Congratulations on welcoming a brand-new puppy into your life! This ball of energy is ready to begin a journey of growth and discovery and you play an important role in shaping their well-being.
Providing a balanced diet packed with nutritionally complete dog food is essential in this initial stage, laying the foundation for a healthy, happy life. Learn about the essential nutrients your puppy needs to thrive and how much you should feed your pup daily to help support its well-being.
Puppy Nutritional Guidelines
Puppies need specific nutrients to support their rapid growth and development during the early months of their lives. Their bodies are constantly building bones, muscles and vital organs, requiring a diet rich in protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.
Protein is vital for muscle development and tissue repair. Choose dog food formulated with high-quality protein sources like chicken, pork or beef to ensure your pup gets the necessary amino acids for optimal growth.
Healthy fats provide sustained energy and are essential for brain development. Look for dog food with ingredients like salmon and flaxseed, which are high in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, contributing to healthy skin, a shiny coat and better cognitive function.
Complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes and ancient grains offer long-lasting energy, while essential vitamins and minerals support numerous bodily functions, including bone health, immune system function and energy metabolism.
How Often Should I Feed My Puppy?
The number of times you feed your puppy and the amount of food they receive depends on their age, breed, size and activity level. However, you can follow these general feeding guidelines to make sure your puppy gets enough calories and nutrients at every stage of their development:
2 to 3 months old. Four meals a day spread evenly throughout the day. 3 to 6 months. Offer three meals a day at regular intervals. 6 to 12 months (up to 24 months for giant breeds). Two meals a day, morning and evening, are typically enough.
Consult your veterinarian or refer to the feeding guide on your chosen puppy food for specific recommendations based on your dog’s individual needs. Generally, puppies require around ½ - ¾ cups of dry dog food per pound of body weight, spread across their daily meals.
You can calculate the number of calories your pup needs and match that to the nutritional information on the dog food package for a more accurate estimate of your puppy’s nutritional needs. To calculate the minimum number of calories your pup needs to eat each day, find out their Resting Energy Requirement (RER) using this formula:
30 x (current weight in kilograms) + 70 = RER
Then, you need to multiply the RER by 3 for a puppy aged 0 to 4 months and multiply by 2 for pups older than 4 months. For example, the average 3-month-old Labrador Retriever weighs 30 lbs. (13.6 kg). So, this pup’s RER is 478 calories. This means you’d need to feed him around 160 calories per meal.
When training your puppy with treats as rewards, account for these when calculating their food intake. Puppy treats and snacks are calorie-dense, so limit them to no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calorie allowance.
Best Dog Foods for a Puppy
At Open Farm, we believe puppies deserve the best possible start in life. We offer a variety of puppy food options, all formulated with high-quality, sustainable, human-grade ingredients and essential nutrients to support their healthy development:
Puppy Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Formulated with a unique blend of humanely raised chicken, pork and wild-caught Ocean Wise® approved salmon, this high-protein dry dog food provides the essential amino acids needed for muscle development. Non-GMO vegetables and superfoods like pumpkin and blueberries offer vitamins and antioxidants, supporting your puppy’s overall well-being.
Ancient Grains High-Protein Puppy Food
This grain-inclusive recipe combines high-quality protein with nutritious ancient grains to support allergy prevention and brain development in puppies. This wholesome formula, free from peas, legumes, potatoes and artificial additives, ensures a balanced diet rich in essential nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids, promoting overall puppy health and wellbeing.
Puppy Gently Cooked Recipe
This slow-cooked recipe is packed with easily digestible protein and nutrients from pork, chicken, salmon and vitamin-rich beef liver. It also features non-GMO vegetables and superfoods like sweet potatoes and chia seeds for added vitamins and fiber. Chicken bone broth promotes strong joint development and improves gut health, making this gently cooked dog food ideal for puppies with sensitive stomachs or those transitioning from milk to solid food.
Help Your Pup Grow and Thrive With Open Farm
At Open Farm, we’re passionate about providing dogs with the best possible nutrition and that includes giving puppies the healthy start they deserve. From gently cooked food to dry kibble and freeze dried raw dog food to probiotics for dogs, explore our range of puppy food and supplements. We also carry an extensive range of high-quality, human-grade dry and wet dog food for when your tiny pup transitions into adulthood, so you can provide your pet with the best nutrition at every stage of their life.
This article is meant only as an example meal with fully balanced nutrition, please reach out to our customer experience team if you have any questions about your pet’s own unique circumstances! To ensure these products are a good fit for your pup, we also recommend consulting your pup’s vet about any new supplement or diet changes, especially if there is a medical concern. They should be able to help as you and your vet know your pup’s medical history best!
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