Canines have grown quickly, and giving them a balanced diet is important to boost their healthy growth, yet at a certain point in their life, your pup needs more food intake apart from mother’s milk.
In this case, wet food consumption might come in handy, so when can puppies eat wet dog food?
This article will provide comprehensive insights into the matter, coupled with quick tips to feed your furry friend. Keep scrolling down for more details!
When Can Puppies Eat Wet Dog Food?
The period of 4-8 weeks of age is a perfect time for your canines to eat wet puppy food.
At this time, they have formed soft teeth, so they can smash the food into several pieces, and wet food is excellent for these weak teeth and jaws.
Apart from that, more reasons explaining why most canine experts recommend 4-8 weeks are introduced as follows:
- This time, your puppies start injuring their mother’s breasts because their teeth grow sharper.
- They crave other foods besides their mother’s milk.
- They do not get all the calories from their mother’s milk.
- Sometimes, the pain and hurt during breastfeeding causes a dog’s mother to feel uncomfortable and pull away. Hence, her puppies seek an alternative source of solid food.
How old can puppies eat wet food? In fact, the suggested duration is not applicable to every breed.
Some orphaned pooches were born with behavioral issues, so they might take longer to wean.
Instead of forcing them to consume wet food instantly, you should let everything take its course and wait for them to accommodate.
What Are The Quick Tips You Should Remember When Feeding Puppies With Wet Food?
Here are viable tips that facilitate your dog’s wet food consumption. Let’s check them out!
What If Your Puppy Doesn’t Like The Food?
Suppose your canine hates the food; do the following to whet up its appetite.
- Prepare a hot, delicious meal and dip your finger into it. Then, touch your puppy’s mouth and take your hand out immediately, so it could taste the food’s flavor.
- Suppose you raise more than one dog, and one is lagging behind others; try to feed it with food in the absence of others.
- Reward your four-legged family member with special treats after it has completed the wet food well. This act boosts its spirit and encourages it to enjoy the dish next time.
What Advice Do Canine Nutritionists Give?
- It would be best to serve your canine with wet food at room temperature, perfect for maintaining its original taste and flavor.
- Suppose you place the dish for your dog in a refrigerator for storage; you’d better remove it 3-4 hours before the feeding time. If the food is still too cold, microwaving it is advisable.
- You should change the pet food usually because its stomach is pretty sensitive and easy to get upset. One tip for you is to retain 75% of the old formula and add 25% of additives or new food to the meal.
Other Tips For Whetting Up Your Dog’s Appetite
- To encourage your breed puppies to eat wet food, you could feed the meal to their mothers first so they will likely imitate and learn to eat.
- Instead of giving food to your pup in a single seating, you ought to feed it with small amounts of food but often.
- Always pay close attention to food hygiene with the purpose of protecting your furry friend’s health and averting cross-contamination.
- You must frequently take your dog to a clinic, and a professional vet will have an overall check-up. Then, he will know whether it absorbs proper nutrition before prescribing medications and suggesting a balanced diet for dogs.
How To Wean A Puppy Before Giving Wet Food To It?
The following are viable tips for weaning your puppy effectively.
Form A Mush
Mush is a combination of wet and dry food after being placed in the fridge overnight.
That’s why it will have a dense texture and retain enough moisture to provide hydration (mostly comes from wet food).
Before feeding your pooch with a mush, microwave it and let the food cool down for half an hour.
Mush is not as dry as kibble, so your puppy can easily get used to eating it. If not, it might take about one or two days to prepare for a new dish mentally.
Provide Fresh Water
Besides providing a mush, you must place a shallow tray of fresh water next to your dog. The reason is that it can get choked on wet food if not swallowed properly.
Before that period of time, your puppy is accustomed to its mother’s milk supply and puts no effort into chewing.
However, when moving on to wet food, it must smash the food into pieces before swallowing.
Sometimes, it could forget this step and get choked, so drinking water will help solve this worry.
Help Your Puppy Meet Its Mother
When your dog shows no signs of collaboration during the weaning stage, it’s time to rely on its mother’s help.
All you need to do is feed the mother with a mush or adult dog food, and let your puppy watch this behavior.
When its mother dares to eat the food, it may also want to try this new dish. Good luck!
Is It Good To Make Your Dog Food Wet By Adding Water?
The answer is yes. Adding water content to the real food facilitates your dog’s digestion by providing more hydration and increasing moisture content.
Besides, this act could raise the food’s flavor and taste, especially when your dog recovers from illness.
Below are some benefits and drawbacks of making the food wet that you should know.
Pros
- The increasing moisture is conducive to the short-term enhancement of the food’s aroma and flavor.
- Adding warm water helps ease digestion by providing more hydration for your puppy to chew and swallow.
- The practice aids your dog’s chewing by making the food softer if it has dental problems, like wobbly teeth or inflamed gums (gingivitis).
- Soaking the dish is also a helpful measure to prevent the impact of gulping by slowing its eating speed.
- Making your dog’s food wet is also beneficial for its weight loss. Doing so helps increase the food volume while maintaining its original net content. Hence, your canine might feel hungry more quickly and stop eating sooner.
Cons
- For a picky eater, it will reject the food you have added water to because it would prefer the original taste.
- Adding too much could make the food plain and even decrease your puppy’s appetite.
- Another disadvantage of wet food is that it’s inconvenient to do so every single day. Sometimes, you are too busy and want to skip this step.
What Are The 3 High-Quality Wet Dog Food Brands?
Here are 3 famous food labels for dogs that are worth your consideration.
The Nom Nom Fresh Dog Food
Nom Nom is famous as a grain-free puppy food brand, which is particularly suitable for some breeds with sensitive stomach or digestive issues.
The Farmer’s Dog Fresh Food
The Farmer high-quality food derives most of its animal proteins from fresh turkey.
In its food, protein takes up the highest percentage of the total essential nutrients, followed by fat and carbs.
The Royal Canin
As its name suggests, the Royal Canin is quite expensive, and its price is higher than other dog food manufacturers on the market.
The brand is confident to meet the nutritional requirements of adult canines.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Amount Of Wet Food Is Suitable For Your Dog?
You are advised to keep the portion sizes equal to 3 and ½ pounds of its body weight daily. And you should feed it with two or three meals, depending on its body condition.
Should I Feed My 8-Week Old Puppy Wet Food?
Totally yes. When your puppy is 8 weeks old, its teeth have developed, and they can chew or smash foods into pieces without a hitch.
The Bottom Line
This post has offered a satisfying answer to the question: When can puppies eat wet dog food?
In most cases, the period of 1-2 months of age is a perfect time for you to wean your four-legged companion.
And if it doesn’t want to eat wet food, give it occasional treats, like toys or fake bones, to boost its excitement.
