Overview
Whether you feed your dog a canned food or dry dog food, you must ensure that it gets all of the nutrition it needs. The only way to do this is to feed the puppy a quality puppy food. You should pick a food that your puppy enjoys that contains all of the necessary nutrients for it to grow properly. Once you find an appropriate food, you should feed the same food to your puppy until it is a year old. Unlike humans, puppies don't need a varied diet.
Cost Considerations
If cost is a factor when you are deciding what puppy food you will buy, it is vital that you pick the highest quality food you can afford. Many generic brands are less expensive because they use a lot of fillers and by-products. These ingredients aren't good for your dog and don't provide any nutrition.
Ingredients to Avoid
When you purchase a new puppy food, you need to read the ingredients on the label. Some lesser quality dog foods use preservatives that your puppy can't fully digest. These include BHT and BHA. If you see either of those on the ingredients list, it is best to bypass that bag of food.
Protein
When you look at the ingredients list, at least two of the first five ingredients should be protein products. The ingredients are listed by volume. These can be lamb, beef, chicken, venison or turkey. Some foods may have the word 'meal' listed after the protein source, which is fine. However, if the word 'byproducts' is listed after the protein, the food should be avoided. The protein content should never be higher than 25 percent for puppies.
Grains
Some dog foods contain grains that aren't easily digested by puppies. These grains include wheat, corn (including cornmeal), and soy. Foods containing these ingredients should be avoided. Brown rice, millet, barley, rolled oats and quinoa are all easily digested by puppies, which makes them good grains. Foods containing these grains are good options.
Regulatory Information
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) helps to ensure that dog food is nutritious and safe for dogs. When you look for a puppy food, you should check the label to ensure that, at a minimum, it meets the AAFCO requirements. If it does, it will have the AAFCO logo or seal on the bag. Smaller bags may have only a statement that it meets these requirements.
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