Puppy Feeding – A Complete Guide

When a puppy is coming home, there is lots of excitement, fun clubbed with confusion and stress. We have noticed there is a long list of questions our support team experiences regarding the feeding guidelines of a puppy. Hence, decided to un-layer the feeding guideline of your puppy so that you can greet your homecoming puppy wholeheartedly.

Here in this article the comprehensive feeding guideline has been discussed with tables and infographics and explained in such a way, it makes it uncomplicated for you to follow the routine. Even if you bump into any kind of worries or get dwindled feel free to –

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WHAT FOOD SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE HOMECOMING PUPPY?

When a puppy comes home he is just a few weeks old and I should say a baby coming home. So, the first question that worries every puppy owner is what should they feed to the puppy? Shall they start the new food or carry on with the old one? Here is the answer. As a puppy has a delicate digestive system hence, it is advised not to disturb the same and go on with the same food given to him. The old food should be given for a particular which means for a week and later the old food should be mixed with the new food. There is a range of food available for puppies in the form of starter which comes in the form of powder (cereal) and as well as dry form.

PUPPY FEEDING GUIDELINE :

THINGS TO REMEMBER :

1. Feed your puppy at the same place and same time.
2. Don’t offer food from table while eating
3. Feed your puppy after you and your family has done with the meal
4. Avoid your puppy jumping about 1-2 hours of eating
5. Always keep water available in a bowl for the puppy throughout the day.

WHEN TO SWITCH PUPPY FOOD TO ADULT FOOD :

BREEDS MONTHS

Small/Medium/Mini breeds After 12 months

Maxi/Large breeds Aftern 15 months

Giant breeds After 18 months

SUGGESTED FOOD BRANDS FOR YOUR PUPPY THAT YOU CAN TRUST EASILY :

• Drools Focus Starter Dog Food

Drools focus starter is a complete balanced food for a young puppy( 3 weeks to 3 months). It’s an energy-rich food that fits for a high requirement of nutrition for a pregnant and lactating canine mother. It contains antioxidants such as vitamin C, E and essential fatty acids that help to boost the immune system.

• N&D Farmina Starter Puppy

N&D low grain chicken & pomegranate starter puppies are made with natural ingredients, especially for weaning puppies. Low grain formula helps to maintain a low glycemic index with chicken inclusion which provides an easily digested source of protein.

• Pedigree Mother and Pup Starter

Pedigree dog food puppy weaning is an ideal food to introduce to your puppy at the age of 3 weeks. Pedigree dog food helps to maintain the pup’s digestive system and it helps to develop the immune system.

• Royal Canin Mini Starter

Royal Canin mini starter is a quality starter dog food which appropriates for both small breed nursing mothers and weaning puppies. It’s a highly digestible protein food that helps to promote good muscle mass and bone density in puppies.

• Royal Canin Maxi Starter

Royal Canin maxi starter provides all the nutritional requirements for large breeds and it gives complete support to the bitch during her gestation and lactation period. This food has been possessed with high nutrition value which helps to support the digestive system.

• Royal Canin Giant Starter

 Royal Canin giant starter provides needed quality nutrients for giant breed pups and their lactating mother. This food offers rich protein that helps smooth functioning of the nervous system and it maintains an optimal weight.

• Arden Grange Weaning Puppy

Arden Grange weaning puppy food is made with easily digestible chicken that has rich proteins perfect for growing puppies. It has antioxidants and nucleotides which helps to strengthen your puppies’ immune system.

• Nootie Puppy Cereal

Nootie puppy cereal food is packed with nutrients fulfill needs post-weaning and it helps to strengthen bones, immunity, and eyesight.

FEEDING PORTIONS :

In the above table how many times the food should be given to the puppy is mentioned. Following this, the next question that arises is how much should be fed to the puppy. Feeding portions depend on the nutritional requirement and the metabolism of the puppy and it varies from dog to dog and breed to breed.

THINGS TO CONSIDER –

Prefer processed food over home- made food. As it supplies all required nutritional elements for your puppy.

In homemade food, it is difficult to ascertain the exact amount of nutrients the puppy is getting.

Reduce the feeding – this is to be done when the puppy skips the meals it means either he is eaten more or he wants to change the existing feeding.

Adjust the number of food portions, if you are given extra treats while training or exercise.

NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS AS PER BREEDS :

With the variation in the breed, the nutritional requirement also changes. The needs change from small to medium to giant breeds. Like here I am giving some examples of the type of breeds for reference purpose –

Providing best nutrition to your puppy is important for building strong bones and muscles, it also strengthens teeth along with supplying the needed energy requirement.

BREEDS EXAMPLE

Small breed Shih – Tzu , mini pomeranian etc

Medium Beagle Pug, etc

Maxi breed Labrador, German shepherd, Golden retriever etc

Giant breed Rottweiler, Great Dane, Saint Bernard etc

• SMALL AND MEDIUM BREEDS –

These breeds have small stomachs and their feeding ability is also limited. But when we talk about the energy requirement, it is more than the large breeds. Diet content of these breeds should have more nutrient and energy content.

• MAXI AND GIANT BREEDS –

These breeds reach maturity in terms of body weight of over 50 pounds. Hereby, it is important to provide proper nutritional needs to these breeds during the development age in order to support healthy skeletal development.

FOOD THAT SHOULD BE AVOIDED :

There are some food items that should not be included in a puppy’s diet. As we have discussed they have a fragile digestive system which means the stomach is really delicate and extra concern has to be taken. Some of the food items are mentioned here for reference, please make a note of it –

Chocolates, Caffeine, Tea, Grapes, Raisins, Citrus Oil Extracts, Raw Meat, Avocado, Mushroom, Salt, Alcoholic Beverages, Tobacco, Raw Eggs, Onions etc.

The above-mentioned products can cause digestive troubles, infections, vomiting, rashes etc. So, it is suggested to avoid these food items strictly.

NOTE – Puppies are blessed with a small stomach so in initial stages it is required to feed them in small quantities and at frequent intervals. Whereas, with the passing of time the intervals can be reduced to three and then two times a day.