Feeding your puppy the right diet is vital for healthy growth and development. Learn why puppies can’t eat just any dog food.
Why can’t puppies eat adult dog food?
Just like human babies can’t eat adult food, puppies can’t eat adult dog food. They have different nutritional requirements based on the fact that their body weight is increasing moment by moment, and their changing bodies have shifting needs when compared to fully grown dogs, whose are fairly constant. Two key nutritional differences are a puppy’s energy and micronutrient (particularly calcium and phosphorous) requirements.
Energy Requirements
Puppies need a lot of energy to fuel their rapid growth. During their first months of life, they need significantly more energy than adult dogs need for their day-to-day lives. If you look at the feeding guides on puppy vs adult foods, you’ll see they’re a lot more complex. Puppy diets factor in this increased energy demand by generally containing higher levels of fat, which provides more energy than protein or carbohydrates.
Calcium:Phosphorous Ratio
The calcium:phosphorous ratio plays an important role in optimal bone growth and joint formation. If this ratio is out of balance in relation to the energy content of a food, it can lead to abnormal bone development, joint abnormalities like elbow or hip dysplasia and even pathological fractures. When making a puppy diet there are very specific ‘rules’ that a good manufacturer needs to keep to.
What should you feed your puppy?
Feed your puppy a complete and balanced puppy food that fits with their expected adult weight (determined largely by their breed). Black Hawk Original Puppy Food delivers all of the nutrients your little one needs in precisely the right quantities.
Why does breed size matter?
Because a 150g Chihuahua puppy is a far cry from a fully-grown 120kg Spanish Mastiff. They grow in entirely different ways and at different rates. Therefore, they have different nutritional requirements throughout their development.
When can a puppy start eating adult food?
The time to stop feeding puppy food and transition onto adult food depends on your puppy’s adult weight. You make the switch when your puppy has finished growing. For small dog breeds this is around 8-12 months of age, for medium its 12-15 months and for large breeds, this might not be until 15-22 months of age. The right time to switch can be seen printed on the food bag or on Black Hawk’s online Daily Feeding Calculator.
What happens if you feed your puppy the wrong food?
The nutrients your puppy gets from their food form the building blocks for their growing bodies. If they’re eating a diet that doesn’t meet their nutritional needs or delivers these nutrients in the wrong quantities, it can result in nutritional excesses or deficiencies and ultimately what’s called a ‘developmental disease’.
Set your puppy up for the healthiest, happiest life possible by feeding the right diet from day one. Black Hawk Original Puppy Food is formulated specifically to tick each and every one of their nutritional boxes, to be delicious AND to deliver an Australian-made, natural pet food option.
Written by Dr Lee Danks (BVSc BVMS, Cert EBVM)
Dr Lee Danks is the Scientific & Regulatory Affairs Specialist on the Black Hawk Research and Development team. A graduate of Murdoch University in WA, Dr Danks has worked in veterinary practices and management roles in Melbourne and London and in regional roles across England and Wales. Dr Danks brings a global view to Black Hawk’s Australian-made diets, ensuring all of Black Hawk’s recipes are safe, nutritious, and life-enhancing for our pets.