Is your furry friend getting the right amount of nutrition? Scroll down to understand why it is important. Also, learn more about the food available in the market for your dogs and puppies.
#BestFoodForDogsAndPuppies
Contents
Introduction
Cute, furry and hungry. It is time to pamper your dogs or puppies with food specifically made for them. Puppies grow really fast; just a month ago it may be feeding on the mother’s milk. And a month later, it may start trying to consume solid food. Most of the puppies are weaned by at least six months max.
Providing the right nutrition from the beginning is important. This can prevent your pet from various diseases and illness. Moreover, it will promote healthy growth of bones, teeth, and energy that is needed for the overall good health of your fur friend. There are varieties of dog and puppy foods made with healthy nutrients. For instance, there are protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water, available for all ages and breeds.
You can also prep a homemade meal for your pet with the above ingredients, if you don’t feel comfortable to feed your pet with store-bought food. Some of the most common protein sources for your dog include meat, chicken, fish. Some plant ingredients such as sweet potatoes, corn gluten, and soybean are also a good source of protein. They also need calcium from dairy products, especially for the puppies and essential fatty acids like egg yolks, oatmeal etc.
Do Your Research
However, before you start feeding your pet with any solid food, it is important that, you research the correct nutritional chart available in the products for your pet. This is because every food product can differ for all dogs or puppies in terms ages and breeds. There are certain foods made for certain breeds of dogs and the same goes for adult dogs and puppies.
Although, naturally when it comes to food, dogs are not fussy as compared to some other animals. However, there are certain nutritional level needed for each type of dogs, puppies and breeds. Therefore, as the sole owner and friend of your pet, it is your responsibility to see that, they eat food products with the correct nutrients made for them. This will ensure a healthy growth of their overall well-being. It is important to take care of our dog pet’s health because having dogs as a pet gives us so many benefits too.
Why nutritional needs differ from puppies to adult dogs?
Just like humans, nutritional needs differ from a puppy to that of an adult dog. Like how babies need more nutrients while growing up, puppies needs extra nutrients to foster their growth. As puppies are growing, so are their bodies, like building muscle, bones and developing organs.
A puppy should be ready to consume solid food by time he reaches four months. They may not be getting the sufficient calories they need from the mother’s milk alone.
For cautionary measures, you can start by consulting your Veterinarian. Moreover, get their recommendation about the types of food products which will suit your dog or puppy.
The Association of American Feed Control Officials sets nutritional guidelines that most of the pet food manufactures follow. Before buying any food for your dogs or puppies check the package label for a statement verifying AAFCO nutrient guidelines needed for your pet.
How many times should you feed your dog in a day?
For puppies, you can feed them three or four times a day until they turn four or six months. And, two or three times a day for the adult dogs. You can also refer to the recommended amounts of feedings per day as given in the package.
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Difference Between Puppy Food And Adult Dog Food
Puppy Food
The key difference is that puppy food contains more high protein, fats, calories and different levels of certain vitamins and minerals particularly calcium and phosphorous. Puppy food also tends to have smaller kibble sizes than an adult dog food.
Protein
Here, when we talk about puppy food, the quality of the protein is very important. Since not all proteins are the same, your puppy needs a well-balanced protein diet such as fish, which is a digestible protein. In addition, they need has a combination of amino acids which closely matches the puppy’s body.
Omega-3
Omega-3 is also an important factor for development. The brain consists of 60% of fat and 30% DHA Omega-3 fat and the retina consists 50% DHA. It is important for your puppy especially during its critical growth stage.
This is because the fats are involved in nerve formation and healthy skin development. And, as the behaviour training for your pet begins, you can choose for healthy reward treats to maintain the nutrients of the main diet.
Calcium And Phosphorus
It is also important for your puppy to get the right amount of calcium and phosphorous. As they grow, the bones will also develop and begin to thicken. Therefore, it is important to get the balance of minerals right. However, these minerals must be provided in a way that, your puppy can easily digest. And, there is no better way than to add it in the bone meal like the ground bone meal, which is a type of dry food for puppies and dogs alike.
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Adult dog food
Similarly, your adult dog needs certain nutritional levels to maintain a healthy balanced diet. An adult dog food contains nutrients suited for the dogs that have passed their growth stage. For your dog, select food products that contains nutritional chart designed by the AFFCO standards.
Just like puppies, your adult dogs also need a diet with the right combination of protein, fats, minerals and vitamins. A puppy’s growth occurs is till six or seven months. And an adult dog continues to grow for twelve months or even beyond that.
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Recommendations of some top quality dog food brands
Ollie Fresh Dog Food
Ollie’s fresh food are wet dog food home delivery made in the USA with nutritionally-balanced recipes to give dogs and puppies a delicious and healthy treat. The recipe it uses is human-grade and in accordance with AAFCO standards. All their food is from a USDA-regulated kitchen and has high-quality ingredients.
They are freshly-made, frozen, and come along with containers. It contains all the important nutrients, vitamins, and requirements a dog needs for healthy growth and energy throughout the day. In addition, you get to customise your dog’s food according to its needs or breed or size or age in Ollie. This means your dog gets the perfect amount and combination that it will need to satisfy its diet.
Some of their ingredients are beef kidney, turkey, lamb, chicken, chia Seeds, Sweet Potatoes, peas, omega-3 food, etc. The full ingredient list can be found here. There are so many dog owners who are appreciative of this home delivery dog food for its consistency even during the pandemic.
Check Out Ollie Fresh Dog Food Here!
Royal Canin
Royal Canine diets are manufactured for dogs of different weights, breeds and life stages. Each of this health nutrition diet is made with balanced nutrients to facilitate the growth of every and any kind of dogs and puppies alike. It ranges from x-small to giant formulas based on your dog’s nutritional needs.
This package comes in both dry and wet substances. Incorporating a combination of both dry and wet food can benefit your dog.
Some of the products manufactured by this brand are:
- Royal Canin Small Adult Dry dog food
- Royal Canin Adult Beauty Wet dog food
- Small Aging 12 plus.
- Royal Canin Small Adult 8 plus
With nearly fifty years of experience, they have done extensive scientific research and observation to deliver the targeted nutrition to meet the needs of canines from all ages, sizes and breeds.
Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo dog foods are produced using high quality proteins featuring real meat as their main ingredient. The real chicken in the product helps your adult dog to maintain healthy growth of the body. They also contain wholesome whole grains, garden veggies and fruits. [s]
They also manufacture special products specifically for the puppies called Blue Life Protection Formula. This specific puppy food contains ingredients such as chicken, brown rice, and two important fatty acids DHA and ARA. DHA and ARA are found in mother’s milk, to foster the puppy’s growth and support cognitive function and retinal health.
Under this food brand, the minerals, vitamins and antioxidants are carefully selected after consulting with the veterinarians and animal nutritionists. Hence, it promotes a strong immunity system, life stage needs, and a healthy growth of your pet’s overall wellbeing.
Purina Pro Plan
Purina Pro Plan’s Adult Large Breed Chicken and Rice formula is a dry crunchy kibble. It is crafted specifically for large breed dogs. It also features ingredients such as real chicken and contains about 26% protein and 12% fats. This helps your dog maintain a balanced diet. [s]
It also contains live probiotics for better digestion and to promote healthy immune system of your dog. The prebiotic fiber present in the product helps to prevent intestinal bacterial growth.
Wellness Complete Health
The Small Breed Complete Health Adult Deboned Turkey and Oatmeal Recipe by Wellness Complete Health, is designed specifically for small breed dogs. It contains rich nutrients in many varieties to accommodate your puppy’s needs. The package comes with smaller kibble size with ingredients such as turkey, oatmeal and salmon.
The product also contains all natural ingredients with absence of wheat, corn, soy, meat by-products, artificial flavours, colors and preservatives. Like any other breed, small breed dogs also need to get their required nutrition especially from protein and not just fat.
At Wellness Complete Health, they manufacture this product with four premium meat and fish sources, deboned turkey, chicken meal, salmon meal and menhaden meal.
Science Diet
Hill’s Science Diet is a wet food product produced for all dog breeds and sizes. They use chicken, salmon and vegetable as main ingredients. You can either choose between Chicken & Vegetable Entree or Salmon & Vegetable Entree or both.
Chicken & Vegetable Entree:
It contains ingredients such as chicken broth, chunks of chicken, turkey giblets, green peas, carrots, potato protein, egg whites, coconut oil, chicken liver flavour etc.
- Vitamin supplements: Vitamin A, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12, Riboflavin, Biotin
- Minerals: Zinc Oxide, Copper, and Calcium Iodate etc.
Salmon & Vegetable Entree:
It includes ingredients like, chicken broth, salmon, carrots, turkey, potato starch, green beans, dried whey, soybean oil etc.
- Vitamin supplements: Vitamin E, Ascorbic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12
- Minerals: Ferrous Sulphate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulphate and Calcium Iodate etc.
The food products are designed with precise nutrition. This promote optimal digestive health, healthy skin, coat and stool of your dog. It also utilizes clinically proven antioxidants for a healthy immune system. A variety of appetizing options packed with natural ingredients and added vitamins, minerals and amino acids are manufactured solely to cater to your dog’s needs. This foster an overall healthy growth of your pet.
What is the difference between dry food and wet food and which of these two food is better?
The fundamental difference between dry food and wet food is primarily the content of water present in both types of food.
Dry food can also be stored for longer time as opposed to wet food. And another significant difference is their calories intake. When it comes to dry food, dogs tend to consume lots of calories in small amounts as opposed to consumption of twice or thrice a day for wet food to reach the same calorific value.
However, regardless of dry or wet, the type of food is not important. What matters are, the ingredients and the amount of nutrients present in the product. This means both types of food are equally important as it provides your dog with all nutrients, vitamins and minerals needed for the overall health growth of your furry friend.
How can I choose the correct food for my pet?
As the above mentioned food brands are just a few amongst hundreds or thousands. There are many other food options still available to facilitate the needs of any type, size, age and breed of your furry friend.
Today, the world is adapting to a more natural-based lifestyle. It is evidently shown in not just the food products of the humans but is extended to an animal’s diet as well. In recent years, we can see that, most of the pets’ food brand companies adopt a more all natural ingredients sources in their production process.
However, as dog parents, especially if you are a first timer, you always find yourself confused as to which type of food to choose or give to your puppies or dogs. To ease your mind, you can always consult with a Veterinarian or an animal Nutritionist before making any decision.
Conclusion
As explained above, there various types of food available for different types of breeds, sizes, and growth stage.
A young puppy will find it hard to digest the food made specifically for an adult dog. Likewise, since puppies need more nutrients as they are constantly growing, there may be higher nutritional ingredients added in the puppy’s food, which your adult dogs might not find it appetizing.
Therefore, the best thing you can do is, to browse in the food section of which category your furry friend belongs to. And before making any purchase, always remember to check the nutritional value chart provided in the package. It is very important to understand the ingredients and nutrients that were added to produce the food. This will not only help you to prevent any ailments of your pet but also produce a healthy, happy and an energetic furry dog or pup.
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Frequently Asked Question [FAQS]
When should I switch from puppy food to an adult dog food?
Once your puppy reaches 90% of its expected adult weight, you can switch from a growth diet to one that is suitable for maintenance, a food diet that is used for adult dogs.
What kinds of foods are dangerous for my dog?
Some foods that are consumed by you can be very dangerous for your furry friend. Foods such as, raw bread dough made with yeast, chocolates, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts etc and keep your dog away from onions, garlic and chives; dairy products such as cheese, alcohol and caffeine. Also, avoid food sweetened with xylitol such as, gum and candy etc, as this can cause liver failure in dogs.
How do I know if my dog is getting the right amount of nutrients?
Visit the nearest Veterinary Clinic to assess the healthy growth of your dog. Veterinarians normally evaluate dogs using a body conditioning score, which ranges from one for emaciated to five for obese.This method determines the health status of your dog and whether or not, it is receiving the right amount of nutrients its body needs. You can also make the assessment yourself at home. However, it is always advisable to go to the Vet. They can give you a more detailed report of your pet’s overall health. And, they also recommend any dietary changes that your dog may or may not need.
Is it okay to give treat rewards to my dog?
It depends on what types of treats you give and how many times a day. Of course, as dog owners, we frequently like to pamper them with treats. However, it is always wise to limit them as it can interfere with its main diet. Also, you can always reward them with healthy treats made specifically for dogs and puppies alike.
