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 Greeting a Dog Properly (mp3, 3,196KB)

Switching to Adult Food from Puppy Food I am reading conflicting information about when to transfer our puppy from puppy food to adult dog food. Our vet says anytime between 6 and 18 months for our type of dog (Basset hound). The dog food guide says 12 months, the 30-year pet store owner says 6 months, and our back-up vet says 12 months at the longest. My gut instinct says, because a Basset’s bone structure is not fully developed until about 18 months old, keep her on puppy food until she's 18 months, but she's not interested in her puppy food anymore and as of late goes several days at a time without eating. When she does eat it's only about a cup and a half. She's exuberant and playful and drinks plenty of water, so I am not sure what is left other than maybe she is ready for adult dog food? Tish Beavens This is one of the most common questions that I get from puppy owners. There is a lot of conflicting information out there that makes it very hard for pet owners to know which guidelines to trust. Making the transition from puppy to adult food at an appropriate time is important because there is a major shift in regards to the caloric needs and nutrition requirements of your puppy as she approaches maturity. Puppy food is very high in calories and nutritional supplements, so feeding it too long to a mature dog can result in obesity and orthopedic problems. In general, you want to make the change to adult food when your puppy is approaching her adult height. The problem is that different breeds mature at different rates due to the wide range of variation between breeds. A rule of thumb to remember is that smaller breeds tend to mature faster than large breeds. Small breed dogs up to 30 pounds mature around 10 to 12 months of age keeping in mind that some toy breeds can mature even earlier. Medium breed dogs up to 80 pounds mature between 12 to 16 months and your Basset hound falls in this category. Large and giant breed dogs weighing more than 80 pounds can take up to two years to reach full maturity. These are guidelines only and as you may have noticed they can differ from other guidelines out there. So which guideline is the best to follow? Should you follow the vet’s, the pet store owner, or the dog food company’s? The best guideline to follow is your puppy’s! In your case, she is already rejecting the puppy food and showing a preference for the adult food. The puppy food likely has too many calories for her so she feels less of a need to eat when she is on the puppy food. You did not state her age but as long as you are within the general guidelines it is safe to make the transition to adult food. One final tip for puppy owners about changing food is to do it gradually. Mix in increasing amounts of the adult food with the puppy food over the course of a week while decreasing the amount of puppy food. By the end of the week you should only be feeding the adult food. Making the change gradual makes it less likely that your dog will experience loose stools and upset stomachs. About Dr. Kristy Conn Dr. Kristy Conn graduated from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and did her clinical year at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Teaching Hospital where she fell in love with emergency and critical care medicine. She has practiced emergency medicine at various clinics almost exclusively for the past 10 years, in addition to volunteering in shelter medicine, checking on the health of arrivals and providing low cost spay/neuters and immunizations to recently adopted animals. She is a member of the National Animal Health Emergency Response Corps which helps provide veterinary care to animals affected by disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. She resides in Long Island with her beloved mixed breed dog named Buster.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010 - CPR
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 - Switching to Adult Food from Puppy Food
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 - Switching to Adult Food from Puppy Food
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 - Achieving Balance   TRAINING TIP
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 - Why does your dog bury treats or toys?
Thursday, June 10, 2010 - Dog Agility   TRAINING TIP
Thursday, June 10, 2010 - Spin   TRICK TIP
Thursday, June 10, 2010 - How To Stop Separation Anxiety In Dogs   TRAINING TIP
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 - Dog Insurance
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 - Teaching Dog Tricks   TRICK TIP
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 - Let's Go Leash walking   TRAINING TIP
Friday, May 28, 2010 - Go Natural
Friday, May 28, 2010 - Go Natural
Monday, May 24, 2010 - The Perfect Garden Dog   TRAINING TIP
Monday, May 24, 2010 - The Perfect Garden Dog   TRAINING TIP
Monday, May 24, 2010 - Go Natural
Monday, May 24, 2010 - Go Natural
Thursday, March 25, 2010 - Recall Outside   TRAINING TIP
Thursday, March 25, 2010 - Herbs for Arthritis
Friday, February 26, 2010 - Meat Eater
Monday, February 8, 2010 - It is cold out side so spice up your pets diet.
Monday, December 21, 2009 - HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Friday, August 21, 2009 - Teaching the whistle for a recall   TRAINING TIP
Thursday, August 20, 2009 - Events and Pets eating poop and anal glands health.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - Socialization worksheet   TRAINING TIP
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - We are currently seeking Volunteers
Wednesday, March 25, 2009 - Drop it   TRICK TIP
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - An unusual new sight for a new puppy   TRAINING TIP
Monday, March 23, 2009 - HELP volunteers/foster or tax right off
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - Teach your dog to shake hands.   TRICK TIP
Monday, February 2, 2009 - Teach the dog to come.   TRAINING TIP
Wednesday, January 21, 2009 - Pet Owners Beware
Friday, December 19, 2008 - Shake hands   TRICK TIP
Thursday, December 18, 2008 - Through the k-9 eyes   TRAINING TIP
Thursday, December 4, 2008 - Thinking of buying a new dog for Christmas?
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - Jumping Up   TRAINING TIP
Monday, October 13, 2008 - Prevent Halloween Havoc
Friday, August 29, 2008 - Submissive Urination   TRAINING TIP
Friday, August 28, 2008 - October 25th : Saturday Mcnallys & Sanors Dog fest 1st.
Tuesday, July 9, 2008 - A. Guarding behaviors   TRAINING TIP
Tuesday, July 8, 2008 - All dog Food i not created equal
Friday, June 6, 2008 - Summer and heat and other prevention tips
Monday, April 21, 2008 - Spring is in the air so please beware: Things you did not know could harm your pet.
Friday, March 7, 2008 - Spring is coming I promise & so are the fleas

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