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Getting a pup isn’t all that different from getting a child. You need to know exactly how to take care of them so that they grow up into strong dogs. The intricacies of their care depend on what breed you get. If you’re thinking of getting a Rottweiler puppy or if you have one already, this is the place for you where you get to know more their food-related habits.
How Do You Know When To Stop
Just like human babies, their bodies are slowly developing so it is important to know how much they need to eat. Over their growing period, their appetite might seem like it is going haywire. But as long as they don’t go more than a day without eating their food, they’ll usually be fine.
Read: Switching to low sodium dog food
You need to know their body measurements plus approximately how big they’ll grow, to know how much food to give them. It also depends on what you’re feeding them.
What Nutrients Do They Need
Calcium is an essential mineral to make their bones stronger and to boost their immunity. They need to get about 3 gms of calcium per 1000 kcal of food. Another important mineral is phosphorus which works along with calcium. The perfect ratio of calcium to phosphorus is never more than 1:3 and never less than 1:1 unless your doctor prescribes a different amount.
The Right Amount To Grow Strong
Since your pup depends on you completely to nurture them, you can’t let them become obese. The right kind of food is necessary to strengthen their immunity and to prevent them from developing neoplasia or cancer. Ideally, your pup should gain around 1 kg every week. Get them puppy food and check their weight often.
Perfect Quantities
Rather than winging it, talk to your vet and come up with a feeding chart you can follow. Too many vitamins and minerals can seriously mess up their skeletal system so measure everything out correctly.
Bringing Them Up
You need to be careful with your pup from the third to the eighth month, and again for about six months after they turn a year old. They usually reach their full size around then but you should keep them on puppy food during these stages. Once they are almost at their full size you can start feeding them dog food.
What Do I Feed My Puppy?
Food for puppies comes in four categories. First, there’s dry kibble which is available commercially. It gives your puppy a balanced meal and you don’t need to feed them any supplements unless the vet deems so. Then you have wet food but large breeds don’t really need it if the dry kibble is working well for them. But when they fall sick you can feed them wet food to keep them hydrated.
Read: 30 Human Foods Dogs Can And Can’t Eat
Thirdly you could also make food at home but keep in touch with a nutritionist. This is especially important if your pup has an allergy. But you might need to give them additional supplements so that they stay healthy. Lastly, there’s the raw food diet. While it is all the rage right now you need to be careful. Research shows that this can upset the calcium-phosphorus balance in their bodies leading to orthopedic issues. The bacteria in raw foods might also be too strong for a puppy’s immunity to handle. You could always feed them kibble till they grow old enough to handle the transition.
Experiment with mealtime length, for about 15 minutes. If food is leftover, consult your vet for the proper proportion for your pup. Not just food, your pup must always have access to fresh water to help them stay hydrated.
And whatever you do, make sure you keep your vet updated! Nobody will be able to understand the special needs of your Rottweiler pup like they do so keep in touch. Get your Rottweiler pup the best food care they deserve!
