Puppy nutrition

For the first two to three weeks after birth, puppies receive only mother's milk. Its composition changes during the course of breastfeeding. For the first two days, the bitch produces colostrum, which has a higher concentration of nutrients than milk and is rich in maternal antibodies (immunoglobulins). Later, the colostrum changes into normal breast milk. Bitch's milk differs significantly in composition from cow's milk, therefore untreated cow's milk cannot be a full substitute for bitch's milk. While cow's milk contains on average 3,5 % protein, 4 % fat and 4,7 % lactose, bitch's milk contains 8,1 % protein, 9,8 % fat and 3,5 % lactose. Puppies suckle every half an hour at the beginning, but later the intervals between sucklings become longer. If the puppies remain motherless or the bitch does not have enough milk, artificial nutrition is necessary. Currently, the best solution is a good quality commercial formula milk, which has a composition corresponding to the bitch's milk and is intended for feeding puppies from the first day after birth. The dry formula is diluted with warm water according to the manufacturer's instructions. The milk should be fed using a dropper or a special bottle with a pacifier every 2-3 hours. It should have a temperature of 38 ⁰C. The puppy should take in about 15-20% of its weight in milk per day. If the bitch is not able to take care of the puppies, a tummy massage must be done after feeding to induce emptying. In 8-10 days the puppies should double their birth weight. From the third to fourth week, puppies start to be fed solid food. By this time they are able to defecate on their own and are also slowly beginning to explore their surroundings. The first food should be soft, juicy and easily digestible. In home feeding, cottage cheese, milk porridge supplemented with egg yolks and finely minced meat are usually given. From industrial foods, good quality canned food intended for puppies or soaked pellets can be used. Puppies should be fed five to six times a day until two months of age. They are weaned at six to eight weeks, depending on the circumstances and the bitch's condition. After the transition to a new owner, the puppy should be fed the same method or type of food as the breeder for a period of time (at least the first week). After that, the new owner can carefully start to switch the puppy to his/her own way of feeding (type of food). This will prevent possible digestive problems and at least not put the puppy, who has to cope with leaving its mother and coming to an unfamiliar environment, under unnecessary stress from the change of feeding. Growth of dogs varies according to the size of the breed, with large breeds having a much higher growth rate than small breeds. The length of growth also varies according to breed size, with dwarf breeds (up to 5 kg) growing up to 6 months, small breeds (5-10 kg) up to 9 months, medium breeds (10-25 kg) up to 12 months, large breeds (25-60 kg) up to 18 months and giant breeds (over 60 kg) up to 24 months. Dogs grow in two basic stages. The first phase is a period of intense growth that lasts, depending on the size of the breed, until 5-8 months of age. During this period, puppies have a high need for energy, protein and minerals. The second phase lasts from 5-8 months until the end of growth and is characterised by a gradual slowing down of the intensity of growth. With this, the nutrient requirements decrease. Depending on the breed, dogs in this period reach 80-90% of their adult weight. This is the period when the skeleton is being shaped and strengthened and the musculature is being sculpted. Growing dogs require a large amount of energy, which is about double that of an adult dog of the same size during the initial growth phase. As growth progresses, the energy requirement decreases and, after reaching 80 % of the weight expected at maturity, is approximately equivalent to that of an active adult dog. Although they have a high energy requirement, it is undesirable to overfeed puppies. Overfeeding at an early age leads to the formation of more fat cells and thus to greater obesity problems in adulthood. Overfeeding puppies of large and giant breeds is particularly harmful, as excessive weight contributes to the development of orthopaedic disease. In these breeds, puppies should be kept rather leaner. Feeding ad libitum, i.e. without any restrictions, only according to the puppy's taste, is totally inappropriate for them. Growing dogs should be fed 4-5 times a day from weaning to 4 months of age, 3-4 times a day from 4 to 6 months and 2-3 times a day from 6 to 12 months. From 12 months, small and medium breeds can be fed once a day, large breeds should still be fed twice a day until at least 16-18 months. A complete dry food for the first growth phase should contain 26-32% protein and 18-20% fat. The ratio of protein to fat should be 1,45-1,6 : 1. The dry food for the second growth phase should contain 23-29 % protein and 14-16 % fat. The required ratio of protein to fat in the feed is somewhat narrower. For large and giant breeds, lower protein/fat concentrations and a wider protein/fat ratio (up to 2 : 1) are appropriate. Foods for growing dogs should contain sufficient quantities of good quality animal protein, and an over-representation of vegetable protein sources is inappropriate. Large and giant breed dogs have specific nutritional requirements during the growth period due to their high growth intensity and their propensity to develop certain orthopaedic diseases such as osteochondrosis or hip and elbow dysplasia. Large breeds are defined as dogs with an adult weight of more than 25 kg, while giant breeds include dogs over 60 kg at maturity. In these breeds there is a period of so called overgrowth between 4-6 months of age. Excessive growth leads to excessive stress on the limb skeleton and is a significant risk factor for orthopaedic disease. It is therefore advisable to limit energy and protein intake somewhat during this period. Dry food for this category should have 23-28 % protein and 12-16 % fat. Scientific studies have shown that a higher protein content is much less of a risk than excess energy for excessive growth and the development of skeletal abnormalities. The latter leads to rapid weight gain and thus overloading of the skeleton. Higher protein content alone is not a problem, it is always the total energy intake that is decisive. Foods for growing dogs of large and giant breeds should not have too high a calcium concentration either. A calcium content of around 3% of the dry matter of the food has been shown to contribute to the development of osteochondrosis and other orthopaedic diseases, with as little as 2% being considered risky. Large breeds of dogs are more sensitive to excess calcium than small breeds, but also to calcium deficiency. The optimum calcium concentration in dry food for this category should be between 0.8 and 1.2 %. Nowadays, complete foods are available specifically for growing large breed dogs. These generally have a reduced energy, protein and calcium content compared to those for small and medium breeds. In addition to excess calcium itself, excess vitamin D, which is found in high concentrations in many industrial feeds, contributes significantly to the increased risk of orthopaedic problems. The daily intake of vitamin D should be 20 IU (international units) per kilogram of live weight, and daily intakes of more than 100 IU per kilogram of weight are risky. Excess vitamin D in the presence of calcium deficiency intensifies the pathological changes caused by calcium deficiency, i.e. bone demineralisation, limb deformities and increased incidence of fractures. Excess vitamin D combined with excess calcium leads to excessive bone mineralisation and the development of osteochondrosis or hypertrophic osteodystrophy, which is characterised by pain, increased temperature and joint deformities accompanied by lameness. In severe excess, calcium deposits (calcification) occur within large blood vessels and internal organs.

MVDr. Eva Štercová, Ph.D.