How Long Should I Feed Puppy Food

A first year timeline 6 12 weeks.

How long should i feed puppy food. Growing pups should be fed puppy food a diet specially formulated to meet the nutritional needs for normal. Talk with your veterinarian to determine the right time to make the switch and for tips on making the change easy on your pup. Here s how long you can expect to feed your dog puppy food based on his breed size. Giant breeds will grow at least two years and there are some dogs in the middle that don t grow taller after their first year but they fill out in their chests like pit bulls and labradors.

Feeding adult food will rob your puppy of important nutrients. 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. Depending on the breed most dogs will not stop growing for the first year or two.

Toy and small breed dogs weighing less than 30 pounds may reach full maturity between 9 and 12 months of age. The general rule of thumb is that you should feed puppy food for at least the first year. Meal size can vary from one puppy to the next but the average three month old golden puppy will eat two cups of food a day. A golden retriever puppy will have to be fed three meals a day until he is six months old at which time you can feed him twice a day.

Larger breeds may take longer to reach full maturity so he may need puppy food for up to two years. This will ensure that your puppy switches from puppy to adult dog food at the ideal time. Large breeds should be fed unmoistened dry food by 9 or 10 weeks. However you must work closely with a veterinarian to assess your puppy s body condition score.

Small dogs by 12 or 13 weeks. Sometime during this period decrease feedings from four to three a day. Medium breed puppies will require three meals per day and large breed puppies typically need 3 to 4. Toy breed puppies will need 4 to 6 meals per day for the first three months of their lives.

You can continue feeding them a puppy formula until their growth plates have sealed as long as they are not overweight. For the smaller breeds this is a good rule of thumb.