Feeding Puppies and Kittens: How Should You Feed Your Pet for it to Grow Up Healthy?
After you decide to raise a puppy or a kitten, the pet‘s owner blown away by an overwhelming joy also has to deal with a bunch of questions, for instance – how one feeds a new friend? Shop shelves are full of various products and the different opinions and advice buzz on the Internet. As a result, making a choice becomes difficult. What should you pay attention to while choosing a feed for a young pet in order for it to grow up healthy?
Nutrition until One-Year-Old
Approximately 4-6-week-old puppies and kittens are weaned and during this period you may start feeding the little ones Nature‘s Protection Starter Mousse, canned food with poultry of mousse composition for pets from 3-weeks-old up to 12-months-old.
Gradually, pets should also get used to dry feed. It is of utmost importance to choose the feed specially produced for the little ones. By feeding the adult feed to puppies and kittens, the body will suffer from the deficit of nutrients and minerals and various health disorders may occur.
From 4-weeks-old to 12-week-old pets should be fed 4 times a day, taking into account the feeding recommendations. During this period, we recommend giving the feed Nature‘s Protection Starter to all breed puppies, and Nature‘s Protection Kitten – for kittens. At first, you can moisturize the dry feed with warm water, it will make it easier to chew it. What is more, food taste peculiarities will be brought out more.
From 6-weeks-old, you should include canned food for young dogs and cats into your pet’s feeding ration. You can choose the canned food according to its certain ingredients – with poultry, lamb, rabbit meat, etc. Thus, the young pet’s nutrition will be more diverse.
From 3 to 6 month-old pets should be fed 3 times a day. Don’t worry if the pet misses one feeding or just refuses to eat at a certain time of the day. It is likely, that the time has come to reduce the feeding times, therefore, note that from 6 to 12-month-old pets should be fed 2 times a day.
If you decide to neuter/sterilise your pet, it is necessary to choose a special, functional feed for sterilised animals.
One-year-old kittens and puppies should be fed the dry food for adult pets 2 times a day. You can diversify the nutrition ration with canned food.
Note that it is very important not to overfeed your pet, otherwise, digestion disorders may occur – the pet may start vomiting or suffer from diarrhoea. Therefore, it is essential to balance the pet’s nutrition and feed the regular portions.
Choosing the Proper Feed
Since the nutritional needs of puppies and kittens are different depending on the size, and the breed, the latter factor should help you choose the feed for your pet. This factor determines the amount of nutrients in the feed and the size of the grain.
For example, puppies and kittens of big breeds need additional nutrients: glucosamine and chondroitin, which are necessary for bones and joints, calcium – for teeth. Nature‘s Protection Maxi Junior is perfect for dogs of big breeds, while Nature‘s Protection Superior Care Large Cat Kitten – for bigger cats.
Nevertheless, it is essential that the feed should be complete. It means that the feed contain all nutrients and minerals necessary for the pet’s body ensuring the healthy growing process.
We recommend taking into account the amount of irreplaceable fatty acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6) in the feed. These nutrients are highly beneficial for the little ones. They can help improve the learning process, brain and heart’s activity. What is more, Omega-3 fatty acids may help improve skin condition and ensure healthy, shining, and thick coat.
The amount of proteins in the feed for puppies and kittens is highly important as well. The bigger the amount of animal proteins in the feed, the more a pet gets irreplaceable amino acids. They are essential since the body does not produce them. The best source of irreplaceable amino acids is animal proteins, in other words, meat. We recommend choosing the feed where the meat stands as the first ingredient.
If the chosen feed for the pet is appropriate, do not replace it. Often changed feeds may cause unwanted digestive disorders.
Note that every pet is different, therefore, if you have any questions we recommend consulting a veterinarian or breeder from whom you acquired the puppy or kitten.
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