# When to change from Puppy food to ADULT food?



## cuddleparty (Apr 27, 2009)

It's been a few days I've been on here! Snoops and I have been traveling and we are visiting with my parents right now  

Snoops is 7 months old right now.. I'm just wondering when I should switch him from his puppy food to an adult formula. And then, how much do I give him as an adult?

I was feeding Snoops 3x daily, 1/4 cup each feeding. It seems he got a bit BIG (as I spoke of in my other thread). Now I'm feeding him 2x daily, 1/4 cup each feeding. He gets a salad in the afternoon as a treat. I feel like I'm starving him! Around late afternoon, he starts scrounging around for food... looking for anything to gobble up - from thread and pieces of carpet, to paper.. anything! So that's why I give him the salad. I guess he is really missing that extra serving. 

Any advice is appreciated, as always


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## passion4poodles (Apr 11, 2009)

CP, I would say that since he is "a bit big" lol, I personally would think it ok for him to be put on adult now, and the package should give you the amounts needed based on his estimated adult weight. Tynk is as taller then him, if I remember, she is 11 1/2 in, and she is at 6 lbs. She is a healthy weight for her size. All of my girls are on adult, Tynk is going to be 2 in Nov, Zoey and Ki-ki will be 1 in Aug. The feeding recommendations for the adult food I use is the same as the puppy I used, same brand. The main differance between the puppy and the adult is the calorie intake and if he is bigger, a reduced calorie intake would not hurt him at all. If he is wandering around eating non-food items, I would talk to your vet about that and see what needs to be done to stop the problem before he ends up eating something he may not be able to pass or is dangerous for him.

I would not feel like you were starving him if I were you, I think you are doing a great job! Tynk and Zoey each get 1/4 in the morning and 1/4 in the evening and Ki-ki at 39 lbs gets 1 1/2 in the morning and 1 1/2 in the evening and they are all at healthy weights. We also go on 2 walks a day that are 1 1/2 miles each, so 3 miles a day and they are still able to maintain it with feeding the same amounts, actually Ki-ki is gaining weight lol! You are doing good, and I think it is great you ask the opinions of others on matters you are concerned about! Snoops is such a sweet looking little guy!


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## BFF (Jun 10, 2009)

I was wondering how Snoops was feeling after his bought with fleas and recovering from surgery. I didn't realize you were actually feeding him salad. I thought it was a joke when you said you put him on a diet and showed the picture of him with a big plate of salad! LOL. I think salad is good for him. 

I agree that it is time to make the switch to adult dog food. He looks so precious. I know there are several brands that say just to feed once daily. Personally, I think dogs need two meals a day. Just like you are doing.


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## roxy25 (Dec 18, 2008)

We have had Enzo on adult food since he was 5 or 6 months old. I have heard from different breeders along from Jenn that they feed adult food. The reason is because they want the bone and muscle growth to be slow and not fast ( which would cause problems in a standard or any big dog.) 

My mentor also told me he found stones in the bladder of a few of his puppies because of the puppy food.


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## cuddleparty (Apr 27, 2009)

Thanks for the great advice and care everyone!!!! 

Snoops gets lots of exercise as well.. we go for 2-3 walks daily (about 1 mile each walk) and he plays loads while indoors. The breeder had always told me to let him eat as much as he could while he was little. When he wasn't hungry he would stop on his own. I always figured the amount of activity he takes part in would balance out his food intake. He is 8" tall, and I would like to get him down to 5 or 5.5 lbs. I think that would be a nice even weight for a pup his size. 

I definitely worry about him eating non food items.. I always tell him that if he eats fabrics and thread it would clog up his tummy and we will have to head to the Emergency Room! He really only does this when he is *hungry*.. looking for something to munch on. 

BFF - LOL! I really do feed him salad! He goes out with us pretty much everywhere. I always like to include him, so we order him a salad (lettuce only) at restaurants. He loves to chew on grass, so I figured salad would be a nice treat for him. I give this to him, not for diet purposes tho.. :eating:
As for his surgery - he has recovered very nicely. Barely any noticeable scar. He scratched his belly on a branch last week so he has an unfortunate little mark. But nothing from the surgery! The little pouch has all shriveled up and now he has a svelte girlish underside. :thinking:
He is sweeter than ever tho! Definitely notice that he has calmed down loads and he LOVES to snuggle like never before! I'm so glad I went thru with the neuter. 

As for the fleas - he is all clear! That capstar pill really seemed to work, and it was good to have the frontline as an extra precaution. I think his flea problem was only very minor tho. I'm thinking I caught it early enough. Socks is all clear too. Tho, she refused to come indoors this morning so she is stewing outside in the TX heat. We haven't dealt with the yard yet, so she may have some more bugs to deal with tonight. I'm not in town right now, but I asked my boyfriend to TAKE CARE OF IT!!! immediately! Grr... men sometimes! :mmph:

Ok, I think once we are through with this pack of puppy food, I will make the switch to adult food. I'm thinking of going holistic and switching to Halo (from Royal Canin). Oh my goodness.. my baby is growing up! :crying:


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## cuddleparty (Apr 27, 2009)

roxy25 said:


> My mentor also told me he found stones in the bladder of a few of his puppies because of the puppy food.


YIKES!!!! Good to know!!!!


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## passion4poodles (Apr 11, 2009)

Just make sure to transition him sloooowly to the new food...or you will upset his digestive system. Start with a 3/4 to 1/4 mix, and gradually transition to the new food over about a 3 week period. I did not get the chance to do this wil Ki-ki and she was "explosive"! She is on FortaFlora now and her system is finally back to the way it should be, about 2 more weeks and she will be able to stop taking it. She did have other problems on top of it, hookworm and Giardia that did NOT help with the loose stool, but between all 3 she wiped her system clean of the good flora in the digestive tract so it had to be replunished, she's good now! Just remember, slow transition.


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## cuddleparty (Apr 27, 2009)

passion4poodles said:


> Just make sure to transition him sloooowly to the new food...or you will upset his digestive system. Start with a 3/4 to 1/4 mix, and gradually transition to the new food over about a 3 week period. I did not get the chance to do this wil Ki-ki and she was "explosive"! She is on FortaFlora now and her system is finally back to the way it should be, about 2 more weeks and she will be able to stop taking it. She did have other problems on top of it, hookworm and Giardia that did NOT help with the loose stool, but between all 3 she wiped her system clean of the good flora in the digestive tract so it had to be replunished, she's good now! Just remember, slow transition.


Aww... poor Ki-Ki... hope she gets to feeling better real soon! Kisses for Ki-Ki! I love her name by the way 

For sure.. I will be sure to take it slow. We still have about another months worth of food to get thru. By then he will be 8 months.


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## passion4poodles (Apr 11, 2009)

cuddleparty said:


> Aww... poor Ki-Ki... hope she gets to feeling better real soon! Kisses for Ki-Ki! I love her name by the way
> 
> For sure.. I will be sure to take it slow. We still have about another months worth of food to get thru. By then he will be 8 months.


Thank you! I do too, and I will pass it on. She is feeling great now, she only needs to finish out the box to ensure maximum effect. I LOVE my vet, she is great! She suggested it since Ki-ki was explosive for about 2 weeks! Just 4-5 days after starting the fortaflora, she was good again!


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## PonkiPoodles (Feb 25, 2009)

roxy25 said:


> The reason is because they want the bone and muscle growth to be slow and not fast ( which would cause problems in a standard or any big dog.)
> 
> My mentor also told me he found stones in the bladder of a few of his puppies because of the puppy food.


I've heard this many times. 
I would switch him to adult food if he's over weight. Puppy food is very rich and could cause him to put on more even more weight. It can also cause a high level of cholestrol in your dog if you keep him on a puppy formula for too long.


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## Irish123 (Jun 12, 2009)

My Vet use to say puppy food until one year now she says 8 months. Upto 6 mos. 2x aday then 1x aday after 6 mos. Yeah puppy food can have alot more calories it should tell you on the back of the food. If it has 400 K per cup they should gain so I would look for a food not so high in calories. Some are 460 to 500 I have found but most are 350 to 360 a cup. My friend free feeds her all day and they are to fat IMO.


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## Jenspoo (Mar 25, 2009)

Glad this came up cause I just starting switching my 3 month old to adult food last week. I was just tired of the 2 dogs getting in each other's bowls...(one had adult on had puppy food)


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## passion4poodles (Apr 11, 2009)

Irish123 said:


> My Vet use to say puppy food until one year now she says 8 months. Upto 6 mos. 2x aday then 1x aday after 6 mos. Yeah puppy food can have alot more calories it should tell you on the back of the food. If it has 400 K per cup they should gain so I would look for a food not so high in calories. Some are 460 to 500 I have found but most are 350 to 360 a cup. My friend free feeds her all day and they are to fat IMO.


That is the kicker huh? I don't really think I have ever seen an agreement on exactly how much and how often to feed lol, I know that free feeding is not good JS is right about that. It also depends on the variety of poodle you are talking about, toys really do need to be fed 3x a day till 6 months then 2x a day up to a year. They are so small in the start that they are at high risk of hypoclocimia (can't spell it lol) that you need to make sure they are fed often so the blood sugar levels stay stable. Some breeders say free feed, but I didn't, free feeding with a pup also makes house training harder, it is harder to know when to take the pup out, so it really is not fair to them. They gain to much weight and you are alot of the times setting them up for failure on house training. (just MO)


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## cuddleparty (Apr 27, 2009)

I just checked the food bag and it says 4227 kilocalories per kilogram...

I'm glad I asked about this on the forum.. lots of useful advice. 

Thanks again!


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