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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.
Pugs are naturally lazy and have a tendency to become obese very easily! So pug parents need to make it a point to walk their pugs regularly. Take them for a walk 1-2 times a day or play with them at home. But limit their exercise in hot and humid weather as they do tend to experience breathing difficulties.
Grooming a pug requires you to trim their hair and bathe them at least once a month. After bathing your pug with a mild shampoo, you must dry their hair quickly and properly or the skin folds that remain wet can become smelly and cause skin infections.
While pugs are a clever breed, they are strong-willed as well. Reward-based training is a great way to train your pug. Make sure that everyone in your family follows the same training practices so that your pug does not get confused.
While pug food can vary depending on their age, size, and health conditions, all pugs need complete and balanced meals that are tailor-made to meet their unique needs. You could feed them a premium recipe like IAMS™ Proactive Health™ Adult Pug to keep them slim and healthy. IAMS™ Adult Pug recipe is a blend of beet pulp and prebiotics (FOS) to support healthy digestion, L-Carnitine to support a healthy metabolism, and Omega 6 & 3 fatty acids to support skin and coat health. It is best to split their daily allowance into two meals.
Recommended pug food guide -
| SIZE OF PUG | RECOMMENDED DAILY FEEDING (G) |
|---|---|
| 1-2 kg | 30-45 |
| 2-4 kg | 45-80 |
| 4-6 kg | 80-105 |
| 6-8 kg | 105-130 |
| 8-10 kg | 130-155 |
Pugs are prone to a lot of health problems, more than other breeds. Common health issues include breathing problems, a range of eye problems, skin infections, Pug Dog Encephalitis (PDE), hemivertebrae, and hypothyroidism.
SOME FACTS ABOUT PUG DOG CARE
Pugs are easy to care for but put on weight easily. Also, their short muzzles make it difficult for them to breathe, especially in hot and humid weather. Because of this, pugs also tend to snore, so consider this if you are a light sleeper.
Pugs are intelligent creatures and very loving, making them a popular choice across the world. But do your research before taking the leap. Although they are cute and cuddly, caring for a pug dog needs commitment, so it's important to go into it fully prepared to do the work (and fall in love!)
