Alternative Puppy Foods

A new puppy is a playful little creature that gives its human companions unconditional love. It's important for pet owners to remember, however, that a puppy still requires a far greater degree of care and attention than a full-grown dog. This is especially true when it comes to what a puppy eats. Pet owners are increasingly exploring alternative puppy foods beyond those found in the typical supermarket.

  1. Nutritional Needs

    • During a puppy's first few weeks of life, it should look slightly chubby, in the same way chubbiness in a baby indicates health. If 12 to 13 weeks, the puppy still appears a bit heavy, it probably means you are feeding it too much. Any food you choose to feed your puppy must include plenty of protein (which nourishes growing muscle, skin, coat, organs and tissues), calcium (important for healthy bones), phosphorous and Omega fatty acids, which aid the development of a healthy immune system while keeping the skin and coat healthy.

    Homemade Puppy Food

    • One way to ensure your puppy is getting high-quality food that meets its nutritional requirements is to make it yourself, using ingredients that are free of chemicals, pesticides and hormones. The food must contain the appropriate amounts of protein and calcium for your dog's size and breed, as too little calcium or too much calcium can have negative effects. A nutritionist or your dog's veterinarian can provide you with recipes for a homemade puppy food. The Dog Nutrition Advice website provides a sample recipe of food for a small-breed dog that combines 2 cups of meat or poultry, 2 cups of cooked sweet potatoes, 1 cup of canned mackerel, 4 ounces of liver, 2 large eggs that have been either boiled or scrambled, 2 tablespoons of bone meal, one teaspoon of kelp and 800 IU of vitamin E. The food can be frozen for future use.

    Organic Puppy Food

    • An easier alternative to homemade food that may yield similar results is ready-made organic puppy food, which is typically made from human-grade ingredients. Because most mass-produced puppy food contains hormones and chemicals that can impede the development of a dog's immune system, organic ingredients are a healthier option. Labels can be misleading with respect to so-called organic products, so it's important to do some research and read labels before choosing a food. There are no federal guidelines regulating the use of the term "organic" in pet food -- a product may be billed as being organic when the raw materials used to make it are not. If the ingredients include pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, artificial colors or food additives, the product may not be as natural as its label would have you believe.

    Raw Food

    • Some pet owners believe that domesticated puppies should eat the same food their wild forebears ate, which was raw food. Adherents to the raw food diet sometimes use the acronym "BARF," which stands for either "Bones and Raw Food" or "Biologically Appropriate Raw Food." While the raw food diet is becoming more widely used, exercise caution. According to a study published in the "Journal of American Veterinary Medicine," three popular raw-food diets -- the Billinghurst, Schultze and Volhard diets -- were tested and found to contain inadequate nutrition for puppies. The website Dog-Nutrition-Advice points out that some dog breeders feel that the typical BARF diet contains too much bone in relation to other materials, and doesn't contain the nutrients needed for growth.