What and how to feed a puppy?

Inexperienced dog breeders often wonder what and how to feed the puppy. Cubs are characterized by high activity and intensive growth. The body constantly needs a large number of calories to replenish the energy costs that went into creating new cells. Therefore, the smaller the age of the pet, the higher the frequency of feeding. For the internal organs to function properly, the puppy needs not only milk and meat, but also cereals, vegetables and a small amount of fruit.

Animal health problems develop as a result of an improperly selected diet. To avoid negative consequences, it is necessary to correctly develop the daily menu of the pet. During the first months of life of a young dog, a number of hormonal changes occur, under the influence of which the digestive system changes. Puppies switch from baby food to solid foods, the gastrointestinal tract gets used to digest new food, colonize microflora.

Normally, the adaptation process takes place without discomfort for the animal itself. To avoid problems with feeding the animal, veterinarians advise owners to adhere to the following rules.

• The introduction of fractional nutrition. If the puppy overeats 1-2 times a day, he will constipate. Due to the large amount of food, it is possible to stretch the stomach, the development of obesity. Poor nutrition leads to sharp changes in the plasma concentration of glucose in the blood. With a sudden drop in sugar, the puppy will feel an acute hunger, due to which the daily intake of food increases.As a result, excess nutrient compounds will be stored as subcutaneous and visceral fat.
• The correct location of the bowl. Experienced breeders do not recommend feeding the puppy from a bowl on the floor. The dishes should stand firmly on a stand flush with the chest of the dog. This approach will help to avoid deformation of the spine, reduce the load on the neck, and form the correct posture of the dog. Puppies will grow, so it is recommended to purchase height-adjustable lifting stands in advance. For small breeds such an inventory is not needed.
• There should be equal time intervals between meals. The dog is adapting to the new food schedule. The amount of feed for each breed is different, therefore, before feeding the puppy, you should consult your veterinarian. The specialist will help to take into account all the pedigree features of the dog. If the puppy remains in food after eating in the bowl, then the next time you need to put 20% less food.
• It is necessary to completely exclude prohibited products. You can’t give the dog cookies or bread as a snack, you will need to wean the puppy to beg for food from the person’s table. If the pet eats natural products, it needs to be heated to 18-20 ° C. You can’t feed the puppy a monotonous food.
• Permanent access to drinking water. In hot weather, you will need to change the liquid 2 times a day. In winter, you can put a bowl of water 1 time in the morning and replenish only if necessary. The dog should not eat only dry food. For normal digestion of food, she needs to drink liquid to soften the food lump and

It is only necessary to feed the puppy, regardless of its breed and age, after a walk. Dogs are predators whose digestive system assimilates and processes food at rest. If a puppy eats before going outside, he may have stomach problems.

Veterinarians believe that it is best to feed your puppy with fresh, high quality products. A baby can easily be poisoned by cheap food. For a young dog, natural food is needed, the cost of which is lower than dry granules. At the same time, a diet for fresh products requires the owner of the dog free time to prepare food and frequent purchases in the store. In the future, you can transfer the pet to ready-made meals. But in addition to dry food, natural food should still be present in the animal’s diet. If puppies regularly eat fresh food, they will not have digestive problems.

The following foods are allowed in your pet’s diet.

• Meat of low-fat varieties: veal, beef. Until six months of age, meat should be 40% of the daily diet. For 1 kg of calf body weight give 30 g of fillet. The puppy can eat both raw and cooked meat. You can leave the product in a half-baked condition, dousing it with boiling water. Such a procedure will help to kill parasite eggs and pathogenic microorganisms, and at the same time preserve the natural structure of animal protein.
• Dairy nutritional mixes. This product can feed the puppy for six months. Milk drinks support the pet's immunity and strengthen its musculoskeletal system. Veterinarians recommend buying goat milk because it is hypoallergenic. If you plan to feed your puppy cow's milk, then it should be diluted with water to prevent the development of diarrhea.
• Chicken or turkey. Bird fillets must be freed from small bones and skins. The skin of the chicken contains a large amount of fat, which upsets the digestion of the pet. Before giving the meat to the puppy, chop it into small pieces.
• Dairy products. They contain more beneficial bacteria and calcium compared to dairy products.It is recommended to include cottage cheese, sour cream or kefir with a small percentage of fat in the diet of the cub. Sour-milk drinks ensure the proper digestion and assimilation of solid foods. Thanks to their regular use, the puppy will have strong teeth.
• Fish fillet. It can be given to a pet 2 times a week. The most suitable option for cubs is the meat of marine fish. It practically does not contain bones, unlike river species, from the use of which the puppy can choke or damage its throat. It is necessary to carefully choose fish for the pet - helminth eggs may be present in the fillet.
• Porridge. Cereals are characterized by a high content of complex carbohydrates and coarse fiber, necessary for the normal development of the pet. For the puppy prepare semolina, rice, buckwheat or oatmeal porridge in milk. In this case, it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the animal. Plant foods often cause an allergic reaction in dogs. With the development of diarrhea, it will be necessary to exclude porridges from the diet of the animal for 7-10 days.
• Vegetables. They contain many vitamins that are necessary to maintain intracellular metabolism. As part of home feeding, the puppy should be given pumpkin, beets, carrots and zucchini. Do not give vegetables raw - the dog will refuse to eat them. A small amount of vegetable puree made from stewed fruits should be given. As the dogs grow older, you can add leafy greens to the dish.
• Fruits and berries, except grapes. They make up about 5% of the dog’s diet. Fruit fruits are given to pets as a treat. Puppies are forbidden to eat a lot of fruits and berries because of the high content of organic acids in them.

Every month you can give your puppy dry food. Ready-made granules contain all the ingredients necessary for dogs, so owners do not need to independently compile and adjust their pet's diet. It is necessary to transfer the puppy from milk nutrition to dry food gradually, because a sharp transition to a new type of food can lead to bloating, gas formation and constipation.

Owners of a puppy should familiarize themselves with the rules for feeding a dog dry food:

• feed mixture is acquired depending on the age and breed of the animal;
• should choose a brand of well-known manufacturers;
• There are 3 types of granules: economy class, premium class and super premium class; the puppy should eat only premium and super premium feeds;
• together with the cow’s mixture the puppy should be given a mineral complex;
• water is needed to soften the food lump.

Cannot be included in the puppy's diet following products.

• Confectionery and pastries. They are characterized by a high sugar content, which activates the fermentation processes in the gastrointestinal tract. The chemical reaction negatively affects the digestion and absorption of nutrients in predatory animals.
• Whole milk. Puppies do not absorb the dairy product.
• Sharp, pickled, spicy and salty dishes.
• The pork. This type of meat product may contain trichinosis. Infectious disease in dogs is difficult to treat. There is a high risk of death.
• Boiled potatoes. Starch is not absorbed in the dog’s body.
• Sausages, sausages and other offal. Contain toxic impurities for pets, preservatives, flavorings and colorings.
• Chicken bones. When cutting, small fragments of bone can enter the puppy's respiratory system or esophagus, resulting in injury or death.
• Legumes and cabbage. Activate fermentation in the stomach.
• River fish, raw chicken. Fillet may contain worm eggs.

A monthly puppy needs to be fed frequently, so its first meal should be from 7:00 to 8:00. A pet at the age of 4 weeks has dinner at 20: 00-22: 00. The later the feeding takes place, the higher is the chance of the animal sleeping peacefully.

If the puppy feels night hunger, he will immediately wake up, begin to whine and yap to attract attention. Even if he asks for food, the pet can not be fed from 22:00 to 6:00. His digestive system is not used to such loads, so a break is needed in the gastrointestinal tract. To prevent nightly hunger, you should give your puppy high-calorie protein foods before bedtime. For example, milk mixture or meat.

The diet for the cub varies depending on his age:

• in 2 months it should be fed up to 5-6 times a day, between meals a gap of 2-3 hours is needed;
• from 2 to 4 months it is necessary to reduce the frequency of meals to 4-5 times a day with an interval of 4 hours;
• from 4 to 6 months it is allowed to give food only 3-4 times a day;
• from 6 to 10 months, the puppy must remain on three meals a day, at least 6 hours must elapse between meals;
• from 10 to 12 months, almost a teenage dog usually eats 2 times a day after a walk.

It is necessary to transfer a puppy to two meals a day at the age of 6-7 months. In order not to harm the health of the pet, it is necessary to gradually reduce the number of meals. Feeding should be carried out after walking 2 times a day in the morning and in the evening. It is recommended to give the puppy food at a strictly defined time. In this case, you should feed the dog only half of the daily dosage of food indicated on the product packaging.

If the puppy does not want to adapt to the new schedule of meals, you should transfer it to three meals a day. In this case, it is necessary to divide the daily feed rate into 3 equal parts.

The puppy's diet must be adjusted every month to six months of age. Such frequent changes in nutrition are due to the rapid maturation of the pet.

In the first month of life, the basis of the diet of the newborn is mother's milk. If the female does not have enough secret or in the litter more than 4 cubs, artificial feeding should be introduced from the age of 2-3 weeks.

To prepare the nutrient mixture, you need to mix cow sterilized milk, goat milk and cream 20% fat in a ratio of 3: 1: 1. After that, add 1 to 2 l of complementary food 2-3 raw quail eggs. All ingredients must be thoroughly mixed and, if necessary, warmed up before giving the mixture to a monthly puppy.

It is allowed to buy ready-made whey or dry mix for newborn babies. In this case, you should carefully familiarize yourself with the composition of the product. It should be as close as possible to the structure of the dog’s natural milk.

During this period, you need to replace milk and nutrient mixtures with solid fodder. The puppy's digestive system should gradually adapt to the digestion of coarse fibers. It should be remembered that animals grow several times faster than humans. Dogs need a lot of calories to maintain an intense rate of body development. The energy value of breast milk and special feeding is a disadvantage to cover all the energy costs of a growing organism.

Starting from the age of 2 months, you should feed your pet soaked in water or milk with dry food. For 100 g of production, 1.5 cups of water should fall. You can boil buckwheat, millet, rice groats, oatmeal.In order for him to grow up healthy, his diet must include lean meats and lean meat broth. For the safety of the pet, the fillet should be doused with steep boiling water or placed in the freezer for 1-2 days. Such treatment will prevent the possible development of an infectious or parasitic disease.

It is allowed to give your pet sour kefir with a high percentage of fat, natural yogurt or fermented baked milk. Curd must be softened with whey. The puppy can get vitamins from a small amount of stewed or boiled vegetables.

At the age of 3.5-4 months, the number of meals increases to 4 times a day. During this period, the puppy is allowed to give:

• cottage cheese;
• chopped lean meat;
• vegetable-based soups.

It is necessary to mix vitamin complexes for dogs with food. At the age of 3-4 months, their teeth begin to cut. To form a good bite, it is recommended to give the pet a nibble on the cartilage, soft bones and crackers. It is also worth monitoring the hygiene of the animal’s mouth with regular brushing. The diet of the animal does not need to be changed until it reaches 6 months.

In a six-month-old puppy, a teenage period begins, characterized by intensive growth and development of the body. The dog needs to consume a large amount of animal protein food, which is necessary for its body to form skeletal muscles. To maintain the normal functioning of the internal organs, you need to continue feeding your pet along with vitamins and minerals.

Meat should make up 60% of the dog’s diet, cereals occupy 35%, and vegetables account for 20%. Vegetable food is recommended to boil and grind with a blender.

In the next video you will find puppy feeding tips tested by experience and practice.