Dog Health care and training information for a new puppy dog owner

Dog Care - Nutrition
Courtesy: Indian Immunologicals Ltd

Feeding
One of the most important consideration with a pup is to give the correct amount of the right food at set time. A week or so before taking your pup home have a word with the breeder from whom you are buying the pet. Know about its correct diet like how many meals a day it takes and so on.

It is probable that the pup will be somewhere around ten to twelve weeks old, and already weaned from its mother milk to solid / semi solid foods. Do not overload its small stomach with food.

What a puppy needs for bone and flesh development is a diet rich in protein, such as fish, eggs, milk and meat. Your pup needs regular meals. The amount at each meal should be no more than what the pup will hungrily eat up. Spread the meals over 15 to 16 hours at about four hours interval.

Breakfast
A cereal and fine biscuits mixed in warm milk with beaten eggs. Also mix a dessert spoon of rusks containing vitamins & essential elements.

Lunch
Lightly cooked minced meat / liver, fish moistened with gravy. Avoid using too much spices in the gravy.

Afternoon: A diet of warm milk.
Evening: Repeat the afternoon meal
Night: Repeat the breakfast meal.

If the meat is from good source it can be fed raw. If not cook the meat before feeding your pup.

During this time it is essential that the pup should have a bowl of fresh •drinking water. Indeed this must continue throughout its life.

By the time it reaches fifteen weeks it will probably start to refuse milk especially at bed time. But do ensure it continues with its bed time biscuits.

At four months the number of feedings can be reduced to four and at six months to two feeds a day. It is at this stage that it can go on to its adult diet.

Daily Food Requirements

Body Weight Calories/Day Canned Semi-Moist Dry
5 lb (2.3 kg) 250 1/3 - 1/2 can 3/4 - 1 cup 1/4 - 3/4 cup
10 lb(4.5 kg) 420 2/3 - 1 can 11/2 cups 3/4- 1 1/4 cups
20 lb (9.1 kg) 700 1 1/2 - 3/4 cans 1 1/5 cups 1 1/4 - 2 1/4 cups
40 lb (18.2 kg) 1200 2 - 3 cans 4 1/4 cups 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups
80 lb (36.4 kg) 2000 3-5 cans 7 1/2 cups 4 - 6 cups
100 1b(45.5 kg) 2400 4 - 6 cans 8 - 9 cups 5 - 8 cups
180 lb(81.8 kg) 3500 6 - 9 cans 12 - 13 cups 7 - 11 cups


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