A question that is often asked is at what age should you switch from puppy food to adult food.

The short answer is, move over to adult food once your puppy has reached 80% of their adult size. 

The age at which they reach full size will vary between different breed sizes:

Small Breed Dogs – reaching full size between 10-12 months.  
Medium Breed Dogs – reaching full size between 12-15 months.
Large Breed Dogs – reaching full size at 18 months.
Giant Breed Dogs – reaching full size between 18-24 months but could take longer

When you make the change keep an eye on their weight. Puppy foods have higher energy levels, to supply the needs of growing puppies.  What this means is if you move over to adult foods too early, when they still need the extra energy, then they will lose weight.  If you make the switch to adult food too late then they will be getting more calories than they need and may gain weight.

When you make the switch to adult food, do this over a period of around 10 days to allow their digestive system to adapt.

Days 1 and 2: Feed 3/4 puppy food and 1/4 adult dog food.
Days 3 to 4: Serve half puppy food and half adult dog food.
Days 5 to 7: Feed 1/4 puppy food and 3/4 adult dog food.
Days 8 to 10: Serve adult dog food.

We manufacture our foods across sites in Belgium, Germany, Denmark, France, Austria and UK. 

We source our ingredients from many countries but as much as possible from Europe.

To find out more about our ingredients click here

Many people like to give their dog and mix of wet and dry food and that is absolutely fine.  When you do this, it can be difficult to work out how much to feed.  Here is a handy chart that tells you how much to reduce the amount of dry food given when adding wet food to their diet

Mixed wet and dry food calculator

Once opened it is safe to keep for 3 days at max 5 degrees C. Once opened it should be covered (or put in a plastic bag / container) before placing it in the fridge. Always serve at room temperature.

SPECIFIC™ may not be the cheapest food on the market, but there are good reasons for that.

Firstly our foods are made with fixed formula production.  A lot of cheaper brands use what is called open formula production where they will vary the proportion of ingredients between different batches to keep costs lower.  Fixed formulae production uses exactly the same amounts of each ingredient for every production run.  We do this because our foods are carefully designed to deliver very specific nutrient levels and the more expensive fixed formulae production ensures that we deliver that every time.

We also use some very expensive ingredients where we feel these are the best way to deliver key nutrients.

There is no single explanation to why some dogs eat grass. However, it is well-known that dogs are fond of things with a distinct smell, so some dogs may find very fresh grass or grass with a smell of another dog’s urine interesting.

Dogs may vomit after having eaten grass. This might suggest that they eat grass in order to vomit if they feel stomach pain, but it is not known for definite. But please be assured that eating grass is not harmful to dogs. The hard cellulose in it means that they can’t digest the grass and, in most cases, it will just pass through them and be visible in their stool.

If your dog stops eating this could indicate that they are ill and have a stomach problem. To try to identify if this is the case you can check their stools and keep a close eye on their behaviour. Both of these can tell you if there is some kind of illness. If you are in doubt consult your vet.

Of course there are a number of other reasons why your dog may not be eating. Possible explanations could be:

• A pain or problem in the mouth, teeth or throat
• A change in the food composition or quality
• Food that has not been stored correctly
• If your regular food brand does not have a fixed recipe the composition may change from one package to the next, causing the taste to vary

Some dogs are great investigators. They will find and eat many different things when out walking. It is very difficult to know what and how much a dog consumes this way, so adjusting the food accordingly is practically impossible.

Since the food in the bowl is the safest and healthiest, try to stop your dog eating accidental items. Ways to do this could include feeding your dog just before walking and bringing kibbles of regular food along as treats.

Of course, you will need to count all treats given to make sure that you don’t exceed the total feeding amount per day.

If your dog starts having accidents in house with either urine or stools it is important that you contact your vet. They will need to assess whether there is a disease causing it, or if this change is simply behavioural. Whatever the cause, your vet can find out and help you to deal with it.

Your dog will probably feel bad about the problem - especially if disease is causing the accidents.

If your vet identifies urinary or gastrointestinal infection, diabetes, hormonal or digestive problem, bladder stones or uterine infection, treatment will be necessary.

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Contrary to popular belief, your dog’s nose does not indicate whether they are well or not.  Of course, if your dog is ill and has a fever, their nose will probably be warm. But cold or warm, wet or dry, your dog may be feeling well. The best and most reliable way to check a dog’s temperature and wellbeing is by using a thermometer.

Dogs investigate, experience and remember their surroundings through their nose. And they have a natural interest in items that have a strong scent or smell. It may seem repulsive to you as a dog owner to discover that your dog eats poo (and it can even be their own). There is no clear explanation why this is.

Some people believe that it is because the dog is lacking certain substances or nutrients. Some believe that it is behavioural (effectively “cleaning up” or eliminating traces of other dogs in the territory). We can only reassure you that this behaviour is neither abnormal nor harmful to a dog. Just unpleasant for the owner.

Dogs, like any other animal, have a natural instinct to mate and breed. This is the most natural thing in the world and this urge is controlled by the sex hormones in a male or female dog’s body. In nature, dogs (or wolves) mate and breed according to the laws and rhythm of nature however, when living as pets this kind of uncontrolled mating is not appropriate.

Surgical neutering (also known as spaying) stops both the urge and ability to mate. This may seem unkind, but in many cases it is better than your dog having the natural urge and not being allowed to mate. The likelihood is, if your dog is not expected to become a breeding dog, your vet may well recommend to have them neutered.

Scratching is part of natural behaviour.

The time to investigate is if the scratching gets so intense that hairless areas appear or if the skin gets red spots, red or moist and infected.

Itchy skin can be caused by many different things, including fleas, mites and other parasites, bacteria, microscopic yeasts, ringworm, allergy towards food, pollens or house dust. Discovering the cause can be difficult, but it must be done if you want to know the most appropriate treatment.

The best advice is, if your dog licks or scratches too much and the skin looks bad, talk to your vet.

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Just like humans, dogs can suffer from weight gain.

The cause is really simple. If your dog eats more food/calories per day than they need, the excess will turn into fat. If your dog needs to lose weight, they need to do the opposite. This means you should feed them a fewer calories than they need, every day. Fat deposits are gradually used/burned and your dog becomes a healthy weight again.

Using a good reduction diet is by far the safest and easiest way to do this. Providing the basic important nutrients it will keep your dog full and satisfied, but with fewer calories. And, to ensure that the weight reduction is successful, it is also necessary to cut down on treats and table scraps and gradually increase exercise. But, the good news is that, if followed correctly, a good diet will have your dog back into shape, happier and more social and active.

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A good diet is important for your dog. And this is even more crucial after surgery, or when they are suffering from disease. Of course, both of these scenarios can reduce your dog’s appetite. This means that it becomes even more important to make their dog food healthy and appetising.

Choosing a wet diet - perhaps even one for intensive care - is a good idea. Mix this with water that has been heated to body temperature to make it as delicious as possible. If your dog is not able to stand and eat from a bowl they may be fed with a spoon or a feeding syringe directly into the mouth. Your vet or vet nurse will be able to guide you on this. 

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No. Dogs are physiologically very flexible when it comes to the sources of food. Like humans dogs are omnivores, which means that they can digest and use both meat and plants. (This is different from cats, who must have meat in their food.)

A dog may actually live on a totally vegetarian diet, if this is composed in the right way.

However, meat is a concentrated and tasty source of proteins, minerals and vitamins. Plus it provides energy and makes the food taste good. So all this means that it makes sense to include meat in a dog’s diet.

Bad breath in a dog can be most unpleasant - especially for the people that have regular contact with them. However it may also be a sign of other, sometimes more serious, causes.

On the outside, a skin infection in the lip folds can cause a very unpleasant smell from the mouth area. Inside the mouth, an infection, wound or food remnants in the gum, throat or a tooth is a common cause of bad breath.

Bad smells may arise from acid or food in the stomach.

Try to smell a cotton tip rubbed on your dog’s lip OR gum to determine where the smell comes from. If you are not sure of the cause, or think it may need treatment, contact your vet.

Dogs are omnivorous, and a healthy cat food will not be harmful to most dogs. However, cat food often contains more calories than the average dog food. So, even though it is safe for your dog to have some cat food kibbles, try to ensure that they don’t become overweight. If your cat food is designed for a certain health condition, food sharing is not recommended.