Feeding Puppies
What Should I Feed My Puppy
Nutrition is one of those topics most people start researching early. Regardless of what your breeder, rescue group, your hairdresser, or vet told you -- do your own research. Learn as much as you can to make the best decisions possible for your pet. Every budget can be accommodated to make good choices for your dog. Some decisions are simply better than others. Let me help you.
What your puppy eats has several key factors to consider:
A nutrient-rich foundation for growth & health development. You're laying a foundation today that sets him up for better health in years to come.
Dog breeds with known health issues can be targeted nutritionally to support those issues and potentially deter the health concerns (Epigenetics)
If your puppy is a rescue, you may need to overcome the poor or unknown health of the mother.
If your puppy has had any health concerns, nutrition is the key to recovery and future prevention.
Nutrition helps your puppy grow!
Nutrition helps your puppy deal with vaccine receipts, exposure to disease risks, etc.
Natural diets will help you eliminate the need for flea and tick products
Nutrition plays a critical role in gut health, brain health, longevity and behavior.
Kibble diets are high in carbohydrates (30-50+%) and may be like feeding candy to a kid and wondering why he's bouncing off the walls
Kibble diets high in fillers lead to lots of extra poop volume and frequent outings.
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How Much Should I Feed My Puppy
When we feed puppies fresh food, biologically appropriate food, we tend to say we feed “double” the amount for their current weight.
What does that mean? An adult dog will generally eat 2-3% of its body weight converted to ounces per day. Since your puppy is growing rapidly, they require extra calories, vitamins, minerals, and all things nutrients. So we double that food intake amount.
Since each dog is an individual, breed size, activity level, current health, etc — you must monitor your puppy’s weight each week and adjust amounts accordingly.
When feeding kibble, there will be guidelines suggested on the product. Remember those are guidelines. Don’t lock into numbers — feed the dog that stands before you based on how he responds to the food selection.
How Often Should I Feed My Puppy
Assuming you have brought your puppy home at around 8 weeks of age, they should eat 3 meals a day for the next month. Between 12 and 16 weeks you can begin transitioning them to 2 meals per day.
How to Transition Puppies From 3 Meals to 2
Day 1 -3: Take 1/4 of the mid-day meal and add to breakfast — keeping the evening meal the same.
Day 4-7 Tak3 1/4 of the mid-day meal and add to dinner — your midday meal will now be 1/2 of the original amount
If are increasing total food volume to support growing weight, evenly distribute the increased amount it to the morning and evening meals.
Day 7-10 — Reduce the current volume of the midday meal by 1/2 and add to breakfast. This makes just a midday snack.
Day 7 — Eliminate the Midday meal entirely adding the remaining portion to the evening meal.