When to Switch From Puppy Food to Adult Food?

When we have a puppy at home for the first time, we often make the mistake of switching from puppy food to adult food too soon, causing our puppy not to get all the nutrients it needs.

Don't worry, it's a mistake we've all made. That's why we want to explain when the right time is to switch from puppy to adult food. Ready?

When Should I Switch My Puppy's Food to Adult Food?

There's a mistaken belief that makes us think that once our dog has reached its breed's expected height or turned one year old, we can switch its food to an adult dog food.

We need to tell apart small dog breeds and medium/large dog breeds, since depending on this, their development finishes sooner or later.

Small Breed Puppies

For this type of dog, such as the Westie, Yorkshire, Pinscher, etc... we should keep puppy food until twelve months of age. That's generally when they've fully developed.

Medium and Large Breed Puppies

This type of puppy has a longer development period, due to the big change they go through from puppyhood to young adult dog.

In medium and large breed puppies, we should keep puppy food until sixteen months of age, meaning a bit more than a year and a half. That's when they finish their body's development (in height, not width, obviously).

Can I Give My Puppy Adult Dog Food?

You can, but it's not at all advisable, since puppy food contains many more nutrients than adult dog food. Precisely because puppies need a diet richer in nutrients due to their development.

So if you constantly feed your puppy adult dog food, it may not develop properly and suffer nutritional deficiencies that can end up affecting its health.

Can I Give My Adult Dog Puppy Food?

Yes, you can give it puppy food, but keep in mind that since it's richer in nutrients, your dog will very likely end up developing obesity from this diet.

Dog food manufacturers already know what nutritional needs a dog has at each stage of its life, which is why they formulate their foods based on those needs.

It makes no sense to feed a puppy adult food, nor the other way around.

Differences Between Puppy Food and Adult Dog Food

We'd highlight the amount of nutrients, which is much higher in puppy food than in adult dog food. In addition, kibble size is generally smaller in puppy food, to prevent choking.

Protein, fat, and micro and macro nutrients such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, etc.... are more abundant in food specific to puppies. That's why we should give our dog the food suited to each stage of its life.