When should I switch my puppy from puppy food to adult dog food?

Luna is adorable! Thank you for posting pictures! We generally recommend feeding a puppy food for as long as a dog is growing rapidly. For a very small dog that will only be 6-9 months. For a very large dog that will be more like 18 months. For Luna, that will likely be about year. If Luna is no longer growing quickly and is starting to put on too much weight, then you may need to change her to an adult food sooner, but changing at around a year of age should be the right age for Luna. I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

You can monitor his growth and weight and when he has reached maturity then you can switch him to an adult dog food. Probably between 12 and 16 months of age. Gradually switch him to the new food as diet change can cause gastric upset. Too much protein should not make him hyperactive.

No, I would not feed Mila adult dog food. As a growling puppy, she needs more calories, protein, and calcium to support this growth, and an adult food will not provide that for her. I recommend feeding her a high quality puppy formulated food, such as Royal Canin or Hills Science diet. Royal Canin has a Yorkshire Terrier puppy food that is formulated to meet the specific needs of a Yorkie, so that would be a great food to feed Mila.

I would continue her on a puppy food until she is 1 year old. At that time you can transition to to an adult maintenance food. When you transition her be sure to mix the old food with her new food for at least 7-10 days to help prevent an upset tummy. I hope this helps!

You can begin the transition to an adult diet around 12 months of age. If she is not to shown or bred, consider having her spayed to prevent accidental or unwanted litters and to decrease the risk of uterine infections and certain cancers later in life.

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

If your puppy is doing well on this food, I would certainly recommend not switching at this point. If you are concerned about the calorie content for your adult dog, you can calculate her testing energy requirement (body weight in Kg times 30 plus 70) and then divide by the number of kCals per cup of the food to determine how much you should be feeding.