If your
furry friend is growing big from puppy stage, it is important that
you need to change his diet. You should feed him the specialized
nutrition food according to his body needs. Are you wondering, if it
is time to switch your doggy's food. Well if you are not sure what
the protocol is, you can read out these basic guidelines to consider
before switching to adult food from puppy food:
Puppy
Food:
Puppy
food contains more nutritional supplements and more calories than
adult dog food. The higher content of nutrition and calories are
necessary for your pup's growing and developing body. If your adult
dog stays on the puppy food for too long, it can lead him to obesity
and orthopedic problems. The puppy food also contains more calcium
for developing bones. If your adult dog gets the extra calcium, it
may lead him to skeletal abnormalities. Even the calories can cause
your large dog to develop skeleton frame rapidly, which will lead to
joint problems and skeletal tissue damage.
Maturation:
You will
be able to change from the puppy food to adult food according to the
size of your dog. According to the breed the dog may mature on other
stages of ages such as:
- Small breed dogs will not exceed 30 pounds, he will be mature at 10 to 20 months old.
- Medium breed dogs will not exceed 80 pounds, he will be mature at 12 to 16 months old.
- Large breed dogs that are over 80 pounds at adult weight, they will take at least two years to mature.
You need
to go the veterinarian as all dog are different. The vet will be the
right person to guide you, what is the right time for your puppy to
start eating an adult formula.
Transition:
Once your
certain that your puppy has reached his adult size, then that's the
time to switch to an adult formula. Make sure that you transits your
doggy to his new food slowly, so that he don't get upset stomach.
After the ten days, gradually mix more of his new food and less of
his previous food, until he starts to eat only the new food.
Guideline:
Your
pooch's body will grow and change throughout his life. He will need
all different nutritious diet as he keeps growing, same as human
beings. You need to provide him the right food to meet his dietary
requirements for his body. This will help you dog to live a healthy
and long life.