We thought we’d share an excellent question from Poppy’s family, in Oklahoma City, OK…
Poppy's family asks:
Good morning. Poppy is growing and going. She is a beautiful dog and a great pet.
When do I transition her to adult dog food and do I stay with the Diamond Naturals brand? What do you recommend for the total amount of food daily?
Thank you.
Our response:
Good morning Ruth! Great to hear from you.
I would keep her on the puppy formula until she’s a year old. After that, feel free to try different brands and types of foods if you’d like. If she’s done well with Diamond Naturals, however, then I wouldn’t hesitate to keep her on that brand. It’s a terrific dog food. You’ll just want to go to an adult food at that time and you may need to try a few blends before you find one she loves and does well on. Keep in mind that she won’t be fully matured physically until she’s about two, so I’d wait until then if you can before providing too many treats and things!
Note:
Small to medium breeds are typically full grown at 1 year of age. Large breed and giant breed dogs mature much more slowly, however. (Don’t overfeed your puppy, especially if he/she is a large or giant breed dog!) Larger breed dogs aren’t usually fully mature until about age 2. For this reason, it can be beneficial to keep them on puppy formula until they’re 18 months to 2 years of age.
While there are no definitive guidelines, Purina.com defines small and medium breeds this way:
Small breeds – 20 pounds or less at maturity.
Medium breeds – 21-50 pounds at maturity.
Large breed dogs are usually, roughly, between 50 and 100 pounds with giant breeds being over 100 pounds at full grown.
Always follow the advice of your veterinarian.
