Nutrition

The nutritional needs of puppies are greater than at any time in a dog’s life other than reproduction. Understanding your puppy’s nutritional needs will help you make the right dietary choices.

What Happens
The growth stage sets the foundation for a dog’s entire life. The length of this period can vary – for large breed dogs (dogs that weigh 50 lbs or more full grown), the rule of thumb is two years. For all other dogs, it is approximately one year.

Either way, a lot of physical development happens in a very short time, including:

• Bone and joint growth to full size
• Muscle development and growth
• Internal organ growth (this continues even after your dog appears to be full size)
• Immune system development
• Cognitive development and brain growth

Puppy’s Nutritional Needs
Supporting that level of development – similar to what a human goes through from birth to 14 years of age – in just one or two years requires proper nutrition. This includes:

• Protein – A key building block of muscle, skin, coat, organs and other tissues. During this period of growth, a puppy needs abundant protein.
• Calcium, Phosphorus and Vitamin D – Necessary nutrients for healthy bones and teeth. They must be present in the proper ratio to support appropriate growth of bones and teeth.
• Omega Fatty Acids, including Linoleic acid – Help promote a healthy immune system and keep your puppy’s skin and coat healthy.

However, these are not the only nutritional needs of a puppy – the food your puppy eats will need to supply these nutrients and more. Additionally, the ratios of all nutrients to one another are very important to the nutritional value of a food. Purina’s nutritionists have created puppy foods that have all the nutrition your puppy needs for proper growth and development.

Do’s and Don’ts

DO follow the feeding guidelines. One of the worst things you can do is allowing your puppy to become overweight – it has serious health implications.

DON’T feed your puppy from the table. People food often adds unneeded calories, particularly in the form of fat, and it can contribute to obesity as well as finicky eating.

DO gradually mix the new food in with the old over 7-10 days when you change foods. If you gradually increase the amount of new food and decrease the amount of old, you’ll make the transition easier on your puppy.

DO feed your dog at the same time(s) every day; 3 times a day for young puppies, 2 times per day for older puppies, and at least 1 time per day for adults (this amount can be broken into 2 or more feedings per day).

DO make sure there is plenty of fresh water available at all times.