Canned Food Puppy Diet

Research

• A puppy's diet should be balanced to include proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water. Commercial puppy foods offer a convenient way to provide proper nutrition, but it is important to do research before deciding what food to give your young dog.

  Choose the most natural and healthy puppy food you can afford. The best natural dog foods are high in protein obtained from all natural, human-grade sources. Avoid pesticides, grain gluten, artificial colors, flavorings, and high sugar and fat content. Although not everyone agrees that pet food ingredients such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) and ethoxyquin may be carcinogenic, these synthetic preservatives are, according to Born Free USA and the Animal Protection Institute, "permitted in pet foods at relatively low levels. The use of these chemicals in pet foods has not been thoroughly studied, and long term build-up of these agents may ultimately be harmful."

  Although dogs can't live on human food, the food they eat should be made up of human-grade ingredients, or foods that are approved for human consumption, not labeled 'pet food only.' Always choose foods that use fresh meat or meat meal and make sure the meat is from a named species.

  If the canned food contains grains, look for high quality grains such as brown rice, oatmeal or barley, instead of wheat and corn. Many puppies and dogs do not digest grains well and some grains may cause allergies.

  Pet food manufacturers have developed foods they claim will suffice without supplementation as a puppy's complete diet. The best way to evaluate a food is by observing your puppy to see if she looks healthy, is alert, active and thriving, is eating and drinking water, and has small, formed brown stool.

Feed the right amount

• The amount of food your puppy needs depends on age, breed, gender, activity, temperament, environment and metabolism, and these requirements change as the puppy grows.

  To decrease the risk of skeletal deformities, puppies should be fed the amount needed to grow at average rather than rapid rates for their breed. Large- and giant-breed puppies should be fed a food that contains less energy and calcium to decrease the risk of developmental orthopedic diseases.

Benefits of canned food

• A high-quality canned puppy food made with all natural ingredients will provide the nutrition your puppy needs and will not cause rotting teeth and diseased gums or other ailments. Most pet food manufacturers have produced canned foods created specifically for puppies.

  Here is a list of, though not necessarily recommendations for, some of these canned puppy foods:
  1. Innova Puppy &Large Breed Puppy Formula
  2. IAMS Savory Dinner
  3. Wellness Just For Puppy
  4. Newman's Own®Organics Formula For Puppies
  5. Pedigree Traditional Puppy Food
  6. Eukanuba Mixed Grill Puppy Food
  7. Nutro Ultra Puppy Food
  8. Merrick Puppy Plate
  9. Nutro MAX Large Breed
  10. Nature's Recipe
  11. Pro Plan
  12. AvoDerm
  13. Hill's Science Diet
  14. Evanger's Complete Classic Puppy Dinner
  15. Alpo Classic Ground Puppy Formula

Storing canned food

• Unused portions of canned food should be refrigerated to maintain quality and prevent spoiling until the next feeding. To prevent possible digestion problems related to temperature differences, refrigerated food should be served to puppies at room temperature.

Dry food myth

• Many puppies and dogs seem to prefer canned food, but kibble is less expensive. A major reason dry food is often recommended over canned food is the myth that kibble cleans teeth and canned food causes plaque build-up. According to a number of veterinarians, including Dr. Race Foster, DVM, of Doctors Foster &Smith, "the most important advantage of using dry foods ... is that the abrasive action of eating them is good for the dog's teeth and gums. Dogs that constantly eat any of the softened foods usually have more dental problems ranging from tartar and plaque buildup, to abscesses, tooth loss, and gum disease."

  Some veterinarians still believe the myth that dry food promotes or at least helps maintain dental health, despite scientific studies and reports that refute the idea. According to studies on Dental Diseases conducted by Ellen I. Logan, "Typical dry dog and cat foods contribute little dental cleansing. As a tooth penetrates a kibble or treat the initial contact causes the food to shatter and crumble...providing little or no mechanical cleansing..." Logan also wrote, "In a large epidemiologic survey, dogs consuming dry food alone did not consistently demonstrate improved periodontal health when compared with dogs eating moist foods."

  Dry food won't clean your puppy's teeth any more than eating crackers or pretzels will clean your teeth, nor is canned food any more a culprit than kibble in promoting tooth decay. It is the sugars and syrups added to most low-quality foods, whether dry or canned that are more likely to damage a pet's teeth.