Puppies have different nutritional needs than adults:
- They are overgrowing,
- Building bones and muscles
- Developing organs.
So your puppy needs extra nutrients to feed this growth phase!
To do this, puppies must eat more calorie-dense food than would be appropriate for a typical adult dog, sufficient to fuel their rapid growth. Over growing essential
Puppy Feeding – Basic Elements
As with all living things, five essential elements are necessary for your puppy’s optimal health.
They are vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
Another essential element is water, which is necessary for your puppy’s body.
Dogs of all ages should always have a source of clean, fresh water available.
Proteins help build all of your puppy’s tissues.
Think of proteins as the building blocks that strengthen the puppy.
Fats help maintain healthy skin and coat.
They also help your puppy to develop a healthy brain and healthy eyesight.
Carbohydrates give your puppy energy.
Vitamins and minerals help in the processing of other nutrients and the energy of the whole organism.
How To Wean And Transition Feeding For Puppies
In most cases, a puppy can begin to wean from its mother’s milk or replace milk from 3 and 4 weeks of age.
At this moment, the puppy’s gastrointestinal tract begins to be biologically modified and prepared to receive solid food.
This process can take up to 7 – 8 weeks of age until the puppy is transferred out of the milk and begins its diet solely on solid foods.
This adjustment takes time because it needs adaptation of the gastrointestinal tract.
The stomach and intestine walls need to get stronger, just as the intestine needs to be encouraged to increase its motility and facilitate the digestion of solids.
In addition, other organs that participate in indigestion, such as the pancreas and liver, are still immature and need to adapt to start producing the necessary enzymes that aid in the digestion of solid foods.
The food should be mixed with water in a 1:3 ratio to form a kind of porridge.
And you can do this by beating the solid food with the water in the blender.
Puppies usually like to play with food, so you can help them know that what you are offering is for nutrition.
Try to dip your finger in the food and hold it for your puppy to lick.
As your puppy gets used to this porridge, reduce the amount of water until you can offer the food excellent.
And remember, this process can take up to 7 – 8 weeks of age.
Feed your puppy three times a day until he is six months old, then move on to 2 times a day.
Puppies receive hydration from breast milk, but water intake will increase once solid food begins to be delivered. Should offer drinking water at five weeks.
Early weaning is discouraged as it can lead to malnutrition, stress-related illnesses, decreased social skills, and behavioral problems.
After weaning, most puppies lose the ability to digest milk sugar (lactose).
Therefore, although small amounts can be allowed, feeding with milk can cause intestinal problems and diarrhea because dogs can not digest it properly.
Puppy Feeding: Commercial or Natural Feed
Before weaning and transition, you need to choose what type of food you will offer your puppy during his life.
Not that this is a lifelong choice, you can change their diet at any time, but this will entail a new transition process.
When choosing between dry or wet commercial feed options (or both) or natural dog food, make sure you offer the best nutrition.
Commercially produced foods, such as dry and canned rations, is easily accessible with endless possibilities.
To choose, try to know the nutritional information that must contain on the label.
Avoid foods that contain corn or wheat as the main ingredients; also avoid excessive amounts of chemical preservatives.
Also, avoid formulations with these ingredients: meat and bone meal, by-product meal, feather meal, cornmeal, soy meal.
When buying a dry or wet commercial feed, check the levels of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats and the sources of these elements.
The ideal protein levels indicated for puppies vary between 22% to 25%. The story of fat shown for puppies is 8%.
While most dogs today are fed commercial feed, there is a growing interest in natural food.
Do Not Mix Commercial Feed With Natural Food
The feed requires a different pH for it to be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. It slows the metabolism of natural food so that the mixture can leave the puppy susceptible to intestinal infections.
Talk to your veterinarian to prescribe a natural feeding formula for your puppy.
