How Long Should My Puppy Eat Puppy Food

When do i switch my puppy to adult dog food.

How long should my puppy eat puppy food. Toy and small breed dogs weighing less than 30 pounds may reach full maturity between 9 and 12 months of age. Puppies need small frequent feedings. You should switch to an adult dog food when your puppy is anywhere from 18 months to 24 months old. Can stop eating puppy food after 8 months to a year.

Here s how long you can expect to feed your dog puppy food based on his breed size. How long to feed puppy food depends much on the dogs weights and breeds. Growing pups should be fed puppy food a diet specially formulated to meet the nutritional needs for normal development. Depending on the breed most dogs will not stop growing for the first year or two.

For the smaller breeds this is a good rule of thumb. Large or giant breed puppies take a little longer to reach maturity and many of them are still growing until they turn two years old. There are risks and benefits to both and the main thing is to ensure that your dog has good quality food to eat. Puppies are at risk for nutritional deficiencies if they eat a diet designed for adults.

For the first few months of a puppy s life they will need small meals of food throughout the day as they transition from their mother s milk to solid food. Medium sized dogs should eat puppy food until they are about 12 months old and large and giant breeds should continue until they are 12 16 months old. You can continue feeding them a puppy formula until their growth plates have sealed as long as they are not overweight. 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.

Can stop eating puppy food after a year. Basically puppy food is considered to be the food that is given to puppies during the stage in which they are weaning from the mother s milk and are just beginning to eat on their own. When reaching an exact age a change in their diet is very necessary. In determining how long dogs eat puppy food one must consider the natural weaning stage of a new puppy s life.

The truth is that there is no good quality evidence showing that kibble is better for the long term health of your dog or that raw feeding is better. This will ensure that your puppy switches from puppy to adult dog food at the ideal time. However you must work closely with a veterinarian to assess your puppy s body condition score. However puppies cannot eat puppy food for whole life.

A dog generally continues to eat puppy food until they are right before or around one year of age.