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Puppy Nutrition

 

The most important part of feeding your puppy is to ensure that all the essential nutrients are available in a serving size that satisfies.

 

Overfeeding

Research has shown that if a puppy eats more food than he needs, his growth rate increases. Unfortunately some puppy foods are so high in calories that it is easy for a puppy to over eat. My goal is to keep your puppy lean and to feed him only that amount of food that is required for healthy growth.

 

Hip Dysplasia
For breeds that are at risk for hip and elbow dysplasia, (dys=bad, plasia=growth) it is especially important to ensure growth is optimal. Bones grow from a cartilage layer on the end of the bones. This cartilage is gradually replaced by bone at a very slow rate. The more rapid the growth rate, the thicker the layer of cartilage. Cartilage is softer and more pliable than bone and thick layers of it will bend and deform. In addition if these thick layers are forced to carry heavy loads (rapid weight gain) cracks and crevices can appear.

 

The Right Food
If we monitor your puppy's growth and compare to breed specific standard growth curves, we can calculate his food energy requirement and choose the right food and determine feeding amounts.We will help you by assessing his body condition and weight on a biweekly basis.

 

We Recommend Medi-cal Development and Adolescent Diets
I recommend diets specially formulated to avoid rapid growth and ensure that bones mature properly. Many have recommended a switch to adult food to try solve this problem but they are lower in bone building nutrients and it takes longer for cartilage to change into bone, so nothing is solved! Medical Development is a nutrient-dense, exceptionally palatable diet for young puppies.As larger breed puppies become rapidly growing "teenagers" they will switch to the Adolescent diet that is lower in calories yet packed with essential nutrients.  Chicken, fish and egg provide high quality, easily digestible protein sources. Flax and primrose oil are sources of omega fatty acids to promote healthy skin and a lustrous coat, Added fructo-oligosaccharides and digestive enzymes help maintain a healthy digestive tract. Development Formula is naturally preserved with vitamin E, citric acid, rosemary extract and lecithin.Although many of us are attracted to foods labelled “All Natural” or “No Preservatives Added,” be aware that labelling requirements in Canada allow a food to be called “All Natural” if at least one ingredient is not altered from its natural state. All dry foods must have some preservatives (whether added at baking or already in an ingredient) otherwise the nutrient value will be gone long before it arrives at the store.

 

Treats
We must also consider the treats you give your puppy. I do not want him to get too many empty calories in cookies. Treats should not make up more than 10% of his caloric intake. You can use use Medi-Treats which have only 13 calories each, or Benny Bully's which are low in fat. Dry puppy food can be given as treats or if you choose to use bits of human food for treats, see the chart below for approximate calorie amounts in food treats.

 

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