at what age can i start giving my 5 month lab adult food?

Question

i feed him pedigree puppy right now but my dad says i can start feeding him adult food.i'm not sure if i should though.is pedigree a good dog food or should i change his diet. he is not over weigh and he likes the food but i'm not sure if it is good for his nutricion.
help?

Answer 1

Most vets will tell you to continue feeding them puppy food until at least 12 months of age for some breeds even two years depending on their rate of development.... Some puppies out grow their skeletal structure as early as 5 months of age... This means their muscles and internal body systems are growing faster than their bones...... In cases like this a vet may suggest transferring them to adult food/and or specially formulated breed specific puppy food as part of a program to help control and stabilize the excessive growth.. Consult you veterinarian before switching to adult foods. See what he/she recommends......... As far as switching brands that is totally your decision........ I am currently using Nature's Variety or Nature's Recipe brands myself, but have had dogs in the past who were raised on pedigree and they lived to be 12-17yrs of age without any major health issues........ Just remember the higher the quality of the food the less likely you are to have feeding problems such as stomach and bowel upset. less prone to developing allergies, etc. But just because you may not choose to buy or can not afford the higher quality foods does not make you a bad owner as long as you are providing adequate amounts of food, water, exercise, love and support both physically and mentally for you pet you are a great owner... Overall quality of care in general is the most important thing.... Not the kind of food you provide

Answer 2

I have always used Purina Puppy Chow but Pedigree is a good food too. You may want to ask your vet but I always feed my puppies the puppy food until they are 12 months. I could be wrong. That's just what I do if I ever have any puppies. I pick up strays so most of the time I have adult dogs. Do a search on the webb When do you stop feeding puppy food? I'm sure you will find many articles. If you are still confused call or go see the puppies Vet.

Answer 3

Most breeds of dog are considered puppies until 2 or 3 years of age.
Puppy food is higher in nutrients because their metabolism is higher. When you begin to notice a decline in his energy level its a good sign that he's maturing and can be put on the adult food. He'll still be excitable but not as out-of-control like a puppy, that is when you shoudl switch.
As for which brand is best, you need to look at the ingredients. Make sure the first ingredient is meat (NOT byproduct), the 2nd and 3rd ingredients should be meat or meat-based (byproduct). If any of the first 3 ingredients is corn or rice or some other filler, move on to something else.

Answer 4

It's too soon to go to adult food. Ideally, use a large breed puppy food for at least 12-18 months. This is especially helpful for breeds that have later problems with joints because it keeps them from reaching their full size too quickly, which can contribute to these problems. Pedigree is ok, but after doing some research and reading some labels, I find that it is not the best. Most dog foods have a grain or cereal as the first ingredient, and also contain sugar or other sweetners. I use Royal Canin for my dogs, because it has meat as the #1 ingredient, no sweetner, and comes in special formulations for various sizes and breeds of dogs. Bill-Jac is my second choice, although it does have molasses in it. PetSmart carries these brands, and probably other pet stores as well. Unfortunately, they are more expensive, but I find that because they are higher in protein, the dogs do eat less, and seem to enjoy it more. After that, Pedigree or Purina One maybe.

Answer 5

Pedigree puppy is an excellent choice. Im pretty sure Pedigree also makes a large breed puppy formula which you may want to buy next time. Labs grow so fast that the Large Breed formula gives them extra nutrients to help their fast growing bones. Also you want to continue your puppy on puppy food until he is at least 1 yr old. Dogs continue to grow until they are about 18 months old so your vet may want you to feed puppy food for 18 months. But don't switch to adult dog food until the puppy is at least 1 yr old! Enjoy your lab...they are great dogs with proper training!!

Answer 6

Pedigree (or any food sold in Grocery stores or Wal Marts) is NOT a good food - it has too many fillers, so you have to feed more - lower digestabilty and you get more poop... (I dont care if the bag says its GOOD, no food is gonna say "THIS FOOD IS CRAP" on the bag)

good food uses CHICKEN MEAL or LAMB MEAL as first ingredient - rice second, it contains NO by-products (undigestable beaks feet feather) and no other cheap filler like wheat or corn...

Having said that 5 months is too young to switch to adult food.. infact larger breed dogs often are kept on puppy food til 18 months of age... he can be swtiched as early as 1 yr only if he is getting fat. but otherwise they need the extra goodness of puppy food for bone and brain and joint development.

if you are in the USA I would suggest switching to a food no less in quality than NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE (you will feed less because its better qualtiy)
In Canada I would recommend NUTRAM or ACANA

think of this also - any food you see lots of commercials for - where is the money going?? into the food or into the commercials???

Answer 7

You might want to keep him on the same stuff that he's eating right now if he is eating it. Its the same way with my cats, that had this one type they always ate and then we couldn't find it in stores so we got a different kind to hold them over til we found it and they would not touch it and meow all the time. And if you think the adult food is going to be too hard on the puppys teeth, them put a little water in with the food so that it softens it up for him, but i think your dad is right and you would be fine feeding him that.

Answer 8

Puppies need to be on puppy food for one year. At one year old you can switch him to adult. I feed my dogs Prism dog food or Veterinarians Choice dog food, it can usually only be found at pet stores. Both Brands make puppy and adult foods especially for your dogs life style and needs ( ie active, lazy, etc..) Pedigree is ok but it contains a lot of by products and usually a lot of corn which is not really all that good for your dogs digestion.

Answer 9

Feed him the puppy food until he's one. In some large breed dogs it's as late as 2. I would suggest you talk to your vet about when to switch over.

The process can be done in one of two ways - either introduce the new food slowly as suggested - or you can fast a dog for 24 hours and switch his food.

Answer 10

Keep your lab on Pedigree it is a very good food I feed this to my dogs. Keep on puppy untill at least a year of age. Also if at any time your dog gets thin you can put him back on puppy to fatten him up.