Is Dry Food Really The Best Dog Food For Your Puppy?

We at Puppyton recently got asked: Is dry food the best food option for you little puppy? We have combined our experience with a bit of research and found everything you should know about dry food before making any decision.

There are many great food alternatives for dogs, and dry dog food is necessarily not the best choice depending on the dog, the breed of your dog, the brand of the food, the ingredients or the circumstances you live in.

Compared to an adult dog, a newborn puppy needs a double quantity of calories to ensure an excellent immune system, great bones development, muscle growth, shining fur and plenty of energy. There is no one single type of food ideal for all puppies, and that’s why you have to choose your puppy’s diet carefully.

WHAT IS DRY FOOD MADE OF?

1. PROTEINS

Considered the essential nutrient for your puppy’s growth, proteins offer all 10 of the essential amino acids he needs so much but can’t produce on his own. Choose only dry foods that have meat-based protein listed as the first ingredient and avoid brands that use other fillers to lower the product cost and partially replace the protein source (soy, corn, etc.)

2. FATS

Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids consist an essential role for your pet’s memory, good vision and boost the absorption and use of vital vitamins and minerals.

3. CARBOHYDRATES

If you want your puppy to stay active and happy, you have to feed him carbohydrates. These are a good source of energy, but you have to be aware not to provide him with too many carbs as the excess will be stored in his little body as additional fat reserves.

4. MINERALS & VITAMINS

Other substances that your puppy requires to live long and grow healthy are vitamins and minerals like Vitamin D, essential for the metabolism of the essential amino acids.

5. WATER

Same as for humans, hydration is vital for doggies too. Dry food contains 10% moisture compared to 78% moisture found is most wet foods. Therefore if you consider feeding your dog with dry pellets, you will have to make sure that he will always have a fool bowl of fresh water.

MORE TO KNOW ABOUT DRY FOOD

Dry food is more economical than wet food.

You can feed your buddy with premium food without spending too much money. It is a more convenient option as you can purchase a larger quantity per shopping session.

Dry food is ideal for when you’re not home

If your doggie likes to split his meal into more eating sessions rather than eating it in one go, dry food is more appropriate to leave out. Even though dry food lasts longer once opened rather than wet food, you will still have to pay attention to the expiration dates as it can spoil over time.

Dry food is great for dog training and exercise

If you’re planning to exercise your dog or play some interactive games with him, consider dry food as your buddy’s special treats. It is easy to store and transport without being messy at all.

Keeps your doggy’s teeth healthy

Dry pellets can have an abrasive action on your puppy’s teeth keeping them clean and preventing the development of plaque and tartar.

We do not advise you to rely only on dry food but try to invest in supplements or biscuits specially designed for dog’s dental health.

How much dry food your puppy should eat?

When feeding your puppy it is important to know that your puppy’s growth will stagger as it gets older and more physically mature. Puppies grow more than 10 times faster than when they reach adulthood, and you will have to change the dogs diet accordingly to its size. Since the sizes of portion depend much on the breed and size of your puppy, we recommend that you contact your breeder or local vet for information regarding how much food your puppy should eat.

If you puppy does not have an appetite for dry foods there are some tricks a dog owner should know.

First, the dog owner could try to add a bit of water to the food to make the food easier swallow and more appetizing for the puppy. If your dog still refuses to eat his dry food, you could add ingredients such as vegetables, eggs, oils for essential fatty acids or digestive enzymes.

How often should you feed dry food to your puppy?

We recommend that you feed your pup four times a day for the first four months. As your puppy grows from 4-6 months old you can limit the amount of feeding times per day to three. When the dog is more than 6 months old it is common to limit the feeding times to two per day. Keep in mind that you should always double check with your local breeder since how often you feed your puppy can vary between breeds.

Dry food when travelling with your dog

First of all, we recommend that you never feed your dog immediately before taking your car or travel with your dog by other means. This is largely because the dog easily could get motion sickness. Also remember that if you are travelling with dry food and your puppy is not used to the dry food, you might also have to carry extra water or other ingredients to moisten or otherwise increase the appeal of the food for your pup.

Moreover, travelling with a dog can be a hassle. If you are flying with your dog, we recommend that you check the flight regulations for your flight region before bringing any dog food, however both dry and wet food are mostly allowed in limited quantities.

Finally, it is up to you to decide which is the best food for your furry friend, but you definitely should respect the two golden rules for choosing puppy food:

1. look only for premium ingredients

2. stay away from artificial colors, preservatives or flavors

If you are unsure where to start looking, we recommend that you try our first choice for dry dog food for puppies.

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