How old can a dog be on dry dog food? Usually, a dog is three to six months old when you can consider switching your dog to dry dog food, but you must also consider your dog’s current health. If your dog is free of disease or in good health, and his teeth and stomach are developing normally, you can gradually switch to dry dog food.
Dog lovers have an inexplicable love for little puppies because of their small size and roundness. But taking care of a small puppy is as difficult as taking care of a small baby. What many people don’t know is how old can a dog eat dry dog food? What should not be fed to small puppies? So today we are going to reveal.
Which stage can you feed dry dog food
It depends on the dental development: usually, if the dog has not developed teeth even after 1-3 months, then it is recommended to feed the dog wet food to aid digestion; when the dog is about three months old, their teeth can support their gradual transition to dry dog food. If transitioning to dry dog food, it is recommended that the transition be gradual, with ¼ of dry food at the first meal and half of the dry food at the second meal, whilst at the same time and keeping an eye on the poop. However there is no absolute time limit to this as every dog develops differently. Finally, it is still necessary to keep an eye on the development of the dog’s teeth and to keep an eye on the dog’s feces.
Usually, puppies can eat dog food after weaning, but at this time, the dog food should be as small as possible, easy to absorb, foaming dog food soft, usually choose milk flavor, all-natural dog food. Puppies do not need to cook dog food, so it is easy to lose the nutritional value of dog food. At this time, the dog food should be soaked in warm water for 5-10 minutes, without the need to soak it to paste. After the puppy’s teeth develop, then there is no need to soak the dog food, you can just feed the dog food, but be sure to prepare enough pure water for the dog. It usually takes three to four months for a puppy to develop all of its teeth, and during this time, soaking dog food is mainly feared for the formation of calculus and double rows of teeth. If you can bite hard objects such as hard bones or dog chews, there is no need to rush to change. Parents can watch carefully and if you need to change dry dog food, it is recommended that you do so in three to four months.
What Puppies Shouldn’t Be Fed
Irritating foods such as onions: Because these foods can irritate a dog’s gastrointestinal tract, not only do they cause inflammation, but they also affect a dog’s sense of smell. Onions contain a toxic ingredient, n-propyl disulfide, which dogs can oxidize to hemoglobin in the form of Huntsman’s microsomes, and the reticuloendothelial system swallows red blood cells containing Huntsman’s microsomes, causing anemia and damage to the bone marrow.
Cold Milk: Some people feed their dogs milk straight from the refrigerator, but this is harmful to the dog’s body. Cold milk is a cause of diarrhea in puppies whose bodies are not fully developed. In puppies, diarrhea cannot be frequent and this can easily weaken the dog’s body. Therefore, when serving milk, it is important to warm it to a warming level and not to overfeed it.
Chicken Bone: Chicken is a low-calorie protein, so you can eat it without worrying about the bones. Cooked chicken bones are tough and can’t be bitten by a dog’s teeth. In addition, chicken bones can sting the throat and stomach. If chicken bones get into your dog’s stomach, they will not be digested and could endanger your dog’s life.
Foods high in salt: Salt is a cause of disease and is not healthy for dogs. Dry food, salted salmon, sugar and fish and shrimp cooked in soy sauce and wine are not suitable for dogs. Avoid high salt foods in meats such as ham and bacon. Some people use salt to stimulate vomiting in poisoned dogs. But actually less than 1/2 teaspoon of salt can be fatal for dogs.