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Backed by Dr. Susan Recker, Dr. Laurie Coger & 2 others...
Feeding puppies appropriately is no small feat due to their rapid growth. They require not only an excess of calories to meet their energy needs, but also of nutrients to ensure proper skeletal and brain development. Many professionals will recommend feeding a pre-made balanced diet up to one year to ensure your puppy’s needs are being met. Making a puppy’s diet at home can be done, but it is far more intensive than adult dog recipes and being precise is even more important to ensure proper development. If puppies do not get the appropriate nutrition, it can stunt their growth, cause skeletal and muscle abnormalities, and more. Puppies should not be fed with the mindset of “balance over time,” they need a daily supply of nutrients to promote healthy growth and meet their energy requirements.
Puppies under the age of five months require nearly double the calorie needs of an adult dog of the same breed and size. These increased calorie requirements ensure the body has enough energy for activity while supporting rapid development. The volume of their food will change frequently with their accelerated growth rates over the first 6 months of their life. These needs do continue to change up to a year but are most intensive in the first 6 months.
While calories are needed in excess for puppies, calorie calculations provided on the back of a pet food bag, online feeding calculator, or your veterinary office are simply an educated estimate based on a calculation. They do not account for your dog’s specific metabolism or a variety of other factors. Generally the metabolism of puppies is quite fast. Puppies should be lean but not so thin that their body lacks the nutrients required for proper development, and not chunky which adds unnecessary pressure to their developing joints. Studies have shown that puppies kept at a lean body weight are actually healthier into adulthood and their median life-span increased by 1.8 years.
What you need to know about your puppy’s food.
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Required macronutrients include protein and fat. Despite common beliefs, dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrates. Fat is their body's preferred source of energy. Carbohydrates can be used for energy, but they are not necessary and are often found in excess in pre-packaged dog foods. AAFCO nutrient requirements require a minimum of 22% protein on a dry matter basis (what is leftover after moisture has been removed). However, many veterinarians and nutrition institutions insist that puppies thrive better with numbers closer to 25-29% on a dry matter basis. The increased recommendation for dietary protein is due to the lower digestibility of many kibbles and canned foods.
Protein and Fat are necessary and primary macronutrients for a puppy. Fiber, while not a required macronutrient for puppies, is a great addition. Fiber helps regulate stool and encourages microbiome health which has a hand in nearly every bodily function: hormone production and control, digestion, and it also houses up to 80% of immune cells. Some of the notable nutrients for puppies include calcium, phosphorus, and fats. Increased dietary calcium and phosphorus is needed for their developing bones and teeth. Important fats include omega 3s, 6s, and 9s. Fats support brain development and supply energy. They’re also imperative for optimal vitamin and mineral absorption.
Why It Matters:
Feeding your growing puppy the appropriate ratio of calcium to phosphorus is very important. Too much calcium can cause growth abnormalities and too much phosphorus can cause the body to pull calcium from the bones to compensate, weakening them.
What You Can Do:
Why It Matters:
Omega-3s, specifically DHA, support early brain development in puppies. They also help reduce inflammation and protect joints before problems begin. Omega-3s can be found in fish and fish oil, flax, chia seed, algae oil, hemp seed, and brain. Fish oil is the most concentrated in DHA and EPA, followed closely by algae oil. Fish oils and plant oils are prone to oxidation and go rancid quickly if not stored or packaged properly.
What You Can Do:
The gut microbiome hosts up to a thousand different strains of bacteria, viruses, and even funguses in the gut. It’s responsible for a variety of different bodily functions. There is also a microbiome on the skin and they communicate. It is an intelligent and essential ecosystem that greatly determines health. Puppies receive the majority of their initial microbiome from their mothers during birth via the vaginal canal. Puppies born via cesarean section miss out on this “immune starter pack” and may need microbiome support. Additionally, the deworming process many puppies go through will negatively impact their microbiomes, luckily they continue to develop over the first year of their life and are fairly resilient at this stage.
One of the most important ways to build and maintain a strong and diverse microbiome is variety in the diet. All of those different strains of bacteria have different purposes and they thrive on different foods. Studies conducted on the human microbiome have shown that eating a varied diet increases microbiome diversity. Studies conducted on dogs showed those fed a fresh food diet had more diverse skin microbiomes than those fed processed diets like kibble. When feeding your puppy, rotate their diet and do not just stick to one single formulation. If you are feeding a processed diet, consider adding bowl toppers in the way of fresh meats, vegetables, and fruits.
When selecting a diet for your puppy, there are many factors to consider including budget, dietary restrictions, and feeding preference. Nearly every feeding modality has pre-made puppy food available whether it be gently cooked, kibble, raw, etc. What you will want to look for is a food labeled “Complete & Balanced for Puppies.” This will ensure you are selecting an appropriate food with the required nutrients for growth.
Depending on the diet you choose, some may have different formulas for small breeds vs. large breed puppies. This is common among kibbles and you should select the correct variety for your dog's breed or expected size. Some of these foods will have different nutrient amounts to facilitate slower growth for large breed dogs as rapid growth can cause skeletal abnormalities. The nutrient guidelines set forth by AAFCO are minimum nutrient requirements to facilitate growth, they are not necessarily what is ideal as there have been a multitude of studies done on puppies with certain nutrients increased that yielded positive results:
Why It Matters:
One study conducted on 40 puppies found that increased dietary antioxidants actually increased the helpful antibodies present after vaccination. This increased their immunity to certain antigens through greater antibody production and even lengthened the vaccine protection. Not only have increased antioxidants been shown to help with vaccine efficacy, they also fight free radicals in the body that can damage developing cells and tissues. Antioxidants support their developing immune system and help to repair oxidative stress. Antioxidants are also helpful in protecting the circulatory system and heart.
What You Can Do:
Add in antioxidant-rich toppers. Vitamin E is one of the primary supplemented vitamins and antioxidants for puppies, dietary vitamin c is not required because dogs can synthesize it. However, numerous studies have shown that supplemented Vitamin C can revitalize Vitamin E as they work synergistically.
Why It Matters:
Another study conducted by Iams further illuminates the shortcomings of AAFCO minimum nutrient requirements. This study was done by the pet food company, Iams - likely to promote their puppy food with increased EPA & DHA. Regardless, what it found was that puppies whose mothers were fed diets with increased omega 3s and once weaned the puppies were also fed the base diet with increased Omega 3s. They performed training trials on the groups fed a diet with increased Omega 3s and those fed a base diet without increased Omega 3s. They found that the puppies who had received high amounts of EPA and DHA performed better and were more “trainable”.
What You Can Do: