Nutrition Basics for Puppies

Your puppy's breeder may have suggested a brand of food he's already eating; when possible, stick with it for the first week or so of his time with you. He has enough to get used to without having a diet change. But you may not know your puppy's diet history, or you may want to consider something different for him. In that case, you have plenty to choose from.

Commercial puppy foods identified by the words “Complete and balanced nutrition for growing dogs based on American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) feeding trials” on the label are developed to be safely fed as a puppy's sole diet. These foods do not require vitamin, mineral, or other supplements, and in fact you can throw off the balance of the diet by adding them. You should particularly avoid calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D, as excesses may lead to developmental orthopedic diseases.

Recipes for homemade diets providing balanced nutrition for puppies are also available, but it's important that such diets come from reputable sources. Check with your veterinarian to see if a proposed diet is reasonable.

While treats and human food are fun to give your puppy, take care not exceed 10 percent of your puppy's total caloric intake with them. If your puppy starts to snub his own food and beg for yours, it's time to cease the treats and human tidbits altogether. Be careful that the calorie and mineral, especially calcium, content of treats is similar to that of your puppy's regular diet.

Most puppies aren't particular about their food, relishing pretty much anything you give them. You have the rest of your dog's life to teach him to be picky about his food; now is not the time to start by offering him something tastier the moment he sticks his nose up. And while offering your puppy a buffet of foods may foster a persnickety palate, confining his eating experiences to just one or two foods can make him less likely to accept any novel foods as an adult. So you need to compromise, offering your puppy a variety of foods and tastes, but not catering to his every whim if he happens not to like one. When introducing a new food to your puppy, add it to the existing diet gradually over several days until it replaces the old diet in order to decrease the chance of gastrointestinal upset.

Most commercial puppy foods are designated for puppies of all sizes, but different sized puppies actually have different requirements. Puppies of small and medium sized breeds can eat these foods, but puppies of large breeds (weighing over 50 pounds as adults) should be fed a puppy food designed for large breeds. These foods slow the rate of growth without affecting final size of the dog. This slower rate of growth is important for decreasing developmental orthopedic diseases. It's not appropriate to feed adult maintenance food to large breed puppies (as some people suggest); these foods are not formulated for growth and don't have the proper ratio of nutrients puppies need.

Puppies eat a lot for their size because they are in the process of increasing their size. With young puppies you're usually safe to let them eat as much as they want at a meal. After 20 minutes, pick up the bowl. When possible, measure the food you give the puppy; otherwise watch the puppy's condition to make sure he is neither thin nor heavy.

Avoid free-feeding, which encourages overeating and also makes it difficult for you to keep track of whether your puppy is off his feed. Puppies under the age of 6 months should be fed three to four meals a day, changing to two to possibly three times a day after six months. Small puppies of very small breeds may need to eat even more frequently, as they are predisposed to develop a serious condition called hypoglycemia if they go too long or exercise too hard between meals.

Don't forget the most vital nutrient: water! Keep a bowl of fresh water handy for your puppy at all times. 

You are what you eat, and your puppy---and the dog he becomes---is what you feed him. Feed him well.