LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO PROPERLY FUEL YOUR PUPPY!
Have you ever questioned just how much food you should be giving your puppy? You’re not alone; luckily, we have the answers! Providing a puppy with appropriate nutrition not only encourages healthy growth, but also sets up a healthy foundation for adulthood.
It’s important to know the facts before possibly overfeeding your pup. The optimal growth rate in puppies should be gradual. Overfeeding growing pups can accelerate the growth curve causing their bones to grow too fast. This can also cause improper calcification and lead to metabolic bone disease.
If fed too much (or a diet too high protein and fat) your puppy can see an acceleration in the growth curve, allowing them to get too big too fast. This puts an unnecessary strain on their young skeletal system and may cause joint problems throughout their life. Fat levels are a big concern in a puppy’s diet as there is twice the calories in a gram of fat than there is in a gram of protein or carbohydrate. Allowing your puppy to get too heavy when they’re young will put additional stress on their developing skeletal system.
PLAN FOR YOUR PUPPY’S DEVELOPMENT
Dogs’ growth is often looked at in a bell-shaped curve, with puppies typically experiencing the most growth within their first 6 months of life. They will continue to grow and develop for several months longer depending on their breed and size. Smaller breeds typically reach physical maturity before large and giant breeds.
As with dogs of all ages, some breeds require more or less energy due to the inna te nature of their breed. For example, an active Jack Russel Terrier and a slower pace French bulldog may be about the same size but require significantly different energy intakes to maintain a healthy body composition.
BREAKING DOWN THE FORMULA: CALCIUM & PHOSPHOROUS
In 2016, AAFCO released an upper limit for calcium specific to large breed puppy formulas, restricting the calcium level to 1.8%. Research has shown that excessive calcium in a growing puppy’s diet can lead to abnormal joint growth and skeletal problems with age. Too much phosphorus in a puppy’s diet is known to have effects on bone metabolism. Therefore, puppy formulas, especially those that are suited for large breed puppies, are carefully formulated with optimal calcium to phosphorous ratio. AAFCO defines a “large breed” as any breed that will typically grow to weigh 70lbs or more as an adult dog.
Both Annamaet Puppy Formulas have an average lab analysis of calcium below 1.4%.
SUPPORTING INGREDIENTS IN ANNAMAET PUPPY FORMULAS
At A nnamaet, our focus is always fortifying our formulas to fit the needs of your dog—whatever stage of life he’s in. For puppies, L-carnitine helps the body to use fat as an energy source, which is important in puppy formulas to promote healthy body weight. Additionally, zinc is important for immune support. High concentrations of EPA & DHA from fish oil help to promote brain maturation and development.
Our Ohana Puppy Formula uses coconut flour and banana powder with dried chicory root to promote good GI function. The addition of coconut oil leads to enriched medium chain triglycerides in the diet which are utilized more readily than other fats and have been associated with mental acuity. The cod used in Ohana is MSC-certified sustainable and traceable to the boat it was caught on.
Our Annamaet Original Puppy Formula is grain-inclusive, made with chicken meal, ancient grains and fortified with crucial vitamins and minerals that help puppies’ physical and mental development. Annamaet Original Puppy contains optimum levels of calcium for proper growth, as well as mid-range levels of protein and fat, making this formula an excellent choice for puppies of all sizes. Annamaet Original Puppy contains antioxidant-rich dried cranberries & blueberries for added immune support and is 100% corn, soy, and wheat free.
WHEN SHOULD PUPPIES SWITCH TO ADULT FOOD?
Puppies should be fed a food that is formulated to support their growth and development until they have stopped growing. There is no “one size fits all growth chart”. As we mentioned, smaller breeds mature faster, therefore they are typically ready to switch to an adult food around one year, whereas large breeds take slightly longer to mature.