Puppies & Growing Dogs -Nutrition & Health

As we are a Pet Drink Company let’s first talk about the value and necessity of good nutritional water and an adequate daily intake. Dogs are usually considered puppies under 1 year of age.

Why Does My Puppy Drink a Lot of Water?

A balanced diet is not the only necessary part of keeping your puppy healthy. Water for drinking is also a very important part of your puppy’s daily requirements and overall nutrition. Water is the main component of healthy, living cells of the body. Without water, your dog’s body will not be able to function properly. More specifically, your puppy will dehydrate. In order for your puppy to get enough water daily, you need to provide water along with a healthy, balanced diet (which also provides some moisture).

The six basic nutrients are:

Water, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. These essential nutrients are required as part of the puppy’s regular diet and are involved in all of the basic functions of the body.

A complete and balanced diet is essential to maintain your pet in good health. He needs fresh water, protein, fats, minerals, vitamins and carbohydrates. Water is by far the most important nutrition your pet requires. … Protein is a very important part of your pets’ diet, as it is the building blocks for life.

WHAT DOES WATER DO FOR PUPPIES?

The purpose of water is to carry and move important nutrients into and out of the cells of the body. It aids in the digestion of food and helps the body to absorb the nutrients. Water also serves to cool the body down and works to maintain a normal body temperature.
Water lubricates and cushions joints and makes movement easier. The spinal cord and other internal tissues are also cushioned by moisture and wastes are removed from the body through urination and bowel movements.
Basically every important body function requires water and without adequate supply, your puppy can become ill quickly and become dehydrated. Organs will eventually become damaged with sustained water deficiency. If the deficiency lasts long enough, organs (such as kidneys, liver, etc.) will begin to shut down. Death will follow shortly after.
The main purpose of water is to transfer important nutrients in and out of the body’s cells. It helps digest food and absorb nutrients. … A healthy puppy should drink about 40 ml of water per kilogram of its body weight per day.

Providing Adequate Water to Puppies

Keep your puppies’s bowl filled at all times and always refill with fresh, clean water daily. As a rule of thumb, puppies should drink approximately one ounce of water per pound of body weight each day. There are many factors that can affect how much your puppy will drink, however.

How much water should a puppy drink daily? How much and how carefully you have to monitor him depends on several factors:

Size: On the average, a healthy Puppy drinks about 1/2 to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight per day.
Food: A healthy diet is as important as water and the type of food your dog eats affects his water intake. Puppies that eat only dry food will need a little more water than those that eat canned. Also, avoid ingredients that can artificially increase your puppy’s thirst such as sodium.
Age: Puppies need about a 1/2 cup every two hours and need to be closely monitored. Senior dogs tend to naturally monitor themselves.

Exercise:

Bring water along on any exercise excursion with your puppy. The bottles that have the drop down cup work well. After exercise, give your dog ice cubes to start and then just a little water at a time to prevent bloat.
Weather: Summer means more panting which means an increase in water intake.

Keep your puppy’s bowl in the shade whenever possible.
Freeze a water bottle and place it in your puppy’s bowl. …
Get your dog a clay or ceramic water bowl. …
Purchase a cooling pet bowl.

Reverse Osmosis: The Best for Pets!

Reverse Osmosis is perfect for your pets. It contains trace minerals just like water in nature, without potentially harmful contaminants that can make their way into your ground water.

SIGNS OF DEHYDRATION IN PUPPIES 

In general, a healthy puppy will drink enough water daily to stay well hydrated, but there are a few instances where dehydration can occur. Dogs suffering from illnesses like kidney disease, metabolic disorders (such as diabetes), cancer and pregnant/nursing animals are at risk of becoming dehydrated more readily.

To check your puppy for dehydration, pick up a fold of loose skin over the top of the shoulder blades, pull it up gently and release it. Watch for the skin to fall back into place. Under normal circumstances, the skin should quickly return to place without any hesitation. If dehydration is present, the skin will slowly return or may even stay up for a time before falling back into place.

Another place to look for dehydration is in a puppy’s mouth. If the gums appear dry, sticky or pale, this is a sign of illness and dehydration. Dehydrated pets will also have dry, sunken eye balls and a dry nose and mouth.

If you are concerned that your puppy is not getting enough water to maintain health, talk to your veterinarian for advice. Maintaining proper hydration is too important to your puppy’s health to ignore.

Can puppies drink tea or coffee?

We don’t recommend you give your dog tea, coffee or any other caffeinated drink. Caffeine can be toxic to dogs and even the smallest amount can give them caffeine poisoning. Dogs are much smaller than us and what might seem like a small serving of tea or coffee could be big enough to cause serious health problems.

Can puppies drink alcohol?

Some people think it’s okay or even funny to give their dog a sip of beer, wine or other alcohol. But alcohol is toxic for dogs and shouldn’t be given to them under any circumstances.

Puppy Feeding Mistakes: Creating Nutrient Deficiencies

The interest in homemade food for Adult Dogs is on the rise, say the pros. It is important to realize however that homemade does not always mean healthy.
A mistake that we often see well-meaning people make is the feeding of unbalanced homemade diets.
That’s because when making cat food from scratch, some people fail to balance the meat with the correct amount of calcium, forgetting “that an adult dog would be eating both the meat and bones which provides a proper calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.”
A dog’s diet too heavy in tuna, liver, or liver oil (such as cod liver oil), can lead to vitamin A toxicosis, resulting in bone and joint pain, brittle bones, and dry skin. A diet too rich in raw fish can destroy vitamin B1, causing muscle weakness, seizures, or brain damage. If a dog caregiver wishes to make their pet’s food, they need to follow a properly balanced recipe.

Wet dog food has a high appeal to many dogs, and they’ll identify a favorite quickly.
The most popular are Red Meat, Chicken, Seafood, Cheddar Cheese, Salmon, Green Beans, Peanut Butter, Liver.

PUPPY VITAMINS

The vitamins your puppy needs are those that promote the healthy growth of its body. This includes healthy muscles and bones as well as properly functioning body organs. You also want to boost the dog’s immune system, especially when it is young.

Note: When puppies are born, they rely on their mother’s milk for vitamins that boost their immune system. Once they are weaned, they will have to get these vitamins from the food they eat.

If you are not sure if your puppies are getting the right vitamins for dogs, it is time to supplement with Puppy Punch.

The top vitamins for puppies on a daily basis are:

Ergocalciferol & Cholecalciferol (D Vitamin), Vitamin A, Vitamin C, B Vitamins, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Choline,
Calcium and phosphate – proper balances of these minerals is critical during the growth phase, since either deficiencies or excesses of these ingredients can have major health consequences for puppies. Vitamin A, D and Iodine – these vitamins are essential during the growth phase, however all can have toxic effects at excess levels. Puppy Punch has the exact daily amounts that are both safe and healthy.

PUPPY MINERALS

These are essential to Puppies and are involved in almost all physiological reactions. They contribute to enzyme formation, pH balance, nutrient utilization, and oxygen transportation and are stored in bone and muscle tissue. Biological availability may vary widely depending on the source of the nutrient. Elemental minerals are generally taken from the earth or water; chelated minerals are those that are bound with other organic substances, often making them easier for the body to absorb.

Minerals include calcium, chloride, chromium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, silicon, sodium, sulfur, and zinc. Minerals, like vitamins, work synergistically, with a cooperative action between them. These are all supplied by Puppy Punch.

Medications: Check with your vet to see if you need to decrease or increase your puppy’s water intake while taking a medication.

If you are concerned that your dog is not getting enough water to maintain health, talk to your veterinarian for advice. Maintaining proper hydration is too important to your dog’s health to ignore.