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Is Hill's Small Paws adult food right for my 9-month-old puppy?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Jack Russell Terrier | Male | unneutered | 9 months and 3 days old | 14.5 lbs

Hi, our vet recommended we start our 9mo Jack Russel on his adult food. Should we be feeding our 9mo Jack Russel/Toy Fox Terrier/Chihuahua puppy small breed food or regular breed food? We’ve been feeding him Hills Science Diet Small Bite Puppy and for his start into adult hood, was unsure if we should be feeding him small breed food? We see a Hills Small Paws (for small and mini breeds) and was wondering if this is best for Ohu? Thank you!

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on September 5th, 2022

Great question! Because Ohu is a small breed dog, I would recommend feeding him the Hill's Small Paws adult food. It's an excellent food for small breed dogs like Ohu. I do recommend slowly transitioning from his puppy food to his new adult food to avoid stomach upset. To do this, feed him 75% old food, 25% new food for three to four days, then give him 50% old, 50% new. Again feed this mixture for three to four days, then feed him 25% old food, 75% new food. After feeding him this mixture for another three to four days, give him 100% of the new food. If he does have any stomach upset during this time, such as diarrhea, increase the amount of old food and decrease the amount of new food until the diarrhea is resolved, then continue to increase the amount of new food. I hope this helps!

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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