How Long Do I Feed Puppy Food

The general rule of thumb is that you should feed puppy food for at least the first year.

How long do i feed puppy food. In general however expect to make the transition to adult dog food between one and two years of age. A pup should be losing her potbelly. A first year timeline 6 12 weeks. Small dogs by 12 or 13 weeks.

This transition is dictated by breed size just as the amount to feed a puppy depends on his breed. Medium breed puppies will require three meals per day and large breed puppies typically need 3 to 4. Toy and small breed dogs weighing less than 30 pounds may reach full maturity between 9 and 12 months of age. Sometime during this period decrease feedings from four to three a day.

I have two 5 month old puppies lab and boxer mixed. Should i start the dog food or wait till they are a year old. Toy breed puppies will need 4 to 6 meals per day for the first three months of their lives. Large breeds should be fed unmoistened dry food by 9 or 10 weeks.

Feeding adult food will rob your puppy of important nutrients. Dogs weighing between 30 and 80 pounds or medium breeds take 12 to 16 months to fully mature. By 9 or 10 weeks larger breeds can be fed dry food several times a day or 12 to 13 weeks for smaller breeds. When do i switch my puppy to adult dog food.

Puppy food usually comes in the form of dry kibble but is soaked or mushed until gradually the dog is given plain dry puppy food. Larger breeds may take longer to reach full maturity so he may need puppy food for up to two years. Growing pups should be fed puppy food a diet specially formulated to meet the nutritional needs for normal. For the smaller breeds this is a good rule of thumb.

Your pup begins eating solid food around 3 to 4 weeks old. Growing pups should be fed puppy food a diet specially formulated to meet the nutritional needs for normal development. You can continue feeding them a puppy formula until their growth plates have sealed as long as they are not overweight. Once he is not nursing he should have four meals a day that are measured and equally divided into four well spaced intervals throughout the day.

He will continue to eat four meals a day until he is 4 months old. I want to start feeding them dog food instead of puppy food cause they don t seem to be satisfied on the puppy chow i feed them a good portion there times a day and the boys weight of 50lbs each at only 5 months old. Depending on the breed most dogs will not stop growing for the first year or two. By 7 to 8 weeks old he is eating only the puppy food.

However you must work closely with a veterinarian to assess your puppy s body condition score.