What kind of food should I feed a puppy?

Puppies have very different nutritional needs from adult dogs, because they are still growing up. It's essential that they have a balanced, healthy diet in order to provide them with everything they need to grow up strong, healthy, well developed and happy. The puppy's diet, therefore, needs to be higher in protein, vitamins and minerals, and fat, than the diet of an older dog – and it's important not to underestimate the impact that a proper diet will have on your new furry friend! Proper nutrition will prevent obesity, help the puppy to grow and develop properly, minimize the likelihood of allergies, boost his immune system, and generally make him happier and healthier, for longer. So it's well worth taking a bit of time to figure out what the best diet for your pup might be.

For a start, don't be tempted to listen to those who say that feeding puppy formula food is no different from feeding adult formula food. There are different formulas for a reason! An adult dog food won't provide a growing puppy with the different balance of nutrients that he needs for proper nourishment and healthy growth.

   

 

The best thing that you can do beyond firstly deciding to buy a food specially designed for puppies is to check the list of ingredients on the packaging to make sure that it contains everything your puppy requires. Note that if a food calls itself “a complete and balanced diet”, this means that it has been proven through feeding trials to provide a complete diet by itself, with no supplements required. Foods that use this wording on the packaging have met the official AAFCO standards – they would not be allowed to use this wording otherwise. Words like “formulated”, “premium”, and “super premium”, on the other hand, are not worth much on their own, as they are just advertising, and not official terms. Don't be taken in – check the ingredients!

So what are you looking for on that ingredients list? Well, a well-balanced puppy food should most notably be high in protein. Good quality protein sources should be at the top of the ingredients list – look for meats like lamb, chicken, or lamb/chicken meal. And ideally, you want this to be the top ingredient, which means that it is the main ingredient – they're all listed in order of weight, which is a legal requirement.

In addition to protein, you want to make sure that your puppy food contains plenty of carbohydrates, found in fruits, vegetables, and good quality grains. Fats are also an important energy source, as well as being the ingredients that will help keep your puppy's skin and fur healthy. And vitamins and minerals are essential too, but they must be supplied in just the right quantities. This is a good enough reason for making sure that the food you choose is AAFCO approved, because you know that it has met the correct standards to be sold as a puppy food.

Return to Dog Food Reviews Guide Home Page

Text copyright 2009 Dogfoodreviewsguide.com and may not be reproduced without consent. This is not the official web page of any of the products listed on this site, this is a review page created by an individual. This site is not written by a vet, and if you have special questions or questions about your dog's health, you should ask your veterinarian.