The basics of healthy puppy nutrition
Before your puppy moves in, you probably have a lot of questions on your mind. One of them will be about healthy puppy nutrition and how to feed your puppy in the best possible way. Which nutrients do you need to pay attention to and how much does a little dog eat per day? What makes puppy food so special and what should you do if your puppy suddenly refuses to eat? We answer all your questions about puppy nutrition.
How often should I feed my puppy and how much food?
Up to 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 per day – the portions will naturally be larger.
When it comes to the amount of food, you should always follow the recommendations on the food labels that are tailored to your pup's weight. This ensures your young companion is supplied with sufficient nutrients. Please refrain from increasing the amounts on your own just to make your puppy happy. Added minerals also have no place in puppy food. Doing so could potentially affect your puppy's growth curve.
A set feeding time is also important for your pup. Dogs are creatures of habit, so your puppy will benefit if the daily feedings don’t vary much in timing.
What makes a healthy puppy food?
To best support the rapid growth of bones and organs of your pup, it is essential to choose a good puppy food. Regardless of the type of feeding, you should always pay attention to one thing: →Healthy puppy food, specially tailored to young dogs. This contains certain nutrients in higher amounts than adult food, for example, the protein content is up to 10% higher.
At Pets Deli, we recommend feeding puppy food until the 12th month. By then, the most important processes of the growth phase are complete, your pet’s body no longer relies on higher dosed nutrients, and an adult food is now suitable.
You want only the best for your puppy – still, you should refrain from taking matters into your own hands when it comes to supplements and adding extra nutrients to your dog's food. Good puppy food already contains the perfect dose of nutrients and your puppy is well equipped for healthy bone growth.
Switching food in puppies
When your puppy moves into its new home, a lot happens: away from mom and siblings, and everything else is new, too. Different smells, unfamiliar faces, and maybe you’re already considering a new food. That’s perfectly fine – maybe the breeder’s food doesn’t match your idea of healthy dog food and you want to feed your darling the very best as soon as possible. The rule here: take it easy.
Feed your puppy the breeder’s or shelter’s food for a few days before you start switching to a new food. After that, you can begin to mix a portion of the new food into the old – this can be done regardless of the type of food. If your dog is only used to wet food and you want to switch to dry food, that’s usually not a problem.
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Help, my puppy won’t eat anymore
Life with your new puppy is not only exciting for you. For your little one, a new chapter brings many changes, which can especially affect appetite at first. There’s a lot your four-legged friend has to process, so there’s no time for eating left. In addition, other factors can also influence your pup’s eating behavior:
Teething: If your puppy refuses dry food or harder snacks, teething could be the reason. During the phase when your puppy loses baby teeth and new teeth grow in, he may have trouble chewing hard food. During this time, you can offer food with a softer texture.
Too much of a good thing: Some puppies seem like they could eat two more portions, while others are more than satisfied with their daily rations. If your puppy generally eats but always leaves some food in the bowl, you can slightly reduce the amount in each portion.
The wrong bowl: If your puppy won’t eat from the bowl but will eat from the floor or your hand, the type of bowl may be the issue. Your four-legged friend might have trouble eating from the current bowl. Both the size and the type of bowl can play a role here.
Training: Can you rarely resist your puppy’s big, round eyes and does he get everything he wants? This can backfire in many cases, including feeding. If your puppy has learned that refused food will be replaced with something else, he’ll remember that and hope for a food change if he doesn’t touch his bowl. If your puppy gets hungry, he’ll eventually eat the food and realize that you decide what’s for dinner. If your little one refuses food for a long time, you can try a new one. You should also break the habit of gulping food quickly, as it can lead to →hiccups and vomiting.
The growth curve in puppies
Every dog has – depending on the breed – a certain growth potential. That’s why smaller dogs reach full size earlier. How big your puppy will get is determined at birth and can’t be changed. However, you can influence how quickly your pup reaches its final size. To grow, puppies need energy, which they get from food. The more you feed, the more energy he takes in and the faster he grows.
This poses a risk to your puppy’s health: owners often feed much more than recommended, simply because he has to grow. However, puppy food portions are already calculated so your little one is optimally supplied and doesn’t grow too fast or too slow. To check if your puppy’s growth is normal, you can refer to so-called growth curves. Just find the curve for your puppy, weigh him weekly and see on the curve if everything is going well and he’s growing healthily.
Slight fluctuations are normal. But if your puppy is significantly above the curve, you should reduce his energy intake, meaning food and if necessary, snacks. For example, if you like to train with treats, you should adjust the food portions so your puppy doesn’t get too much energy.
