As a dog owner, you should know about the correct way to feed your four legs friend. Knowing the right tips for giving essential nutrients is important and this begins when they are still in puppies period as this early age of development require core attention, and need the correct diet to stay healthy.
Here are some useful diet tips to help you for selecting dog food:
1 Mind the portion size
The little tummies of puppies grow faster than adult dogs. This doesn’t mean that they eat more food but there may be a need to adjust their food proportions. Since their tummies are small and energy requirements are more it is expected that they may need to eat more often.
Owners can divide dog food into three or four meals, instead of the common two for adults. These meals will give your pets the energy they need to stay active for the entire day. Otherwise, they won’t be able to have enough food at one time and become easily tired.
It’s great if your pet is able to adjust to the routine of multi-portion meals but as they grow you may also need to gradually increase the portion size, considering the time between meals. This will allow the dog to preserve energy for a longer period which enables you to increase the time gap and decrease the number of meals as they grow.
Try not to guess at the amounts you need to feed your dogs always read the back of the packaging or use this chart to determine how much your pets should be eating. Puppies have sensitive tummies, and one mistake can make them sick for a long, so follow the diet chart as per their age and weight while making changes to the amounts based on their individual hunger levels.
2 Check with dog Food Ingredients
The ingredients in your puppy’s food (and how they are balanced) are vital to the development of your puppy. For instance, a puppy’s nervous system is dependent on the essential fatty acid DHA. Puppy diets should have a higher amount of this than foods meant for adult dogs to aid in the eye, ear, and brain development of a growing dogs. Studies have shown that puppies fed diets high in DHA have increased memory and trainability.
Meanwhile, here are a couple of tips when choosing dog food for your puppy from the pet shop:
- Read the ingredient list before picking up your dog food is essential. It’s better to ensure they are as whole and natural as possible.
- Stay away from foods that have unnecessary preservatives
- If there is added sugar in the diet skip it
- Choose diets that have been made from real whole foods
- Watch out for unecessary fillers like corn or mill (especially as one of the first 5 ingredients)
- Nix anything with dyes
3 Change the Type of Food Infrequently
Puppies’ stomachs are not developed completely, they do not do well with a variety of meals. Once they have the habit of eating a specific type of food they can eat it for several days. Another key reason for not changing the type of food is the ease of increasing quantity.
Understanding that the purpose of a gradual increase in food intake is to increase the number of nutrients, fats, and vitamins for the dog as they grow is critical in determining how much to feed. Additionally, changing the brand is also not preferable. So, stick with one brand or one recipe. If you offer too many different recipes with varying amounts and types of starches, proteins, or vegetables maintaining gastrointestinal balance may be difficult causing GI upset.
4 Dogs Size Matters
Small breed dogs and large breed dogs have different nutritional needs. Large breed dogs are more prone to musculoskeletal problems than smaller breeds, and so they often require large-breed dog food with different balances of certain nutrients to promote musculoskeletal health, especially as puppies.
Small breed dogs, on the other hand, can choke on large-sized kibble and have their own nutritional requirements that can be accommodated with a small-breed dog food. Research your dog’s breed to find out if there are any additional nutritional requirements you should be aware of. It’s recommended to consult with your vet if you need advice.
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