Welcome back! This is your second visit to our clinic. Last time we talked about infectious disease control, the importance of parasite control, and we even discussed behavior a little. This month we will continue by discussing some other very important health concerns.

In the month that has passed since your last visit, you puppy has grown like a weed. Some puppies come close to doubling their weight during this month. They are so busy growing that it is a wonder they can find time to chew on things.  That kind of growth is amazing. It takes a lot of groceries to sustain such rapid growth. Puppies have a very high protein requirement to enable them to successfully build new muscle. Puppies need at least 25% protein in their diet in order to develop normally. That is a lot more than is found in adult dog food. Puppies also need a well-balanced vitamin and mineral source to grow a healthy skeleton to hang all that new muscle on. The best vitamin and mineral source is a well-researched puppy food, rather than a pill.  Puppies also need a lot of calories to provide energy to bounce around and play. Fats and carbohydrates, both important calorie sources, are an important part of Puppy feeds.

Rapidly-growing puppies, especially large-breed puppies, are prone to acquiring what we call "Developmental Orthopedic Diseases," or DOD. There are several manifestations of DOD, and they all involve the bones or joints, and none of them are very fun. The best way to avoid them is to feed a well-balanced puppy food with no supplementation.

So which puppy food is best?   There is no one ultimate absolute best puppy food. Most puppies will do well on a famous-name puppy food, such as Science Diet, Iam's, Royal Canine, or Purina. At Sunnyside Veterinary Clinic, we carry the Science Diet product line, and so we are most familiar with those feeds. We find them to be an excellent source of nutrition for all puppies.  No matter which puppy food you end up using, it is important to keep your puppy on it for at least the first year. After that, your puppy needs to be switched to an adult dog food.

As your puppy grows up, his or her nutritional requirements will change.  From one year of age until seven or eight years or even older in samll dogs, their nutritional needs can best be met by feeding the right amount of a well-known brand of commercial dog food.  Science Diet, Iams, Royal Canine, Eukanuba, and Purina are all good choices.  Avoid inexpensive brands.  There is convincing and credible research that shows that dogs live longer when fed these premium diets.

Like many people in America, obesity is quite common in our dog population too.  And as in people, more is not better.  Obesity, and even being just plain overweight, can lead to problems with heart disease, arthritis, and other conditions in dogs as well.  It is very important to make sure that your dog does not gain excess weight.  How do you tell if your dog is overweight?  Ask the veterinarian!  There is a fun feature on the Slentrol website that is worth looking at as well.  Click here to go to a visual sliding scale that will show you if your dog is overweight.