My Vizsla is 9 mos old..He is doing great and I don't want to mess his nutrition up. When should I start giving him adult food. And when I do should I start out by mixing it in with his puppy food?
2007-06-01 12:53:59 · 19 answers · asked by jeepiegurl 5 in Pets ➔ Dogs
When he is 1 year old is when you should start putting him on adult food. The label on the side says what to feed him depending on his age. That will help you.
2007-06-01 13:08:45 · answer #1 · answered by ☺love~the~rain☺ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should switch the food over usually between 12 and 18 months old. You start by mixing the food with 1/4 adult food and 3/4 puppy food. 2 weeks later you move again to 1/2 adult and 1/2 puppy. Again 2 weeks later you move to 3/4 adult and 1/4 puppy. 2 weeks after that you can now go to full adult food. Doing it this way helps your dog's digestive system become accustomed to the new food and nutrition in the adult formula. If you do a complete mix then you will probably have some diarria to deal with, so i would definetly try it this way. Good luck
2007-06-01 13:12:08 · answer #2 · answered by cviperml 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Once he becomes a year old, you may start changing over his puppy food to adult food. Start with only using a small amount of adult food mixed with his puppy food. In the days ahead , just continue mixture just add more adult food than puppy food. Takes several months for the change over, because it helps his stomach not to become upset with a BIG change of food all at once! Hope this helped some!!
2007-06-01 13:00:28 · answer #3 · answered by nc_debi 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I started changing my dogs food at two years some people start at a year. We figured puppy food is the best so the longer the better because it has more vitamins and nutrients and people say that dogs aren't adults until they are two years old. But whenever you do switch do it by mixing half and half for a while so that the dog's stomach doesn't get upset. Hope this helps!
2007-06-01 13:00:07 · answer #4 · answered by Angel 77 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't mix the food, that might actually do mor harm then good. Keeping in mind that dogs age much quicker then people...I would suggest 6mths old is the best age to make the switch into a vitamen rich adult dog food. After he/she has been on that type solidly for 6mths, you can start some other type of adult food. But it's important that when you make that switch that the adult food is a special diet vitamen rich...similar to puppy food (best for the dogs system).
Most pet food sites have great information...if your really concerned you can check them out. But I wouldn't overly worry about it. :-)
The only concern would be keeping a dog on puppy food for to long. The perception that its better for them is wrong. As the body matures they need different vitamens and puppy food is based more on growing rather then strengthening. That could cause a very chubby young dog with weak joints. But that's worse case scenario.
2007-06-01 13:00:31 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Usually about a year, unless you have a big breed and you don't want it to grow too fast which can be hard on their joints. Vizsla's have a high energy level so you'd want to be sure they get good nutrition, the best thing would be to check with the breeder if you have a concern.
2007-06-01 13:07:14 · answer #6 · answered by Kathi 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One year is the standard answer as to when to switch puppies to adult food. However you can do it as young as 6 months if the dog is a large breed. Puppy food promotes rapid growth which can be a problem for the large breeds with have joint problems etc. The best answer of course is to ask your vet.
2007-06-01 13:07:05 · answer #7 · answered by Katt 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe you can start as early as 6 months but you should check with your vet to be sure what's best for your dog. When you do switch over do it slowly. Start with 75% old 25% new. After a few days, if he seems to be doing ok try 50% - 50% and then after a few days 25% old 75% new and finally 100% new food.
2007-06-01 14:46:32 · answer #8 · answered by boxergirl 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The larger breeds need to switch sooner but generally 1 yr is ok.
The reason is that the puppy foods have too much protein/calcium for larger breeds so they tend to grow rapidly and their bones need to form properly before rapid growth occurs...gradual growth is best...I would say you can switch now, do it over the course of a week or more.
2007-06-01 13:19:21 · answer #9 · answered by bubbaboosmama 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can give him adult food now. You must mix his puppy food and adult food for 2 weeks.
2007-06-01 13:07:49 · answer #10 · answered by krisel 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋