| 6 Weeks to 4 Months | Around 4 Months | |
|---|---|---|
| Toy Breeds | 4 to 5 meals per day | 3 to 4 meals per day |
| Small and Medium Breeds | 3 meals per day | 2 meals per day |
| Large and Giant Breeds | 3 meals per day | 2 to 3 meals per day |
Your choices about your puppy’s diet will impact his development, growth, and even behavior.
Giving your puppy complete, balanced, and high-quality puppy food will help prepare him for a long and healthy life as an adult dog. Though many questions are raised by this for novice (and even seasoned) puppy owners.
When should you stop feeding puppy food, and how much should you feed your puppy?
Find answers to these and other questions in the detailed puppy feeding guide below. Our specialists respond to your inquiries and provide guidance to help you and your puppy succeed.
There are many things to take into consideration when it comes to feeding puppies. Breed size, general nutrition, and the kind of food are all important. Here’s what you need to know:
Puppies need puppy food. Puppies who are fed a complete and balanced puppy food are given the nutrition they need to grow into strong adult dogs.
To ensure that puppies have a balanced diet of nutrients, puppy foods are created. To support their developing bodies, look for formulas high in high-quality proteins. Puppies need energy to be active and playful, and fat and carbohydrates provide that, while calcium supports tooth and bone development and DHA supports healthy brain and vision development.
In addition to the need for puppy food, some breed sizes may also benefit from size-specific formulas.
A large breed-specific puppy formula may be beneficial for your large breed puppy. Small breeds can also benefit from small breed-specific puppy formulas. Whatever the breed size, the food must be balanced and complete for growing puppies.
Due to the particular requirements of large and small breeds, there are variations in the formulas. Because large dogs are more likely to experience joint issues, large breed puppy food needs to contain the right amounts of nutrients to promote their healthy growth and development.
Smaller kibble may be preferred by small breeds so they can more easily chew their food and get all the nutrients they require.
Because of their faster metabolism, small breed-specific dog food is crucial, says Purina Nutritionist Karina Carbo-Johnson, MS. As a result, adults and puppies need a nutrient-dense, high-energy formula to support a healthy lifestyle. ”.
Dry kibble is a popular option, but it’s not the only one. You may see both dry and wet puppy foods as you browse the dog food aisles.
This may make choosing what to feed your puppy more difficult. Fortunately, you can confidently feed your puppy either wet or dry formula as long as both are complete and balanced for growing puppies.
There may be a preference between dry and wet for you and your puppy. Feeding a combination of the two is also an option.
If you’re giving your puppy a combination of wet and dry food, it’s crucial to make sure the total caloric value does not fall short of or exceed their daily energy requirement, advises Purina Nutritionist Allison Millican, PhD. Utilize the calories listed on the package to determine how much wet food should be substituted for dry food, and vice versa. This enables you to determine how much of each product is necessary to satisfy your puppy’s nutritional needs. ”.
For instance, according to Millican, “one cup of a dry puppy formula can be replaced with approximately one thirteen-ounce can of wet puppy food with a similar amount of kilocalories per cup. In this case, you could swap out one cup of the daily dry food recommendation for a thirteen-ounce can of wet food.
Remember that puppies will develop at varying rates, and their body conditions could change quickly, she advises. As a result, it is crucial to keep an eye on your puppy’s physical condition and modify calorie intake as necessary to avoid over- or underfeeding your puppy, says Millican.
Your veterinarian and the brand websites are excellent resources that can assist you in creating a feeding schedule tailored to your puppy’s requirements.
Is it worth it to buy expensive puppy food?
Premium dog food has higher nutritional density, so you can feed your dog less to achieve the same results. Also, premium foods have stable ingredient profiles; the composition of bargain brands can vary from batch to batch.
The major dog food manufacturers make significant investments in product development and research, constantly modifying their recipes to stay competitive. Thus, consuming premium food puts you at the forefront of canine nutrition.
Clubs Offering:
AKC participates in affiliate advertising programs that give websites a way to monetize their content by promoting and linking to akc. org. If you buy something after reading this article, we might get a cut of the sale.
You may quickly feel overwhelmed if you stroll through the dog food section of a large pet supply store or browse the shelves of a specialty pet food store. This is especially true for people who own puppies, and probably even more so for people who just got a puppy. When dog food options were much more constrained in the past, even responsible dog owners didn’t worry too much about what went into their dog’s dish.
The procedure may be slightly more complex now, but that’s a good thing. Better sourcing, higher-quality ingredients, and specialized diet formulas result in our puppies’ overall health. Knowing what to feed your puppy is important, but so is being aware of his unique nutritional requirements.
Since every puppy is unique, always speak with your breeder or veterinarian if you have any concerns or questions about your puppy’s diet, feeding schedule, or nutritional health. That’s what they are there for.
Here is a general timeline for what your puppy needs at each stage of his first year of life, which answers the question that many puppy owners have: “How long should I feed puppy food?”
Weaning Your Puppy to Solid Food
Weaning your puppy to solid food should not be an overnight endeavor but should ideally take place over the course of two to three weeks. First select the brand of puppy food you intend to feed. Puppies have high caloric and nutritional needs and so the food selected should be a high quality brand of puppy food. Talk to your veterinarian for specific recommendations but generally the best puppy foods
When your puppy is four to six weeks old, start introducing him to puppy food by making a gruel out of the puppy food and milk replacer. Offer the gruel three to four times per day, gradually cutting back on the milk replacement. In this manner, gastric upset is reduced as your puppy gradually learns to adapt to solid food. Your puppy ought to start eating solid food around the age of eight weeks.
FAQ
How much and how often should a 6 week old puppy eat?
Puppies Younger Than Six Months Most puppies fully wean themselves from their mothers between six and eight weeks. Once weaned, puppies should get three scheduled feedings a day. Assuming you are aware of his daily caloric requirements based on weight, divide that amount among the three feedings.
HOW LONG CAN 6 week old puppies go between feedings?
Your puppy can begin being weaned onto solid food once they are six to eight weeks old. They should eat four to five times per day at this point. They are capable of going up to eight hours without eating at night.
Can you overfeed a 6 week old puppy?
Absolutely. Puppies are designed to grow at a specific rate. Too many calories will cause some parts of their body to begin growing more quickly while leaving other parts of their body unaffected. Overfeeding can cause hip dysplasia in dogs, which is most noticeable in the hips of the animal.
What are the best times to feed a 6 week old puppy?
Your puppy should eat its first meal around 7 a.m. m. , noontime for lunch, and 5 p. m. for dinner. The last meal should always be around 5 p. m. so that he has enough time to thoroughly digest his meal and go to the bathroom before going to bed.