Feeding Your New Puppy
Puppy Food
Not sure what to feed your new puppy? Choose a dry food intended specifically for puppies, avoiding generic foods and those that sell for unusually low prices. We suggest name brand puppy food because it is impossible to distinguish good dog food from poor dog food simply by looking at the ingredient list on the label. Many things that owners look for, such as high protein levels and extra vitamins, some of these extra ingredients can be harmful rather than helpful. For example, overfeeding and over supplementation are factors contributing to hip dysplasia. If you have a large-breed puppy, purchase "large breed" puppy food. The actual formula is different, not just the kibble size, and is better for rapidly growing puppies.
We feed all of our puppies: TLC Whole Life Natural Dog Food, we chose this dog food for several reasons:
It is the highest quality dog food we have found at an affordable price,
It is an all life stages dog food.
It is only available directly from the manufacturer, so there is no time for it get stale sitting in a warehouse for years.
Auto-ship makes our lives a little easier.
How Often Should You Feed Your New Pup?
Offer food to young puppies three times a day. If your puppy isn't hungry that often, reduce the frequency. After nine months of age, feed twice a day. Even adult dogs should have their food split into morning and evening feedings. When fed once a day dogs become overly hungry and are more likely to overeat at mealtime.
Let your puppy eat as much as she wants in fifteen minutes and then pick up the food dish. Having food continually available encourages overeating, and chubby puppies are more likely to have hip dysplasia and weight problems later in life. Also, because free-fed puppies never get very hungry, they don't enjoy their food unless given special treats. The combination of special treats and freely available food encourages them to become bored, overweight and picky.
People Food
Do not give people food. If you start with a balanced diet and add goodies from the table, you won't have a balanced diet anymore, and your puppy will have more digestive trouble. Treats that are reasonably balanced, such as Milk Bone Biscuits are OK, but since they are not very nutritious, don't let them become an important part of the diet. Canned puppy food is perfectly fine, but we usually suggest feeding dry food because it is less expensive, easier to use, and better for the teeth.
Vitamin Supplements
One of the major causes of poor health in our beloved pets is the lack of proper nutrition with their diets. This is the main reason we use and suggest the continue use of a daily vitamin supplement. Find a supplement that provides full-spectrum nutritional support that focuses on boosting your pet’s immune system and overall health.
Keeping your pet’s immune system strong is crucial in today’s environment. Household toxins, fertilizers, pesticides, and even many of today’s pet foods leave your pet’s immune system susceptible. Regular and even premium brand pet foods can contain toxins, bad bacteria, and “meat by-products” (an industry term for anything other than meat). Other common ingredients are fillers like corn, wheat, and barley. These food ingredients and other environmental factors are prime sources for poor health in your pet.
Finding a high-quality vitamin supplement that incorporates a precise formula of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, herbs, and more is especially important. Research one that brings together vital ingredients that perform perfectly together to help improve your pet’s health and keep them healthy.
We did extensive research and found a product from NuVet Labs. It meets and exceeds our criteria for a good vitamin supplement.