Cute Puppy, by epSos.de, Flickr.com

The nutritional requirements of a puppy are greater than almost any other time in their life. And in around 12-24 months your small puppy will become fully grown. To help make sure they get the best start in life, puppies need the right nutrition to meet their physical needs and help them grow into a healthy and happy dog.




What sort of food

First you'll need to decide whether you want to give your puppy commercially prepared food or prepare your own. Many people believe in the BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diet whereby dogs eat a diet based on bones and raw food. However, this often takes time to prepare and may not fit in with your lifestyle. It can also be hard to provide a good balance of nutrients.

Commercially prepared food is available in wet and dry forms and should contain all the nutrients your puppy needs. Always buy a brand that states it's ‘complete and balanced’ and make sure you buy varieties suitable for puppies and not adult dogs since they are tailored to meet the different nutritional needs according to the dog's age.

If you want to feed your puppy a homemade diet, ensure you provide a wide variety and don’t stick to one type of food. For instance, a diet consisting solely of meat will leave your puppy lacking in vital nutrients. Puppies can even share your meals by eating cooked meats, fish, poultry, eggs, rice, pasta and vegetables.

Nutritional requirements

A growing puppy needs more calories than an adult dog but they must have the right balance of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. These are essential for the healthy development of their growing bodies. Commercial puppy foods are tailored to meet all these requirements and can easily be the sole source of their dietary intake. And they must always have access to a ready supply of water. As long as your puppy is eating a balanced diet, you shouldn't need to provide any additional supplements.

How much and how often

It's important not to over feed your puppy. Obesity rates among dogs in the US and the UK stand at around 50% simply because dog owners either give them too many treats or too much food and not enough exercise. Puppies and dogs will often carry on eating if you put more food down so you have to control their food intake.

If you're buying commercially prepared food stick to the guidelines shown on the label and don't give them extra treats or leave scraps of food lying around. Many commercial dog foods are sold to cater for different sized breeds as well as puppies. But if you're in any doubt, your vet should be able to tell you how much your puppy should weigh and give advice on a healthy diet.

Puppies have very small stomachs and are often hungry. So while they're still young they need frequent but small meals.  Up to the age of three months they need four small meals a day. After this they can have three meals until they are six months old after which time two meals should be sufficient. Once your puppy has fully grown they can change to an active adult maintenance diet.

Food to avoid

Pet owners often like to treat their dogs by offering them little treats. And your puppy will probably show an interest in whatever you're eating and want to have a share. However, many foods that we eat can make your puppy very ill.

Puppies and dogs should never be given chocolate, coffee, onions, grapes or raisins since these foods cannot be metabolized properly by dogs. Also avoid giving them cooked bones which can splinter inside them. Don't be tempted to share unhealthy food such as cakes, pizza and chips since they are all high in fat, sugar and salt. Nor should you give them cat food as it's not nutritionally balanced for puppies. Raw meat can pose a hazard as it may contain parasites or bacteria that can make your puppy ill.

Your puppy is growing very fast over a short period of time and you can help him off to a healthy start in life with the right nutrition. Commercially prepared foods are well balanced but you can add variety by letting them share your home cooked food as well. And over the months as he grows bigger, you'll only have to look at his bright eyes, glossy coat and bounding energy to know that he's getting all his nutritional needs met.