Your new, little puppy scampers playfully at your feet. He romps around in the grass giving you insurmountable joy. He is becoming an important part in your family’s life. To keep your puppy happy, healthy and disease-free you will need to give him the appropriate veterinarian health care.

When a puppy is first born he is protected by his mom’s antibodies from her blood and initial milk supply, known as colostrum. The first stage of your puppy’s maternal antibody protection is approximately 2 days. This window of protection will only include those viruses that the mother is protected against and works according to the level of antibodies in the pup’s bloodstream. There may still be a risk for infection if levels are not strong enough at that particular time. There is no rhyme or reason as to how high or low the levels may be even in different puppies of the same litter.

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You just brought home your new puppy, now, what should you feed him? There are a million types and brands of dog food, from canned to kibble. How do you know how much you should feed your puppy? For medium to large size puppies, they need to be fed a well balanced, quality, dry, puppy formula, 4 small meals a day, up to 4 months of age. They are growing so fast and using up so much energy, they need to be refueled frequently. From 4 months to 8 months of age, they should be fed 3 meals a day, and from 8 months to 12 months, feed 2 times a day. If puppies are started on dry kibble from the time they are weaned, they will have no problem eating dry puppy food.

Treats can be given in moderation, especially small treats for reward during training. Table food and leftovers should be avoided, although the occasional piece of apple or carrot is okay. Certain foods are not safe for puppies or dogs to eat. Most people know chocolate can harm dogs, but raisins, grapes, onions, garlic and certain nuts are also harmful.

It is important for large breed puppies to be fed a dry puppy food specially formulated for large breeds. Also, do not overfeed your puppy to increase or speed growth. This is especially important for large breed puppies because rapid growth causes improper skeletal development, which leads to bone and joint problems. A slower, steady growth rate is better. You should not encourage your puppy to become an oversized adult to make him look more impressive.

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