Natural Puppy Food — Advice on natural puppy food for your special dog!

Dental Care for Your Puppy’s Health

If you’re here reading about natural puppy food, chances are you’re concerned about all aspects of your puppy’s health. Are you aware that dental hygiene is as important for puppies as it is for humans?

Just like in people, dogs’ teeth can gather plaque after eating. When plaque builds up and hardens it becomes a coarse brown substance called tartar. As tartar accumulates it can work its way under the gums and cause painful infections and gum disease. This goes on in the mouths of dogs just like it does in people. You brush your teeth every day, probably more than once. What does your dog do?

Teeth Brushing for Puppies

Veterinarians recommend that dog owners brush their dog’s teeth at least twice a week to keep the buildup of tartar at a minimum. Most pet supply stores carry specially designed toothbrushes and toothpaste just for dogs. Remember that a dog’s sense of taste and smell is far more acute than that of a human and the zesty, tingly, mint taste of toothpastes for people will be extremely awful to a dog. Try brushing Belle’s teeth with a peppermint flavored toothpast just once and it will likely be the last time she lets you anywhere near her with a toothbrush. Use the specially designed doggie toothpaste instead.

Dental Chew

Some people don’t have the time or patience to brush their dogs’ teeth on a regular basis. If you’re one of these folks, don’t feel badly. You’ll just need to care for your puppy’s teeth in another way. A dog’s natural tendency to chew is a built-in dental care mechanism. Dog biscuits break into small chunks when chewed and rub against the teeth, providing a cleaning service. There’s no substitute for brushing your dog’s teeth, but if you can’t do that, make sure he gets some sort of crunchy dog biscuit on a regular basis.

Mouth Diseases in Dogs

Dogs that do not receive proper dental care and do not have access to crunchy teeth cleaning foods run the risk of several types of mouth disease. These can be as mild as gingivitis (a gum disease that results in swollen, inflamed gums) and as serious as a bacterial infection that can spread through the dog’s bloodstream causing damage to vital organs. You owe it to yourself and your dog to take care of his teeth.

Doggie Dentistry

Dental services are available for dogs, just like they are for people. A dog’s teeth can be filled, capped, and extracted if necessary, just like a human’s. The best course of action, however, is to avoid the need for such services by properly caring for your dog’s teeth. If you can avoid unnecessary pain and discomfort for your furry friend, you should do so. Preventative doggie dental care can save you money as well. Doggie dental procedures can be quite costly.

Image credit: www.copyright-free-pictures.org.uk

The Problem with Homemade Dog Food

There’s really no problem with feeding your dog homemade dog food, as long as you do it right. The problem is that it’s hard to do it right. Unless you’re truly dedicated, have the money to afford the ingredients, and understand your dog’s nutritional needs and how to balance the ingredients properly, you’re probably better off buying high quality commercial dog food.

Dogs descended from wolves and originally they were carnivores, primarily eating meat. Now, however, after 15,000 to 30,000 years of domestication, dogs have evolved into omnivores that are able to digest both meat and plant matter. Sound familiar? People are omnivores too.

Dogs still prefer eating meat and meat-based foods, but if supplemented properly with amino acids and various other essential nutrients, a dog can eat a diet high in plant-based proteins. And this brings us back to homemade dog food. Is it a good idea?

As mentioned above, in order to do a good job making your own dog food, you have to understand your dog’s nutritional needs and how to balance the ingredients properly. You also have to have the time and dedication to prepare the food yourself. If you do happen to possess all those characteristics, the dog food you make yourself can be tasty and just as nutritious as commercial dog food – maybe even better. And you, not some company that imports them from China, would be in control of all the ingredients.

You’ll find dozens of recipes for homemade dog food and homemade treats if you search online. A wide range of meats, fruits, grains, veggies and seeds can be used as ingredients. Just keep in mind that certain foods are fine for people but toxic to dogs. Among others, they include raisins, grapes, chocolate, onions, avocado, tomatoes and macadamia nuts. Some dogs love some of these foods, but avoid them scrupulously for your dog’s sake.

A Healthy Dog Starts with a Healthy Puppy

We all want the best for our dogs, but when faced with a wall filled with different dog food choices it can be confusing to choose the best natural puppy food.

Here is the best advice I can give you: As a general rule, stay away from are foods that contain byproducts, fillers, or any other ingredients that are hard to digest.

You might be surprised to learn that some of the better-known puppy food brands fall into that category. Puppy food brands to avoid include Alpo, Ol’ Roy, Winalot and Kibbles ‘N’ Bits. Feeding your puppy any of these would be like you having fast-food at every meal!

Recommended puppy food brands

A good natural puppy food choice would be Canidae, Orijen, Nature’s Variety, Flint River, Solid Gold, Merrick, Artemis, Wellness, Taste Of The Wild, California Natural, Innova, Blue Buffalo, or EVO.

I should mention that if you’re considering a different brand that’s not mentioned on the list above, don’t assume it’s not good just because I haven’t listed it. There are new brands of good dog food coming onto the market all the time, so just because I haven’t specifically mentioned it on the list above, don’t assume that it’s not a good dog food. The important thing is to look at the list of ingredients to see if the dog food contains low-quality byproducts, fillers, or any other “mystery ingredients”.

Another reason to choose good quality puppy food

Another reason why it’s important to read the list of ingredients is so that you know what foods your dog is ingesting. Many veterinarians believe that more and more dogs are developing dog food allergies. In fact, 5 to 10% of skin disorders in dogs are caused by food allergy.

If you see a dog that is constantly scratching, don’t assume that it’s fleas. It might be dog food allergies.

Dogs are developing food allergies in increasing numbers. While we don’t know the reason for this, we do know that it likely has something to do with the ingredients in modern dog foods.

Hopefully you’ll never have to deal with dog food allergies. It can be such an ongoing trial. One tip I can give you is if your dog ever does develop a dog food allergy, the first thing your vet will want to know is what ingredients your dog has eaten over his or her lifetime. That’s why it’s a good idea to save an empty bag of whatever foods you puppy eats.

While natural puppy food won’t guarantee that your dog never develops food allergies, it will keep him as healthy as possible. And it follows that a dog with a strong immune system will be more resistant to allergies.

Best Large-Breed Puppy Food

There are definitely some considerations you should take into account when selecting the best large-breed puppy food for your precious puppy. Large-breed puppies have special nutritional needs. They grow fast, they get big, and they get heavy.

If you own a giant- or large-breed puppy (Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, Mastiff, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, etc.), make sure you feed her a natural puppy food that’s been formulated specifically for large-breed puppies.

These pups grow extremely quickly, but their growth rate needs to be regulated so that they develop properly. A quality large-breed puppy food is designed to control growth rates while providing the nutritional support that the puppies need for proper muscular and skeletal development.

Recommended Large-Breed Puppy Food

Many of the top-rated dog food companies (Innova, Orijen, Wellness, and so forth) make excellent large-breed puppy foods in both canned and kibble varieties. The best large-breed puppy foods contain the proper amounts and balance of protein, phosphorus, calcium and fat to promote proper bone formation, along with glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for healthy joints despite the stress imposed by a large puppy’s weight. Of course, the best large-breed puppy foods also contain all the other ingredients every puppy needs to develop properly.

Dry, Wet or Semi-Moist: Types of Puppy Food Formulations

When looking for the best large-breed puppy food (or puppy food for any size breed, for that matter), it’s helpful to understand the different types of puppy food formulations.

Basically puppy food falls into three main categories: 1) dry, 2) wet and 3) semi-moist. Let’s take a closer look at each of these three types of puppy food.

As its name implies, dry dog food has a very low moisture content, in many cases well under 15%. Wet dog food (canned) includes far more moisture than kibble (a moisture content of 65-75% is pretty typical) and often is more visually appealing than kibble – to people, anyway. Dogs don’t care what their food looks like – to them, it’s how it tastes and smells that’s important. But most dogs seem to consider canned food the ultimate in tastiness, after “people food,” anyway. Semi-moist dog food typically is sold in pouches or bags, includes a fair amount of moisture (25 to 35%) and generally is gobbled up by dogs.

Dry or Wet is Fine, But Avoid Semi-Moist Puppy Foods

When we consider the three types of puppy food formulations (dry, wet and semi-moist), I can say with confidence that both dry puppy food (kibble) and wet puppy food (cans or tins) are fine to feed your puppy. However, I can’t say the same about semi-moist puppy food.

Why don’t I like semi-moist puppy foods? Unfortunately, although many dogs love it, most semi-moist dog foods are loaded with artificial chemicals, dyes and other additives. It’s just part of the manufacturing process that enables the “half-way between dry and wet” nature of semi-moist puppy food. I simply cannot recommend feeding this type of food to your dog for that one simple reason.

Where Can You Find Deals on Large Breed Puppy Food?

As with dog food for adults, in general, the more you pay for puppy food, the better quality it will be. There aren’t really any “deals” on puppy food, other than looking for sales and using coupons whenever possible. Try to stay away from the cheapest, highly discounted puppy foods. There’s a reason they’re priced that way, and it isn’t anything good. The cheapest deal is definitely not going to get you the best large-breed puppy food.

Soft or Hard Dog Food? Consider These Facts Before Making Your Choice

Once you’ve decided to feed your puppy only natural puppy food, you still have an other dog food decision to make: soft or hard dog food? This decision can be confusing to many of us.

Dogs certainly enjoy eating soft wet canned dog food. Soft dog food offers your dog a more natural and aromatic type of food compared to dry kibble in a bag. However, dry food and other crunchy items are essential for the dental health of your pet. So, as a dog owner wanting the very best for your dog, what is the best strategy?

Some dog owners choose to give their pet the best of both worlds by mixing a portion of canned and dry dog food to satisfy their needs. Anytime you feed your dog canned dog food, you need to supplement with some form of crunchy, chewy food. If you don’t want to feed your dog dry dog food, you can use dog treats such as dog biscuits. In addition, your dog can exercise her jaw with chew toys.

Whether you choose to feed your dog wet or dry food, you need to provide your dog with something that gives a regular teeth and jaw workout. While visiting the veterinarian for checkups, the vet will examine your dogs teeth and will alert or warn you of any issue that needs attending and correcting with a different type of dog food, more opportunities to chew, or even dietary supplements.

Dogs require hard materials to chew on, since this will offer their powerful jaw muscles a good workout and help to strengthen their teeth. It also offers them an ideal form of dental care. As a dog owner, you should brush your dog’s teeth at least twice weekly. However, if this is not possible, hard crunchy foods can make up the difference. You can provide this essential difference by offering your dog items such as kibble and or dog biscuits, since these acts as a natural means for brushing dog teeth. Hard chew items can also help loosen the build up of plaque and tartar.

It is essential that you choose the best natural puppy food, since this sets the stage and maintains your puppy’s good dental health as well as nutritional requirements. If you would rather feed your dog wet, soft and tasty can foods it will be just fine, but do make sure that your dog also has access to things that he can give a good chew.

Natural Puppy Food Recommendations

j0227571 One good reason to feed your puppy natural puppy food is that it will result in a healthier puppy. And not just in the obvious ways such as shiny coat and lots of energy – a healthy diet made up of natural puppy food will address myriad puppy issues. For example, are you bothered by smelly gas from your puppy? It’s likely the food which is giving her gas. A good quality natural puppy food can fix that problem.

What defines a good quality natural puppy food? Look for one that has no wheat, no soybeans, no corn, no animal fat, no poultry fat, no by-products, no sugar added, and no artificial preservatives added.

Recommended natural puppy food…

Solid Gold
Wellness
Organix
Orijen
California Naturals
Innova
Innova-EVO
Nature’s Variety
Nature’s Recipe
Sensible Choices

The last two aren’t as high in quality as the rest on the list, but they are far better quality than majority of the supermarket brands, and are in the more affordable price range (40 pounds for under $40).

Trial and error…

In all honesty, trial and error is all you can do to see which one is best for your particular animal. For some, they simply cannot tolerate a grain free kibble as it’s too high in protein and just too rich for their systems. For others, they thrive on the grain free. Still others do better on a strictly raw diet, while others actually have had better success on lower quality feed. Every animal is different. Good luck choosing a natural puppy food that works for your puppy.

Puppy Food to Avoid

It can be confusing to choose the best natural puppy food for your special pup. As a general rule, stay away from are foods that contain byproducts, fillers, or any other ingredients that are hard to digest. You might be surprised to learn that some of the better-known puppy food brands fall into that category.

Puppy food brands to avoid…

Alpo
Ol’ Roy
Winalot
Kibbles ‘N’ Bits

Feeding your puppy any of these would be like you having McDonald’s at every meal!

So what’s a good natural puppy food?

As mentioned elsewhere on this website, good natural puppy food choices are (in no particular order):

Canidae
Orijen
Nature’s Variety
Flint River
Solid Gold
Merrick
Artemis
Wellness
Taste Of The Wild
California Natural
Innova
Blue Buffalo
EVO

It’s important to find a natural puppy food that works for your puppy and your budget.

Dog Food Allergies

Five common causes of dog itch

• Fleas and flea allergy. dog-food-allergy
• Bacterial and fungal skin infections.
• Mites, which cause mange and scabies
• Irritants or environmental factors that irritate a dog’s skin on contact.
• Allergies

My neighbour’s eight month old Labrador Retriever puppy could not stop scratching. He developed lots of “hot spots.” His hair fell out, first a little, then a lot. And he didn’t seem to feel well. His owners took him to the vet to be evaluated and treated for his itching. They didn’t know anything about food allergies. What they learned, surprised them.

Dog food allergy?

It might surprise some dog owners to learn that many dogs are plagued by a range of allergies. Even more surprising, about 30% of allergic dogs are allergic to food. Their dog food allergy causes them to itch, scratch, lick and bite their skin. But dogs itch and scratch, right? Any dog owner knows that. In fact, many veterinarians say that the majority of their calls and visits are about dogs with dry or itchy skin. Dogs get pests like fleas, mites and ticks. But pests and parasites are not necessarily what’s causing your dog to itch. In some cases the itching and scratching is caused by allergies.

What is allergy, really?

An allergy occurs when a dog’s immune system mistakes something normal for a dangerous substance. These normally safe substances are called allergens. They trigger an abnormal immunologic reaction, which causes release of many chemicals that cause itching. An allergic reaction then occurs.

The most common form of dog allergy is called inhalant allergy, or atopy. It occurs when a dog reacts to things in the environment, like pollen, dust mites, mold, and grass. A human with this type of allergy starts to sneeze and sniffle, and the allergy is called hay fever. But while there might be the occasional sneeze or runny eye, for the most part, a dog starts to itch. He has inhalant allergy.

When a dog eats, the protein in his food is digested, and substances called glycoproteins pass into his bloodstream. In some dogs, the glycoprotein is recognized as a foreign substance, and the chemicals that cause itching are released. With dogs, the reaction shows up in the skin, with severe itching, usually all over the body. The dog has a dog food allergy. The reaction only occurs to proteins the dog has already been eating. His body becomes “sensitized” to certain glycoproteins over time. Once started, the reactions will occur whenever he eats food with the offending protein source.

Not surprisingly, the foods most commonly involved in dog food allergies are the foods that, over the years, have been used the most in dog food.

8 common allergens in dog food

• Beef
• Chicken
• Wheat
• Corn
• Soybeans
• Pork
• Eggs
• Dairy products

Many veterinarians believe that more and more dogs are developing dog food allergies. At this time no one knows the reason. 5 to 10% of skin disorders in dogs are caused by food allergy. Some veterinarians believe that as many as 80% of dogs with inhalant allergy also have dog food allergy.

Dog breeds with higher risk of dog food allergy

• Retrievers
• Dachshunds
• Soft-Coated Wheaton Terriers
• West-Highland White Terriers
• Collies
• Shar Pei
• Springer Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels
• Dalmatians
• Boxers
• Lhasa Apsos
• Miniature Schnauzers
• German Shepherds

Any very itchy dog has at least a 5% chance of having a dog food allergy. If the dog has been evaluated and treated for the other common causes of itching, food allergy must be considered.

Best Puppy Food

From my research into natural dog food, it seems that one of the most highly recommended brands of commercial natural puppy food is Wellness. Other good brands include Orijen, Canadie and Natural Balance. All four of these brands are available at the big pet supply stores such as PetSmart and Petco.

If you prefer to cook your own natural puppy food, that’s also a good option – as long as the ingredients you use are good quality and your puppy is getting all the protein, iron and other nutrients to meet its special nutritional needs. A good recipe for natural puppy food is cooked scrambled eggs or cooked chicken breast mixed in a blender with brown rice and cooked vegetables such as cauliflower, carrots, and green beans.

But do you have to do your own cooking in order to feed your puppy natural puppy food? Does it need to be just human food? Not necessarily. In addition to the three brands of natural puppy food I mentioned above, there are more good brands of commercial natural puppy food that you can feed. Or you can mix the human food half and half with a good quality wet puppy food to make sure that your puppy is getting all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients needed.

If you want to feed your puppy a completely natural puppy food (i.e. not mixing it with any commercial dog food) then I’d recommend you consult the ebook Dog Food Secrets. It is a well-researched resource that contains lots of recipes for all natural puppy food.

Natural Puppy Food Advice

When first born, puppies get the most all-natural puppy food possible – mother’s milk! By about four and a half weeks, the puppies will begin eating solid puppy food. This weaning process will most likely be complete by the time you adopt your puppy.

But if you find yourself with a puppy that is not yet fully weaned, you can start feeding it a mixture of solid puppy food mixed with a little water or milk to soften it. Your puppy will lap this up like they are drinking, but will be taking food in at the same time. Reduce the amount of liquid by a little each day until eventually your puppy is eating the solid puppy food on its own.

What to feed a puppy

Puppies have different nutritional requirements than adult dogs, just as human children have different needs than adult people.Make sure that you select a natural puppy food that is appropriate for your dog’s stage in life. Young puppies need a lot of calories and nutrients to support their growth and development. In fact, for the first month or so after they are weaned, puppies need about twice the amount of nutrients per pound of body weight as they do when they are adults. For this reason, a puppy should be fed a premium puppy food specially formulated with higher levels of protein, iron and other nutrients to meet its special nutritional needs.

From my research into hypoallergenic dog food, it seems that some of the highest rated brands of all-natural puppy food are those made by Wellness, Orijen and Natural Balance. All three of these premium puppy food brands are available at the big pet supply stores such as PetSmart and Petco.

Make a gradual transition

Don’t try to wean your puppy directly from mother’s milk to dry puppy food. Remember, up to this point your puppy has just been drinking, not eating. You need to make a gradual transition from drinking to eating. Mix the puppy food with warm water to make it easier for the puppy to lap up. Your puppy will probably eat up the whole dish, but if he doesn’t, discard the uneaten portion (wet puppy food or moistened dry puppy food left at room temperature for more than a couple of hours can spoil).

Another reason why it’s important to moisten the food is that your puppy just has temporary baby teeth. Although these teeth may seem very strong when they nip you, in actual fact they are not suitable for crunching through dry puppy food. But by about four months of age, the temporary puppy teeth will fall out and gradually be replaced by permanent teeth. At this time the water used to moisten the dry puppy food can be reduced or gradually eliminated.

How much to feed a puppy

You know that expression “his eyes are bigger than his stomach”? That’s particularly true when it comes to feeding puppies. A puppy will gobble up lots of food but the stomach is simply not large enough to hold enough food at one time to provide its daily requirement of needed nutrients. For this reason, you need to feed your puppy at least three times a day until she is about five months old. At that point you can reduce her feeding schedule to twice a day.

And a reminder…

When purchasing your natural puppy food, be sure to buy the puppy food formula, not the adult formula. And remember that even though the premium natural puppy food brands are more expensive than supermarket brands, in the long run a healthier dog means lower vet bills.

← Previous Entries