Puppy Nutrition: Croney Research Group

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What do puppies need to thrive? Good nutrition. Learn more in our infographic, which you can download and print to share!!

Puppies require adequate nutrients to support rapid growth and development

birth to 3-4 weeks of age: the dams’ milk is nutritionally complete to support puppy growth

3-4 weeks of age: begin to offer canned or semi-solid food

mix 1 part dry food to 2 parts warm water to form a gruel

5-6 weeks of age: puppies should be eating canned or semi-solid food

gradually reduce the amount of water in the gruel to 2 parts dry food to 1 part water

6-8 weeks of age: puppies should be weaned to solid food

offer 3 or more meals per day

 

Puppies nutrient requirements are different than adult dogs. Be sure to feed a diet labeled puppy, growth, or all life stages.

  • recommended fat content is 10-25% on a dry matter (DM) basis
  • recommended protein content is 22-32% on DM basis
  • recommended carbohydrate content is 20% on DM basis

Large breed puppies should be fed a diet formulated to meet their unique nutritional needs as established by AAFCO. These breeds have lower requirements for calcium and phosphorus to develop normally and avoid orthopedic disease. Be sure to feed them a food labeled large breed puppy food.

EXPERT REVIEWER

Anna Kate Shoveller, PhD

Professor and Champion Petfoods Chair in Canine and Feline Nutrition, Physiology and Metabolism

Website: http://animalbiosciences.uoguelph.ca/abscpeople/ashovell

This nutrition article was reviewed by Dr. Anna Kate Shoveller, as well as the postdoctoral scholars in her lab: Alexandra Rankovic and Pauline Kosmal.

Dr. Shoveller earned a BS(honors) in Animal Biology from the University of Guelph and a PhD in Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of Alberta. She is currently a professor in the Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph. Prior to this position, she worked in the animal nutrition industry from 2007-2015. Her research group also considers animal behavior and quality of life in their focus on comparative nutrition and physiology, particularly amino acid metabolism, protein quality, and macronutrient partitioning in dogs, cats, horses, and pigs. 

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Topic(s): Bare Bones Basics, Breeder Resource, Health, Nutrition, Puppies