There's no time in a dogs life when your choice of food is quite as critical as the puppy stage. Those weeks and months after weaning set the tone for your puppy's health for the rest of it's life. During this time of physical development, the foundation is formed for the growth of muscles, skeleton, strong teeth and internal organs. In addition, the immune system, brain, cognitive and nerve function all come together in a pretty short time. This is one time, when you can't afford to make any mistakes that can't be reversed later in life.
The best thing you can do when choosing your puppy chow is READ THE PACKAGING! Puppies thrive on a varied diet of meats complemented with smaller amounts of fruits, vegetables and grasses. They need animal protein for healthy growth and building strong organs, skin and coat. Your puppies diet should be higher in proteins and lower in carbohydrates. They need a balance of meats, fruits, vegetables and grasses that they might find if they were in a wilderness type area. At this age, puppy foods that contains a lot of grains or carbohydrates are inappropriate. In place of cereal grains such as wheat and corn, make sure your puppy gets his carbohydrates through fruits and vegetables like sweet potato, black currants, apple and cranberry. These ingredients can all be found in good, dry puppy chow from reputable companies. You'll find some of the better organic and premium dog foods and puppy chow on my web site.
Other excellent ingredients to look for are fresh, unrendered chicken and fish oils which supply a great source of essential fatty acids that dogs cannot produce themselves (including DHA and EPA). Look for botanicals that include psyllium and chicory root, dandelion, sweet fennel and peppermint leaf. They all seem to replicate a natural canine diet, along with soothing, nourishing and toning the digestive tract. They also strengthen the liver and control insulin levels.
I have a great respect for veterinarians, but most are not specialty trained as nutritionists. Often, they'll suggest a highly advertised product from the big pet food companies. These big companies are known for cutting corners to make a pet food sound like top quality, charging outrageous prices for supposed "premium" foods and wracking up record profits in the multi-billion dollar dog food market.
Steer clear of anything with "by-products". Commercial or rendered meat meals along with by-product meals are often contaminated because their source isn't always slaughtered animals. Meat meal also includes animals that have died from disease, injury, or natural causes. They may not be rendered until some time has passed after the animals death. Those carcases are often contaminated with bacteria such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli. E. Coli bacteria is estimated to be found in more than half of meat meal. Cooking may kill bacteria, but it doesn't eliminate the endotoxins that some bacteria release when they die. Endotoxins cause sickness and disease. Most big dog food manufacturers do not test their products for endotoxins.
I hope the previous paragraph was a wake up call. It's really just the tip of the iceberg, when it comes to some of the ingredients found in many of the big commercial companies that manufacture dog food and puppy chow. There are many more instances of neglect. For instance, many popular pet foods may contain Mycotoxins from poorly stored and processed ingredients. These toxins comes from mold or fungi and are most prevalent in grains like wheat and corn, cottonseed meal, peanut meal, and fish meal that are not well cared for and used in a timely manner.
Remember to feed your puppy smaller meals more frequently each day. Most puppies don't have the digestive capacity to absorb the nutrients in fewer, larger meals. Large breed puppies have different needs and development stages than small breeds. Overfeeding them can have severe orthopedic problems. Small breed puppies have a different reason for not overfeeding. They have such small stomachs, that they just can't take much food at a time. If you try to feed them big meals, fewer times per day, they can't handle it. With very young, small puppies, the time in between feedings becomes an issue, as they need regular small feeding to avoid hypoglycemia.
The puppy food you choose now will have long term consequences, as your pal grows into the dog that's at your side for a long, long time. Those first 12 months on the right organic puppy food will set the course for the rest of your lives. Make the right decisions.
My name is Steve Benedict and I love working with dogs. If you're interested in finding out more on the best puppy chow [http://www.dogfoodnaturally.com/top-rated-dog-food.html], visit my web site. It's evolving as great place to find answers to everything from all natural dog food to online stores for hard to find dog products. If you're serious about your dog's health and happiness, visit [http://www.dogfoodnaturally.com]. I think you'll enjoy it!
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