Age to switch from puppy kibble

[sarahnaurato]

Hi! At what age did you switch your puppy to an adult formulation? Our breeder suggested as early as now (4 months old) and my AKC flyer from registration also mentioned switching by 6 months old. The reason was for the %ages in a puppy formulation not being good for bulldog bone structure. My vet didn't mention this but I also didn't specifically ask yet. I'm specifically thinking of switching him to Blackwood lamb + rice which is rated for all ages. (Switching from chicken variety of kibble breeder. had him on).

 

[Bulldog2001]

Hi! At what age did you switch your puppy to an adult formulation? Our breeder suggested as early as now (4 months old) and my AKC flyer from registration also mentioned switching by 6 months old. The reason was for the %ages in a puppy formulation not being good for bulldog bone structure. My vet didn't mention this but I also didn't specifically ask yet. I'm specifically thinking of switching him to Blackwood lamb + rice which is rated for all ages. (Switching from chicken variety of kibble breeder. had him on).

All my dogs never were on any puppy food. Just adult formulas and there was no growth issues.

You can definitely switch off puppy food now.

I just looked up the food your considering to put him on, it’s got a ton of added synthetic vitamins/minerals and potential allergens.
Here is a list of the highest quality kibbles available(listed in order l), they are for all life stages too.:

Carna 4
Natures Logic
Orijen
Acana

 

[Bulldog2001]

And also definitely be rotating proteins to prevent food allergies. If you went with one of the good kibbles I recommend, there are lots of proteins to rotate thru to prevent allergies.

 

[helsonwheels]

Blackwood has too many grains. @Bulldog2001 gave you higher quality kibbles. Rotation is a must especially at puppy stage to avoid future allergies.

All my dogs as pups were on Orijen till 6-8 months old. Then one protein on regular rotations. Nowadays been a few yrs all on raw. If you stick to kibbles do add raw organs as a topper. And yes that topper is part of the meal proportions.

 

[anatess]

Hi! At what age did you switch your puppy to an adult formulation? Our breeder suggested as early as now (4 months old) and my AKC flyer from registration also mentioned switching by 6 months old. The reason was for the %ages in a puppy formulation not being good for bulldog bone structure. My vet didn't mention this but I also didn't specifically ask yet. I'm specifically thinking of switching him to Blackwood lamb + rice which is rated for all ages. (Switching from chicken variety of kibble breeder. had him on).

I don't understand this: "percentages in a puppy formulation not being good for bulldog bone structure".

I'm thinking the bulldog bone structure and growth rate tends to skew over to the longer puppy calories/protein/fat/calcium formulation. So, you can continue to feed the puppy beyond a year old if he is still a lot smaller than his expected adult size.

Bulldogs are usually very energetic before 3 years of age then it starts to taper after that earning them the "lazy dog" stigma so, that's something to consider as far as calorie count per serving.

 

[helsonwheels]

I’m with you @anatess on “not being good for bulldog bone structure” bit. At the end of the day you simply need to use logic. All puppies even EB are full of energy. I kept my pups on Orijen as long as I see fit. My 1st German Shepherd I took him off around 6months old as he was weighing his age. Like growing too fast. So basically go with the flow. Dog’s flow.

 

[2BullyMama]

Agree usually Around 8 months