Feeding puppies is a matter that a reasonable owner should take seriously. It is at the age of one year that the foundations of the dog’s health are laid, at which time the final formation of the skeleton and teeth is underway. The condition of the coat, as well as the working qualities of the dog , depends on how proper the puppy's nutrition was.
Of course, the diet of puppies of different breeds can have significant differences. It is clear that babies of a large breed need more intense nutrition than small dogs.
As a rule, the mother feeds the puppies from 30 to 45 days. Do not take away babies earlier than this period, as this can negatively affect their development. Starting from the age of three weeks, you can begin to introduce complementary foods using warm (body temperature) cow (and ideally goat) milk, in which a beaten chicken egg (one piece per 250 milliliters of milk) is added.
The initial dose of complementary foods is 100 grams, and by the age of four weeks it should increase to 400 grams (this amount also includes milk, which is used to make cereals)
At the age of 20-23 days, semi-liquid cereals cooked from rice or buckwheat are introduced into the diet of puppies . From the age of one month puppies can begin to feed from bowls, which should be quite deep and stable.
A couple of days after the start of feeding with milk porridges, the puppies begin to give ground beef or veal, which is subsequently replaced by raw finely chopped meat. The initial serving of meat is 30-35 grams. By the age of one month, the puppy should receive 100 grams of meat per day.
If you take a puppy to the house, then, as a rule, this happens at a time when the baby is 1.5 months old. A change of residence should not greatly affect the baby’s diet, so be sure to ask how the puppies were fed by the breeder.
At the age of 2-2.5 months, puppies need to be fed every three hours, at an older age, the number of feeds is reduced to five times, while increasing portions. At the age of five months, puppies are fed 4 times, after six months - 3 times. And by the age of one, the puppy can be transferred to two meals a day. Do not leave a bowl of food in constant access. At the end of feeding, the dishes should be cleaned, but the container with clean water should be available to the puppy at any time.
So, what to feed puppies at the age of one and a half to two months? The most nutritious and perfect food for the dog is meat products. Raw meat must always be present in the puppy's diet, and care must be taken so that the product that is fed to the puppies is perfectly fresh!
Some offal, for example, stomachs, can be given to puppies exclusively in boiled form, however, it must be remembered that when boiled, meat loses almost half of its useful substances. Organizing the feeding of puppies, you need to remember that fatty meat is contraindicated for dogs, and a type of meat product such as pork should be completely excluded from the diet.
Once a week, it’s useful for the puppy to give raw fish, sliced. Ocean dogs should be purchased for dogs, as river fish are often infected with worms. Also, once a week it is worth giving a raw egg, which must be mixed with other foods.
Puppy nutrition will be inadequate if vegetables and cereals are not included in the diet. Raw vegetables should be given grated, as well as slices, so that the puppy, gnawing them, cleaned his teeth. Potatoes need to be given infrequently and only in boiled form.
But various sweets, including sweets, should be completely excluded from the diet, such nutrition will not bring any benefit to the puppy.
Be sure to give babies vitamin supplements - calcium gluconate, phytin, ground chalk, fish oil. A five-month-old puppy should receive a tablespoon of fish oil per day, next to a bowl of water should put a container in which will be brewer's yeast and pieces of chalk. It is useful for two-month-old puppies to regularly give cartilage raw, but in limited quantities. And starting from six months - soft calf bones.
The food given to puppies should have a temperature of about 30 degrees. Never give your pets frozen or overheated food.