Is it time to switch to adult food?

[Paul Schumacher]

Our 9.5 month old medium ALD has really filled out over the last two weeks.  We can still feel her ribs, but she isn't boney anymore just below her chest.  Her breeder expected her to be ~30 lbs.  She is now right at 32, up from 27 just a few weeks ago.  I think it's a healthy weight.  

Sidebar: A little less than a month ago, she partially tore her cruciate ligament.  She is doing great with recovery, but we are still keeping her from running, jumping, stairs, long walks and doggy daycare.  So she is getting less exercise.  

My concern is that she will continue to pack on weight like she has over the last 2 weeks and get too heavy.  We want to keep her on the lighter side to take extra stress of the knee as it heals.  My rudimentary understanding is that higher fat content (and I'm assuming more carbs) in puppy food could quickly pack on the pounds.  Is it safe to switch her over?  Or should we continue on the puppy food and just reduce the amount she gets?

Right now, she is eating Wellness CORE Grain Free Puppy. @ 417 kcal per cup ME, she was eating 2 1/2 cups as day.  We just pulled it down to 2 cups a day.

Thanks!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, you're safe to switch her to an adult formula at this age. 

Most puppy foods are higher in calories than adult formulas in the same line, usually due to higher fat content. (Fat contains 9 calories per gram.  Carbohydrates and proteins are identical in terms of calories, with 4 calories per gram.) But I just looked at the Wellness Core line, and while the fat content in the adult formula is lower than in the puppy formula (16% as opposed to 18%), the calories are actually slightly higher, at 421 per cup. So switching to the adult formula isn't going to make a difference in terms of it being lower in calories. However, the feeding guidelines are much lower. For a 35 lb adult dog, the feeding recommendation is 1.75 cups per day. https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.aspx?pet=dog&pi...

[Paul Schumacher]

Thank you, as always, Karen!

[Joan Bollaert]

I have two medium ALD's and they get 1 1/2 cups per day of food and are fine at good weights.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Every food has a different calorie content, and the amount of calories that any dog needs depends on several factors, including age, weight and activity level. If your dogs were eating a different food, they might need more or less than 1.5 cups per day to maintain a good weight.