Feeding Puppies and Kittens
Westonka Animal Hospital& Laser Surgery Center
Mound, MN 55364 Phone: 952 472-4900
“Where Smart Pets Bring Their People”
www.westonkaanimalhospital.com
Puppies and kittens do have some unique nutritional requirements because they are building their bodies. In general, young pets require diets higher in energy for their energy levels and protein and minerals which are used to build body tissues. Most pets foods available on the market today are adequate for today’s pets. The quality of the pet foods readily available has dramatically increased in the last few decades. We live in a time when many of the nutritional deficiencies seen in the past are only rarely seen today. We have the pet food industry to thank for their great efforts in providing good foods. Owners now don’t have to worry about feeding diets that will lead to nutritional deficiencies. Owners now select foods for other reasons, such as mineral excesses, taste, canned versus dry, fecal volume that will be produced, and essential fatty acids for a shiny haircoat.
Puppy and kitten diets can be fed until the pet is 10 to 12 months of age.
How Many Times A Day Do I Feed My Puppy or Kitten
There are three basic methods of feeding growing pets: free choice (let them eat as much as they want whenever they want), time limited, or food limited. Free choice feeding of pets has been associated with over consumption of food and increased frequency of obesity and developmental bone disease. In general, we do not recommend free choice feeding for pets, especially for large breed puppies.
We recommend food limited meals for pets whereby the pet has a certain number of meals per day. For pets less then 12 weeks of age, we recommend three meals per day. For pets 12 weeks of age and older, we recommend two meals per day. Having a certain mealtime will help with training too You can use the mealtime as a reward, when you want your pet to defer to you.
What Do I Feed My Puppy or Kitten?
With the exception of large breed puppies, for the most part, most commercially available diets are fine for puppies and kittens. There exist literally hundreds of pet food brands on the market. We cannot possibly keep up with all the changes and do all the research needed to follow up on the thousands of claims made by various pet food manufacturers. For the most part, anything you can find available for a puppy or a kitten would be fine.
We do have some specific recommended diets however. Our recommendations for specific diets are based upon a long standing history of the companies commitment to excellence or based upon specific research we have done into a diet. If you have a favorite diet that is not listed below, it does not mean it is a “bad diet”. It simply means that we have not seen enough evidence by non-biased disinterested third parties indicating that the diet is a superior product.
Special Concerns for Large Breed Puppies
Most pet foods have done an adequate job of formulating diets with nutritional minimums. Nutritional deficiencies are rarely seen. However, recent studies have shown that large breed puppies (puppies that are estimated to be 50 pounds and above when they are adults) may be susceptible to growth problems from diets that provide nutritional excesses.
Diets too high in energy and minerals will cause a large breed puppy to grow too fast. If this occurs, muscle strains upon the joints cause bone growth malformations and joint cartilage disease. Also, excess dietary energy will be stored as body fat. The excess bodyweight overloads the developing skeleton. Large breed puppies have bones that are less dense when compared to smaller breeds, and therefore are prone to pressure overloading leading to a higher frequency of skeletal abnormalities. Therefore, a “rolly polly” puppy is not a healthy puppy and should be avoided. Since fat contains twice the caloric density of protein or carbohydrates, dietary fat is the primary contributor of excess energy intake. A diet lower in fat is therefore recommended for feeding large breed puppies.
Excess dietary calcium has been shown to significantly increase the incidence of developmental bone diseases in growing puppies. In an attempt to lower calcium intake and limit skeletal disease, one common recommendation is to switch the puppy from a growth to an adult maintenance type diet. This recommendation should only be made with careful attention to the nutrient content of the maintenance product. Most maintenance formulations have a much lower energy density than the growth products. The puppy must therefore consume more food to meet its energy needs. If the calcium contents are similar (on a dry matter basis) between the two foods, the puppy will actually consume more total calcium when fed the maintenance product. Virtually all dog foods contain more calcium that is needed to meet the AAFCO requirement for dogs. A calcium of 1.4% or less (on a dry matter basis) is recommended for high risk growing puppies, with no supplementation.
Protein excesses in growing large breed dogs has not shown to adversely affect skeletal development. Excess dietary protein only contributes to the energy content of the food; it does not accelerate the growth of bone or muscle. It is recommended that a growth formula for large breed dogs contain a high quality protein, with 25-30% protein content (on a dry matter basis).
Thus, there are available now a few diets which that are specifically formulated for large breed puppies. These diets typically contain more energy and calcium than adult foods but less then most general puppy foods. Diets that claim they have been “growth tested” for puppies is usually a good indication that it is a quality diet.
In summary for large breed puppies:
• Try to maintain a body condition score (see Body Condition Scoring table) around 4 to 5 during growth.
• Meals should be food limited, do not feed free choice or as much as the puppy wants to eat.
• Feed a diet formulated for large breed puppies
• Feed a diet with a calcium level of 1.4% or less (dry matter basis).
• Feed a diet with high quality protein with 25-30% protein (dry matter basis)
How Much Do I Feed My Puppy or Kitten?
Try not to fall in the mental mind trap of how many cups of this food am I supposed to give based upon recommended volumes. Instead, you determine how much to give based upon body condition scores. Use recommended manufacturer guidelines initially, as a starting point, but from that point forward, adjust how much to feed based upon body condition scores. Try to maintain a body condition score (see Body Condition Scoring table) around 4 to 5 during growth. This avoids excess body fat, helps control excess growth rate and minimizes the development of bone abnormalities. Try to Body Condition Score your pet once every two weeks and adjust food quantities as needed.