Key Tips to Keep Your Puppy Fit & Healthy

Diet and exercise: how to ensure your puppy grows into a fit and healthy dog

There are so many things you will have learnt about your new puppy when you first brought him home, not the least of which was be his diet. What you choose to feed him will depend on both of you, but bear in mind that a growing puppy needs more calories, minerals, protein and vitamins than a grown up dog.

There are so many commercial pet foods out there these days, and the price and quality varies hugely. So that you can make the best and right choice for your puppy, it will help if you have an understanding of the composition of the foods available.

What's on the menu for your puppy?

Chicken, liver, soy, rice, corn and oil. These are the raw materials that go into your puppy's food. But it's the quality of the ingredients that determines the digestibility and nutritional value of the diet you choose.

These ingredients provide the essential nutrients for your puppy: protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals. But it's important that these nutrients are in the correct proportions. Unsurprisingly, some pet foods have incorrect and unsuitable proportions of these nutrients, and poor quality, hard-to-digest ingredients. For more information on important ingredients click here.

There's such a vast number of different foods to choose from today, you might have difficulty knowing what's best for your puppy; it's almost certainly a good idea to ask your vet for advice before you decide.

How do you feed your puppy?

Sounds like a silly question, doesn't it? Far from it. As a matter of fact, there are several ways to feed dogs.

First, you need to decide whether you want to feed dried or canned food, or a mixture of both. Dry foods are generally more economical, especially for larger breeds of dogs. But both canned and dried foods can be nutritionally complete and balanced. Ask your vet for his advice or recommendation.