Food designed to meet AAFCO nutrition guidelines provides your puppy with complete and balanced nutrition, with treats making up no more than 10% of his or her diet.
Lean proteins like chicken and beef provide essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Eggs also offer easily digestible protein sources such as those made into scrambled breakfast meals.
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Meat
Puppies require a balanced diet consisting of meat, grains, fruits and vegetables to thrive, making raw feeding an excellent way for their puppies to receive essential nutrition.
Simply do not feed cooked bones such as ham, marrow and large knuckle bones to your pet as these could splinter and pose choking risks. Additionally, avoid giving smoked poultry, venison and lamb bones to your pup as these could present serious choking hazards.
Though your puppy might enjoy nibbling on any random scrap of raw food that falls to the floor, an exclusively raw diet should be avoided to prevent gastrointestinal issues, alter their nutrition balance and cause weight gain that could reduce life span.
Fish
Fish provides essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients such as magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, selenium, iron omega-3 fatty acids and amino acids – providing both puppies and adults alike with essential nutritional needs. Fish is also an important source of protein.
Salmon, trout, sardines, mackerel, herring and anchovies are the ideal fish choices for dogs as they are oily fish that are low in mercury and other environmental toxins and boast plenty of omega 3s.
Always ensure your fish is fully cooked with no bones; otherwise it could become embedded in your dog’s throat or stomach and lead to serious injury or death. Also avoid dishes prepared using human seasonings or oils, and any with xylitol, alcohol, milk and large quantities of dairy products (including avocado), raw dough made with yeast ( including avocado) chocolate grapes raisins sultanas coffee as these foods are toxic for dogs.
Chicken
Dogs can safely eat lean cooked chicken when handled appropriately; however, dogs should avoid eating seasoned chicken as this can cause digestive discomfort for their stomachs as humans are used to consuming more spices than their pets, some of which could even be toxic or poisonous for them.
Cooked chicken is an important staple in bland diets for sick dogs. A healthy source of protein, it should be enjoyed sparingly to limit its caloric impact. Raw meat should also be avoided since its bacteria content could make your pup sick; additionally, feeding mostly raw foods to young pups could result in nutritional deficiencies as they require higher concentrations than adults do.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter provides dogs with essential nutrition, such as protein, healthy fats, and vitamins. Unfortunately, certain peanut butter brands contain xylitol which may be hazardous for their health.
Crunchy peanut butter can pose a choking hazard for small dogs, so only give a small amount of this treat and watch their reaction closely.
To achieve optimal results, make homemade peanut butter using organic ingredients without xylitol or other potentially harmful components. Refrigerate or freeze to prolong its shelf life.
Blackberries
Blackberries are low in both sugar and fiber content, making them an excellent treat for your dog’s diet. Furthermore, omega-3 fatty acids contained in blackberries help promote a shiny coat and healthy skin in pets.
While blackberries are safe for dogs, too much may lead to digestive upset including diarrhea and vomiting. They may also pose a choking hazard; therefore it’s best to cut or mash them before feeding your pup a bite of blackberry goodness.
Your pup should only eat fresh, washed blackberries without added sugars such as jams or pies. Their primary diet should consist of high-quality, nutritionally balanced dog food; treats should make up no more than 10 percent of daily caloric intake.
Avocados
Avocados contain healthy fats that may aid dogs with digestive issues. However, avocados also contain high levels of fat which should only be fed occasionally to dogs due to possible digestive upset, vomiting and pancreatitis symptoms.
Avocado flesh and oil are safe for dogs to consume, though pet parents should make sure the pit and skin have been removed prior to feeding it to their canines. Avocados provide numerous essential nutrients – from antioxidants like folate (B9) to carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin that support eye health – plus omega-3 fatty acids!
