Bringing a new puppy home is an exciting time, filled with joy and new responsibilities. One of the most critical aspects of raising a healthy, happy puppy is understanding their nutritional needs. Puppies, like their wild ancestors, are largely carnivores, but they also benefit from certain plant-based foods. They naturally wean off their mother’s milk between 8-12 weeks of age, transitioning to solid foods. Knowing exactly What Can You Feed To Puppies is paramount for their growth, development, and overall well-being. This guide will help you navigate the essential dos and don’ts of puppy feeding, ensuring your furry friend gets the best start in life.
Healthy Labrador puppy resting after a nourishing meal, illustrating well-being from proper puppy food.
The Foundation of a Healthy Puppy Diet
The cornerstone of your puppy’s diet should always be a high-quality, balanced premium commercial puppy food. This type of food is specifically formulated to meet the intense nutritional demands of growing puppies, providing the right balance of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals appropriate for their life stage and health status.
Puppies have tiny stomachs and high energy requirements, so they need frequent, smaller meals. To begin, offer food at least four times per day, gradually reducing the frequency as they grow. Adult dogs typically thrive on two meals per day, a practice that can also help prevent serious conditions like bloat. It’s crucial to avoid both underfeeding and overfeeding. Overfeeding, particularly in large and giant breeds, has been linked to muscle and bone problems later in life. Always consult your veterinarian for advice on how much and what you can give puppies to eat to ensure they maintain an ideal body condition. Regular veterinary check-ups are essential, where your vet can weigh your pup, assess their body condition score, and offer tailored dietary guidance.
Beyond food, fresh drinking water must be available to your puppy at all times. Hydration is vital. However, do not offer cow’s milk, as many puppies are lactose intolerant, and it can cause significant gastrointestinal upsets.
Understanding Treats and Supplemental Foods
While commercial puppy food forms the bulk of their diet, certain treats and occasional additions can be beneficial, especially during key developmental stages.
Safe Chews for Teething
Between four to six months of age, your puppy’s permanent teeth emerge and grow rapidly, a period often referred to as “teething.” Introducing puppy-specific chew toys and healthy, chewable treats can be a lifesaver, alleviating discomfort and redirecting their natural urge to gnaw away from your furniture. The global Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) provides a list of dental products proven to meet safety standards and help reduce plaque and tartar buildup.
While the thought of giving your puppy a bone might seem natural, it comes with significant risks. Bones, both raw and cooked, can break teeth, cause internal blockages, or even perforate the digestive tract. Raw bones also carry bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli, which can make both animals and humans ill. For these reasons, bones are generally not recommended.
If you choose to offer raw bones to your puppy, extreme caution is necessary. They should always be raw (cooked bones splinter easily) and introduced gradually. The bone must be large enough that your puppy cannot fit the entire bone in their mouth or swallow it whole. Avoid hard marrow bones, T-bones, ‘chop’ bones (e.g., lamb cutlets), large knuckle bones, or bones sawn lengthwise, as these pose choking or splintering hazards. Your butcher might be able to suggest safer, non-bone chewy alternatives like cow hearts. Always supervise your puppy closely when they are eating bones. For breed-specific advice, such as what to give a Labrador puppy to eat, always consult with your vet.
Occasional Healthy Additions
Certain human foods can be offered sparingly as treats, but always ensure they are prepared safely and in moderation.
- Cooked Meat: Boiled chicken or lamb, without any bones, seasonings, or toxic substances (like onions or garlic), can be offered occasionally. As mentioned, raw meat and bones carry bacteria, so if you decide to feed raw meat or bones, always choose human-grade options. Avoid raw meat products marketed as pet food (e.g., pet mince, pet rolls) and cooked manufactured meats like sausages, as they may contain sulphite preservatives, which can lead to a fatal thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency.
- Tinned Fish: Tinned sardines in spring water, tuna, or salmon (always in moderation and being mindful of any tiny bones) can be an occasional treat. Fish should not be a staple in their diet.
- Vegetables: Small amounts of finely-cut, cooked vegetables like pumpkin or carrots can provide extra nutrients and fiber.
- Grass Access: Providing access to untreated grass (free from chemicals and toxic plants) can be beneficial, as puppies sometimes eat grass, potentially as a source of vegetable matter and micronutrients.
- Calcium Supplements: Unless specifically directed by a veterinarian, calcium powder supplements should not be given, as an imbalance can be detrimental to a puppy’s developing skeletal system.
Essential Foods to Avoid: Toxic Substances for Puppies
It is critical to be aware of foods that are detrimental, or even fatal, to puppies. Understanding what food is bad for a dog to eat is just as important as knowing what is safe. Never feed your puppy the following substances (and note that this is not an exhaustive list):
- Alcohol: Extremely toxic even in small amounts.
- Alliums: Onions, onion powder, garlic, chives, leeks. These can cause red blood cell damage.
- Chocolate, Coffee, Caffeine: Contain methylxanthines, which are poisonous to dogs.
- Moldy or Spoiled Foods/Compost: Can contain tremorgenic mycotoxins.
- Avocado: Contains persin, which can be toxic to dogs in large amounts.
- Bread Dough/Yeast Dough: Can rise in the stomach and produce alcohol.
- Grapes, Raisins, Sultanas, Currants: Highly toxic, even in small amounts, and can lead to kidney failure. This includes items like Christmas cakes containing these ingredients.
- Nuts: Macadamia nuts are particularly toxic. Other nuts can pose choking hazards or lead to pancreatitis due to high fat content.
- Fruit Stones/Pits & Seeds: Mango seeds, apricot stones, avocado stones, apple seeds (contain cyanide). These are choking hazards and can cause intestinal blockages or poisoning. For more details on what fruits and vegetables dogs shouldn’t eat, refer to dedicated resources.
- Corncobs: Indigestible and a common cause of intestinal obstruction.
- Green Unripe Tomatoes: Contain solanine, which can be harmful.
- Mushrooms: Some varieties are highly toxic.
- Cooked Bones & Small Pieces of Raw Bone: Splintering and choking hazards.
- Fatty Trimmings/Fatty Foods: Can cause pancreatitis.
- Salt: Excessive salt can lead to sodium ion poisoning.
- Roughly-Cut Vegetables: Can be a choking hazard.
Beyond food, also ensure your puppy cannot access non-food items like string wrappings around rolled roasts or the absorbent pads found under meat in packaging, as these can cause severe internal blockages. Learning some foods dogs absolutely cannot eat is crucial for their safety.
Conclusion
Providing proper nutrition is one of the most loving and impactful things you can do for your puppy. By understanding what can you feed to puppies, focusing on high-quality commercial puppy food, offering safe and healthy treats in moderation, and rigorously avoiding toxic substances, you lay the groundwork for a lifetime of health and happiness. Always remember that your veterinarian is your best resource for personalized dietary advice tailored to your puppy’s unique needs. Don’t hesitate to consult them with any questions or concerns about your puppy’s diet.
Sources
- Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC)
- Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Guidelines on Pet Nutrition
