# How long to stay on puppy food?...and what about the 'people food'?



## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

First, I'm sorry if this has already been asked and answered. I've been searching for almost an hour and it's hard to navigate here when searching....all kinds of posts that don't relate to what I want comes up. With that said....I love this site and it's been very helpful to me.

Now....my question: How long should I keep my 9 month old mini schnauzer/shih tzu on puppy food? She weights about 10 pounds and I think, at her age and breed, she's probably full grown by now. I have her on Blue Buffalo Life Protection Puppy Food now, but just went to the dog food review site and they gave Blue Buffalo Wilderness a FIVE star....what I'm getting only had four. (WHEW....it's SO confusing when wanting to feed the best!) 

I also give her mashed, cooked sweet potato about once a week and some canned pumpkin when her stool looks harder to me...calves liver when I eat it....cooked brown rice...you get my drift. I always look online to see what they can and cannot eat.

Any tips here? Puppy or adult now? Stop the "human food"....my neighbor says I should never give her ANY human food....is she right???


----------



## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Thumbs up on unseasoned people food - when you are watching how much fat and whether or not it has something dangerous for dogs or not in it! Emphasize the meaty stuff, not the grains and veggies though.
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/freshfoods.html

I wouldn't be so concerned with stars, that puppy food is just fine. The other gets 5 stars because it is grain free and many dogs are just fine on grainy food.

Adult food is often excessively high in minerals. Growing bodies need less of those minerals than adult dogs. Puppies often cannot eat enough food to grow properly on adult food so puppy food is denser in protein, fat and calories than adult food. If your pup can eat as much as she needs of the adult food then go for it. It is mostly large breed pups that need to be fed high mineral food cautiously.


----------



## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Kathyy said:


> I wouldn't be so concerned with stars, that puppy food is just fine. The other gets 5 stars because it is grain free and many dogs are just fine on grainy food.


Well, there are also more carbs in the Life Protection line than the Wilderness line (50% vs. 38%), but I agree that both are good foods that I would be comfortable feeding. At this point I would think puppy or adult food would be fine and I don't think it would make any huge difference either way.

It's no problem to give people food so long as it's healthy and/or in moderation. I don't make a big deal about Sydney getting a piece of popcorn someone dropped on the floor, but I usually try to stick to meaty foods when I give table scraps. Pretty much anything that isn't poisonous to dogs is ok IMO so long as it is given in moderation (I would avoid sugary things, though).


----------



## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

Thanks for the answers....they ease my mind on what I'm feeding Missy. I didn't mention treats before....but I've stopped buying ALL rawhide, and any of the treats and chews they sell for dogs. I just don't trust them anymore. The only thing I get for her is the Milk Bone Soft & Chewy treats....I keep them in a big jar and just break off a piece for her when training. That's one of the reasons I cook her things like sweet potatoes, give pumpkin and yogurt sometimes, etc. It gives her a break from the same dry food all the time. I think I'll get the Blue Wilderness next month and begin mixing it little by little with her puppy food to transfer her over to adult food. Oh....BTW....I always search online before I give her anything to see if it's good or bad. Sometimes I think I go a bit overboard....but maybe we all do. I'm more concerned with what *SHE* eats than what *I* eat. :-o :-D


----------



## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

I was addicted to cute bone shaped biscuits for a long time too. The sweet potatoes and bits of meat are really better treats. Save some of the weekly liver for treats maybe. I miss shopping at the pet store for goodies for Max but really he is better off. 

I forgot to mention that substituting about 25% of your fresh food calories for dog food calories is fine and won't mess up the basic nutritional goal of the dog food. Some say up to 50% but why risk it.


----------



## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

I know what you mean. I would go into our local PetCo for ONE thing and come out with treats galore for Missy, but no more!! Now if I want to get her something special I get a squeaky toy. She's now like a little kid when I come home from shopping thinking there HAS to be something for her in those bags. :-D
But, like you said, she's better off without the treats....I just don't trust them anymore. Even one of her favorites....it's a bone that screws off at each end and you get the round chew refills for them....she was chewing on it and I looked to discover part of the plastic on the disk on it was gone. I was horrified that she may have eaten it. I threw it away....I just don't think much of any of those are really safe. She also had a "cotton" rope bone...you know...the kind tied at both ends and frayed.....well, I kept finding pieces of that in her mouth and on the floor. It had to go too. SIGH!!!


----------



## roxiefoxie08 (Dec 15, 2011)

godfreygirl143 said:


> First, I'm sorry if this has already been asked and answered. I've been searching for almost an hour and it's hard to navigate here when searching....all kinds of posts that don't relate to what I want comes up. With that said....I love this site and it's been very helpful to me.
> 
> Now....my question: How long should I keep my 9 month old mini schnauzer/shih tzu on puppy food? She weights about 10 pounds and I think, at her age and breed, she's probably full grown by now. I have her on Blue Buffalo Life Protection Puppy Food now, but just went to the dog food review site and they gave Blue Buffalo Wilderness a FIVE star....what I'm getting only had four. (WHEW....it's SO confusing when wanting to feed the best!)
> 
> ...


transition from puppy to adult food at 1 year of age for small breeds i have two chis


----------



## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

Thanks....I'll keep her on puppy food until July....that's when she'll be 1 year old.


----------

