Can my puppy eat any kind of dog food?

No. Puppies are babies, after all, and there's no way that you'd expect a newborn child to eat a steak dinner, or a small toddler to attempt eating a spicy exotic curry! Puppies have different nutritional needs than fully grown adult dogs, and these needs also change throughout the first two years or so of the puppy's life. You need to be aware of them in order to provide your puppy with an appropriate diet that will give them all the right nutrients for proper growth and optimal health and energy.

Now, for a start, a puppy should not be separated from its mother until it is eight weeks old. If you take it away from its mother any sooner than this, there's a high chance that your puppy will suffer as a result. It will be more vulnerable to illness or infection, and will most likely seem unsettled and often extremely anxious or unhappy for much longer than if it was removed from its mother at the correct age. This is partly due to stress and mourning because of being removed from the mother before it was developed enough to adjust. However, it's also because the mother's milk is the first stage of the puppy's diet, and puppies need this milk in order to get the antibodies and general nutrition they need to develop into healthy dogs.

 

When the pups are about four weeks old, although they will still mostly be feeding from the mother, they should also be introduced to some solid food. This will get them used to it, so that when they eventually leave their mother, it won't be too big a shock to the system to have to survive solely on solid food rather than milk. Choose a puppy food rather than a regular dog food, because the balance of nutrients will be very different, and food designed for an active, fully-grown dog will not be suitable for a young, developing puppy. Start introducing the solid food by mixing a little of it in with some water (or puppy replacement milk), which will soften the food and make it easier for the puppy to digest. You should provide a little of this food 3-4 times a day – like babies, puppies need to eat more often than adults, and obviously in smaller quantities. Always check the label and directions on the puppy food to see how much you should be feeding, and make sure that it is a good quality brand providing all the nutrients needed for a balanced diet.

When the pup is eight weeks old and removed from the mother, cut the meals down to two per day. From about three to six months, the puppy will be teething, which might affect his or her appetite – just keep feeding him as normal, but take to the veterinarian if an upset stomach seems to last for more than a couple of days.

After the first six months, you should continue to feed puppy food for another six months (smaller dogs) to a year and a half (larger breeds). The feeding can be reduced to just once per day when the dog is about 9 months old – but you should ask your veterinarian when is the right age to switch your puppy to adult food if you aren't sure.

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