Feeding a puppy by age and size: how many meals a day and which food to choose

How many times a day should a puppy eat?

Often and in small amounts at first, and less often as it grows. The general guideline given by the American Kennel Club is four meals a day for a newly weaned puppy, three between three and six months, and two between six and twelve months.

This is a guide, not a prescription. What does apply to every puppy is the method: food at regular times, in measured amounts, and the bowl taken away after about fifteen minutes. Leaving food out all day makes it hard to know how much the puppy eats and, on top of that, harder to teach it where to relieve itself.

What does “complete and balanced” dog food mean?

That the food on its own covers everything the dog needs at a particular stage of life, with nothing added. On the label it appears as a nutritional adequacy statement, which the AAFCO considers perhaps the most important part of the package. For a puppy, it should say “growth” or “all life stages”.

AAFCO is the association that publishes the reference nutrient profiles in the United States; FEDIAF does the same in Europe. Neither approves or certifies foods: they set the minimums and maximums that a manufacturer declares it meets.

What to look for on the package:

• That it says complete food, not “complementary”, “snack” or “treat”.
• That it states the life stage: growth, puppies or all life stages.
• That it mentions the breed size it is intended for, if it does.
• That it carries a feeding chart by weight and age, and the manufacturer’s details.

An adult food will not do for a puppy: it lacks nutrients that growth demands. The WSAVA nutrition guidelines ask for the diet to be reviewed at every veterinary visit, just like weight or temperature.

Why does a large-breed puppy need a different food?

Because its bones are more sensitive to calcium while they grow. The nutrition service at Tufts University explains that both too much and too little calcium affect large-breed puppies more, which is why the range allowed for them is narrower than for a small puppy.

Before 2016, all growth foods shared the same limits, and some had too much calcium for a large dog. Since then, labels that follow the AAFCO approach have to specify whether the food is suitable for the growth of large-size dogs, defined as those that will weigh about 32 kg (70 lb) or more as adults. Tufts notes that other specialists prefer a more cautious cutoff of about 23 kg (50 lb).

The wording may say “including growth of large size dogs” or “except for growth of large size dogs”. Two words change everything.

Of the breeds on this site, the one squarely in this group is the Bernese Mountain Dog. For a Bernese, look for a growth food for large breeds and resist two temptations: feeding more so the puppy “grows up strong”, and adding calcium or vitamins. The American Kennel Club asks owners to talk to the veterinarian before giving any supplement, especially to a large puppy.

What is hypoglycemia in very small puppies?

It is a drop in blood sugar. According to the American Kennel Club, it can happen in very young or very small puppies, especially toy breeds: they have little fat and little muscle, and an immature liver that does not hold enough in reserve. Between meals they can use it up, more so if they are active, cold or stressed.

The signs are extreme lethargy, weakness, tremors, loss of balance and, in severe cases, seizures or loss of consciousness. It is an emergency: without treatment it can be fatal.

That is why a Maltese or Maltipoo puppy should never skip meals, and during the first days at home it is worth confirming that the puppy really is eating. The smaller the puppy, the greater the risk. It is one of the reasons to be wary of “teacup” sizes. We explain it in the guide to the mini, toy and teacup Maltese.

How do I know if my puppy is at a healthy weight?

By looking at the puppy and feeling it, not only by weighing it. The WSAVA body condition score runs from 1 to 9; the ideal is 4 or 5: ribs that are easy to feel under a thin layer of fat, a waist visible from above and a tucked-up abdomen seen from the side.

Three quick checks:

1. Ribs: run your hand along the puppy’s side. You should feel them without pressing.
2. Waist: look from above. Behind the ribs, the body narrows.
3. Abdomen: look from the side. The line of the belly rises toward the hind legs.

A round puppy is not a healthier puppy. The American Kennel Club notes that by around 12 weeks a puppy should be losing its potbelly and baby pudginess. In a puppy that will be large, weight during growth is one of the things worth discussing with the veterinarian, together with hip and elbow dysplasia.

The chart on the package is a starting point. If the puppy looks above or below the ideal, the portion is adjusted with the veterinarian, who weighs the puppy at each vaccination visit.

How do you switch foods without upsetting a puppy’s stomach?

Gradually, mixing the new food with the old one over five to seven days. That is the guideline the American Kennel Club recommends to give the digestive system time to adapt. A switch from one day to the next can upset the stomach, and a puppy that has just arrived already has enough new things to cope with.

If soft stools or vomiting appear, or the puppy loses its appetite, go back to the previous step and move more slowly. If things are still not right despite the gradual transition, it is time to see the veterinarian: that food may not be the one for this puppy.

Ask the breeder for the exact name of the food the puppy has been eating and keep to it, with the same schedule, during the first week at home.

When does a puppy move on to adult food?

When it finishes growing, and that depends on size. The American Kennel Club says that small-breed puppies grow quickly and can reach maturity at around nine months, while large-breed puppies take between 15 and 24 months to reach their final size and maturity.

Moving to adult food too early takes away nutrients the puppy still needs; staying too long on puppy food, which is richer in nutrients, stops making sense once the dog is no longer growing. The change is made with the same five-to-seven-day transition.

The exact moment, the portion and the type of food are for your veterinarian to decide with the dog in front of them. And what never goes in the bowl, at any age, is in the list of foods dogs should never eat.