Transition to adult food

We have always had large dogs and hen we started out as a family, to save money we bought Purina ... when i went out to clean the yard, we needed a wheel barrow,... you would think we had kept horses.

I very much agree with the dogfoodadvisor recommendation . They also give good advice on when and how to transition from puppy to adult foods ...


You should also look at your breeds health profile. Many brands have options which include various ingredients known to promote good joint health (Salmon and Sweet potatoes.). We have always had large dogs so that's been a consideration ... we also buy two flavors at a time and alternate how they are fed ... Flavor 1, Flavor 2, Flavor 1+2

We tend to stick w/ the 5* options but these are getting expensive... in addition everybody seems to be reducing bag sizes. Buying 40 pounds for two 60+ pound dogs means it lasts a few weeks so we can watch for sales or deals ...typically (USA) looking at Chewy, Amazon and Petco most often. Most days, they all have the same prices... occasionally there's special or combo deals and that's a good tome to order. What's weird is that if you order at Petco and then order online ... you typically save 10% sometimes 15%.

Instinct Brand is expensive and they have their +Raw line which includes some chunks that dogs find extra appetizing, You can also buy these chunks as a topping. Like training their are many proponents to specific types of food most with very strong opinions of which is best ...there is very little if any data to support this tho... for a while grain free was considered "the choice" . Here's one of the better articles on the topic

nutrition-general-feeding-guidelines-for-dogs | VCA Animal Hospital ...

"At 6 to 8 weeks of age, they need to be fed about four to six meals a day. By 6 months, the need for food is decreased because puppies are about 75% of their adult size and can be fed two to three meals a day. A good-quality puppy food has advantages over adult dog food because it has been specially formulated for a puppy's demanding nutritional requirements and contains the appropriate amount of calcium. Because of their rapid growth, any nutritional mistakes made during puppyhood will have more severe, even irreversible and lifelong, consequences. Because growth is almost complete by 8 to 10 months of age, the average puppy can be switched to adult dog food at about 12 months of age. "

and a blog site with tone of great articles

AKC recommends changing dog fod brands, formulations and types should follow a transition period:

• Day 1: 25% new diet and 75% old diet.
• Day 3: 50% new diet and 50% old diet.
• Day 5: 75% new diet and 25% old diet.
• Day 7: 100% new diet.

Of course, while this will provide a good background, ask your vet as to recommendations on every visit.