How and when to transfer a puppy to adult food?

Puppies grow even faster than children. A newborn puppy is completely defenseless, but already at the age of 2-3 weeks, his eyes and ears open, and now he is ready to explore the world around him. Until this time, the baby receives all the necessary nutrients from mother’s milk. As he grows, he needs more vitamins and minerals, and milk no longer copes with its function. Therefore, at the age of 2-3 weeks, the puppy should be fed with a starter.

The starter is the first food. It does not replace mother’s milk, but complements it and prepares the transition to independent nutrition. If you are a supporter of the natural type of feeding, then as a starter, the puppy should be given natural, suitable food for him. If the puppy will eat dry food, then the starter must be special. It is better to choose a starter and subsequent complete food of the same brand.

Choose one type of feeding: natural or prepared (industrial). You can’t combine them!

How to give a puppy a starter? It can be soaked with warm boiled water a few minutes before feeding or used in its original form. The approximate feeding rate is indicated on the package, but may vary depending on the needs of the puppy. During the starter feeding period, the puppy continues to feed on mother’s milk. He receives a sufficient amount of nutrients and smoothly prepares for self-feeding.

При отсутствии стартера резкий переход с молока на полнорационный корм для щенков сопровождался бы огромным стрессом. Щенок, привыкший к жидкой пище, не сможет быстро переключиться на твердый корм. Как следствие, появились бы пищеварительные расстройства и дисбаланс веществ в организме. Стартер позволяет решить эту проблему.

Make sure your puppy has access to fresh drinking water at all times.

At 2 months, thanks to the starter, the puppy is already ready to give up milk and switch to independent nutrition. With a natural type of feeding, the diet should be built in consultation with a veterinarian. Balancing the components at home is quite difficult, so you will need expert support. With ready-made feeds, everything is easier, since their composition is already balanced. The only thing you need to choose is a good super premium food.

When to transfer a puppy to adult food?

At 2 months old, the pet cannot yet be transferred to adult food: he needs a special diet for puppies. For up to about a year (more for large breeds), the body will continue to grow and require more energy, protein, vitamins and minerals than an adult dog. Therefore, the diets for puppies and adult dogs are different. For example, puppy food contains more protein.  

Starters and complete puppy foods also differ in composition. For example, Monge starters have a higher protein and fat content, and their granules are smaller in size. Monge Puppy complete feeds contain the optimal amount of easily digestible proteins, carbohydrates and a full range of nutrients that are no longer enough in milk for a growing puppy.

Transferring a pet from puppy food to an adult should be about a year, but depending on the breed, this period may vary. Large dogs develop more slowly than miniature ones. Accordingly, they require more nutritious food for longer.

Схема перевода щенка на взрослый корм на примере корма Monge

• Age 2-3 weeks: mother’s milk + first Monge Starter for Mother and baby

• 2 months old: Monge Puppy & Junior Complete Puppy Food

• Age from 1 year: Monge complete balanced food for adult dogs (to choose from Daily Line Dog Adult, Specialty Line, Grain Free Line, Bwild Dog).

Переход на взрослый рацион должен осуществляться плавно. Сначала корм для щенков смешивается с кормом для взрослых собак — и постепенно полностью выводится из рациона.

It is advisable to choose food within the same brand. The transition to a new diet is always stressful for the body, especially when the composition is categorically different from the previous one, as happens with rulers from different manufacturers.

Подходите к выбору корма ответственно, ведь сбалансированное питание – это главное вложение в здоровье вашего питомца.