[Lilly521]

I know you are supposed ot wait until they are like a year old to switch them off puppy food but Sunny is getting squishy again, he lost the weight when he had his cone on becuase it was kinda hard for him to get at the food so he ate less when only a few weeks later he has gained it all back. I thought it was becuase i was over feeding him but i have been giving him less then i was before but he still is gaining weight, but not getting bigger just squishy lol anyways i thought maybe it was the puppy food making him gain weight so when this bag is gone (just bought it last week so it will be at least a month proubly) to switch him to adult food, is that ok?

 

[Toby's Mom]

 

[littlepeanut]

My vet said that small breed dogs can be switched to adult food at 10 months. If you can hold out until your current bag is done, I think you'll be alright. Momtwomaltmuffins is right. The premium food is more nutrient dense so the servings are smaller than 'cheaper' brands with more filler ingredients. Just double check the serving size and keep in mind if Sunny is getting less than normal amounts of exercise.

Also the food Peanut is eating now, there is no specific puppy or adult formula. The puppies just get double the serving size of the adult dogs.

 

[jmm]

The feeding guidelines on the bag are just that - guidelines. He may well not need that much, especially if he gets a lot of treats. The other thing to do is feed him 2 meals a day instead of free feeding him. He should be fine on an adult food at this stage if he is no longer rapidly growing. My dogs have all finished growing up by about 9 months and then fill out at around 2 years (most have been intact males who tend to stay somewhat rangy as adolescence reaching sexual maturity).

 

[Laceys mom]

I switched Lacey over to adult food when she was in the 10 month range. Vet said it was okay. Check with your vet. Lacey had no problems with the switch.

 

[Lilly521]

Originally posted by MomtwoMaltmuffins@Mar 10 2005, 07:12 PM
With all the good quality premium dog foods out there, I dont see why you cannot switch now.

What do you feed him now?  Is it Innova Puppy?  I know you have him a good brand already  The puppy foods do have a higher fat calorie content.

I switched mine over before they were a year and did not see any negative effects
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Well the food he is eating now is the BEST but i think its pretty good, it almost totally got rid of Sunny's tear staining and he really loves to eat this stuff (well obviously he likes to eat it lol) I am feeding him this

Originally posted by Nichole@Mar 10 2005, 07:22 PM
Just a thought, are you over feeding him?  Again, check with the vet to make sure you are giving the right amount.
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Well what happened at first was i left his bowls at someones house so he was using huge bowls (like 4 cups) and i was almost filling them up so i was totally over feeding him but then i cut it down at least to half of that i thought it would help.

Originally posted by littlepeanut@Mar 10 2005, 07:38 PM
if Sunny is getting less than normal amounts of exercise.

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He gets TONS of exercise which is one of the reasons i am kinda confused about hime gaining weight.

Originally posted by JMM@Mar 10 2005, 07:45 PM
The feeding guidelines on the bag are just that - guidelines. He may well not need that much, especially if he gets a lot of treats. The other thing to do is feed him 2 meals a day instead of free feeding him. He should be fine on an adult food at this stage if he is no longer rapidly growing. <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=41979

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Have you ever seen the comercial, i forget what its for, its a family leaving the house and everyone fed the dog? the dogs comes walking out and is totally round?...I think that might be happening with Sunny. Like i said i cut what i was feeding him in half but he is still getting chubby so it might be possible that while i am feeding him twice a day, so is my mom.

 

[Lilly521]

Oh man i just reread the chart that was on the link for his food i posted....i am feeding him enough food for a 60lbs-80lbs dog his age

(i am literally doing this right now) dear god its a wonder he is as thin as he is

 

[LexiAndNikkisMom]

I was just going to say check the package for what they say. Lexi is on Innova and only gets 1/2 a day. The premium foods have a lot of nutrients in a small amount of food. I know for Innova the most you should feed is what is listed on the package for that size dog.

 

[Lilly521]

Originally posted by Lexi's Mom@Mar 11 2005, 09:37 AM
I was just going to say check the package for what they say.  Lexi is on Innova and only gets 1/2 a day.  The premium foods have a lot of nutrients in a small amount of food.  I know for Innova the most you should feed is what is listed on the package for that size dog.
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Well i just wasnt thinking that all, i figured that if he was able to eat that much it was ok for him oh well i know better now

 

[littlepeanut]

Glad it's all cleared up now!!!

 

[Harleysmom]

I love that commercial you were referring to (evryone fed the dog & he was huge) I just laugh every timeI see it. My husband & I are always asking each other-did ya feed the dog? Luckily Harley doesn't look like that one does

 

[Laceys mom]

I have to give Lacey the highest recommended amount of her dog food...my cat loves it and will eat the food also.

 

[jmm]

LOL I'm sure Sunny didn't mind the extra chow.

I've found that my dogs don't usually need the entire recommended amount to maintain a good weight. My normal dogs do get extra treats, too (Mikey can't have anything but his own kibble). I do like to keep my dogs fit and trim as it is healthier for them. The younger ones tend to need a little bit more food while they finish maturing, especially the large breed dogs...not so much with the Malts.

 

[Lilly521]

I put a 1/3 cup measuring cup in his bag of food to prevent this from happened again...i should proubly be giving him less than the maxium as well though becuase i give him cookies.

Should i just switch immediatly to what i should have been feeding him or kinda slowly switch?...i know i would not be please if all the sudden i could only eat a fraction of what i was eating before.

 

[Brinkley & Neyland's Mom]

Originally posted by Lilly521@Mar 12 2005, 08:13 AM
I put a 1/3 cup measuring cup in his bag of food to prevent this from happened again...i should proubly be giving him less than the maxium as well though becuase i give him cookies.

Should i just switch immediatly to what i should have been feeding him or kinda slowly switch?...i know i would not be please if all the sudden i could only eat a fraction of what i was eating before.
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I have a measuring cup in the food container too. That way even if the kids/hubby have to give him food, they give him the right amount. One time I asked my son to feed him when I was gone overnight...he didn't listen very well...and when I came home, Brink's bowl was overflowing with kibble! He probably thought he was in food heaven...ha ha...but the measuring cup in the container should help next time.

 

[jmm]

I would reduce the amount of food he gets immediately. You can split it into 3 meals per day so he doesn't get hungry. If you are switching foods, you should ideally wean him between the two for about a week.

 

[Lilly521]

Originally posted by JMM@Mar 12 2005, 06:37 PM
I would reduce the amount of food he gets immediately. You can split it into 3 meals per day so he doesn't get hungry. If you are switching foods, you should ideally wean him between the two for about a week.
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Alright i am sticking with the same food

 

[Brittany Lot]

Three different vets that I asked all said the same thing: "Switch to adult food at six months or at the very latest, after she gets spayed (if it is later than 6 mos)." They said the suggestion on the package is just so that you'll buy more puppy food (evidently is slightly more expensive).
I think I finally got Zoe switched at about 7 mos and she's doing great. They said that puppy food will only make her gain weight, especially with smaller dogs since the don't get the same amount of exercise as most larger dogs.

 

[miko's mommy]

Originally posted by Brittany Lot@Mar 12 2005, 07:53 PM
Three different vets that I asked all said the same thing: "Switch to adult food at six months or at the very latest, after she gets spayed (if it is later than 6 mos)."  They said the suggestion on the package is just so that you'll buy more puppy food (evidently is slightly more expensive).
I think I finally got Zoe switched at about 7 mos and she's doing great.  They said that puppy food will only make her gain weight, especially with smaller dogs since the don't get the same amount of exercise as most larger dogs.
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We were told the very same thing. I switched Miko to adult food around 7 or 8 months. My vet at the time said that after they get neutered, they may need less calories because they may be less active. Miko, until recently, was starting to be on "the heavy side of normal" so we cut back on treats and he lost half a pound.