Bringing a new puppy home is a fun time for everyone in the house. During the transition from Your Puppy to your home, you’ll have to ensure that you’re providing your puppy with some familiarity so it has time to adjust. One way you can do this is by keeping the puppy on the same food we feed it at Your Puppy – Nutrisource, which is a super premium food.

Benefits of Super Premium Puppy Food

A super premium dry food is beneficial to your growing puppy because it provides the canine with a balanced diet. It can help keep the skin and coat healthy, and it keeps the puppy’s stools solid. Keeping the puppy on a super premium food means your puppy is less likely to have loose or frequent stools, which makes house training a bit easier.

High-quality puppy food is highly digestible, so your puppy will get the nutrition it needs. This can help to promote strong bones and healthy muscles. It also improves dental hygiene.

Some people think super premium puppy food is much more expensive than some of the low-quality foods, and it does appear that way if you only compare the price per bag. The truth of the matter is that super premium food isn’t a lot more expensive when you consider the amount you have to feed your puppy.

Super premium foods don’t have as much filler in them as the lesser quality dog foods, so it takes less food to meet the puppy’s nutritional needs. This means you won’t have to feed your puppy as much of the super premium food in order for them to get the nutrition and calories they need. This can also benefit the puppy by helping keep it at a healthy weight, since it won’t consume as many empty calories.

Each bag of super premium puppy food has instructions on a proper puppy feeding schedule. Check for your puppy’s current age and/or weight so you can feed it the appropriate amount per meal. Following the instructions on the bag or as provided by your puppy’s veterinarian helps ensure your puppy doesn’t become overweight or obese.

Feeding your pup the recommended amount of food is especially important during the first year of the puppy’s life. During this time, the puppy will need super premium puppy food to support its growth. Overfeeding can cause puppies to gain weight too quickly, which stresses the puppy’s organs and joints. Underfeeding can cause puppies to suffer from nutrition deficiencies, which can alter growth and change their mental abilities.

Transitioning to a New Puppy Food

Puppy owners sometimes opt to change their puppy to a new type of food. It’s best to do this slowly so the puppy doesn’t suffer from an upset tummy. Changing food too quickly can cause the puppy to have diarrhea or vomit.

If you opt to change foods, do so over the course of four days. You can introduce the new food by adding 1/4 of the recommended amount based on the puppy feeding chart on the bag to 3/4 of the puppy’s usual food serving. Each day, replace 1/4 more of the old food with the new food until the puppy is eating only the new food.

Before you commit to changing the puppy’s food, you should determine whether the new food is suitable for the puppy. There are several things to compare with the puppy’s current food if you’re considering a change.

  • Are all the nutrients in the new food comparable or better than the current food?
  • Is the new food suitable for your puppy’s age (don’t feed your puppy an adult dog food) and breed (large breed or small breed)?
  • Does the new food address the special dietary needs of your puppy?
  • How do the ingredients in the new food compare to the old food?

Pet parents should always feed their puppy a food that’s at least equal to the one they’re currently on. You shouldn’t ever reduce the quality of the food you feed the puppy, so changing to a grocery store brand, for example, isn’t a good idea. Reducing the quality of the puppy’s food can lead to skin, coat, stomach and similar issues.

Addressing Feeding Issues

Puppies will sometimes have challenges with eating. There are many reasons for this, but puppy owners have some options to help the puppy overcome the issues. It’s important that the puppy eats regularly, so consider using these tips if you see your puppy isn’t eating as it should.

  • Avoid feeding your puppy treats until its mealtime routine is well established at your home.
  • Feed your puppy only dry kibble for its meals.
  • Offer pet food twice per day and pick the bowl up after feeding time.
  • Add in canned or wet food only if the puppy’s appetite needs to be stimulated.

Some puppies appear to have feeding issues because their owners try to feed them right after playtime. Puppies may need a little time to rest after they play before they want to eat. This is especially true if they have a high activity level when they play. Giving the puppy time to cool down may also reduce the risk of the puppy having an upset stomach.

Remember, puppies go through growth spurts. Because of this, slight changes in their eating habits usually aren’t anything to worry about. Feeding issues that are serious enough to require a veterinarian’s care don’t happen often, but you should contact the veterinarian’s office if you think your puppy needs their care.

Puppies will need to go potty after they eat, so be sure you allow time for this. You don’t want the puppy to have accidents in the house or associate feeding time with getting in trouble for using the bathroom in the house.

Our team at Your Puppy is ready to help you find the newest member of your family. We’ll discuss your puppy’s current feeding schedule with you so you can gradually move the pup to a schedule that works for your home. Just remember that you have to watch how the puppy handles the transitions. Some puppies might need a longer transition than others.