How To Prepare Homemade Puppy Food
In general, puppies need about twice as many calories per day than their adult counterparts. According to the Committee on Nutrient Requirements of Cats and Dogs of the National Academy of Science, a 10-pound puppy that is expected to weigh 33 pounds at adulthood needs to eat about 990 calories per day. In addition, puppies need more protein, fat, vitamins and minerals than adult dogs.
A homemade puppy diet should contain the proper balance of:
- Protein, such as chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef
- Carbohydrates, like rice, pasta, potatoes
- Vegetables, such as peas, green beans, carrots
- Fat, often in the form of vegetable oil
- Vitamin/mineral supplements
Once you have chosen a recipe, it’s time to prepare it for your dog. Many owners who feed home-prepared diets set up a regular schedule, setting aside time weekly or monthly to prepare and portion the diet. The food can be prepared in bulk and portioned into containers . You can keep meals;frozen for several months or refrigerated for about 5 days. When the supply of pre-prepared meals runs low, it’s time to make a new batch. If you like to feed a variety of foods, you can make multiple batches and color code by ingredients, rotating out the different meals.
Remember to increase portions appropriately as your puppy grows. It’s best to weigh your puppy every week or two to make sure you are feeding the proper amount of calories
The Spruce / Phoebe Cheong
Feeding Your Puppy A Homemade Diet
While they might sound very similar, the BARF diet is not the same as the homemade diet, which is typically a cooked human food diet.
Here, you simply must work closely with your veterinarian to ensure your puppy is receiving sufficient nutrients.
Including the right calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, which is critical for bone growth and skeletal development.
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Exercising Your Growing Dog
Puppies need a healthy amount of exercise to burn off all of that energy and channel it into positive behaviors. Now that your dog is fully grown, regular exercise is essential to keep him fit, active, and well-tempered.
Healthy adult dogs need at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise twice a day. This includes activities such as jogging, swimming, hiking, and playing at the dog park. Structured games like fetch and tug-of-war can not only help your dog burn energythey can also strengthen his bond with you and teach him discipline.
For more advice on exercising your dog, check out these other helpful articles.
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What About My Puppys First 8 Weeks
The best nutrition for your pup for the first 8 weeks is his mothers milk. A mothers dog milk is perfectly formulated for your puppy, including the right antibiotics to ensure your puppy starts building a strong and effective immune system. This is one reason why puppies are not ready to leave their mothers until they are at least 8 weeks old.
How Much To Feed A Golden Retriever Puppy
Left to their own devices, golden retriever puppies will eat as much as they can. In fact, golden retrievers overall tend to be good eaters and will munch on anything they can find. However, to keep your dog healthy, you will want to feed it a quality diet and ensure it eats a proper amount of food without overeating.
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What Happens If A Dog Stays On Puppy Food Too Long
If a dog stays on puppy food too long, it can lead to obesity and orthopedic problems. Puppy food also has more calcium for developing bones. If your dog is a large breed, the extra calcium can lead to skeletal abnormalities.
When Do I Switch My Puppy to Adult Dog Food? Depending on the breed, most dogs will not stop growing for the first year or two. You can continue feeding them a puppy formula until their growth plates have sealed, as long as they are not overweight. However, you must work closely with a veterinarian to assess your puppys body condition score.
How To Switch Your Dogs Diet
Even when your dog is ready for a dietary change, it is important to make the transition slowly. Switching foods too quickly can lead to digestive difficulties such as diarrhea and vomiting, and if the symptoms are severe, your dog may associate illness with the foodâs texture or flavor and reject it completely. By gradually switching to adult food, however, you can ease your dog onto a new diet with less difficulty. When it is time to make the switch, start by offering your dog 75 percent puppy food with 25 percent adult formula. Offer that meal for a few days, then change the ratios to 50/50. After a few more days, lower the amount of puppy food to just one-quarter of each meal, and when that is easily acceptable to your dogâs tastes, eliminate the puppy food altogether. Every dog may be different with how easily they switch diets, but ideally the transition will not take more than 7-14 days, and will cause a minimum of digestive disruption.
At the same time you are changing the composition of your dogâs meals, make sure you are also switching any treats to adult formulas, and adjust how much you offer at any one meal to give your dog the right nutrition without encouraging obesity. The number of meals you feed your dog each day may change as they age, but consult with your veterinarian for more precise guidelines that will best suit your individual dogâs nutritional needs.
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Food For Big Puppies & Little Puppies
There are differences between the nutritional needs of small-breed and large-breed dogs, and that is especially true for puppies. Adult dogs who weigh less than 20 pounds are considered small-breed dogs. These puppies grow quickly and may reach adulthood by 9 months. Large-breed puppies , grow more slowlyit takes anywhere from 15 to 24 months to reach full size and maturity.
How Do You Determine How Much Food To Feed A Puppy
According to the National Research Council of the National Academies, at least 28 percent of your puppy’s food should be protein, while at least 18 percent of an adult dogs food should be protein. Another way to look at it: a 10-pound puppy who is estimated to grow to about 33 pounds needs about 990 calories daily. About 53 grams should be protein, and there should be 21 grams of fat, according to the council.
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Do Puppies And Adult Dogs Have Different Nutritional Needs
Its less about the content of the food, and more about the amount. Puppies will need more protein, fat and micronutrients than adult dogs, Patton says, because they need to gain weight. That can be accomplished by increasing the volume of the food. Most puppies need twice as many calories per pound of body weight as an adult dog, Patton explains.
Puppy Food Is Too Calorie Dense For Older Dogs
Aside from puppy food having the wrong dietary focus for your senior dog; puppy food is very high in fat.; Higher fat content makes puppy food very calorie dense.; Healthy, senior dogs do not require foods that are focused on being calorie-dense. If youve ever considered a raw diet for your senior dog, you can come back to this beginners guide: Starting a Senior Dog on a Raw Diet.
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Changing Puppy Food: When To Transition To Adult Dog Food
When you first get a puppy, you should be feeding them a high-quality, nutritionally balanced puppy food that will help them grow and develop into healthy adult dogs. However, dogs nutritional needs change at each life stage, so at some point you will need to make the transition to a food suitable for older dogs. Read on to learn more about changing puppy food and how to successfully make the move to adult dog food.
When can puppies eat adult dog food?
Once they are weaned off their mothers milk, puppies should be fed a calorie-rich puppy food containing the right balance of nutrients for healthy growth and development. If puppies are given regular dog food, they may not develop properly.
When your puppy reaches adulthood, you can make the switch to adult dog food. This could be anywhere from around 9 months to 24 months, depending on their size and breed, so always check with a vet first.
Be aware that puppy food has a much higher calorie content than adult dog food, and if you continue to feed your dog puppy food after they have matured, they may quickly gain weight. You should weigh your puppy regularly to check how they measure up against breed guidelines and take them to the vet if you are concerned about their weight. ;
Changing puppy food
As well as the type of food, you should also start to change the frequency of feeding. Puppies require numerous small meals a day so as not to overburden their small stomachs, but as your dog gets older, they can be reduced.
What Do Puppies Need
Just like any baby, the first several months of life is a crucial development stage for puppies. Throughout this formative time, it is essential that you find the best dog food that will provide your puppies with the nutrients they need to live and grow healthily. With Tailored®, they personalize an expert-formulated blend designed for your puppy’s unique needs and exclude any sensitivities.
Puppy food has three primary objectives:
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When Should You Switch Your Puppy To Adult Dog Food
Puppies have their own needs, and those may be different from the adult dogs in your life. One big difference between raising puppies and caring for adult dogs is nutrition. While puppies wont starve on regular dog food, they thrive with a diet formulated for their specific nutrition needs.
When you get a puppy, youll need to be ready to make changes frequently as your puppy grows. Eventually, puppies transition into adulthood, and as they do, they will need to switch to adult dog food. Understandably, it can be hard to know when to make the official switch. Lets take a deep dive into your puppys nutrition to untangle myth from fact. In the meantime, you can also learn when will your puppy sleep through the night.
What Nutrients Does Your Dog Need For Their Skin And Coat Health
Your dogs skin and hair arent just nice to pet they play an important role in keeping your pup healthy and comfortable. They prevent water and heat from leaving your pups body, plus they help keep viruses and bacteria out. One of the best ways to make sure your dogs skin and coat are in the best possible condition is by paying close attention to what you put in their food bowl.;
Nutrients like protein, fat, vitamins and minerals can all impact your dogs skin and coat health. Your dogs coat is made up almost entirely of protein. If their diet doesnt contain enough quality protein, your dogs hair might fall out or become dry, weak and brittle.;
Likewise, their skin is made up of tightly packed flat cells with tough membranes made of proteins and fats. Without proper amounts of these nutrients, the cell membranes can weaken, allowing water to escape and bacteria and viruses to enter more easily.;
Make sure your dog is getting the following nutrients to help keep their coat and skin healthy. And keep in mind that;IAMS dog foods;contain an optimal blend of these nutrients to support your dogs skin and coat health.
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When To Switch Puppy To Adult Food
Once you know when your puppy will reach maturity, you can decide when to switch to adult food.
If your puppy will be full grown at 12 months, you can start transitioning him to an adult formula around his first birthday. It can take 7 to 10 days to make the switch, so youll want to plan for that before you start.
Avoid Overfeeding A Golden Retriever
For those who have Golden Retrievers at home, how to avoid overfeeding a Golden Retriever is an important issue. You have probably noticed that no matter how much food you put, your Golden Retriever wants to eat more and acts like he is on the brink of starvation! Because dogs are usually greedy, they often dont know when theyre full. Especially for delicious food, it will never eat enough. However, eating too much can have a bad effect on your dogs health. A lactating Golden Retriever mother should not control how much she eats. Because breastfeeding mothers need to eat a lot, in order to ensure adequate milk. When a golden dog mother has indigestion, we can give him some medicine such as lactase to help digestion, but do not give him less food.
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Should I Feed Wet Or Dry Food
Wet food is a great way to help your puppy transition from milk to standard dog foods, and dry food is easier to store. Whether you decide to serve wet or dry food or a combination of both will depend on your puppys preferences.
You may want to start with wet food and transition to dry food by feeding moistened dry food in the same transition method we suggested above. As long as your puppy is eating regularly, youre fine.
What Is The Best Type Of Food For Your Puppy
In Australia, it can be hard to find high-quality puppy food. Our largely unregulated pet food industry makes it easy for nasty preservatives and harmful chemicals to skate through unnoticed to unsuspecting dog owners.
The effects of these preservatives are a slow burn so its difficult to spot but starting your pup on the highest quality food you can in their early life will set them up for the healthiest growth and development possible. This is why we always recommend that you look out for puppy food brands that follow AAFCO guidelines.
If AAFCO states that a food;provides complete and balanced nutrition, it means that if thats all you feed your puppy, he will be getting all of the nutrients he needs. – Dr. Heather Loenser, PetMD
Its an extra seal of quality that your puppy is getting the very best of the best on the market. AAFCO accredited brands are also best continued throughout your dogs life.
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Solution For Those With Many Dogs
You may have more than one dog and they are all living in different walks of life. It is probably very difficult for you to keep your puppies away from the adult food and adults away from the puppy food.
Secondly, it is exceptionally difficult to buy 3 different formulas for 3 different dogs. So, how do you fix the problem?
Perhaps the best way to handle this problem is to stick to All Life Stages formulas. Formulas for dogs of all ages is perhaps the best compromise for those with many dogs. The nutrients are slightly on the lower end for puppies and slightly on the higher end for adult dogs but it gives them a moderately healthy life.;
It is less risky to give your adult dog puppy food than it is to give your puppy adult food. So, if you have two picky eaters and both like the puppy formula, you can get away with giving your adult dog a smaller portion of the puppy food. However, we only suggest this as a temporary solution and not as a permanent one. This may not be a good strategy for obese adults, and adults with pancreatic problems. Please consult your vet for better guidance.
It is ideal to have a word with your vet and see for a better solution. Your vet will know their lifestyle and will be able to guide you well with your unique condition.
We hope this article was helpful. What do you feed your dogs? Let us know in the comment section below.
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The Timeline Of Puppy Growth And Dietary Needs
As puppies age and grow into fully grown adults, they switch up their food routines. This is usually done in very specific stages of life, and for great reasons that will be covered later on.
This schedule varies by breed, which is an important distinction because differently sized breeds grow at different rates!
First, though, you may be wondering why to even bother sticking to a set routine at all. Why not just feed them adult food when you think your pups teeth are strong enough? Lets talk about that.
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What’s The Difference Between Puppy Food And Adult Food
It is highly recommended that your puppy eats a commercially formulated dog food specifically for puppies until they are fully grown. This is because growing puppies have different nutritional needs compared to adult dogs. Puppy diets tend to be higher in calories to support growth and have a slightly different balance of vitamins and minerals to provide optimal nutrition for growing bones and muscles. Most veterinary nutritionists do not recommend homemade, raw, or adult diets for puppies because they do not contain the right balance of nutrients to support rapid growth. Therefore, these diets may lead to developmental abnormalities or deficiencies.
While an adult dog is less likely to become unwell from eating puppy food, there are still some concerns with feeding your dog a diet that does not match their current life stage. The biggest problem with giving a puppy food or a generic “all life stages” diet to an adult dog is that these diets are often too high in calories. Adult dogs that are no longer growing do not require as many calories as puppies and can gain weight if they are fed puppy food. Spaying and neutering your dog, while very beneficial, also causes a decrease in your dog’s metabolism that can lead to weight gain. Specifically formulated diets for neutered dogs are available and contain fewer calories to keep your dog’s weight healthy.