Has your puppy doubled in size yet? This may or may not be the case, but we’re sure that it seems like they’re growing up way too fast.
Your small or medium breed pup will reach adulthood by the time they’re 10 to 12 months, while your large or giant breed dog will be growing until they reach 18 to 24 months of age. This means you have a lot of time to go before switching to adult food.
You want your puppy to grow slowly and steadily to achieve their ideal adult body condition without become overweight or obese. If you feed your puppy too much, use a high-fat food or let them eat whenever they want (free-choice feeding), you increase your puppy’s risk of bone or joint abnormalities, obesity and a shorter life span.
Large and giant breed dogs who grow too quickly are even more at risk of bone or joint health issues.
Your veterinarian will monitor your pet’s body condition score, but this is also something you can keep in mind at home to determine if your puppy’s food needs adjusting. The body condition score, which we call BCS, is a subjective method for evaluating your pup’s body fat.
Your veterinarian will assign an actual score, but for at-home purposes, these are what you’ll want to see for your pup at an ideal weight:
- When viewed from above, your puppy should have a waistline that curves in behind the rib cage.
- When viewed from the side, your puppy should have a tucked tummy rather than a saggy belly.
- Your pet’s ribs shouldn’t be easily seen. However, they should be easily felt when you run your fingers across the rib cage. It should feel like there is a thin layer of fat with the ribs right beneath it. You shouldn’t have to apply pressure to feel the ribs.
In most puppies, the amount of food they need will increase as they grow. This is because your puppy will need more energy and nutrients to maintain a larger body size while continuing to grow.
The package for your pet food should have feeding guidelines. This is a good starting point when you’re trying to figure out how much to feed, but it’s up to you and your VCA care team to monitor how your pet does on the diet.
Some puppies may need a little less or a little more than what’s on the food packaging. Checking your pet’s body condition and working with your veterinary team can help you adjust feeding amounts as necessary. Most puppies at this age should be fed two to three equal meals per day.
Call your veterinary team or Live Chat* on the myVCA™ app for recommendations if your puppy isn’t eating or is disinterested in their food. While some puppies may be finicky eaters, changes in appetite can also be caused by health problems. Puppies should not go for extended periods without food, especially when they’re still young.
A quick note about treats: It’s really easy to overfeed treats at this stage! Your puppy deserves rewards both for desirable behaviors and just because they’re cute. But treats should not make up over 10% of your puppy’s calories. Excessive calories from treats can affect how balanced their daily diet is and contribute to obesity.
Browse our wide selection of wellness foods to find what's right for your puppy.
*Live Chat with a licensed veterinary professional is free for VCA clients through the myVCA mobile app, available at Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
