Feeding your Dog

In recent years there has been increasing amount of different foods available for all stages of a dogs life. Some manufacturers are now producing diets for particular breeds. So faced with this bewildering array, how can you tell which one is best for your dog? Over the next few weeks we will provide some of the information you need and we will start with puppy feeding.

Little and Often

This has been the advice for many years and there is no reason to change it. The stomach of a pup is small and to get the best out of the food they need to eat small well-balanced meals. A typical guide is four times a day between 8 weeks and 12 weeks, dropping to three times a day from 12 weeks to 6 months. Once beyond six months twice a day feeding has many advantages except in some working dogs, but we will cover this later.

Home made or Manufactured?

A breeder with many years of experience will have their own ideas of what is best to feed and this can be quite a variety. Most of the time this will be adequate, but occasionally it can cause problems. By far the best for the puppy and the easiest for you is to use a reputable brand of prepared dog food. Many vets are now recommending a dried complete food as this has benefits for the animal’s teeth. The reason for choosing a prepared food is that it is properly balanced and needs nothing adding such as mineral supplements. Minerals – especially Calcium need to be fed in the right amounts if problems are not to occur. A joint disease called osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) occurs in young dogs that is made worse by a poorly balanced diet – particularly an all meat diet. The larger breeds are particularly prone to OCD and it is in part linked to their fast growth. Many companies now make diets that are designed to avoid the larger breeds (like Labradors) from growing too fast.

How much is enough?

The exact amount to feed is difficult to judge and you have to rely on how well the pup is growing to decide how much you are feeding. At all times you should be able to easily feel your puppy’s ribs; they should have a waist and a very slim tummy between meals. If your puppy is a cute roly-poly puppy, the food needs to be reduced. A common mistake is to use some of the dried food as a mixer alongside tinned food. The dried food is a complete diet and needs nothing adding to it, no milk, or meat - even in some cases sausages!

In summary feeding a puppy is simple – little and often using a good brand of a prepared balanced food. Your vet or vet nurse should be able to answer any queries you have at your puppy’s vaccination appointments.