Selecting Quality Nutrition for Teacup Puppies
Tiny and Teacup Puppies are in Essence Special Needs Puppies.
Their feeding requirements due to their small size stomachs and higher metabolisms are more complex than those of an average size pup, but can easily satisfied by a proper feeding schedule and by selecting puppy food high in nutrition with correct bite size.
Their feeding requirements due to their small size stomachs and higher metabolisms are more complex than those of an average size pup, but can easily satisfied by a proper feeding schedule and by selecting puppy food high in nutrition with correct bite size.
Important Considerations when selecting your Puppy Food!
#1: High Metabolism - Small Stomachs: Due to their small sizes - most true teacup puppies around 9-12 weeks weigh anywhere from barely a pound to roughly 1.5 pounds – if they weigh more at this age, you are most likely dealing with a pup that matures over the 4# adult range [allow some leeway for the different toy breeds varieties though]. They have very small stomachs that cannot hold large enough amounts of food to maintain them on a one or even two meal per day schedule this early on – hence they need to be fed more frequently than that.
#2: Manufacturer + Brand: Most manufacturers are now offering food specifically designed for proper puppy development. Some even go so far to offer breed specific puppy feeds, that allow for that particular breeds optimum development and takes various breeds particular health issues or challenges into consideration when they develop their puppy formula. Be sure to purchase the puppy and not the adult variety of the dog food you are offering to your pup.
#2: Manufacturer + Brand: Most manufacturers are now offering food specifically designed for proper puppy development. Some even go so far to offer breed specific puppy feeds, that allow for that particular breeds optimum development and takes various breeds particular health issues or challenges into consideration when they develop their puppy formula. Be sure to purchase the puppy and not the adult variety of the dog food you are offering to your pup.
#3: Nutritional Density: Due to the high metabolism of most toy breeds, it is especially crucial that you purchase a puppy food variety that offers high quality nutrients and little to no fillers. If your first three ingredients on the food bag are grain products, keep looking for something better. Train yourself to read food bag labels!
A negative aspect to using dog food with high filler products [corn, wheat, gluten, meat byproducts] is that the pup has to eat more food in order to get the nutritional value it requires to thrive. This often means, it has to eat more volume and hence gets larger than estimated by your breeder. I oftentimes hear puppy buyers complaining about the size of the now adult dog they purchased – when questioned more closely, in 90+% of the cases the pup had been raised on some grocery store brand or the low end brands of the larger well known dog food manufacturers. Make meat [not meat byproducts] your first 2 ingredients and look for grain free puppy food if possible.
#4: Bite Size: Eating is serious business for a teacup or tiny pup. You do not want to exhaust your baby by making it work for getting nutrition. Eating for your pup should be an effortless, no thought given process – if your tiny pup needs to wrestle its food into submission before it can eat it, it is not the right food for it! Feed the smallest size kibble variety that is available in your choice of puppy food. Consider selecting a dog food manufacturer that offers high nutrient density food for the smallest toy breeds [such as Chihuahuas or Yorkshire Terriers], as these are usually the easiest to chew and digest types of commercial puppy foods available for teacup puppies.
A negative aspect to using dog food with high filler products [corn, wheat, gluten, meat byproducts] is that the pup has to eat more food in order to get the nutritional value it requires to thrive. This often means, it has to eat more volume and hence gets larger than estimated by your breeder. I oftentimes hear puppy buyers complaining about the size of the now adult dog they purchased – when questioned more closely, in 90+% of the cases the pup had been raised on some grocery store brand or the low end brands of the larger well known dog food manufacturers. Make meat [not meat byproducts] your first 2 ingredients and look for grain free puppy food if possible.
#4: Bite Size: Eating is serious business for a teacup or tiny pup. You do not want to exhaust your baby by making it work for getting nutrition. Eating for your pup should be an effortless, no thought given process – if your tiny pup needs to wrestle its food into submission before it can eat it, it is not the right food for it! Feed the smallest size kibble variety that is available in your choice of puppy food. Consider selecting a dog food manufacturer that offers high nutrient density food for the smallest toy breeds [such as Chihuahuas or Yorkshire Terriers], as these are usually the easiest to chew and digest types of commercial puppy foods available for teacup puppies.
When possible wait with Food Changes...
Ideally your breeder has started the pup on a high quality, small bite size food – and it is always recommended that initially you stay with the food the puppy has been started on with for at least another month or so [or small bag of this dog food] until the new puppy is fully settled into your household and is known to eat and maintain well.
If you wish to upgrade to a better variety or different food approach such as home cooking or raw-feeding after a while, you can do so after you know the pup eats well for you at all times, and has had minimal [preferably no] hypoglycemic episodes since it has been in your care. Introduce new food slowly - you do not want to upset the tummy of your tiny puppy.
I cannot stress enough that everything is more important, more serious and more crucial with teacup and tiny puppies. There simply isn't enough dog to go around for experimenting and upsetting the internal balance!!!
If you wish to upgrade to a better variety or different food approach such as home cooking or raw-feeding after a while, you can do so after you know the pup eats well for you at all times, and has had minimal [preferably no] hypoglycemic episodes since it has been in your care. Introduce new food slowly - you do not want to upset the tummy of your tiny puppy.
I cannot stress enough that everything is more important, more serious and more crucial with teacup and tiny puppies. There simply isn't enough dog to go around for experimenting and upsetting the internal balance!!!
Summary...
Ideal commercial puppy food for teacup and tiny puppies needs to be high in nutritional density [the best you can afford to buy] as well as offer small kibble size. Look at feeds specifically designated for the smallest in toy breeds, f.e. Chihuahuas or Yorkshire Terriers, even if you own a different breed, as those generally meet both the nutritional as well as the correct bite size requirements for the smallest of puppies.
Don't ignore other brands that do not have a specific breed distinction, but do read the labels and make sure it comes in a toy breed formula for optimum bite size. The nutritional requirements of a Teacup Maltese or a Teacup Poodle are considerably different from those of a Great Dane, and so is the kibble size!
Price: High end dog and puppy food is expensive. Expect to pay twice or triple the amount than for a grocery brand store or low end quality dog food. Is it worth it? Every penny!
The same amount of dog food will last a lot longer. Pups eat less volume, as the food is more nutrition dense, and coincidentally – will have smaller, tighter and less messy bowel movements as a result. That surely is a good enough reason to upgrade to a better quality puppy food, while you are potty training! High end dog food will last anywhere from one third to twice as long as the cheapy brands.
You will also have less waste, as you do not need to soften the larger cheap food bites with water, and therefore have to frequently discard the leftovers to avoid spoilage. By selecting the right bite size for teacups and tinies, you can feed the dry food dry as it was designed to do, and also get the benefits of keeping the teeth cleaner...
Your pup will stay smaller but yet maintains a good energy level, the later is very important when you are trying to maintain a level blood sugar and avoid hypoglycemic episodes for your tiny baby. Compare feeding poor quality puppy food to eating sugary airy sweet cereals vs. a healthy, balanced and fruit/nut enriched muesli for humans.
Where to buy? You generally do not find Premium Dog Food in grocery stores! Pet Stores, some Veterinarians and some of the better stocked Feed Stores tend to carry premium dog and puppy food. There are many sources online that have large selections of premium dog food and offer low cost or free shipping when your order is over a certain amount [usually around $50 or so].
Don't ignore other brands that do not have a specific breed distinction, but do read the labels and make sure it comes in a toy breed formula for optimum bite size. The nutritional requirements of a Teacup Maltese or a Teacup Poodle are considerably different from those of a Great Dane, and so is the kibble size!
Price: High end dog and puppy food is expensive. Expect to pay twice or triple the amount than for a grocery brand store or low end quality dog food. Is it worth it? Every penny!
The same amount of dog food will last a lot longer. Pups eat less volume, as the food is more nutrition dense, and coincidentally – will have smaller, tighter and less messy bowel movements as a result. That surely is a good enough reason to upgrade to a better quality puppy food, while you are potty training! High end dog food will last anywhere from one third to twice as long as the cheapy brands.
You will also have less waste, as you do not need to soften the larger cheap food bites with water, and therefore have to frequently discard the leftovers to avoid spoilage. By selecting the right bite size for teacups and tinies, you can feed the dry food dry as it was designed to do, and also get the benefits of keeping the teeth cleaner...
Your pup will stay smaller but yet maintains a good energy level, the later is very important when you are trying to maintain a level blood sugar and avoid hypoglycemic episodes for your tiny baby. Compare feeding poor quality puppy food to eating sugary airy sweet cereals vs. a healthy, balanced and fruit/nut enriched muesli for humans.
Where to buy? You generally do not find Premium Dog Food in grocery stores! Pet Stores, some Veterinarians and some of the better stocked Feed Stores tend to carry premium dog and puppy food. There are many sources online that have large selections of premium dog food and offer low cost or free shipping when your order is over a certain amount [usually around $50 or so].