Food transition..puppy to adult

[Elly Koretic]

Darla is 1 year old..I feed her Acana grain free kibble.  She is not a big eater and I worry but the vet said she is fine.  When do I transition her to adult food and what are some of the tactics to encouraging her to eat?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

As we have said in The Food Group (if you are not yet a member, please join us) many, many times, a normal healthy puppy will not starve herself. If the vet says she's fine, if she is growing normally and has good energy, she's eating enough. It is always better for a dog to be a little thinner and not madly in love with food than it is to be a little heavier or a chowhound who is always looking for food. I would not do anything to encourage her to eat more. 

Typically, you transition a dog from puppy formulas to adult formulas when their skeletal growth is complete, which varies depending on the expected adult size of the dog. Minis can reach full skeletal growth as young as 6 months old; the bigger standards may not reach their full skeletal growth until their first birthday. 

That said, there is very little difference nutritionally between a puppy formula and an adult formula; usually, the fat and calories are slightly higher in the puppy formulas, and there may be some minor differences in the mineral percentages. This is why many people just feed an ALS (all life stages) formula. The point being, it won't do any harm to switch a little too soon or a little later.

[Elly Koretic]

Thanks for your input and I will join The Food Group.  I have found myself catering to her finicky eating habits and will no longer do that.  I will purchase the adult Acana food for her starting now.  

The vet has told me she is in great health and her weight of 17 lbs is good for her size.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is one of my favorite FG discussions about finicky eaters, it may sound familiar: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/an-ode-...

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You can transition her now.  Some dogs are not food motivated or big eaters, but as long as they are healthy (your vet said she was fine), then you do NOT need to encourage them to eat.  Doing a bunch of 'stuff' to entice the dog to eat, often sets up a lifetime of finicky eating. You need to figure the feeding portion (begin with the suggested one on the bag) and adjust -if the dog never eats that much, cut back;  if the dog is gaining unneeded weight, cut back; if the dog is losing weight, feed more.  Put the food down for about 15 minutes and if the dog hasn't gone over to eat it or didn't finish it, pick it up and wait for the next meal.   Some people feed their dogs a brand (like Fromm) that has different protein bases which you can switch around.  Some people add yogurt or scrambled egg to their kibble - as a treat or at mealtime.  You just want to be careful that you don't fall into the habit of switching food or adding more and more toppers to entice the dog to eat. Hand feeding has its purpose and reasons, but it is NOT something you want to do to encourage her to eat more.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Excellent advice, Nancy. 

[Elly Koretic]

Thanks Nancy,Ned and Clancy….I will follow your advice on putting the food down for 15 minutes and if she doesn't eat it I will pick it up.  I am sure her not eating bothers me more than it bothers her and she does know how to manipulate me to get her way.  I will be strong!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Elly, many of our members over-worry about their dog's being happy with their food, but truly if the dog is healthy and you are feeding nutritious food (which you are), food just shouldn't be that important.  Some dogs LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to eat and would heat everything you put down always.  Others are a bit more discriminating.