# How long should you feed Puppy food?



## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

No that is not good for him. If they are hunting him their are higher protein dog foods out there for that purpose. If she is feeding it to hi so he will play more in the yard she is totally offbase.

Hooch

Hooch


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I don't feed puppy food ever -but for those who do, I suggest getting off it at 6 months. It's very high protein. Too much protein, over time, is not good for the kidneys, I believe.

I can't imagine feeding an adult dog puppy food......

-S


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

I know this is an old thread but I have the same question now. Because Bentley weighed in at 20.9 lbs at 8 weeks I'm concerned about his joints. Would it be safe to switch to adult food now? (he's 9 weeks now). I just don't want too much pressure on his joints. Thanks.
*Vet suggests keeping him on puppy food until at least 5 months but he also agrees he's growing too fast. He eats total of 1 1/2 C per day spread over 3 meals.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

From the time we got Tayla at 4 months she has never been on puppy food. She has always been on All Stages of Life or All Life Stages, not sure how it goes. It's appropriate for everyone.


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## CStrong73 (Jun 11, 2012)

Our breeder told us to switch to adult/all life stages at 4 months. I just switched Rocket over the past two weeks.


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## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

I always switched then at 6 months or earlier. Gunner since he was already pushing 80lbs at only 7 months old I switched him when he was 3-4 months because I knew he was going to be a big boy. Lincoln was switched at 6 months and Ruby I dont think we ever fed puppy food to her. 

The cats, never got kitten food either but they are fed grain free so its higher protein anyway


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## Altairss (Sep 7, 2012)

I have been wondering the same thing. Tink is 10 weeks and 20.5 and is growing quick! I keep cutting back to do the slow grow but her joints tell me it is not slowing down enough. she too only gets about 1.5 cups a day including what I use for training. Her food is 390 cals a cup and the adult food is only 322 so seriously thinking of switching after I check how much calcium the dog food has.


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## xoerika620xo (May 25, 2012)

Wow! I thought Chester was a big boy but after reading how much some of your goldens weigh he isn't that big yet. He goes to the vet again on Friday we feed him a cup and a half a day as well but goes through it like water ! The dog is always hungry haha. He weighed 12 pounds a couple weeks ago but I know he has to be even bigger now but I doubt he's over 20 pounds like some of your pups.


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

I am probably in the minority here. I do not believe in the slow growth idea. I think how quickly a puppy grows has more to do with genetics than how much he is fed. More important for his bones and joints is that the dog get proper and sufficient nutrition to keep up with his growth. 

We fed Max Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy until he was 15 or 16 months old. He continued growing until he was nearly two years old. The Eukanuba has fewer calories per cup than the food he is on now--Acana Wild Prairie.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

My vet says after 12 weeks ALS formula and dog can stay on that rest of life unless they are a serious athlete which mine are not.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Trace and Rumor have never eaten puppy food....


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

Bentleysmom said:


> I know this is an old thread but I have the same question now. Because Bentley weighed in at 20.9 lbs at 8 weeks I'm concerned about his joints. Would it be safe to switch to adult food now? (he's 9 weeks now). I just don't want too much pressure on his joints. Thanks.
> *Vet suggests keeping him on puppy food until at least 5 months but he also agrees he's growing too fast. He eats total of 1 1/2 C per day spread over 3 meals.


WOW 20.9 pounds at 8 weeks?!?! My puppy Rusty was 8 pounds when we got him (at 7 weeks), and he is almost 26 pounds at 4 months (he will be 4 months this Friday).

Either my puppy is going to be small, or he is a late bloomer haha. I plan on feeding Rusty Large Breed Puppy food until he is 12 months. I might switch to adult food before that, but it needs to have the right cals and calcium levels.


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## john martin (Feb 26, 2012)

Max's Dad said:


> I am probably in the minority here. I do not believe in the slow growth idea. I think how quickly a puppy grows has more to do with genetics than how much he is fed. More important for his bones and joints is that the dog get proper and sufficient nutrition to keep up with his growth.
> 
> We fed Max Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy until he was 15 or 16 months old. He continued growing until he was nearly two years old. The Eukanuba has fewer calories per cup than the food he is on now--Acana Wild Prairie.


Im with you on this Max's Dad. Im not in the slow growth idea. I fed my GR Orijen puppy food but now that he's 6 mos. old , I'm switching him slowly to Canidae ALS. Too much science for me on those beliefs. The pups genetics play a major factor in the rate of growth. Just my 2 cents.


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

I switched Jinx at about 3.5 months because I was seeing a jittery knee when weight bearing. She has done fantastic on the adult food and the knee jitters stopped in about 3 weeks. She does not have as much coat as her siblings that were on puppy food till at least 6 months and some are still on. 
She also did not have any growth lameness issues unlike at least two of her siblings. She experienced a very nice even growth rate and never went elevator front or butt. I do believe her adult food and my very diligent eye for weight control made the difference.
As a show puppy, I wanted her structurally competive and this worked very well for us. So far we were best puppy in match (AKC) at 3.5 months, UKC Best in Show puppy 3 times at 4.5 months and group 1 puppy at an AKC show at 7.5 months. :yipee:I honestly believe we would not have done as well on the puppy food.
I am sure everyone has a little bit different opinion on what to feed. Heck, there are so many threads on food I would not have the desire or time to read them all. I just wanted to share my experience and what worked for me.


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## desi.n.nutro (Mar 18, 2011)

I also agree with Max's Dad. Pups have a lot of developing to still do and need nutrient dense food for the best development. Lucky for the dogs, Nutro introduced a new life stage. It is Young Adult and covers 6 months to two years and it is so new, I hope your store has it. The big idea behind a new life stage is to give pups what they need for development without the same calories that can lead to early weight gain. I think this teenager food provided a solution to meet all the concerns of the debate.


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