When to stop feeding puppy portions

[Jamilupine]

just wondering at what age I should stop feeding puppy portions. I feed Canidae, and it says that puppy portions are only for dogs up to 6 months old.

Lucy is a 17 pound beagle and she just turned 6 months.

Thanks in advance.

[Owned by Lucy]

As far as kibble goes you should probably feed according to the recommendations on the bag to begin with.

But... and this is a big but.. you should increase and decrease the amount of food you are feeding based on the look and feel of your dog. You should be able to feel the ribs with gentle pressure and there shuold be a nice "tuck" between the bottom of the rib cage and the hips. If you can see ribs or prominent hip bones you need to feed more and if the dog looks "rolly polly" and you can't feel the ribs unless you push really hard you should probably cut back (or really up exertion).

[Jamilupine]

Yeah, I've decreased her food, by small amounts, becuase she gets lots of treats throughout the day as well as little bits of stuff added to her food, so already I have cut her portions slightly. She clearly gets enough food - she's not anorexic looking! But she's also not chubby. I guess the only reason I'm questioning the rations is becuase she is very active and they want me to cut a half a cup out of her daily feeding. Also, I've heard others say that they are "puppies" until 12 months... So, I'll look at the bag again and mull it over a little longer... I don't want her to get fat, but I don't want her to go hungry either.

[Owned by Lucy]

As long as she is a good weight (not to thin and not to chubby) I would keep the amount of food them same (meals and treats). I would only worry about changing if you see a change in her body composition.

Long time ago when i was feeding kibble and I had 3 dogs (same size both about 40lb). I kept them both lean and fit but no protruding bones. On the male it took twice the amount of food to maintain a good weight than for the female. What I am trying to point out is this is an individual dog "thing". If the amount of food you are feeding is working now, "don't fix what ain't broken". If you see her get pudgy, drop it back a bit. If you see her get to skinny give her some more. Don't let what it says on the bag worry you just "know thy dog"

[calgal]

I keep puppies on puppy chow till they are at least 18 months old. Their intestinal organs are not fully developed till then. I'm strong on real food instead of processed dog food. It's the best! I'm getting mine away from dog foods now.

[Jamilupine]

Thanks for the advice. Looking at her now, I'm thinking it is okay if I cut back a tiny bit on food. Not much, realistically I'm thinking of only cutting back a quarter of a cup. I think I like the "know thy dog" method best! Thanks for that Owned by Lucy!

Calgal - I'm feeding an all lifestages food right now. If I could feed real food, trust me I could. But I just don't have the time to learn enough about it to make sure she gets the proper nutrition. perhaps some day I can though.

[Pippinislove]

I do not believe Canidae has a puppy formula, does it? I was under the impression it came in "all life stages" and "senior". I could be wrong, I don't feed it myself.

[Jamilupine]

it is all life stages but it has a feeding chart for puppies, one for adults, and one for seniors.

[Kade]

Our trainer advised us to cut out lunch and feed only breakfast and dinner. I was nervous, but figured (1) the extra training we were doing, not to mention stocking puzzle toys with liver paste, treats, and extra kibble, would make up for many of the calories, and (2) if he started to lose weight, I could always bring lunch back.

But lo and behold, he's done fine! He still gains weight consistently, and it makes my life much easier not to have to feed him in the middle of the day at work.

He is just about 6 months, and is also on an all life-stages puppy food.