How to Choose the Best Dog Food for Samoyed Puppies
Is there anything more adorable than a Samoyed puppy? Cute, little bundles of white fluff, the Samoyed puppy resembles a powder puff during its baby years. An affectionate pup with a sweet nature, the Samoyed puppy is lively, spirited, and up for any adventure its family has in mind.
Samoyed puppies are busy little creatures, and as such, require a very high-quality, well-balanced food to meet their every nutritional need. The breed can be predisposed to a few health problems, but hip dysplasia is the only one that can potentially be impacted by diet. The Samoyed puppy does not suffer from overeating and is not prone to weight gain. In fact, care must be taken to measure and monitor this pup’s food intake to make sure weight loss does not occur.
Samoyed puppies should be fed a puppy food since it is optimized to meet the needs of developing dogs. This should be continued until the puppy is one year of age when the dog can be switched to an appropriate adult formulation.
Foods that are based on common grains such as wheat and corn can cause stomach distress in the Samoyed pup. These are best avoided and are not typically found in the best foods for Samoyed puppies.
Choosing the Correct Calorie Count for Samoyed Puppies
Samoyed puppies are very active, and thus, require a good number of calories to fuel their activity levels. The average Samoyed puppy should be fed ½ cup of an appropriate puppy food two to three times daily. The puppy’s age, weight, and activity level will help determine how much and how often this pup should be fed.
It is also important that any food selected for the Samoyed puppy have the correct amount of calcium to phosphorus to promote the right rate of bone growth. Look for foods that list 1.2 parts of calcium to each single unit of phosphorus. The best dog foods for Samoyed puppies are carefully balanced to support the developmental needs of each phase of the pup’s growth.
The Samoyed puppy requires a diet that is moderate in its amounts of protein and fat. As a basic rule of thumb, any food suited to this breed should contain a minimum of 22 percent protein and 8 percent fat.
Dietary Requirements for Samoyed Puppy Foods
Samoyed puppies require a diet that has an animal protein as its first ingredient. Whole meats are the best foundation for any dog food; however, meat meals are also an excellent source of protein. By-products are inferior in quality, and thus, are not suited to the nutritional needs of the developing Samoyed puppy.
Care must be taken to avoid foods based on plant proteins such as corn, wheat, and soy. These ingredients are difficult to process and can cause stomach distress in the Samoyed puppy. The best foods for Samoyed puppies do not contain these ingredients.
Healthy fats are a vital aspect of the Samoyed puppy’s diet. Fats provide puppies with the fuel they need to engage in energetic pursuits and form the basis for developing healthy skin and good quality coat. These are best derived from animal sources such as chicken fat and oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, or anchovies.
Carbohydrates can come from whole grains, fruits, or vegetables with the emphasis being on the quality of their nutritional value and ease of digestibility.
Things to Look for in the Best Dog Food for Samoyed Puppies
Here is a basic list of the most important things to look for in the best food for a Samoyed puppy:
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Whole proteins heading up the ingredients list
The first ingredient in a food for the Samoyed puppy should be a high-quality meat. Select a food that lists a whole meat as its first ingredient if possible. If not, meat meals are also a very good choice.
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Prepared without the addition of chemicals, flavorings, fillers, or mystery ingredients
Chemicals, flavorings, fillers, and mystery ingredients add no nutritional value to a puppy food; in fact, they can be harmful. Diets that contain one or more of these items should be avoided.
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Enriched with probiotics and helpful supplements
To help a food be most effective, probiotics and supplements are often included in a recipe. The most beneficial supplements to consider in food for the Samoyed puppy include prebiotics, probiotics, glucosamine, and chondroitin.
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Meets AAFCO nutritional requirements for a complete and balanced food
All puppy foods for a Samoyed pup should be stamped with the AAFCO seal of approval, indicating the food is complete and balanced to meet the needs of a growing puppy.