Puppies
As puppies grow a lot in a short space of time, it is imperative that they are fed a high quality complete balanced food such as our puppy food.
Depending on growth stage, size and breed of puppies, they will mature at different rates and have different nutritional needs. This can cause a puppy to require as much as 3 times as many calories as an adult dog (when compared kg for kg of bodyweight).
Puppies also require the correct balance of the major nutrient groups present in food to grow and mature properly, these are protein, Carbohydrates, fats & oils, Vitamins and Minerals.
A puppy will gradually stop obtaining these nutrients from the mother’s milk and start obtaining them from a solid food. Which is why our puppy food is specifically balanced to contain all nutrients to ensure that your puppy has everything it needs to flourish.
Feeding Guidelines
It is hard to estimate a feeding amount as there are many age/weight/breed combinations however using our table below as a guide, you can increase the feeding amounts until the puppy has matured which is when you can begin feeding adult portions. If in doubt we always recommend feeding too much rather than not enough.
Because puppies stomachs cannot store enough food in a single meal to provide all daily nutritional needs, it is recommended that very young puppies should be fed at least 3 times per day. As the puppy ages, the daily feeds can be slowly reduced up to 6 months. At this point we would recommend 2 feeds per day going forth into adulthood.
Our Kibble can be softened with warm water, this can be done by placing the kibble in a bowl, adding some hot water then placing a plate over the bowl so that the food can steam. Once left for 10-15 mins you will find that the kibble has absorbed some of the water and greatly softened, you can add more or less water to alter consistency. You can also mash up the food so that it has a very soft texture. Before giving the softened food to the puppies, make sure it has cooled sufficiently.
A puppy will normally have finished with the meal within an hour. If there is any moist kibble leftover it should be discarded as it can become unpalatable and spoilt if left out for extended periods.
If you require any assistance with feeding please contact us.
Supplements
As our puppy food is complete and balanced you do not need to add any additional supplements. You can however add our salmon oil for increased omega 3 levels.
Omega 3 has many benefits such as assisting development in puppies, Supports Cognitive Function and much more, it is also brilliant for adding palatability when you are trying to get the dogs off the mother’s milk.
Other than our salmon oil we would not recommend adding anything else. Other supplements with such ingredients as calcium, vitamin D and bone meal, can sometimes lead to stunted growth and developmental abnormalities, more so in large and giant breeds.
