The 1x1 of Healthy Puppy Nutrition
Before your puppy arrives, you surely have many questions in mind. One will be about healthy puppy nutrition and how you should optimally feed your puppy. What nutrients should you pay attention to, and how much does such a small dog eat in a day? What makes puppy food so special, and what do you do if your puppy suddenly doesn’t want to eat anymore? We answer all your questions about puppy nutrition.
How often should I feed my puppy and how much food?
Until the sixth month, puppies usually receive four meals. When your little four-legged friend is half a year old, you can reduce the frequency to two or three meals daily - this naturally increases the portion sizes.
When it comes to the feeding amount, you should always orient yourself to the recommendations on the food labels that are tailored to your furry friend’s weight. This ensures that your four-legged offspring is provided with sufficient nutrients. Please refrain from increasing the amounts on your own because you want to please your puppy. Added minerals also have no place in puppy food. This could potentially affect your puppy's growth curve.
It is also important to have a fixed feeding time for your furry friend. Dogs are creatures of habit, and it benefits your puppy if the daily feedings do not vary too much in timing.
What makes healthy puppy food?
To best support the rapid growth of your furry friend's bones and organs, it is essential to choose a good puppy food. Regardless of the feeding method, you should always pay attention to one thing: →Healthy Puppy Food, which is specifically tailored for young dogs. This contains certain nutrients in higher amounts than adult food; for example, the protein content is up to 10% higher.
We at Pets Deli recommend feeding puppy food until the 12th month. By then, the most important processes of the growth phase are completed, your pet's body no longer relies on higher doses of nutrients, and adult food is now suitable.
You want only the best for your puppy - nevertheless, you should refrain from taking the initiative regarding dietary supplements and adding more nutrients to your dog's food. A good puppy food already contains the perfect dose of nutrients and your puppy is well-equipped for healthy bone growth.
Changing Food for Puppies
When your puppy moves into its new home, a lot happens: away from mom and siblings, and everything else is new. Different smells, unfamiliar faces, and you might already be thinking about new food. That is completely legitimate - perhaps the food from the breeders does not match your ideas about healthy dog food, and you want to feed your darling the best of the best as soon as possible. Here, the rule is: Take it easy.
Feed your puppy the breeder's or shelter's food for a few days before you start transitioning to a new food. After that, you can begin to mix a part of the new food into the old - this can happen regardless of the type of food. If your dog is only used to wet food and you want to switch him to dry food, this is usually not a problem.
Help, my puppy is not eating anymore
Life with your new puppy is exciting not only for you. This new phase of life brings many changes for your little treasure, which can affect their appetite, especially at the beginning. There is a lot for your four-legged friend to process, leaving no time for eating. Additionally, other factors can also influence your furry friend's eating behavior:
- Teething: If your darling is rejecting dry food or harder snacks, teething may be the cause. During the phase when your darling is losing their puppy teeth and new teeth are growing, they may find it difficult to chew hard food. During this time, you can offer them food with a softer consistency.
- Too much of a good thing: Some puppies could seemingly handle two more portions, while others are more than satisfied with their daily rations. If your darling generally eats but always leaves some in the bowl, you can slightly reduce the amount of each food portion.
- The wrong bowl: If your puppy does not eat from the bowl but rather from the floor or your hand, the type of bowl may play a role. It may be difficult for your four-legged friend to eat from the existing bowl. Both the size and type of the bowl can be factors.
- Training: Can you rarely resist your puppy's big, pleading eyes, and does he get everything he wants? This can often backfire, especially during feeding. If your puppy has learned that rejected food is replaced with something else, they will remember this and hope for a food change when they do not touch the bowl. When your puppy gets hungry, they will eventually eat the food and realize that the decision about the food lies with you. If your little treasure refuses food for an extended period, you can try a new one. You should also immediately discourage rapid eating, as it can lead to → hiccups and vomiting.
The Growth Curve in Puppies
Every dog has - depending on the breed - a certain growth potential. This is why smaller dogs are often fully grown sooner. How big your puppy will eventually get is already determined at birth, and you cannot influence that. However, it is in your hands how quickly your four-legged friend reaches their final size. To grow, puppies need energy, which they obtain from food. The more you feed, the more energy they take in, and the faster they grow.
Here lies a danger to your puppy's health: Owners often feed significantly more than recommended, simply because they need to grow. The portions in puppy food are already calculated so that your little four-legged friend is optimally provided for and does not grow too quickly or too slowly. To check whether your puppy's growth is normal, you can refer to so-called growth curves. You just need to find the curve for your puppy, weigh them weekly, and check the curve to see if everything is going well and they are growing healthily.
Slight fluctuations are normal. However, if your puppy is significantly above the curve, you should reduce their energy intake, meaning the food and possibly snacks. If you like to train with treats, you should adjust the food rations so that your puppy does not take in too much energy.
