When is best time to change to adult dry food?

I have a puppy Lucy, now just 8 months and I am wondering when to change her onto adult food. She weighs 18 lbs now and looks just right with a nice little waist and I can feel her ribs. She was a big puppy right from the start. I don't want her to get fat later so wonder if I should get her onto adult food now rather than keep on with the higher protein/calorie puppy food.

My other pup Henry is 15 weeks and 9lbs weight. He has always been smaller than Lucy - I keep a weight chart for them both. He is usually 2/3 of what Lucy weighed at every stage so far.

They are so adorable - I want to do the best for them! They are such wonderful playmates and they cuddle up together to sleep.

Thanks, Anne

Gus started to gain a lot of weight at 8 months so I switched him to adult food gradually over a week. He is 9 months and 18 pounds and seems like he is done growing.

On the most part I have heard anywhere from 9 months to a year but I will be interested to see what others have to say.

I will be moving onto adult food with Oakley about 7-8 months. There is very little difference in the protein content in some puppy v adult foods. I'm sure I have read somewhere ( maybe on the board, not sure) that feeding puppy food for too long can cause too quick growth.

It was something like - in the wild the mother of the pups would not go out and get higher protein food?

Just trying to be brave and post a pic

Didn't work!

Got to think this one out!

Annie, I selected your URL and pasted it in the browser. Adorable pic!

I did it too!! adorable

Kos is on Innova:Evo which is an all life stages food meaning it can be fed at any age. If I would have known about it when he was 12 weeks old, I would have switched him. I LOVE the food!

Lucy's mum said:

...I don't want her to get fat later so wonder if I should get her onto adult food now rather than keep on with the higher protein/calorie puppy food.

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Innova Evo is an adult dog food that is very high in protein, about 46% I think--compared to most kibbles which are made with grains and have around 25% protein. I read user reviews of Innova Evo online, and it got mostly 5 stars, the highest rating, and overall it had a very high rating. And i've been happy with it. But there were some negative ratings. I didn't read the positive ones, i skipped over them and read the scattered negative ones. Generally they mentioned weight loss on Evo, too much weight loss, so if anything the high percentage of protein and absence of grains may make it a better food for avoiding too much weight gain. Of course, each dog is different and you never know til you try, how a food will effect a dog.

Some say puppy formula is unhealthy for puppies. I don't know much about this, but the people I've heard it from seem knowledgeable and intelligent and thoughtful, so i have not given puppy to zack. He's done great on the food he's eaten. He's very healthy, he looks good, is energetic and appears to feel good. He stopped growing at around 5 or 6 months, at least a couple of months before i started Innova Evo, but he's an average sized cavalier who's weight is 14-15 lbs, and he is neither fat nor thin, so he is none the worse for wear from never having puppy food, for all the advertising and marketing that makes it seem as if puppies should be fed puppy food.

I personally don't like Puppy food and have known lots of puppies get really upset tummies from it.

What food do you give them Anne? If I were you I'd switch them to an adult version. Or, if it's kibble, Burns do a mini bites that is a regular mix but in much smaller pieces for pups and smaller dogs.

I would switch her to adult food, gradually over a week or so. :flwr:

Here is Lucy posing in the forest - looking a bit put out with having her walk interrupted for a photo shot! Hopefully she is a good shape for her age of just 8 months. The vet seemed pleased with her "figure" recently.

She is on Pets at Home Puppy food which is the local pet shop dry kibble. We chose it as it had minimum 25% fresh chicken rather than just chicken meal and it has no added colourants, flavourings or preservatives. It seemed to compare very favourably with the top brands re protein, oils etc. She seems to have done well on it. We have been asked if we polish her as her coat is so glossy!

I feel it might be right to put her onto the adult food soon now. Thanks for all the advice - it is so helpful to have other opinions. If any food is highly recommended we could consider it at this stage when we do the change over. We are in UK though so not all the food will be available here.

I've mastered the photo posting!!! Yipee!

OMG she is beautiful :flwr: I love the Tri's with lots of black on them

Whereabouts in UK are you? I'd recommend Burns dry food but don't think Pets at Home sell it.

If you go here http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/stockists/ you can put in your postcode and it will tell you where you can buy it.

I buy the small sacks and probably get through a bag a month so it's not expensive at all. It IS a good food though. Have a good look around the site :flwr:

Lucy's mum said:

Here is Lucy posing in the forest - looking a bit put out with having her walk interrupted for a photo shot! Hopefully she is a good shape for her age of just 8 months. The vet seemed pleased with her "figure" recently....

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Lovely photo, she's a beauty!

She does have a lovely coat; what a nice photo of her! :flwr:

James Well Beloved is an excellent UK dog food.

Adult food

Hi Lucys Mum

I live in England and just like you Im now thinking the time is right to change Holly who is 10 months to adult food, she also eats Pets at home chicken puppy food, she seems to have done well on it and does have alovely coat, I was thinking of just progressing to the adult version, but want to be sure that Im not missing something that could be better. I think are just do abit more research, your Lucy and Henry are adorable.