What’s the best dog food for puppies? The growing puppy and the older dog have some dietary requirements. Contrary to what most people think, meat is not the only need of the pup. He must have a balanced diet of which protein foods like meat might compose as little as 20%.
Top 07 Best Dog Food for Puppies:
Protein is of course important. It breaks down into several amino acids, all of which are necessary for proper growth. to give heat and energy and rebuild systems in the body. But a young dog feed only lean meat would deteriorate because he was not getting proper nutrition.
Let’s explore the essential nutrients to feed puppies – with food Sources:
01. Fats:
In addition to protein, a puppy needs fat, in amounts perhaps up to 10 percent of his diet. While a hard-working dog may need up to 20 percent. Not only does fat give him heat and energy, but it also improves the skin, builds up resistance to disease, and tones his nervous system.
The chief asset of certain fats is an ingredient called linoleic acid. It is found in meat fats such as pork, lamb, and beef. Even lard will supply it in ample quantity. Linoleic acid is necessary for adequate growth in puppies. Recent experiments in canine have exploded the myth that a dog needs only lean meat for energy and growth. Practically, puppies that are kept on a low-fat diet, tend to:
- Dry out
- His skin becomes scaly
- The coat becomes dry and coarse
- Resistance to disease is lowered
Fat is also an excellent source of calories for puppies. A puppy needs more calories than a grown dog. A rapidly growing large breed may need up to 8000 calories a day, and fats provide this abundance.
Moreover, the dog also loves it. If you soak part of his meal in bacon fat, you may consider the mixture unattractive, but not your dog. Most importantly, the dog’s intake of fat is not the same throughout his life. As the dog gets older, you must be more careful about his calorie intake.
But in the growing puppy, the metabolic rate is rapid. The puppy is extremely active, and his developing body is like a furnace that must be stoked. and fats do just this.
Sources: Beef, lamb, pork
02. Carbohydrates:
For bulk and energy, the puppy needs carbohydrates. At one time, people believed carbohydrates were bad for dogs. But carbohydrates are fine. Potatoes, rice, and macaroni are rich in carbohydrates that you can cook at home. However, do not feed raw to your dogs as they may have trouble digesting them.
Sources: Potatoes, rice, and macaroni.
03. Vitamin A:
Vitamin A aids the body’s growth is necessary for correct vision and hearing. It helps to prevent infection and gives tone to the skin.
Sources: Liver, greens, grain, egg yolk.
04. Vitamin B:
Vitamin B servers your dog in many important ways because it works on general body health and endurance. It helps the liver, tones the muscles, give appetite, and even adds to fertility.
Sources: Meat, fish, vegetables, milk, egg yolk.
05. Vitamin D:
Vitamin D is especially necessary to prevent bone diseases like rickets. Among other things, it gives your dog good muscular coordination.
Sources: Bone meal, direct sun.
06. Vitamin E, Vitamin F, Vitamin K:
It provides a general body tone, keeps the skin and coats healthy, and clotting blood.
Sources: Found in grain products and normal eating
07. Minerals:
Like vitamins, minerals are also absolutely necessary. Calcium and phosphorus are bone and tooth builders and work towards giving your dog a healthy heart as well as solid muscles and nerves.
Iron is a blood builder, while sodium, chlorine, iodine, copper, sulfur, magnesium, and potassium are also important especially to the growing puppy.
Top 05 Primary Diets for Puppies:
01. Canned Dog Food:
These are commercial preparation for high moisture content, up to 70 to 75 percent. They are, usually, low in fat content. Since the puppy (especially of a breed that eventually will reach 60 pounds or over) needs bulk and also a fat intake of up to 20 percent or so, you have to choose carefully among the prepared foods.
Do not get the idea, however, that you cannot bring up your puppy well on canned dog foods. Many of those on the market meet standards set somewhat above the puppy’s daily requirement, and many are fortified with vitamins and minerals. And with a further vitamin and mineral supplement plus milk, the puppy can usually gain well on such prepared foods.
But if you want a diet to take your pup, especially a large breed, right into adulthood, an exclusive canned-food diet can be expensive. You may have to give a 6- or 7-month-old pup 4 or 5 cans of food a day, and some prices run as high as forty cents a can.
Cost:
Cost is less of a problem if you have a small breed. Another possible drawback to the prepared foods is their high moisture content. A dog eating a few cans a day will take in a lot of water to get enough bulk. He will also drink water after his meals, and therefore have to urinate more frequently. If you are trying to train your puppy, you will have to walk him several times a day, and even after he is grown he may not be able to hold such large amounts of water.
These are somewhat minor considerations, but some of them can take away from the pleasure that the dog should give. Also, your dog may be uncomfortable, especially if you are out most of the day and there is no one to walk him. We know that a dog takes pride in his own accomplishments, and if he is constantly uncomfortable with a desire to urinate, he may have to do so indiscriminately and lose a measure of self-respect.
What else:
Another point about the prepared foods is that in some cases they do not provide sufficient calories even when eaten in large quantities. The average can gives about 500 calories, while a growing puppy needs several thousand. depending on his size and growth rate.
The low-fat content of the canned food accounts for the reduction in calories and necessitates supplementary rations Of meat, fat, lard, or butter. All this should not discourage you from using prepared dog foods.
Manufacturers have spent large sums in research on products that can serve your dog well. and there is no question that can feeding is the easiest in point of time. But this is simply one diet among four, and you surely should consider the others before settling for anyone. An alternate feeding method is to give the puppy a formula breakfast followed by prepared dog food.
The formula may consist of a high-protein cereal with evaporated milk (or whole milk). Since the puppy at this young age will eat 3 or 4 times a day. it may be a good idea to offer him some kind of variety. Then for his other meals give him canned dog food, perhaps supplemented by fat products.
02. Dog Meal:
These are completely dehydrated products, quite inexpensive to buy, and full of nearly everything your dog needs except sufficient fat- The old-style dry foods contained cereal and animal products in about equal amounts.
The newer homogenized product consists of a mixture of nearly everything your dog normally needs: cereals, meat products (scraps. organs). small amounts of fat, as well as vitamins and minerals baked in.
These homogenized products are often called complete meals, because, theoretically, all you must do is add water and serve. As the fat content is usually low, however, you should supplement the dry meal with bacon drippings, oleomargarine, lard, or fat from the butcher. Also, vitamins baked into the meal tend to lose some of their power. The advantage of the dry meal is that it provides sufficient bulk at a small cost, and with fat mixed in it contains enough calories for the growing puppy.
When served. it should be soaked in the fat, softened somewhat for the puppy, although not made soupy. With a vitamin & mineral supplement and perhaps an occasional cooked egg, this food will meet all the puppy’s nutritional needs.
03. Dry Dog food:
These are completely dehydrated products, quite inexpensive to buy, and full of nearly everything your dog needs except sufficient fat. The old-style dry foods contained cereal and animal products in about equal amounts.
The newer homogenized product consists Of a mixture of nearly everything your dog normally needs: cereals, meat products (scraps, organs). small amounts of fat, as well as vitamins and minerals baked in.
These homogenized products are often called complete meals, because, theoretically, all you must do is add water and serve. In dry dog foods, the fat content is usually low, however, you should supplement the dry meal with bacon drippings, Oleomargarine, lard, or fat from the butcher.
Also, vitamins baked into the meal tend to lose some of their advantages of the dry meal. It provides sufficient bulk at a small cost, and with fat mixed in it contains enough calories for the growing puppy. When served, it should be soaked in the fat, softened somewhat for the puppy, although not made soupy. With a vitamin-mineral supplement and perhaps an occasional cooked egg, This food will meet all the puppy’s nutritional needs.
04. Biscuits:
These biscuits. made chiefly of flour, maybe of several types. Some are whole biscuits; others are in cube form or kibbled (broken into pieces). Another type may be a product made Of baked unbleached flour, meat. and fat, somewhat similar to dry meal.
Usually, biscuits do not provide enough nutrition for the pup, and they serve best as fillers, tasty tidbits when the puppy is hungry between meals. Conceivably, they could fulfill a dog’s basic requirements if they were sufficiently supplemented with fat (they are quite low in fat content), vitamins and minerals, and meat scraps. Some of the biscuits on the market now are called complete meals, but many others are simply offered as fillers.
05. Diets Prescribed by Veterinarian:
Such diets, available only from a veterinarian, are complete, supplying everything your puppy needs at each period of growth. Their cost, however, is somewhat higher than good canned dog food and considerably higher than the diet of the meal. From these four basic methods of feeding a dog, most owners will choose either one or a combination.
Scraps, of course, may form part of the dog’s diet. With that in mind. I have charted feeding procedures for the puppy from 4 to 12 weeks. I have also offered some home-cooked meals as an alternative to the four fundamental dog foods, as I feel many owners will prefer to diversify their dogs’ diets.
Homemade Dog Food Recipes:
01. Dog Food Recipe for Puppies(4 to 12 weeks):
Feeding: 3 times a day
Timing: 8 A.M, 12 Noon, 6 P.M
Feeding Instructions:
- One ounce of chopped meat(raw or cooked lightly) per feeding or 1 ounce of cooked chicken, minced fine.
- Mix in some crushed shredded wheat and a little milk.
- Give an occasional egg(cooked)
- Some cooked green vegetables, crushed.
02. Dog Food Recipe for Small Breeds(15 to 30 pounds as adults):
Feeding Instructions:
- 1½ – an ounce of chopped meat(raw or cooked lightly) per feeding or 1½ ounce of cooked chicken, minced fine.
- Mix in some crushed shredded wheat and a little milk.
- Give an occasional egg(cooked)
- Some cooked green vegetables, crushed.
03. Dog Food Recipe for Medium Breeds(30 to 35 pounds as adults):
Feeding Instructions:
- 3 ounces of chopped meat(raw or cooked lightly) per feeding or 3 ounces of cooked chicken, minced fine.
- Mix in some crushed shredded wheat and a little milk.
- Give an occasional egg(cooked)
- Some cooked green vegetables, crushed.
04. Dog Food Recipe for Large Breeds(55 to 80 pounds as adults):
Feeding Instructions:
- 4-5 ounces of chopped meat(raw or cooked lightly) per feeding or 4-5 ounces of cooked chicken, minced fine.
- Mix in some crushed shredded wheat and a little milk.
- Give an occasional egg(cooked)
- Some cooked green vegetables, crushed.
05. Dog Food Recipe for Very Large Breeds(30 to 35 pounds as adults):
Feeding Instructions:
- 5-7 ounces of chopped meat(raw or cooked lightly) per feeding or 5-7 ounces of cooked chicken, minced fine.
- Mix in some crushed shredded wheat and a little milk.
- Give an occasional egg(cooked)
- Some cooked green vegetables, crushed.