During the puppy stage which lasts up to two years, your furry baby is undergoing vital processes. This includes joint growth and mental and eye development. Therefore, the need to give your puppy complete nutrients to support its overall development is necessary.
The choice of food for a puppy should always be done carefully. And when experimenting with a list of recommended foods for your puppy, you should always be cautious with after effects. Are there allergies that have shown on its skin? Doesn’t it show signs of a sensitive stomach toward the food you gave? Indeed, you should be vigilant when giving food. This is to avoid some unpleasant things that your beloved puppy may experience during its tender age. The last thing that you would want to do is a trip to the vet.
To ensure that you choose the right food for a cute little furry baby, here are some tips that you should try to practice:
Contents
More of Dry Food Is Better
It is advised that you should let your puppy eat four times a day. This is to support the fast changes that are happening in your pet’s body. Although puppies can eat moist and dry foods, choosing dry food over moist food is better. This is because dry foods contain more protein. With moist food, some of the protein may be diluted with water which sometimes goes to waste. Dry food can also stay fresh longer than moist food. Moreover, it is easier to clean dry poops than the moist ones.
Stick With One Kind of Food
After making sure that nutritious food for puppies does not give allergies and make their stomach upset, you can stick with it. This is important as your puppy should find stability in what it is eating. Just make sure that the food of choice is complete with all the nutrients, like protein, fats, and other essential elements.
Dog Food From Natural Sources Is the Best
You should try your best to find a dog food that is made from natural ingredients. Read the label of products and find out the ingredients found in them. Artificial ingredients may have some side effects. They may not be as bioavailable as natural food. If some ingredients are new to you, refer to a vet or research about these compounds.
Go for Hypoallergenic Foods
Some puppies may not exhibit some signs of allergic reaction for some time. In these cases, it may be best to go for hypoallergenic dog foods. To minimize chances that your puppy may have allergies, read labels of products carefully to see if they are hypoallergenic. There is nothing better than to take precautions beforehand.
Be Wary of the Treats You Give
While you have been very careful of your choice of dog food, it may go to waste with a bad choice of treats. Just as you have inspected dog foods, you should do the same with the treats you give. Make sure that they do not contain lots of fats, salt, or sugar. And just like dog food, treats should only contain natural ingredients.
Puppy Food Should Be the Only Choice
It is not unusual that dog owners give their dogs the same food that they eat. But when it comes to puppies, it may be a bad idea. Puppies may not have developed their full immunity so it can be dangerous. Moreover, there are some human foods that have been proven to be dangerous to dogs. Take for example of garlic and onion which are commonly used as spices in dishes. Chocolates too can cause adverse effects on your furry baby. The same is true with grapes. So to be safe, do not give your dog the same food that you eat.
Develop Good Eating Habits
Start with a scheduled mealtime. Do not just give your puppy some food at any time of the day. The same is true with treats. If your puppy seems not to be interested in the food, remove it. This will help prevent a grazing habit. It is also best not to distract your puppy while eating to allow it to savor the food.
Indeed, it takes a lot of your time and effort to ensure that your dog is eating the right food and developing appropriate eating habits. But that’s how it should be being a responsible and loving fur parent. After all, you will not be happy if something goes wrong with your puppy just because of the wrong food that you are giving.
I totally agree with this article so many people argue with me about how they make their own dog food and I always felt that one can’t compare the ingredients in commercial dog food and there’s enough information out there as to what quality dog food offers!