Question about dog food

Hey ya'll, my puppy Mick is now 5 3/4 months and now weighs 62 pounds. I feed him Solid Gold puppy formula and a guy who works at the feed store I buy it from said I am supposed to be feeding him half puppy and half adult formula because he is over 50 pounds. Have any of you heard of this? I thought Mick was supposed to eat puppy formula until 12 months. hope ya'll can help.

 

jay: That sounds right. My daughter's Pit was about that age and weight, and the Vet suggested cutting back on the puppy food. She didn't really elaborate why. What did your vet tell you was the reasoning?

 

The guy at the feed store where I get the food from said because he is so heavy that he would get fat because of the higher fat in puppy formula. The fat in puppy is 14% compared to 8% in adult.

 

another thing to consider is your dog's size. large breed puppies should be restricted from growing too quickly because of joint and bone problems it may cause. switching over to an adult food formula will help control your puppy's growth.

 

Jay: The Solid Gold catalog I have recommends feeding the puppy forumla up to 6 months of age and then feeding 1/2 puppy food with 1/2 adult from 6 - 12 months of age to restrict energy intake.

 

For what its worth - the fat content in the Natural Choice adult food I use is 16% with 26% protein. If you are concerned about your little guy getting fat, just get him on a regular feeding schedule. That way, you'll know how much he is taking in and can adjust it to his needs. IE: if he starts to look a little heavy, cut his food back a little. If he's looking a little thin, add some to his feeding. Hope this helps.

 

My vet recommended that I keep my "Smudge", 6 months old, on puppy food, so that he stays nice & lean & muscular. I am feeding dehydrated raw, high protein. 8)