{"product_id":"2940014841610","title":"Dieting Your Dog! More Years Together With Proper Nutrition","description":"When Should Good Nutrition Start\u003cbr\u003eSo when should a dogs good nutrition start? Right from the moment they are born. In\u003cbr\u003efact pups get an excellent source of nutrition and antibodies right from their mothers. In\u003cbr\u003ethe first 24 hours after they give birth, a female dog will produce a liquid called\u003cbr\u003eColostrum. This is the same liquid that women produce right after they give birth but\u003cbr\u003ebefore their milk comes in. In this colustrum are antibodies that the mother has been\u003cbr\u003eexposed to by the vaccinations she has received. So if you have a mother who is up to\u003cbr\u003edate with her vaccinations, her pup will be protected at least until they are old enough to\u003cbr\u003ebegin their vaccine schedule. Usually the antibodies will stay in a pup’s blood until\u003cbr\u003ethey are a few weeks old.\u003cbr\u003eWithout colostrum a pup’s chance of survival can be drastically reduced. Colostrum is a\u003cbr\u003esource of protection and nutrition and is also playing a part in maintaining the fluid level\u003cbr\u003ein your pup. In order for a new pup’s heart to work, it needs a high volume of fluid.\u003cbr\u003eColostrum helps balance this all out.\u003cbr\u003eAfter the first 24 hours and mother will start producing milk for their pups. Most experts\u003cbr\u003eagree that a pup should just nurse for about 3 to 4 weeks until their puppy teeth start\u003cbr\u003eshowing. Once their teeth start coming through, the breeder should start adding in solid\u003cbr\u003efood because nursing might start to become too hard for the mother with their puppy\u003cbr\u003eteeth. If you have a pup or have experience with puppies, you know how sharp those\u003cbr\u003eteeth are. Imagine the pain their poor mother must experience if she accidentally gets\u003cbr\u003enipped while they are nursing.\u003cbr\u003eMost vets and breeders recommend that puppies are kept with their mother and their litter\u003cbr\u003euntil they are at least 7-8 weeks old. By this time they are old enough to be weaned from\u003cbr\u003etheir mother and ready to begin their new life with you. There are some questions to ask\u003cbr\u003eyour breeder (if that is who you are buying your dog from). Double check and make sure\u003cbr\u003ethe pup nursed for the first 24 hours. This way you can rest be assured that they got\u003cbr\u003ecolostrum. Also ask your breeder or wherever you are buying your dog from what kind\u003cbr\u003ediet the pup has been on. Find out what kind of kibble the pup has been getting. Most\u003cbr\u003eof the time, a breeder will send you home with a bag of kibble and leave it up to you to\u003cbr\u003edetermine if you want to stay with that kibble or use a new one. Switching is your\u003cbr\u003echoice. Some people switch because the kibble the puppies were on at the breeders have\u003cbr\u003ehad bad reviews, others switch to a cheaper brand. All I ask is that if you do switch, you\u003cbr\u003emake sure they are still getting the nutrients they need to grow into the loving adult dog\u003cbr\u003ethey are destined to be.\u003cbr\u003eIf you decide you want to try your pup on different food for whatever the reason, what\u003cbr\u003ekind of food should you buy for your puppy? Avoid canned food as they are made up of\u003cbr\u003emainly water, salt and sugar. You pup does not need any salt or sugar so avoid the\u003cbr\u003ecanned and the semi-moist food. Plus soften food can also cause teeth problems down\u003cbr\u003ethe line for your dog. Stick with a dried food. To be more specific stick with a dried\u003cbr\u003ekibble food that has a meat protein source as one of its first two ingredients. Included in\u003cbr\u003ethis kibble should be at least 28% of protein for your puppy to help they grow big and\u003cbr\u003e5\u003cbr\u003estrong. Not only that but the kibble will help the puppy’s teeth. Puppies’ teeth are\u003cbr\u003enotorious for being sharper than adult teeth. Puppy kibble is designed for these teeth.\u003cbr\u003eYou will notice that puppy kibble is a little smaller and sometimes harder than adult\u003cbr\u003ekibble. This is for your puppies’ teeth and to help his adult teeth come through.\u003cbr\u003eIf you are switching, the next step is to make the switch. Do not switch suddenly\u003cbr\u003emeaning do not give your pup the food it is used to one day and then a completely\u003cbr\u003edifferent food the next day. This will wreak havoc on your puppy’s stomach. Not only\u003cbr\u003ethat your pup might not take to the new food so kindly. Your best bet is to mix the food\u003cbr\u003ein slowly to get them use to the new food. It can take up to a week to completely\u003cbr\u003etransition the pup from one food to the next but in the end it is worth it for your dog.\u003cbr\u003eHow often should you feed your puppy? Well any puppy under the age of six months\u003cbr\u003eshould be fed at least three times a day. By the time they are six months, they should eat twice a day, and once they hit a year, they should eat only once a day. Of course that is all depending on the breed and the amount of activity your dog gets. A dog that gets a lot of activity and is a larger breed dog might benefit from being fed twice a day instead of once...","brand":"Tea Time eBooks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47169702232304,"sku":"2940014841610","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940014841610_p0.jpg?v=1763616154","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940014841610","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}