If you have a new puppy it is important to find the right food to keep it healthy. Here are the things you should consider.
If you have recently got a new puppy for your family you may well be wondering how to find the best food for it. After all there are a huge number of different brands on the market. You may also have found that much of the advice you have already received is quite confusing.
The first thing to bear in mind is that there is no more important time in a dog's life to be feeding it a quality food than when it is a puppy. You have gone to the trouble to get a puppy in the first place. Give it a good start in its life by feeding it a quality food. The cheap brands on the market simply do not offer good nutrition, no matter what the label says. In the long run it will end up costing you more as poor nutrition is one of the main causes of health problems in dogs. Therefore you may well find large vet bills later in the puppy's life.The first place to get advice on the right puppy food is from where you purchased your puppy. If it is from a pet shop or breeder they will have already been feeding it a certain type of food. Although is is not essential to continue with the same food, it's a good place to start. Just remember that they may have been using a particular food because they get a good deal from the manufacturer, not necessarily because it's the best.
Next, do some of your own research. Look for puppy foods that have a specified meat (such as chicken or lamb) as the first ingredient on the label. If it is chicken or lamb meal that is even better, as meal is simply a more concentrated form of meat. Avoid ingredients such as cereals, soy, wheat, dairy products of beef as these are fillers or can cause allergies and skin problems. You should also certainly avoid anything artificial such as preservatives, colorings and flavorings as they are definitely harmful.
Anything labelled as by-products, animal fat, or non-specific meats (in other words labelled simply as 'meat') is also not desirable as they can contain all sorts of things that are unfit for human (and animal) consumption. They are of questionable nutritional value and can cause health issues.It is important that you give your puppy the best start in its life be selecting the right puppy food. Get the best you can afford and remember that the more expensive foods may not be as costly as they seem; you will generally feed a smaller amount than with foods containing cheap fillers so a bag will go further.