We love puppies. We even have a puppy school, so we’re in a great position to offer guidance on how to raise your pup in the safest and kindest way. And here’s what you need to know about feeding your puppy.
When you first bring your new puppy home, it is important to continue feeding them the same diet they were receiving with their breeder/rescue centre/initial carer and not make any big changes right away.Puppies have very sensitive tummies, and changing their food too quickly can cause gastric upsets.
When You Can Change a Puppy’s Diet
Any changes to a puppy’s diet should occur after they’re settled and comfortable in their new home, and should be introduced slowly over 1-2 weeks.
How Many Times Should A Puppy Eat Daily?
Young puppies should be fed their daily portion of food over 3-4 meals. Once they are around 6 months old, the second meal can be slowly phased out.
The daily portion can be determined by checking the chart found on the packaging of your pup’s food. Often this is measured against your puppy’s age, weight or expected adult weight. You’ll need to read and confirm which method of measuring to follow, so read the fine print of the feeding chart closely.
Here is an example from a puppy food manufacturer’s instructions.
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Should Some Puppies Eat More If They’re Active?
Adjustments can be made for your individual puppy for activity levels, their rate of weight gain, etc.
Try to keep treats and toppers to 10% of their diet, at most.
Puppies can be fussy with food, and it can be tempting to offer a large variety to them, but this should be reserved for training only, as offering too many options at meal time can increase your pup’s fussiness. We also recommend regularly weighing your puppy to make sure they aren’t underweight or gaining weight too fast.
How to Check If Your Puppy Is Over or Underweight
A puppy’s weight and body condition can be assessed by observing them from:
– Above: you should see a defined waist from their belly to their hips.
– Side: they should have a slight tummy “tuck” after their ribs going towards their hips.
– Ribs & Hips: Their ribs and hips should be easily felt, but should not feel sharp or stick out. Being able to see the last rib or two, especially in deep-chested breeds, is not necessarily concerning.
A Puppy’s Diet
A puppy’s diet must be both complete and balanced, and appropriate for their age and expected adult size. Puppies have different nutritional requirements than adult dogs in terms of amounts and ratios of minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids, protein, fat, and other nutrients.
Nutritional imbalances in puppies can cause serious health problems that may be lifelong, and they are more sensitive to deficiencies and excesses than adult dogs. It is recommended to feed the highest quality commercial puppy food within your budget.
Can I Feed My Puppy a Raw Diet?
We don’t recommend a raw or fresh diet for puppies due to the difficulty in ensuring they meet the puppy’s specific needs. Nutritional deficiencies are a major risk of raw diets.
If you are interested in these diets, it is best to introduce them once your dog is fully grown and after you have thoroughly researched the intended diet or have received a recipe from a qualified canine nutritionist.
