Feeding puppies correctly
Only give your puppies the best dog food from day one for a healthy dog’s life. What you need to know about puppy feeding!
With Meradog puppy food, you are giving your dog the best from day one!
There are lots of things to know about rearing puppies and establish an ideal feeding routine. Which dog food to feed and when? Which dog food to feed to the nursing dog? Which dog food to feed to the new-born puppies and what is the ideal feeding routine for puppies up to the end of the growth phase? What is the best puppy food? Questions that we are only too happy to answer for you. Should you have any further queries, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We are on hand for help and advice.
Puppy feeding in two phases
How do you feed Meradog puppy products correctly?
Mera employs a 2-phase principle for the nutrition of young dogs: This ensures that dogs of any size are fed according to their needs and always receive the right quantity of nutrients. Chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine, known as the active ingredients in mollusc flesh powder, are the building blocks of joint cartilage and ingredients in all Meradog JUNIOR food types.
When does a dog belong to a small or large breed?
- From a nutritional point of view, a dog is a large breed if its anticipated final weight – i.e. its fully-grown weight – is more than 40 kg.
- Small and medium-sized breeds or their mongrels (final weight below 40 kg) are fed Meradog junior 1 until they are fully grown. This may be the case as early as the 8th month for small breeds (e.g. Chihuahua) or only in the 14th month for medium-sized breeds (e.g. Labrador Retriever)
- Large and extra-large breeds with a final weight greater than 40 kg are also fed junior 1 for their first five months and junior 2 from the 6th month on. This is to avoid growth damage that can occur due to an oversupply of energy. Junior 2 should also be fed in all cases until the end of the growth in height, which means up to around the 18th to 20th month for extra-large breeds (e.g. Great Dane)
When junior1 – junior 2 – pure junior?
When is care junior1 – when care junior 2 – when is pure junior fed?
We offer the right dog food for every puppy, which is why we produce different types of puppy food. One frequently asked question is when do I feed my dog junior1, when junior2 and when pure junior? Below, you can find out the special features and differences of the individual feed types:
care junior1
Meradog care junior1 is suitable for small and medium-sized breeds throughout the growth phase. Large and extra-large breeds are fed junior 1 up to the 6th month and can then switch to junior 2. Naturally, Meradog care junior 1 provides your growing dog with everything it needs for a healthy start to an energetic life.
Go to care junior1 puppy food >
care junior2
Large and extra-large breeds should be fed with Meradog care junior 2 after the 6th month. The lower energy content prevents unnatural growth spurts and the glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate contained are important building blocks of joint matter.
Go to care junior 2 puppy food >
pure junior
Food-sensitive dogs (and of course all puppies not affected by intolerances) can be fed with Meradog pure junior turkey & rice for complete nourishment. It contains turkey and rice as the sole sources of meat and carbohydrate respectively. This makes it easily digestible and ideally suited to the vast majority of dogs with food allergies. With an energy content between that of junior 1 and junior 2, it is suitable for dogs of all sizes and can be fed throughout the growth phase. The colostrum processed in Meradog pure junior turkey & rice supports your puppy's natural defences and provides it with additional minerals.
Puppy feeding for breeders
The ideal feeding plan during the first weeks after birth at the breeder
The first weeks after birth are decisive for rearing healthy puppies. Give your puppies the best from day one and rely on the exceptional quality of Meradog products. Below, you will find general feeding recommendations for Meradog puppy food products. Please remember to adjust these to take account of the many factors influencing the rearing of puppies.
| Age of the dog | Type of food | Feeding frequency | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puppies (1st week) | mother's milk (puppy milk) | 12 x daily | Puppy milk is useful for large litters, if the mother is sick or weak or if intensive breeding is planned. |
| Puppies (2nd week) | mother's milk (puppy milk) | 5 - 8 x daily | see above. |
| Puppies (3rd week) | mother's milk, (puppy milk) | 5 - 8 x daily | see above. |
| Puppies (4th week) | mother's milk and/or junior 1 | 3 – 5 x daily supplementary food + water | Start of supplementary food feeding. Junior 1 can be softened and/or mashed before feeding. |
| Puppies (5th week) | mother's milk and Junior 1 | 3 - 5 x daily supplementary food + water | supplementary food covers around 50 % of nutrient requirements. |
| Puppies (6th week) | mother's milk and Junior 1 | 4 - 6 x daily supplementary food + water | Gradual weaning from mother's milk. A supply of fresh water must now be available at all times. |
| Puppies (7th week) | Junior 1 | 4 – 6 x daily + fresh water | Puppies are normally weaned at this point and are given supplementary food/complete food |
| Puppies (8th week) | Junior 1 | 4 – 5 x daily + fresh water | Fresh water must be available at all times |
Puppy feeding for puppy owners
The ideal feeding plan for puppies
If you acquire a puppy, it is possible that it was fed a different food at the breeder. Ideally, the breeder will provide you with a food ration for the first few days. Give your puppy time to acclimatise to the new surroundings and, especially for the first few days, allow it to eat the familiar food from the breeder. If you decide to switch foods afterwards, we recommend that you do so very gradually and cautiously.
Below, you will find a general recommendation for feeding your puppy starting from the 8th week after birth up to the end of the growth phase. The end of the growth phase is different for every dog. On average, you can assume that growth will be complete in approximately 12 months for small breeds, in approximately 14 months for medium-sized breeds and by a maximum of 20 months for large breeds. If necessary, adjust our feeding recommendations to the individual influencing factors:
| Age of the dog | Type of food | Feeding frequency | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puppies (8-12 weeks) | Junior 1 | 4 x daily | The recommended daily dosage is divided into 4 portions, whereby the 4th meal can also be omitted if the puppy is no longer hungry. |
| Young dogs (4-5 months) | Junior 1 small and medium-sized breeds Junior 1 large breeds | 3 x daily | When the 4th feed stops, the total daily ration should be slowly increased in order to provide the recommended daily ration. |
| Junghunde (months) | Junior 1 small and medium-sized breeds Junior 1 large breeds | 2 x daily | The rations should gradually be increased in this case as well, whereby the increase must be kept small for large breeds in order to allow the skeleton to develop. |
| Full-grown dogs (12-24 Monate) | adult food for small and medium-sized breeds (e.g. Reference) Junior 2 for large breeds up to the end of the growth phase | 1 - 2 x daily | Depending on the number of treats you give your dog, the number of meals should be reduced to one or two. Important: The dog should rest after eating! |