What Foods Can You Feed a Papillon Puppy?

The Papillon is a breed of small dog that typically weighs no more than 10 pounds. These dogs are attractive pets due to their playful, affectionate nature and silky coats. Papillons require very small but frequent feedings. General guidelines are available on foods that will help a Papillon puppy grow to be a healthy adult.

  1. Dry Food

    • Dry dog food is a good food for a Papillon puppy, though food designed for small dogs is best. Dry dog food contains a lot of nutrients in a small amount of food. It may be necessary to try different dry dog foods, as some dogs can have an allergic reaction to different ingredients in dry dog foods. Feeding a Papillon puppy only dry dog food may cause problems, as dry dog food often contains sodium, which in turn causes excessive thirst and may cause a dog to urinate frequently. This is a problem with puppies, which may not be housebroken.

    Wet Food

    • Papillon puppies can be fed small amounts of moist dog food, and most dogs prefer moist foods. However, moist foods can cause tartar buildup and gum disease; dogs fed with moist foods only also tend toward obesity. Many Papillon owners feed their dogs a mixture of both dry and moist foods to gain the benefits of both. Papillons can be fed different meats, both raw and cooked. These are a good addition to a Papillon's diet, though cooked meats are safer.

    Fruits and Vegetables

    • Although dogs are typically thought of as carnivores, dogs can and should eat vegetable matter. Dogs are able to eat many different fruits and vegetables, such as green beans, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, apples and bananas. These and other fruits and vegetables are good for a Papillon and provide important vitamins to its diet. However, some fruits, such as grapes, are not good for dogs, and because Papillons are so small, it does not take much of a bad food to make them sick. Always check the safety of a food before feeding a dog fruits or vegetables.

    Eggs

    • Eggs contain a lot of protein and are very easily digested by dogs. This makes eggs an ideal food for supplementing a Papillon puppy's diet, and many dogs enjoy eating eggs as a treat. Eggs help promote good health and a good coat in dogs. Boil eggs to ensure that there are no bacteria in the egg that can harm the dog before giving an egg to a dog.