What’s the Best Puppy Food: Dry, Semi-Moist or Moist?

Written by Senior Editor Peter Gehr

What’s the Best Puppy Food: Dry, Semi-Moist or Moist?

What’s the Best Puppy Food: Dry, Semi-Moist or Moist?

As a dog owner, you’ll want to know what’s the best puppy food: dry, semi-moist or moist? These categories are all readily available in the supermarkets and pet food stores, but it’s not always clear as to what’s the best for your particular puppy.

It’s important to keep in mind the size of your dog as well as the type of dog. It should also be obvious not to feed your puppy the same food as you’d be feeding to an adult dog. The needs of a puppy are much different from an adult dog in that a puppy is much more energetic and needs a protein rich diet in order to replenish the puppies fast-growing and demanding system.

What’s the Best Puppy Food: Dry, Semi-Moist or Moist?

Dr. Katy Nelson advises the following:

There are three types of dog food:

  • Dry kibble
  • Semi-moist that comes in sealed packages
  • Moist or canned

Most veterinarians and trainers recommend dry kibble food for your puppy. They recommend dry kibble because of its fat content and also because moist dog food can spoil. Dry kibble also helps with tarter control which is important for developing teeth.

When you are shopping for dog food there are a couple of things that you want to look for:

  • Check the label for “Formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog food Nutrient Profiles for Growth”
  • Read the ingredients list on the back of the package and look for real meat as the first ingredient

Puppies grow the fastest during the first six months of their life. Because growth rates differ among breed sizes you need to feed your puppy the formula designed to address the needs of your puppy’s breed and size.

Puppy food should contain animal based protein for strong muscles. The protein requirement for puppies is higher than that for adult dogs. High quality protein is critical for puppies to create new body tissue as they grow. Puppy food should also contain calcium for strong bones and teeth. It should contain iron for healthy blood and DHA for the brain, central nervous system, and vision. Puppy food should also contain prebiotics for a healthy immune system and it should be high in calories for all the energy a puppy burns.

Nutritional needs differ for the different breed sizes. Large breed puppies grow more quickly. Because they grow more quickly, they need less calcium so that their bones don’t grow too fast. Medium breed dogs need a careful balance of calories and nutrients so they don’t gain excess weight. Small breed puppies need nutrient dense food in small bites because their metabolism is faster and they have different energy needs than larger dogs.

What is good for humans is not necessarily good for dogs. Proper nutrition is critical for a puppy’s optimum development and human food doesn’t offer the proper balance of nutrients that puppies need; therefore, it is important to not feed your puppy table scraps.

It is very important to monitor your puppy’s weight.

A fat puppy isn’t necessarily a healthy puppy. Click here to visit the original source of this post

Now that you’re more informed, when someone asks you, what’s the best puppy food: dry, semi-moist or moist? Hopefully you’ll have a much clearer picture to offer an educated answer. Much the same with modern advancements in food for humans, food scientists have studied the best foods and nutritional requirements for our pets, and this helps in keeping them healthier for longer, and remaining as part of your family for much longer too.

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