Is it time to switch my 6-month-old large breed puppy's food?

Large or giant breed puppies should be fed an appropriate large/giant breed puppy diet until about 18 months of age. The reason being that they develop slower than other breeds. Many do not stop growing until around 2 years of age. Most above average and premium brands have a diet for large breed puppies. Brands include Canidae, Orijen, Acana and Taste of the Wild. Choose the diet that is easy to buy, that Sarge will eat and will not cause stomach upset. Personally, I'm not a fan of the BB line. This is my own opinion based on personal experience and in no way reflects the opinion of either Petco or Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Charlie. First, it is fine to switch dog food brands, but you will need to transition slowly. You should mix the foods and gradually change the proportions of old and new. This will help to prevent any vomiting or diarrhea from the the change. Next, he should eat a large breed puppy food to best meet his nutritional needs. Personally, I use Purina, Hill's, Royal Canin or Iams. These are large companies with veterinarians on staff to research and formulate their diets. They also tend to offer of a variety of products to fit different budgets. I hope this information helps!

Hello. It is probably not necessary at this point to switch back. If Kano was a giant breed, like a Great Dane, Mastiff, etc., then I might want her to be on a large breed puppy food, but otherwise, if she seems to be doing well on her current food, there is no need to change. Thank you.

Ralphie looks like a real cutie! Yes, it will be fine to finish the food you already have and then switch him to an adult large breed diet. Make sure to transition him over to the adult diet over a 5-7 day time period to help avoid any GI upset. That means you will need to mix in the puppy food with the new adult dog food and gradually switch him over. Please feel to post any additional questions.

Hi there and thank you for your question. There is currently no research out there hat supports this claim. Lance should be on a good quality puppy food until he is about 1 year old- sounds like you have a nice food there (Hills Science Large Breed Puppy). That will do just fine until he is 1 year old. Puppies need lots of extra vitamins and minerals in their diets as well as extra calories to match the amount of energy they are expending on growth which a puppy food contains. I would not change his food to adult just yet. I hope this helps!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question, which is a great one. You should switch Ranger from his puppy food to an adult food when he is 12 months of age. Given that he is a large breed dog, I recommend that when he is 12 months old, you feed him a large breed dog food. Brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. When you do make the switch, you will need to transition him slowly to prevent stomach upset. You do this by mixing together the puppy food and adult food, slowly increasing the amount of adult food and decreasing the amount of puppy food until he is eating the adult food only. I hope this helps!

Most larger breed dogs physically mature between 12 and 16 months of age. It will take up to 2 years for him to mature mentally and socially. Giant breeds take even longer, smaller breeds mature sooner. It is generally recommended to transition to an adult diet at around 1 year of age since a majority of dogs will be at or very near adult size by this age. Feeding a puppy diet beyond may predispose a dog to obesity and orthopedic issues. The calcium level in the current diet is fine for Otis. As he nears adulthood, it can be decreased to 1.5%. As long as he is getting a balanced diet, he should be fine. Studies have shown that a low calcium diet have no effect on the incidence of hip dysplasia and other orthopedic abnormalities in growing dogs. A balanced diet and one with an appropriate calcium:phosphorous ratio is much more important and beneficial. You can read more here: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1659&aid=652