A feeding guide from puppy to senior, here's what we suggest ...

 The puppy stage is from birth until rapid growth stops. Depending on the breed and the size of dog, this is between 6 and 9 months.

Puppies need a higher calorie, vitamin, and mineral intake than adult dogs. Adult dogs require less calories because they don’t need as much energy.

A great puppy food we would recommend is the Skinners Field & Trial Puppy Dog Food. This dry food can be fed up until the age of 9 months and has the essential nutrients and vitamins to make sure your puppy grows to be strong and healthy. There are also lots of other dry feeds available from this brand for when your pup matures.

Young dogs go through a period in which they are still maturing, both physically and socially. This typically lasts until 3-4 years of age.

The mature adult stage continues from maturity until 25% of the dog’s expected lifespan is left. For a dog with an expected lifespan of 12 years, this would take them up until they are 9.

The last quarter of a dog’s life, up until end-of-life, is considered the senior stage.

Senior dogs require a more specialised blend with the aim of preserving their health and weight as long as possible as inevitably things deteriorate the older the dog gets. Ensuring the dog has a diet with a higher protein level for muscle mass, Controlled fat to maintain weight and a blend of vitamins and minerals is important.

No matter what age group that your dog falls into, its vital that they have a balanced diet. 

We would recommend the James Wellbeloved Senior Dog Food with Turkey & Rice as a top pick for senior dog food. It comes crammed with all the essential vitamins and minerals that your older dog requires daily. Its also hypoallergenic and comes in various different bag sizes too.

Depending on your dog’s breed, size, and age, it will depend on what is the best for them as they will all have different requirements.

A lot of feed manufacturers make specific sized kibble for dogs, dependant upon age and breed.

The Canagan Small Breed Free-Run Chicken Grain Free Dog Food is a great example of a brilliant dry dog food that has specially created kibble pieces for little mouths.

One of the first things to look out for when choosing a food is the protein content. Protein is key as it provides the animal the essential amino acids they need daily in their diet. Amino acids are the structural components of skin, hair, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. Hair is made up of around 95% protein, you will notice when your pet is eating a higher protein level, its coat will improve within 6/8 weeks.

Dogs eat for one main reason, to sustain life. They get some of the energy they need from the carbohydrates that are eaten and broken down into starch and sugars. Depending on how much energy your dog needs to expel would depend on their carbohydrate intake. Fibre is also taken from carbohydrates. Fibre is required to help maintain the health of the digestive tract. Fibre cannot be digested but it can however be broken down by bacteria in the intestines.  So, making sure the feed has a good carbohydrate level is important for your dog’s diet.

Fat is the most concentrated energy source in food, gram for gram. Fats aid in the digestion of essential vitamins, which help support a strong immune system. This is obviously very important. Fat can be sourced from meat, fish, plants, or oils.  The main source of fat is found in fatty acids such as Omega-3 and Omega-6. It is key to ensure that your animals feed has a good balance of each of these to ensure their skin and coat are kept in tip top condition and help brain development from a young age.

Vitamins and minerals are essential requirements for normal growth and nourishment. Choosing a food that has a wide variety of vitamins will aid in building and keeping immune systems strong, ensuring a calcium intake for strong bones and teeth. They also help with keeping vision and tissue repair in top form. Minerals are also essential as they will aid in your animal’s growth and function, which will prevent any abnormalities. If your dog is fed a feed with good vitamins and minerals in, there is no need for additional supplements.

A grain-free dog feed consists of a recipe that contains no cereals such as wheat, corn, soy, barley, sorghum, millet, oats, rice, or maize.
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This diet is often rich in meat products with no by-products. Grain-Free contains easy to digest animal proteins, a balanced list of nutrients without any questionable ingredients or fillers that may trigger sensitivities in your dog’s digestive system.

Feeding a dog, a feed that has some sensitives hypoallergenic kibble, fixes issues most of the time.

If your dog is having any sensitivities, there are specialist blends available from a lot of brands to help combat this.

One most common sensitivities is digestive, such as diarrhoea or vomiting. This is often caused by a bad diet and can be rectified with good dietary management.

Introducing a feed that contains prebiotics to increase good bacteria is often key. Skin irritation is another common issue and its often caused by food allergies. 

Shop our great range of Dog Food today, here at Millbry Hill.