# When to switch from Puppy to Adult food?



## golfgal (Dec 31, 2013)

I know some people would suggest earlier but I'd wait until 9-10mths at the earlist when he's grown a bit more into his body and adult weight. Some have waited longer. I was told wait til they are about 80% or so grown. In hindsight, I probably should have left Murphy (switched at 10mths) as while he had stabilized weighted wise, he was still lean, lanky puppy looking. Still hasn't fully grown into his body yet so I think waiting would have better. Different opinions on it.


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

My breeder switches at 6 months which is what we will do with our new puppy. I've waited longer with my others though and never had issues with weight or hips/joints/elbows. I think the main thing is just to make sure they stay at a very healthy weight, erring on the skinny side.


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## Kylie's Mom (Jun 23, 2013)

Our breeder recommends switching to adult food at 6 mo and our Vet thought it was a great idea. Many opinions on this subject.


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## Susan: w/ Summit we climb (Jun 12, 2014)

The purpose of food formulated for large breed puppies is that it supports growth but it keeps the growth rate slow. Goldens are not finished growing until 18 to 24 months. My Goldens will stay on their large-breed puppy formula until 18 months. Vets are not experts at Golden Retriever growth needs.


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## Loukia (Sep 20, 2014)

I've gotten very mixed answers on this question also. I'm sure you could probably find an expert that agrees with any of the various answers, which leaves you to sort through the various opinions and information.

My breeder told me 6 months... but she was feeding a food that had many more fillers than the food I ended up with, Orijen Large Puppy. My vet disagreed with the breeder and said that a puppy should be on the puppy formula (in this case, large puppy formula) until he or she is done growing, around 18 months for a Golden. He said it was ultimately my decision but he would recommend no sooner than a year and would prefer that I wait until 18 months. 

I also decided to email Orijen because they've always been very good at quickly providing a respond to my previous dog food-related questions. They said they recommend switching from puppy to adult formulas when the dog reaches it's adult size (not weight) and when the breed's growth plates are done forming/growing... so they didn't give me an age per say, but if you read about Goldens, their growth plates continue to grown until about age 2 based on the Golden Retriever Club of America website.

Based on the above and some other research I've pieced together, I plan to stick with the large puppy formula until 18 months. I'll also continue to keep an eye on Comet's waistline. Since it's large puppy formula, it doesn't promote fast growth and currently Comet is lean and trim, so I don't feel there is any need to switch.


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

We fed Max Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy Food until he was about 15 months old. Eukanuba states that their puppy food can be fed until 2 years old. Max is a big Golden and had his full height at 15 months, but he continued to fill out until at least his 2nd birthday.


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## West1134 (Nov 3, 2014)

Thanks for the responses all. 

I think we will continue to feed him the large puppy formula until at least a year, then re-evaluate. Unfortunately, this week we have had a heck of a time finding his food. We feed Natures Recipe Large Puppy Chicken & Oatmeal blend, and get it at Petsmart. We have been to multiple locations, and had them check their system, and for whatever reason, they are all sold out, including their distribution center. Makes me nervous to think they might not be selling it anymore (none of the store employees could give me a good answer as to why they were all out) since our pup has a pretty sensitive stomach and I really don't want to have to switch up foods on him. 

So, because we couldn't find the normal food, we ended up settling on another brand (my wife picked it up and I don't recall the label) which had similar ingredients, but its not large puppy, so the kibble is tiny and then it also has some dried carrots, and other veggies in it. So far so good, as far as Kona not getting sick, with switching it up. Luckily we had enough left of our old bag that we were able to mix it together for the first couple of days. Then yesterday, I randomly dropped into a Petsmart near my work, and was able to find one bag of his normal stuff, so for now we are doing 50/50 mix, which should last us about a month or so. Hopefully Petsmart will get our normal stuff back in stock, or I can find it elsewhere.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Amazon carries that brand of food. 

I feed my two another brand of dog food, I've been ordering it through Amazon because it's cheaper and I don't have to make a 50 mile round trip to get it. 
I have it set up on a subscription, I can change the delivery date at any time, can cancel at any time too. Since it's on subscription, I get an additional 5% off and free shipping.


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## SunnynSey (Jan 17, 2015)

I leave my goldens on LBP food for 1 full year, although I know many people who like to switch to adult at 6 months, and some even as soon as they leave the breeders home. I think it is important that the food be formulated for slow growth or LBP if you plan on leaving your puppy on it for more than a year, with Royal Canin Maxi puppy it actually says on the bag to fee from 8 weeks to 18 months but I usually switch as 12 months regardless.


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