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When, Why, and How to Start Feeding Your Pup Grown-up Nutrition
As your puppy grows into an adult dog, he needs nutrition that keeps his body as strong as your love, and that means a high-quality, premium adult formula such as IAMS™ ProActive Health™ Adult MiniChunks
Why move your grown-up pup to a premium adult dog food? Because quality counts. It's crucial to continue his superb puppy nutrition into adulthood. Downgrading to a lower-quality brand at this stage of his life may upset his digestive system, and won't provide him with the same level of nutritional excellence he was raised on.
Think of a baby. When it's time to start giving him solid food, you wouldn't dream of feeding your child anything less than the best nutrition you can buy. The same is true for your maturing puppy. He needs the best age-appropriate food there is to help maintain his overall health.
Premium foods, such as IAMS, are specifically designed to provide your dog with a food that has:
What does it all add up to? A happy, healthy dog. With premium dog food, you can expect key indicators that contribute to providing your dog with a long, healthy life:
Founded on more than 60 years of research into canine nutrition, premium formulas from IAMS help maintain your dog's health and provide him with the nutrition he needs for a long life. Basic brands may not provide these benefits or match the level of expertise that goes into every bag of dog food from IAMS.
Your puppy's transition to adult food should begin when he approaches adult height. His breed type will also help determine when to switch. Small-breed dogs tend to mature physically much sooner than large-breed dogs. Follow these guidelines to help you decide when to switch formulas:
Large- and giant-breed dogs, those weighing more than 50 pounds when fully grown, might not be ready to switch to an adult food until they're 12 to 24 months old.
To avoid upsetting your dog's intestinal tract or causing diarrhea, make the change from a puppy formula to an adult diet over a period of four days by mixing the two foods in your dog's bowl.
How much food should you give your dog? Check the daily feeding recommendations established by the pet-food manufacturer and read the label. Dan Carey, DVM and Director of Technical Communications at IAMS, suggests using the recommendations, then weighing your dog each week. If he's gaining or losing weight and shouldn't be, slightly decrease or increase his daily intake, and weigh him again in another week.
If you have specific concerns about your dog's weight, talk to your veterinarian. He or she can assess your dog's needs and give you a feeding recommendation.
Unlike larger-breed dogs that are considered mature or senior at age 5, small-breed dogs usually don’t experience age-related changes as early. But by age 7, your small dog is mature or senior, and his nutritional requirements are changing. You can help keep your dog active, happy and healthy with a specially formulated mature diet that delivers highly digestible, enhanced nutrition.
The changes your small dog is going through affect him in many ways. You may notice a dull, dry coat and flaky skin, energy loss or weight gain, more frequent intestinal problems, joint stiffness and a loss of lean muscle mass. It’s true that an aging dog may require fewer calories, but your mature or senior dog still needs high-quality protein and carefully balanced nutrients.
What your dog needs is a high-quality, balanced maintenance food formulated for a small dog’s changing metabolism. Look for options with these age-essential nutrients:
These ingredients are the keys to mature nutrition whether you feed dry or wet dog food or give your dog treats.
Additionally, small dogs have small mouths and small stomachs. A nutrient-dense mature formula with smaller kibble may help make food easier for your dog to chew.
Older, less-active dogs are prone to weight gain. Keeping your dog at a healthy weight can help minimize the risk of developing diabetes or joint stress. Your dog can benefit from a weight-control diet with these key ingredients:
While your mature or senior dog’s nutritional needs may be changing, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have many active, happy years ahead. Make sure your dog can make the most of them by feeding him a proper diet designed for mature small-breed dogs.
