As pet owners, we all want our puppies to grow into healthy, happy adult dogs. A crucial part of this journey is understanding their changing nutritional needs and knowing how to safely transition them from puppy food to adult dog food. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you navigate this important dietary change, ensuring your puppy's lifelong health and happiness.
Understanding Puppy Nutritional Needs
Puppies, from the moment they're born, have distinct nutritional needs compared to adult dogs. Just as a toddler isn't fed the same food as an adult, puppies require food specifically formulated for their rapid growth and development. Your puppy is rapidly developing their muscles, bones, cognitive abilities, and immune system and needs food that meets their nutritional requirements. That’s why they should eat a high-quality puppy food that will have the right balance of ingredients and nutritional density to aid their rapid growth.
Puppy food is packed with higher levels of protein, calories, and essential nutrients, all vital for their growth spurts, bone development, and energy needs.
When to Switch to Adult Dog Food
Knowing when to switch your puppy to dog food is essential. Generally, puppies should start transitioning to adult dog food around 12 months of age. However, this can vary depending on the breed and size of your dog. Larger breeds, for instance, may need to stay on puppy food for a longer period. Around age seven, most dogs are considered senior and may benefit from switching to a senior formula.
Why Gradual Transition is Crucial
Making a switch to a different manufacturer, formula or food type might be a delicious change for them, but it can significantly disrupt their digestive system. A gradual change in diet is ideal for your puppy’s health. An abrupt change can upset your puppy’s stomach, leading to diarrhea and other digestive issues. Dogs digest food differently than humans, and changes in diet can cause diarrhea and other digestive issues. Slow transitions that take a week or more allow your dog’s digestive system to adjust to any changes and reduce the chance of loose stools, gas or intestinal irritation.
Read also: Benefits of Science Diet for Puppies with Sensitive Stomachs
Making a Switch Can be a Delicious Change Your dog might eagerly eat everything placed in their bowl, but there are plenty of good reasons why you should switch diets slowly. Unless you practice rotational feeding, your dog has probably eaten the same food for months or years.
The 7- to 10-Day Transition Plan
To smoothly transition your pet from puppy to adult dog food, a slow transitioning period over 7 - 10 days is recommended. Here’s a recommended plan for switching dog food:
- Days 1 to 2: Begin by mixing 25% of the new food with 75% of the old food. For the first two or three days, mix a greater percentage of old food than new food, about three-quarters of the puppy food they now eat, with one-quarter of their new food. This gradual introduction helps your dog’s digestive system adjust to the new ingredients.
- Days 3 to 4: Serve half the current food and half the new food. Then give them equal portions of new and old food for two or three days.
- Days 5 to 7: Feed 3/4 of the new food and 1/4 the previous food. Follow that with three-quarters new food and one-quarter percent old food.
- Days 8 to 10: Serve only the new food. On the final day, you can switch to 100% new food. Congratulations!
If your dog doesn’t seem to like the new food or if he experiences digestive upset, extend the transition over a few more days.
Transition to Open Farm in 10 days To begin, we suggest introducing the Open Farm food into your pet's diet by mixing it in with your pet’s old food and slowly increasing the Open Farm feeding amounts over the transition period. Once your pet has fully transitioned into one category of our food (i.e. Open Farm Dry Food), your pet can switch between any other flavor within that category without transition. If you’re looking to add our Freeze Dried Raw or Rustic Stews/Blends to your pet's diet, begin by implementing it as a topper first. It's a great way to introduce them to new foods and an even better way to satisfy those picky eaters! Remember to decrease the dry food feeding amounts accordingly to feeding guidelines, in order to avoid over feeding.
Transitioning your dog to a new food doesn’t have to be stressful. With this 10-day plan, you can ensure a smooth and healthy change for your beloved pet.
Read also: Hill's Science Diet Puppy Canned Food: Ingredients, Benefits, and More
Transitioning Between the Same Food Types
Whether you’ve decided to switch between two types of kibbles, wet or raw foods, shifting between the same food type is one of the easier transitions.
- Regular Transition
- Days 1-2: 75% Current Food, 25% New Food
- Days 3-4: 50% Current Food, 50% New Food
- Days 5-6: 25% Current Food, 75% New Food
- Day 7: 100% New Food
Going from Kibble to Wet Food
A seven-day switch also works for kibble to wet food but watch carefully for signs of gastric upset. If your dog has loose stool or other problems, consider doubling the transition period. There’s no need to mix wet and kibble-just place them in different bowls beside one another.
Monitoring Your Puppy's Health During the Transition
As you make this switch, it’s important to keep an eye on your dog’s health. Look for signs of good digestion, a shiny coat, and appropriate weight gain or loss.
- Monitor Health: Keep an eye on your dog’s stool, energy levels, and overall health.
- Stay Consistent: Keep the same dog bowl in the same place to keep the environment consistent.
Pro Tip: The best way to monitor your dog’s digestive health is to evaluate his bowel movements. Minor variations in stool color and consistency are normal, but tell your veterinarian about any major changes. Note: Check your dog’s stools before moving on to the next percentage of new food. The stools should be firm, not soft or watery. Dogs who have sensitive stomachs, food allergies or other gastrointestinal diseases may need more time to switch foods. Every dog is different, so monitor your dog’s individual response. If your buddy shows changes in appetite, vomits or has diarrhea, transition even slower. If your dog still has an upset stomach after switching slowly, tell your veterinarian. He or she may advise a different type of diet completely.
Addressing Potential Transition Challenges
Transitioning your dog’s food may seem complicated, but it’s actually a fairly simple process: Be prepared to introduce new foods slowly, watch your dog to see how they’re adjusting and get help from your veterinarian if something serious occurs.
Read also: Science Diet for Small Paws
Troubleshooting Transition Problems
Making a gradual transition should eliminate most transition problems, but occasionally your dog may get excess gas, constipation, diarrhea or start vomiting after changing a food. Once you notice any of these symptoms, stop feeding them and institute a 24 hour fast to give their digestive system a rest. Make sure that water is always available and encourage them to keep drinking during this time. After 24-hours, feed them small meals of their original food. If your dog continues to vomit after 24 hours of stopping the new food or stops eating for 48 hours, it’s time to call your vet.
Immediate Dog Food Transition
Some medical conditions may require an immediate switch between two foods. In these cases, it’s very important to follow your veterinarian’s advice. Most of these switches happen when your dog must start eating a prescription diet to treat a diagnosed health condition. When your veterinarian makes the recommendation to make an immediate switch, they’ve already weighed the possibility of gastric upset against the risk of delaying diet-based treatment. So, follow their advice. But don’t be afraid to contact your veterinarian’s office if you perceive a change in your dog’s behavior or health.
Food Transitioning for the Selective Dog
Whether you think your dog is selective, discerning or just plain picky, they may need a bit of extra encouragement to switch foods. As a living creature, your dog probably has opinions about what they love to eat. Tweaking a healthy diet to appeal to them is worth the extra effort. Your dog may prefer slightly warmed food, which makes the food more aromatic. Varying the amount of water added to dehydrated and freeze-dried raw food can entice your dog to give their meal another try.
When to Consult Your Veterinarian
Dogs with any type of health problems should always see their veterinarian before a diet change. When your dog is diabetic, for example, their insulin dosage is tied to their diet. Change their diet without changing their insulin dosage, and there could be life-threatening complications. Dogs with urinary tract disease and other medical issues can also be affected by diet changes. Even when your dog is otherwise healthy, you might want to discuss the change with a veterinarian. Not every pet can tolerate dietary changes and it is always best to consult your veterinarian before making any drastic changes.
Additional Tips for a Smooth Transition
- Consider Probiotic Supplements: To combat any digestive issues your puppy might have, you might want to consider a probiotic supplement. These supplements promote a healthy digestive system and combats issues like diarrhea. Unlike probiotics, which add bacteria to your dog’s intestines, prebiotics feed the bacteria already inside your dog’s gut.
- Digestive Enzymes: Using prebiotics and digestive enzymes can help your dog make the smoothest possible transition between two foods. Mix digestive enzymes into your dog’s new food when they start the transition. If you want, you can wait five to 10 minutes to allow the digestive enzymes to partially break down the food. Helpful digestive enzymes will contain protease, amylase, cellulase, or lipase. You can give your dog digestive enzymes during the transition and for approximately a week after the transition. If you feed your dog kibble, you may want to mix the digestive enzymes into a wet food or topper. Most powdered digestive enzymes will also coat kibble, so you can just sprinkle the powder on top.
- Smaller, More Frequent Meals: Give your puppy smaller meals, watching for diarrhea or other issues. If they do well with the first meal, continue to feed them smaller meals than usual. Then gradually get back on your old feeding schedule.
- Consistency is Key: Unlike humans, dogs don’t crave variety in their diet. Offer a variety of proteins to choose from. With this wide selection, you’re bound to find something that is the perfect fit for your pet.
Understanding Dog Food Labels: Dry Matter Analysis
Comparing dog food nutrients isn’t as easy as contrasting the guaranteed analysis labels. Various food forms have widely different moisture contents, and even various kibble or wet food formulas may have different moisture amounts. When switching dog foods, it’s essential to know the amount of fat in each food. Foods that have 3% more fat require a transition time that is double the recommended number of days. To complete this simple calculation, subtract the moisture percentage from 100 percent. The resulting number represents the amount of dry matter in the food. Then divide the food nutrient you are comparing by the dry matter. Multiply the resulting decimal by 100 to get the dry matter percentage of that nutrient.
Adjusting Food Quantity Based on Calorie Count and Bioavailability
Two cups of kibble from different manufacturers. Two different calorie counts. Every dog food has a slight difference in calories per cup. These calorie counts can vary by 10 to 60 calories or more depending on the formula. Even if the calorie count of foods is exactly the same, you may find your dog losing or gaining weight on a new food. This happens when the bioavailability of the nutrients changes. Simply put, your dog can digest more or less of the new food. In these cases, let your dog’s overall body condition be your guide, and slowly increase or decrease their food intake as necessary.
Reasons for Changing Dog Foods
It’s okay to switch dog food. In fact, at some point, it may be necessary. Here are a few reasons you may need to switch up your dog’s food:
- Age: Around their first birthday (or later for larger breeds), puppies need to transition to an adult dog food.
- Weight: If your dog is not his ideal body condition, your veterinarian may recommend a weight management formula. Not all weight changes need to be addressed through a change in the food itself. It may just require feeding more or less of the current food. Your veterinarian can help you determine what’s best for your dog.
- Activity Levels: Dogs who participate in shows, sporting or agility events or who have demanding jobs may need a formula to support those activities. These types of dog foods often have higher levels of protein and calories. As dogs retire from these activities, they may need to switch to a lower-calorie food to avoid unnecessary weight gain.
- Health: Some foods have been formulated to help veterinarians nutritionally manage certain health conditions. For example, your veterinarian may prescribe a therapeutic formula to help support the unique nutritional needs of dogs with GI conditions.