PUPPY NUTRITION
Puppy
nutrition should cover four important periods.
 PREGNANCY
A puppy's initial nourishment is linked to the mother. Any
deficiencies in her diet over a prolonged period, will be
passed to her litter. The most important stage of pregnancy
is the last third, from six weeks onwards. This is when over
75% of the puppies weight is developed. This is also the period
when there is an efficient flow of nutrients from the mother
to the puppies, which will be beneficial during the first
few weeks after birth.
BIRTH
TO 6 WEEKS
Feeding the puppies places a demand on the mother to eat,
digest and absorb very large amounts of food/nutrients. This
then enables her to produce sufficient milk to support the
growth and development of a number of puppies.
The
following is a feed guide for the mother;
WEEK
1
You may need to feed the mother up to 150% of the recommended
feed rate of Extra/Mini or a mix, 50/50 with maintenance.
WEEK 2
You may need to feed the mother up to 200% of the recommended
feed rate of Extra/Mini or a mix, 50/50 with maintenance.
WEEK 3 TO WEANING
You may need to feed the mother up to 300% of the recommended
feed rate of Extra/Mini or a mix, 50/50 with maintenance.
At this stage the mothers milk provides the only nutrition
to the puppies. Most of the puppies antibodies will have passed
from the mother during the final days of the pregnancy. These
antibodies will last for the first 8 weeks of life. With all
breeds it is important that weaning ( changing the puppies
diet from mothers milk to dog food. ) does not begin until
the end of the third week after birth. This process should
be done gradually taking up to 10 days to change the puppies
onto the food. The Burns food can be mixed with tepid water
to moisten and made into a porridge. The puppies will need
4 meals a day as well as still feeding a small amount from
the mother. The gradual introduction of dry food will encourage
the puppies to learn to chew and this may be started at around
5-6 weeks of age.
PUPPIES
SHOULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM THEIR MOTHER UNTILL FULLY WEANED
AROUND 6-8 WEEKS OF AGE. 6-12 WEEKS
At 8 weeks the immunity passed on by the mother loses its
effectiveness. This is an especially vulnerable time for puppies
as they have yet to develop their own immune system. They
also undergo a number of stressful changes such as; - Removal
from the mother - Vaccination programmes - Diet changes -
Exposure to new bacterial challenges.
OPTIMUM
NUTRITION FOR THIS STAGE IS VITAL
It may prove beneficial not to change the diet during this
6-12 week period. Adding vegetables to the diet can only benefit
the puppies as they are natural anti-oxidants.
12
WEEKS TO ADULT
Up to 6 months of age the general feeding guide is the same
for nearly all puppies. The next period of growth needs to
be carefully controlled to provide a healthy future. Smaller
breeds develop to adult weight more rapidly than larger breeds,
and their energy requirements will reduce at an earlier age.
At this stage the puppies rib cage should still be visible,
but with a slightly thicker layer of fat. Their overall condition
should be closely monitored as this is also the time when
the puppies are most efficient at converting energy to fat.
An
overweight puppy leads to an overweight adult. Between 3 and
7 months of age a puppy will develop its adult teeth. At this
time the puppy's eating habits may change due to the sensitivity
of its gums. This causes the puppy to take longer at feeding
time. To increase acceptance during this time you can moisten
the food with a little tepid water to soften it. NB; Hot water
should never be used as it can destroy the heat sensitive
vitamins. Changing to adult food, Burns maintenance, should
be dictated by the puppy's activity, health and condition.
The changeover should be made gradually over 5 days so that
the puppy's digestion is not upset.
NUTRITION
OF GIANT BREEDS
With Giant breeds the difference between appetite and requirement
is vast and therefore there is more chance of these breeds
becoming obese. This can be accentuated by owners wrongly
believing a rapidly growing puppy is healthy and then fed
more than is required. Excessive growth at this stage may
also lead to bone abnormalities. Exercise is important, but
should not be instigated too early or too vigorously. As a
general rule a puppy should be fed 4 x daily for the first
third of its growth to adult size. 3 x daily for the middle
third and 2 x daily for the remaining third and probably for
the rest of its life.
DIGESTIVE
UPSET
Loose bowel motions, vomiting, straining, passing blood or
mucus are all signs of upset digestion. Dogs which are prone
to digestive upset are likely to be able to tolerate less
food than average. It is better to feed slightly less food
which will properly be absorbed rather than a larger quantity
which could cause an upset.
FEEDING
GUIDE
Burns Mini Bites can be fed to all puppies from 3 weeks onwards
and is suitable for both large and small breeds. It is difficult
to give exact feed rates for puppies as each is an individual
and each puppy's requirements are different. You may wish
to feed your puppy to appetite, if this is done, please remember
that if your puppy has loose bowel motions then the feed rate
may be too high, even though the puppy would like to eat that
volume. Burns is a complete food and it is recommended that
no other foods are given. Vegetables and rice may be added
to the diet for variety but no protein sources are advised.
Puppies need worming on a regular basis and they need to have
their puppy injections for their health. All puppies should
be introduced to your vet so the general health and well-
being of your puppy can be checked.
Any information above is given in good faith
by our Nutritional advisors and may not necessarily reflect
the opinion of Burns Pet Nutrition. The advice of Burns Pet
Nutrition or a qualified veterinary surgeon should always
be sought before changes are made to the diet in the nutritional
management of health problems.
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