Choosing the right dog food for your puppy is an important decision. Growing dogs need the right nutritional support to grow and develop.
There are four basic nutrients that should be in any dog food that you are looking at to feed to your puppy.
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Protein:
The Protein in the food that you are giving to your pet supports tissue health. You will want to be sure that you are buying a food that includes the right amount of protein to support growth, development and your puppy’s energy needs.
This number can vary from breed to breed, so doing some research might be necessary to be certain of your puppy’s protein needs. You can also ask a vet or talk to the breeder that you are buying your puppy from if you have further questions.
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Fats:
Fats are the part of your puppy’s daily food intake that keep their skin and hair healthy.
Fat which are sourced from recognizable sources, not byproducts, are the best. Making sure that enough fat is in your puppy’s diet will prevent flaky skin and a dry haircoat. Fats additionally provide a source of energy.
Your puppy’s dietary fat needs might vary per breed. Make sure you know how much dietary fat the food you are considering needs to have to keep your new puppy healthy.
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Vitamins and minerals:
Most puppy food companies indicate that the full slate of daily minerals and vitamins are included in their products by labeling them “complete”.
You can always check that the food label indicates the amount and the name of each vitamin and mineral to be certain that your puppy will be getting what it needs each time it eats.
Puppies need more minerals and vitamins than older dogs to support their growth, so feeding a puppy food is often essential to prevent them from suffering from vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
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Carbohydrates:
This is the part of the food that provides energy to your growing puppy but is also used as a binder to hold the kibbles together.
Be sure that the food you are considering uses whole grain carbohydrates in its food. Just like humans, dogs should not eat processed flours.
Lower-quality dog foods are often guilty of adding lots of processed carbohydrates to their foods, so the price point of the food you are considering will likely help you to start weeding out good foods from less ideal foods.
Choosing a low-quality food can impact your puppy’s health in a major way.
There are many products on the market and it can seem a bit overwhelming to choose a food for your puppy from all the choices out there.
If you are armed with the knowledge of what your puppy’s daily needs are, or if you are looking for a good basic nutritional food that can feed multiple breeds at once, you will need to consider foods based on the following list.
What to Look For
The best puppy food will have animal protein at the very top of the ingredients list.
You want to see a named animal protein not a by-product or some other version of protein.
Chicken and beef are the most common proteins and you will want them to be one of the major components of the food.
An additional benefit to foods like Diamond Naturals puppy food, is that their protein sources come from cage-free chickens and responsibly farmed lamb.
Many of the companies that make the best puppy foods will not consider factory-farming protein for their food blends.
You should make sure that the food also includes vegetables, fruits and whole grain.
While there have to be grains in dog foods as binders, you do not want the grain component to be anything that is not a whole grain and this part of the food should not be listed too early in the ingredients.
A balanced diet is a huge part of healthy development and growth for a puppy.
Always avoid puppy foods that include wheat gluten and corn.
You will also want to avoid foods that have meat and grain meals or by-products listed in the ingredients. Included food dyes are usually a bad sign when considering quality and you should also see rendered fat as a problem ingredient.
Low-quality foods usually also include chemical components like BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) and BHT (Butylated Hydrocytoluene). Ethoxyquin and Propylene Glycol are also problematic and should be avoided.
Armed with a list of what not to buy, you will now be able to narrow the list of foods down to safe foods that are going to be sure to provide the proper nutrition to your growing puppy.
Most grocery store pet foods will not meet these requirements and the cheaper foods on the shelves at pet stores will also fail this test.
The nice part about knowing what to avoid in a dog food is that you will be able to eliminate many of the contenders right away when you do a little bit of research.
If you are still feeling a bit stumped about which food to buy for your puppy, you are in luck.
There are many quality foods on the market for puppies, so we have narrowed the list down for you.
We have made a list of our favorite Diamond Naturals puppy foods to help you get your puppy started with the perfect food.
Diamond Naturals Puppy Food Review: The Right Choice For Your Canine Companion?
Diamond naturals puppy food is one of the best products on the market for your growing canine friend. If you are looking for a grain-free puppy food that is balanced for the nutritional needs of a puppy, Diamond Naturals puppy foods are one of the best choices on the market.
They offer a complete line of puppy products for all sizes and breeds of dog. The company is family-owned and run and they guarantee that they use sustainable sources for every ingredient in their dog foods.
Diamond Naturals puppy foods come in different blends for different needs
Check out our list of diamond naturals puppy foods that will provide your growing canine friend with the best nutrition on the market.
Diamond Premium Recipe Complete and Balanced Dry Food for Growing Puppies
This is a great food for any breed of dog. Puppies small and large can eat this food safely. You will be pleased with the balanced formula which is made specifically to promote proper development and health.
Diamond Premium Recipe includes DHA for proper brain and vision development, making it one of the best foods on the market for puppies in their first year of growth. This recipe includes healthy omega fatty acids, a full slate of antioxidants and the right recipe of protein and fat for development.
As an added benefit, this food can also be fed to nursing adults.
Diamond Naturals puppy food is known for their balanced recipes of proteins and whole grains and this recipe is no different. Chicken is the first ingredient and whole grain ground corn is the second.
There are no chemicals in the ingredient list and this recipe includes a full slate of minerals and fats necessary for healthy muscle and bone growth.
This is a great Diamond Naturals puppy food for any size puppy and can even feed puppies and their mother during their first months.
This food is a great overall food choice but can be a poor fit if your puppy has a very sensitive stomach. One other downside is the price point, which is a bit higher than average.
Labs and other large breeds seem to prosper on this food, but it might be a good idea to feed the small breed blend to smaller breed dogs.
Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy Real Lamb Recipe Premium Dry Dog Food
This Diamond Naturals puppy food is made with pasture raised lamb and is balanced with the right recipe of amino acids for strong muscles and healthy bones.
This formula is made with a smaller kibble for better digestion and includes a full probiotic for optimal delivery of nutrients. Like the Premium recipe, this food can also be fed to nursing mothers as well as puppies.
Like other Diamond Naturals puppy foods, this food is made with DHA for brain and vision support. This blend offers 27% protein and Lamb and lamb meal are the top of the list of ingredients.
Other natural ingredients in this blend include pumpkin, blueberries, oranges and dried kelp.
To help make the high protein content of this blend digestible, L-Carnitine is included to convert protein and fat into energy.
Because large breed puppies need extra support for healthy bone and muscle development, this Diamond Naturals puppy food also includes a blend of vitamins and antioxidants.
This is a great food for dog’s with sensitive stomachs and the small kibble size can really help with large breed digestive issues. Many users report that this food transitions well to the adult food that corresponds with this one.
There was a recent formula change that seems to have caused some problems for owners who have been feeding it for some time. Added yeast and pea flour seem to be the culprits.
If your puppy is struggling with this change to the blend, you should consider feeding the Diamond Naturals puppy food for all breeds instead.
Diamond Naturals Small Breed Puppy Real Chicken Recipe High Protein Dry Dog Food
This Diamond Naturals puppy food is made for small dogs.
The first ingredient is cage-free chicken and the mix is blended with a full blend of fruits and vegetables which act as superfoods and support a healthy coat and healthy skin.
The kibble is designed to be small enough for small breed dogs to eat and the included L-Carnitine makes the protein in this blend available to support healthy development.
This blend includes probiotics for a healthy gut and this addition encourages proper digestion.
This probiotic additive prevents malabsorption of nutrients which is a common issue for small breeds. As with all Diamond Naturals puppy foods, this blend is made with no corn, no fillers and the right mix of antioxidants and minerals to support healthy growth and development.
Diamond Naturals Small breed food is one of the best foods if you are struggling with a dry coat or allergies.
Many users report that this food is not only the most palatable small dog food on the market, it is one of the best tolerated for sensitive stomachs.
The price point is also excellent for this food and the various sizes of bags make it easy to keep fresh food on hand for your small dog.
This Diamond Naturals puppy food seems to feed really well to many different breeds and the smaller size kibble is really helpful for correct digestion and happy eating. It seems to also feed well to medium sized dogs with sensitive stomachs.
Be sure to feed this food cautiously to a dog who bolts its meals since the kibbles are fairly small and you might run into choking or vomiting issues. These issues can be resolved with the right food bowl.
Some Other Things To Consider
Picking the right puppy food is not the only thing to think about when you are settling a new puppy into your home.
There are many factors that matter when you are trying to make sure that your puppy is set up with the right nutrition. Most puppies are trained with treats. If you are training with treats, make sure that you are using treats of the same quality as your puppy food.
If you are struggling with a way to have treats readily on hand, make sure that you check out our list of the best dog treat pouches on the market.
If your dog tends to bolt its food or is a distracted eater, choosing the right dog food bowl can make a huge difference to their health and their digestion. There are many dog food bowls on the market that can help with these issues.
If you need some help choosing the right dog food bowl, check out our list of the best dog food bowls for your canine friend.
Lastly, if you are struggling with training issues with your puppy, sometimes the right collar can make a big difference. Puppies need exercise to be happy and healthy, but it is no fun to take a puppy for a walk who dies not listen to you.
Controlling your puppy when it is distracted can make both of you much happier.
If you need to narrow down the options for good training collars for your dog, check out our list of the best dog training collars for dogs of all ages.
Conclusion
Picking a high-quality puppy food is a very important part of integrating your new puppy into your home. It is important that the food that you pick will support optimal growth and will support healthy teeth, bones, and haircoat.
Diamond Naturals puppy foods are some of the best on the market if you are looking for food that will be palatable as well as healthy for your growing canine friend.
Now that you are armed with knowledge about which foods to avoid, our selection of Diamond Naturals puppy foods as one of the best puppy foods available becomes obvious.
If you are looking for puppy food specifically for your dog’s size (small or large breed), if your puppy has a sensitive stomach, or if you need to feed a nursing mother dog along with her puppies, Diamond Naturals puppy foods can meet your needs.
Be certain that your growing pet gets what it needs from its food by selecting Diamond Naturals puppy food for them.