Bringing home a pet is full of responsibilities. A pet dog is a living creature who too needs food and water to survive. If you ask someone how to feed a puppy, they may probably laugh at you. The answer may come as, 'It's just common sense, feed him the amount that satisfies his hunger'. However, I beg to differ. If you are asking the question how much to feed a puppy, then you are really a smart owner who genuinely cares for his pet. Just like you will not feed anything and everything to a human baby, puppies too need specific food in appropriate quantities. Correct dog food will help meet the growing requirements of your puppy and help in develop into a strong dog. Let us have a look at the correct feeding a puppy schedule in the following paragraphs.
Types of Dog Food
Which is the best puppy food and where to find it? When you visit a pet store or your local grocery market, you will come across a variety of types and brands of dog food. You will find there are three types of dog food available, dry kibble, semi-moist and moist. Puppies should be fed dry kibble as recommended by many veterinarians as well as dog trainers. This is because most of the moist foods are high in fat and contain more than 80 to 83% water. The semi-moist contain about 55% water and are very high in salt and sugar levels. The dry puppy food is better than the above two as it contain less amount of water content, high amount of nutrition and is much easier to feed the young pup.
Now, we come to choosing the right brand of dog food for your puppy. The best dog food for puppies is the one that contains good quality ingredients. You should not go in for the economy brands of dog food as most of them use substandard ingredients. The protein contents in these dog food has low digestibility. This means, your puppy will eat less and less and get none of the needed nutrition to grow healthy. You can go into for the regular brands of dog food, if you cannot stretch your budget for the premium brands. Speak to your pups veterinarian for more information, regarding the best brand and type of dog food for your puppy.
Feeding Schedule for a Puppy
When you get home a new puppy, you should make sure you ask the previous owner or dog breeder about the brand and type of food they fed the puppy. Feed you little pup with the same food so that you not upset his sensitive digestive system. Gradually, switch to a new feeding schedule over a time span of 7 to 10 days. You should only feed the dog the food he had previously for the first week at your home. Then, feed him 75% of the ongoing type of puppy food mixed with 25% of the new type of food you choose from him. Carry on with this diet for the next 7 to 10 days and gradually change the proportion to 50-50. Continue with this schedule for a week or so and then feed the dog 75% of the new type of dog food mixed with 25% of the old type of dog food. Finally, after 10 days or so, switch over to the new brand of dog food completely. This will not only help the digestive system of the puppy adjust to the new food, but also help the puppy develop the taste for it. This will also help you spot any type of sensitivities or dog food allergies due to the new dog food. Your puppy may vomit or have diarrhea due to food sensitivity. This will help you switch over to a new dog food that is suitable of the puppy's sensitive tummy.
Feeding a Puppy
The mother's milk contains antibodies and other nutrition that helps make the puppies immune system strong. Weaning puppies should take place gradually after they are about 4 weeks old. You should begin feeding your puppy with one part water with four parts of puppy food. This puppy food should be based on the weight of the puppy and recommendation from the veterinarian. You should add more water, if you find the puppy finds it hard to chew to food. Feed the puppy 4 times a day. This feeding schedule for a puppy needs to be followed for a 6 to 8 week old puppy. A puppy needs to eat more food than an adult dog.
Once the puppy is about 8 week old, you need to feed him a balanced dog food about 2 to 3 times a day. Make sure you include meat in his diet. Read for if the commercial dog food does contain meat. Once the puppy is about 3 to 6 months old, feed him 2 twice a day. Increase the amount of food, once you begin feeding him twice a day. After the puppy is about 6 months old to 1 year of age, you can continue to feed him puppy food. Once he is over 1-year-old, you can switch over to adult food and feed him 2 small meals a day. Veterinarians today, recommend a small breed dog can be fed puppy food till there is about 1-year-old and large breed dogs can be fed puppy food till they are 2 years old. For more advice in this context, speak to your puppy's veterinarian for advice.
Feeding a Puppy Based on Weight
You should feed your dog the amount of food based on his weight. But, taking the weight of puppy into consideration is not enough, you should also consider the amount of energy it uses up with his daily activities. If he is a very active dog, then feed him slightly more than average. You can follow the following feeding schedule according to weight:
- 11 pound dog - 3 to 5 ounces food/day
- 11 to 22 pounds - 4 to 6 ounces food/day
- 22 to 55 pounds - 10 to 12 ounces food/day
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