# At what point can you transition a puppy to adult food portions?



## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

hi everyone!

My dog is 8 pounds, 7 months old, female Bichon Frise (very small) - She's currently on a puppy feeding regiment, 

When is the right time to switch her to an adult feeding routine? Is there a right time? Rather than age, are there other indicators that are more reliable?

I know that you have to feed puppies more frequently, and larger portions than adult dogs but just not sure when to change their feeding schedule/regiment.

Your help is much appreciated, thank you!!


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

What "regiment" is she on now? No matter how old your dog is, you have to feed her enough to keep her at a healthy weight. . .no changes there. You'll probably have to cut back at various times as she ages, but it should be gradual. I feed my dogs twice a day. I think they would get hungry if they only ate once a day.


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

I fed my little shih tzu pup, puppy food until she was a year old and then switched to adult food. I fed her 3 meals a day until she was 6 months old and then cut her back to 2 meals a day (breakfast and dinner) at that time.


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## PatchworkRobot (Aug 24, 2010)

Dreizehn (and most puppies I know) was fed 3 times a day until 6 months of age and he was switched to two times, if that's what you mean. As for changing from puppy food to adult food that's something I don't know much about. I'm switching my boy from puppy to adult once his puppy food runs out now that he's a year old. I know many people who don't feed "puppy" food at all, some that switch from puppy to adult at 6 months, some who switch at a year, and some who switch at 18 months.


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your responses! Right now she's on a raw meat diet - she's eating twice a day now, and only eats about 6 ounces a day and then gets full (i.e. stops eating) - just a bit confused because technically she should be getting a lot more than that (10% of 8 pounds = 12.8 ounces of food daily) but her activity is fairly low, and she is very small so I guess she's just not that hungry. She also gets her fair share of training treats too which is probably what's making her less hungry.

I know for raw dieters, at adult age, they should be fed approximately 2% of their adult weight, but I just don't know what 'adult' means....


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## PatchworkRobot (Aug 24, 2010)

Oooh! If she's at a healthy weight then I'd just keep with what you're doing. When my boy was a puppy (though I'm on kibble) he was getting 6+ cups a day. He was growing fast and was super active. As things are right now he's almost done growing and isn't nearly as active and needs only 2 cups a day to keep him at his perfect weight. There are always suggestions and guilde lines for feeding but each dog is an individual and needs to be fed the amount that keeps them at a healthy weight :]


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## MariJoy (Nov 10, 2011)

That's about 3/4 cup, seems in the ballpark to me, she's not that big a dog, and raw food diet is more concentrated, I think - does she seem to be still hungry?
I wouldn't get so caught up in the numbers if she seems satisfied.


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

PatchworkRobot said:


> Oooh! If she's at a healthy weight then I'd just keep with what you're doing. When my boy was a puppy (though I'm on kibble) he was getting 6+ cups a day. He was growing fast and was super active. As things are right now he's almost done growing and isn't nearly as active and needs only 2 cups a day to keep him at his perfect weight. There are always suggestions and guilde lines for feeding but each dog is an individual and needs to be fed the amount that keeps them at a healthy weight :]


Thanks PatchworkRobot, I will go with this suggestion! Seems the most rational. Gonna buy her some chicken thighs for dinner tonight!!


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

The 10% is for tiny pups, not half grown pups. The other basic guideline for feeding pups is 2-3% of their ideal adult weight. I guess she is eating about 5% of her actual weight and is very close to her full size if not adult weight at 7 months old so she probably is already eating more than 2% of her ideal adult weight. If she ends up a petite 10 pounds then she is eating 4% of that right now.

Such a good self regulator might let you know she would like to eat once a day in the next couple months too by refusing to eat at one time or another.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

What Kathyy said. 10% is something like for pups 8-16 weeks, not 7 month olds. 7 month olds are already almost at their adult size so you really need to cut back unless you want a fat dog. 

I would feed a 7 month old only 4%, honestly. If you're feeding her treats throughout the day, it'll add up. 

My pup is currently 8.5 months old and gets 3%. She's been eating 3% since she was 6 months old--I give treats through out the day (biscuits, chews, etc.), and because she is a Cavalier and they have major heart problems as a breed, I don't want to overfeed her and make her fat. She's in great shape now, and I think I'll continue feeding her 3% for now.


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

Thank you so much, Kathy and Lucidity for letting me know I was so wrong!!! Okay, that makes so much more sense, because for dinner, she had like half a small chicken thigh, and only 2 ounces for breakfast, which is like 3 ounces altogether. If she's going to end up around 10 pounds as an adult (I'm guestimating based on what the breeder said), then I only need to feed her around 3 ounces a day!! That's so much littler than I thought, and now I get why she's been "eating so little". She's not fat at all, her ribs are easily felt, and she has a nice tucked in tummy  I'm sad though because I think she may have hip dysplasia because she hops around like a bunny  I am going to the vet to get an xray for her to check for it


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Oh no, sorry to hear about your pup... but if she's bunny hopping, it's probably luxating patellas, not hip dysplasia (HD is very rare in small dogs, anyway).


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

It might be that actually! Because sometimes when I first start walking her, she's not putting all her weight on one of her hind legs, and yesterday, she was walking with one hind leg up in the air, and kinda didn't want to put it down?? It was really weird to see, but I'm definitely really concerned...She was like this since she was 2 months old  Though, she never cried or yelped in pain, so I don't know how much it's causing her pain, but I hope the vet can help her ..


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