harmful to growth. It is important to keep in mind how different the puppy’s nutritional requirements are compared to adults. These special requirements justify a specific food until the end of the growth. You'll want to read the rest of the page to see what they actually recommend and why. In the end, this is only one of many decisions you'll make that affect your dog's health and longevity, which I think is why you end up getting a lot of different answers rather than a widespread consensus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 A board certified vet nutritionist, who by the way does research with Royal Canin grants, told me that it is not the percent of protein or fat in puppy food that is harmful but overfeeding in general. In other words, a pup feed 45% protein whose food intake is regulated is better off than a pup who eats a food that has less than 22% protein but is a bit overweight. She also said that feeding an all life stages food is just fine as long as it has been tested on all life stages. With her blessing I fed my bitch Innova Evo RM canned and dry with 45%+ protein and I fed the same to her pups during and after weaning. They are kept skinny and are growing nice and slow. Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 I am one that says don't feed puppy food at all, instead just an ALS. So you could switch now. Of course, after my vet screamed at me and bought be puppy food - I did feed it for a little bit, but I regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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