A Practical Plan for Feeding Puppies and Dogs
The food that puppies get when they are young plays a vital role in their health when they are older. A well nourished puppy, given a balanced diet, will grow into a healthy adult with strong teeth and bones, a good coat and supple muscles and joints. It is also during puppy hood that faddiness and other bad eating habits, which can lead to overweight and ill health in the dogs later years, are established. Introducing good eating habits now will have a beneficial effect on your dog throughout its life.
The following is a feeding plan for puppies which is simple and economical, will fit into most household routines and is adaptable as your dog grows to adulthood. It does not specify any particular brand of dog food but is based around dried dog food – always buy the best food you can afford, with dog food as with many other things you really do get what you pay for. This diet incorporates human food in the form of left-overs – while many people decry the use of left-overs or scraps they are included here because the reality is that many people will wish to use them. If you do not, simply leave them out and replace with dog food.
Very Important. Please read these notes about this Feeding Plan.
How much food should you feed?
How much food a puppy, and indeed an adult dog, requires varies from one individual to another. There differences between breeds because of their size and rate of growth and the sex of a dog, the amount of exercise it gets, even whether it is kept indoors or out, will all have an effect on its requirement for food.
Fortunately in practical terms it is relatively easy to get it right. It is very difficult to overfeed a young puppy, their need for nutrition to fuel their rapid growth means they will use up whatever food they get. Therefore, at each of the main meals, feed whatever the pup will eat in a 10 minute period. However it is possible to over feed some nutrients, such as minerals. This is unlikely using this plan but do not be tempted to give your puppy mineral and vitamin supplements unless instructed to do so by your vet.
As the puppy gets older and becomes an adult if it seems to be gaining weight on this regime simply feed a little less. Similarly if it is underweight feed a little more.This may seem over simple but it really is that easy! If you follow this simple regime your dog will be fit and well nourished throughout its life.
What about scraps?
Dogs fed nothing but scraps tend to be both overweight and undernourished, since they rarely get all the nutrients, especially protein, minerals and vitamins, that they need but usually get too much fat and too many calories. However feeding scraps alongside a good quality dog food will give variety to the diet while ensuring that the nutritional requirements of the dog are met. Not all scraps should be fed however or the diet will be unbalanced and unhealthy. A good variety which reflects your own diet is likely to be healthy for the dog as well. Remember dogs are not little dustbins so do not feed them rubbish! If you feed much the same range of foods as you eat yourself all will be well.
Avoid fat
Human nature dictates that the dog is likely to get the fat off the chop while you eat the lean bit rather than the other way around! This is OK occasionally but in general put left over fat in the bin, not in the dog!
Do not give spicy foods such as curry or chilli. If you do be prepared for the consequences! Never feed food you suspect may be gone off, dogs get food poisoning as easily as we do. Ensure that scraps, or human food, does not make up more than half your pets diet. Feed alongside, rather than instead of, good quality dog food.
Do not feed scraps between meals, put them in a bowl and keep for the next mealtime. It is impossible to keep track of what you are feeding if you are giving constant snacks and often results in dogs who are never really hungry and therefore refuse to eat their proper meals.
Why dried food?
The reason the diet outlined here is based on dried food is partly because dried food is better for your dogs teeth and its digestive system generally. It is also a fact that dried food is more filling and satisfying and thus dogs will be less inclined to overeat and become overweight. A more practical reason is that for the price of the cheapest and most inferior tinned food on the market (and fairly disgusting stuff this is!) you can feed the best quality dried dog food – it really is that much more economical.
The reason dried food is so much cheaper is simple. Tinned food contains about 80% water. This is heavy and bulky stuff which not only has to be canned but must be transported on ships and lorries to the shop shelves – a costly business. Dried food on the other hand has most of the water extracted, it is about 5% water, making it lighter and more concentrated and thus cheaper and easier to transport. The dog will make up the water difference by drinking from its bowl.
Which Brand is best?
The difference between cheap dried dog foods and the more expensive ones is quite significant – you really do get what you pay for. The quality foods use better ingredients which means that the food is more nutritious, more digestible and usually a lot tastier too. Often people who say their dogs will not eat dried food are amazed that changing to a better quality brand results in the dogs gobbling it up!
Look for well known brands who have a reputation to maintain, are specialists at what they do and are always concerned about quality. Brands such as Waltham, Hills and Eukanuba are always reliable and produce a range of foods to suit your dogs age and lifestyle.
Choose biscuit type food rather than meal or muesli types which tend to be much less digestible and can go off more easily. Look at the food and smell it – it should look clean with unbroken pieces and should smell fresh. Bags should have a moisture proof lining so that food does not go off once the bag is open. If any food you buy smells rancid or mouldy do not feed it – return it to where it was purchased.
The Feeding Plan
All dogs of all ages should have constant access to a bowl of clean fresh drinking water.
Weaning to Three Months
Four Meals Daily
Morning
Breakfast Cereal and Milk. All cereals are fortified with minerals and vitamins so choice is not important – but obviously Weetabix is better than Coco Pops! This is the only milk required during the day.
Midday
Dried Puppy Food. Feed this meal dry, the puppy can take or leave it as it wishes, hungry pups will eat it all!!
Evening
1/2 Dried Puppy Food plus 1/2 Scraps. The scraps can be omitted or reduced according to what is available and the dried food increased instead but do not go above 1/2 scraps. See note on the left about scraps.
Bedtime
Dried Puppy Food. Just a small amount which can be placed in the puppies bed if this helps him to settle down for the night.
Three – Six Months
Three Meals Daily
When the puppy is about three months old drop the bedtime feed or the midday feed. Continue other meals as before.
Very large breed dogs can continue on three meals up to nine months old.
Six – Twelve Months
Two Meals Daily
Feed morning and evening. If this seems to be too much for your particular dog, drop the morning feed.
Adult
Adult dogs can be fed either one or two meals daily – most dogs do well on one meal a day in the evening.
Very large or small breeds and working dogs may need a morning meal as well.
The evening meal should be similar to the one above – i.e. at least half good dried dog food, the rest scraps.
As before, to ensure good nutrition, all meals should comprise at least half good quality dog food.
Choosing the right Food
All the foods we stock at Abbey side are ones we believe in and recommend and there is a chioce of more than 15 individual dog foods and 12 cat foods. Please ask us to recommend one for your pet.
We stock the following Premium brands of Pet Food:
- Makers of Pedigree dog foods and Whiskas cat foods
- Makers of Science Diet for Dogs and Cats
