Puppy Nutrition: Keeping Your Pup Happy and Healthy

Trina

Puppies need twice the energy intake of the typical adult dog. It is important that they also receive food with a high level of protein, between 25 and 30 percent, with the specific amount being dependent on their breed.

Regardless of if you have adopted a puppy from the local animal shelter, or if you have opted to buy a Yorkie in Maryland, ensuring they receive proper nutrition is a must for their health and overall quality of life. Some tips to help you with this goal can be found here.

Feed Your Puppy the Right Food

It’s important to give your puppy food that is specially formulated for them. Do not give a puppy adult dog food.

Puppies are still growing (just like children) and their bodies require different combinations of carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Also, your breed of puppy matters. If you have a small breed dog, such as Yorkie, then you need to purchase a small breed dog food. This will be made up of morsels that are easier for your little mouths to chew up.

If you have a larger breed of puppy, like a Mastiff or Great Dane, then you need to purchase the appropriate puppy food. Each breed requires a varying amount of phosphorous and calcium for proper bone growth.

If you aren’t sure what type of food you should purchase for your puppy, be sure to consult with your veterinarian.

Give Your Pup Dental Chews

All puppies – regardless of size or breed – love to chew. As a dog gets older, it is going to begin having plaque and tartar accumulating on its teeth. By giving your pup dental chews, you can help prevent cases of tooth decay.

Avoid Giving Your Puppy Cat Food or People Food

While you may be tempted to give your pup a treat off your dinner plate, you should avoid giving any puppy people food. That’s because a puppy’s immune system isn’t fully developed. As a result, they may have an adverse reaction to even a slight change in their diet.

For example, they may develop cases of diarrhea, or even vomiting from eating sweets, meats, or dairy products. It’s also important to avoid giving your puppy cat food. That’s because cat food is extremely high in protein and fat. It can give puppies an upset stomach, and even impact their bone growth.

Avoid Giving Your Puppy a Raw Diet

In the past several years, the concept of the raw diet has grown in popularity. This idea comes from the “wild” dogs that ate meat that was uncooked and freshly killed. The issue with this is that most raw food diets do not actually contain meat that has been freshly killed.

In fact, most of the meat being purchased is bought at a store, which means it’s been sitting in some type of plastic packaging for several days up to several weeks. Also, many people don’t formulate these diets with the right amount of minerals, vitamins, phosphorous, calcium, protein, or fat.

Another problem is that many raw foods eaten on this type of diet carry the E. coli bacteria or Salmonella. This can cause very bad symptoms of food poisoning for puppies.

If you want to ensure that your puppy is both happy and healthy, then the best thing you can do is to ensure they get the proper nutrition, regardless of their size or breed. Be sure to use the tips here and, if necessary, speak with your dog’s vet. They can provide you with even more tips and information on how to ensure your puppy gets the nutrition it needs.

 

 

The post Puppy Nutrition: Keeping Your Pup Happy and Healthy appeared first on Wag The Dog UK.