How To Feed A Puppy

It is Important to look after our dogs to the best of our ability, and feeding a puppy correctly is important to give it the very best start in life. For optimal growth and health, a balanced diet is necessary. This means the diet includes the right amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals, in the right proportions.

Puppies need to take in proportionally more calories per pound of body weight than adult dogs do, because they need more energy to grow. Commercial puppy foods take this into account. It is very calorie dense, which means that it includes more calories per bowl, compared to adult dog food.

Since puppies have little stomachs, they should be fed small meals regularly. This means three small meals a day up to twelve weeks of age, then reducing frequency to two meals a day. You can keep feeding your dog two meals a day throughout adulthood, or further reduce to one meal when he's around 12 months old and close to fully grown.

You should feed your puppy according to the guidelines on the food packet. Overfeeding puppies can make them overweight. This can predispose to orthopedic problems such as hip dysplasia, and may lead to obesity later in life. It is undoubtedly easier to prevent your dog from getting overweight in the first place than it is to get rid of the excess weight later in life.

It is a good idea to base your puppy's diet on quality commercial dog food, and then add extra things such as rice, pasta and raw bones. Remember to never feed your dog cooked bones, as these are dangerous and may splinter, damaging the gastrointestinal tract. When choosing a dog food, take a close look at the ingredient list. The top two or three ingredients on the list should be meat or meat protein. Dog foods which may be less expensive are higher in cereal, and therefore not as good for your pet.

Home cooked diets are possible, but it can be very hard to maintain nutritional balance. One of the best examples is calcium. A predominantly meat based diet can contain too little calcium, leading to poor bone density and increased risk of fractures. Conversely, adding too much calcium supplement to a diet can also lead to developmental orthopedic disease. It is very important to get the balance just right.

It is also important to choose a commercial dog food which is appropriate for the breed. For example, giant breed puppy food allows for slow steady growth. This helps to avoid orthopedic problems in your dog such as osteochondrosis dissecans which is often associated with rapid growth in large breeds of dog.

As puppies get older, their growth rate slows, and they can be switched to adult food when they're close to maturity. This is usually around twelve months for most breeds, and eighteen months for giant breeds.
It is very important to choose the right dog food for your puppy, as the effects of poor nutrition can last a lifetime. Make sure that the food is both of high quality, nutritionally balanced and appropriate for the breed.

dog food feeding tips

Maintain a regular feeding schedule, twice a day or three times a day depending on your schedule and your animal.  Due to the fact that puppies have smaller stomachs, they will need to eat at least three times a day.  By the fifth month your puppy can be fed twice a day.  Don’t let your pet eat when he/she feel like it.

Measure out the food that your pet should eat in one sitting.  Dog foods packaging will have a serving suggestion based on the weight of your dog.  But also consider the energy of your pet.  The best rule of feeding is first start with the amount of food he/she eats within a 15-minute period, which will be what he/she needs per feeding time.  Adjust the amount of food being fed based on the weight gain or loss of your pet.  Soon you will have just the right amount of food.

Each dog should have his or her own dog food dish.  Supervise that one of the dogs is not taking the other dogs’ food.  Using this method will allow you to notice if one of them has lost their appetite indicating a health problem.

Feed your pet in various places--inside, outside, in the kitchen, or anywhere that works for you.  This will come in handy when you have to travel with your dog or if he/she has to be placed in a kennel that will have its own way of feeding them.

Don’t change dog food brands and types on a regular basis.  Change of food can cause upset stomach and possibly diarrhea.  A good quality dog food will provide everything your pet will need in nutrition.

If you do have to change dog food, change it gradually.  Start making the transition by mixing a little bit of the new dog food with your dog's current dog food.  Over days increase the new food and start phasing out the old food.

Wash the dog food bowls and water dish regularly.

Don’t leave food and water outside while your pet is inside overnight.  Unwanted critters can come along to freely eat out of your dog’s food and water bowl putting your pet at risk of catching disease or illnesses.

Store the dog food in a container that you can close to protect it from getting stale.  The older the food gets the more nutrients it will lose.  Don’t purchase more than a months worth of dog food that your pet can eat.

Expecting mothers will need more protein and calcium added to their deit .  Change her food over to puppy type dog food and mix it with cottage cheese.