Elevate Your Puppy s Diet Exploring the Benefits of Ava Puppy Food
How to Choose the Right Food for Your Puppy
Bringing a new puppy into your home involves more than just a warm welcome. From puppy-proofing your space to initiating crate training and potty training, theres a lot to consider.
Choosing the right puppy food is a crucial aspect of ensuring your furry friends growth and overall health. While it may seem daunting, selecting the perfect diet for your puppy isnt as difficult as you might think, provided you keep a few essential factors in mind.
This article will discuss the different types of diets you might be considering and some advice to keep in mind when choosing puppy food.
What diet should I start my puppy on?
Welcoming a new puppy into your home can be overwhelming for them. Having recently transitioned from their mothers milk to solid food, and with their digestive systems and microbiome still in the developmental stage, their little tummies are often quite sensitive.
They have also entered an entirely new home, leaving their mother and siblings behind so they are likely to be anxious. Therefore, its advisable to try to stick to one food and not switch between lots of different kinds.
Do some research before getting your puppy and select a complete and balanced diet tailored to their age and breed, providing the stability needed during this transitional period.
However, if youve tried a specific food for a month or so and its not suiting the puppy, a change can be made just do it gradually to avoid any potential upset tummy issues.
What type of diet is suitable for a puppy?
Generally, every type of diet can be suitable for puppies so long as they are formulated to be complete and balanced to meet the standards of AAFCO and have all life stages or growth nutritional profiles.
Is a raw diet food for a puppy?
Raw diets can be suitable for puppies but its best to opt for a professionally formulated food as opposed to homemade. Puppies have very specific nutritional requirements and need to meet these requirements so following the 80:10:10 method is not recommended at this stage.
You will also need to be careful of Salmonella and other bacteria with a raw diet, but also any other type of dog food as puppies are more susceptible to illness from these types of bacteria than adult dogs.
Is a kibble diet good for a puppy?
Kibble can be a great choice as its usually commercially prepared to be completed and balanced. However, depending on their age and development, you might need to soak the kibble in warm water to protect their developing teeth.
Is a fresh diet good for a puppy?
Much like the raw diet, a fresh diet is a good option as long as it meets the standards of AAFCO. Its best to get one formulated by a professional rather than making the food yourself to ensure your puppy is getting the essential nutrients.
Is a wet food diet good for a puppy?
Puppies often gobble up wet food because its easy to chew and it includes lots of moisture, so its hydrating.
The foods can be fed slightly warm as a comfort and to increase the scents and palatability.
Overall, it can come down to what suits the owners lifestyle, the puppys preferences, or any health concerns your puppy might have. If you are unsure about choosing the correct diet, your vet will be happy to discuss which is best for your new puppy.
Why puppy food?
Its essential to choose a puppy-specific food. Since your puppy is growing, they need more nutrients and calories than an adult dog. This is why puppy foods have a higher level of protein and fat to support growth, as well as nutrients like DHA, an omega fatty acid found in mothers milk.
Once your puppy reaches adulthood, they dont need as many calories. So when they are around 10-12 months for small breeds, 12-18 months for medium/large breeds, and around 18-24 months for giant breeds, its time to change over to adult food.
What to look for in puppy food
Complete and balanced
If you are buying commercially made dog food, check if the label reads: complete and balanced for Growth or All Life Stages. This means the food meets the standards of the AAFCO and is recommended for healthy puppies without existing veterinary conditions or particular nutritional needs.
Expected Adult Size
If your puppy is a large or giant breed (those expected to weigh over 50 pounds as an adult), consider using a puppy food formulated especially for large or giant-breed dogs.
Large and giant breeds also reach their adult size later than small and medium breeds.
Large breeds usually reach their adult size at 18 months and for giant breeds, at two years.
Using a large breed of puppy food for the later stages of growth rather than adult food will save your dog from receiving too much calcium which compromises skeletal development in large breeds.
You can read more about this in our article on large-breed puppies here: https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/
Breed
Numerous dog foods are labeled as breed-specific, while they may not be essential for your growing puppy, they can offer benefits. These diets often provide kibble sizes tailored to your puppys preferences and a nutrient profile designed for your dogs breed.
While many breeds share similar nutritional needs, breed-specific foods may offer features that cater to specific breed predispositions and characteristics.
Ingredient list
There are no specific ingredients to look for when choosing the best puppy food, but pet parents must ensure the food is made by a reputable company and contains high-quality ingredients.
Does your puppy have any dietary needs?
Although only a small percentage of allergies are diet-related, if you do think your puppy is having an allergic reaction, check with your vet and they will be able to advise.
What are the best treats for my puppy?
Rewarding your puppy with a treat is a great way of rewarding good behavior and is one of the best tools you have when it comes to puppy training. If your new puppy is a food lover (and most are) you can easily show them the benefits of behaving well, both inside and outside the home.
But as is the case with mealtimes, its important to make sure youre not overfeeding them and that youre giving them treats that are nutritious and part of a balanced diet. Treat intake should not surpass 10% of your dogs daily calories.
Choosing appropriate treats can play a big part in keeping your puppy both happy and healthy. Here are some things to look out for when buying your puppy treats:
- Treats specifically for puppies
- Tiny pieces
- Healthy ingredients.
Despite the overwhelming choice in the pet store, choosing a puppy food doesnt have to be a daunting task. Whether you opt for a raw, kibble, fresh, or wet food diet, the key is to choose a complete and balanced option tailored to your puppys age and breed.
AVA Puppy Food Review
Find out if Ava puppy food is good enough to provide all the nutrition that your growing puppy needs, as we take a close look at the ingredients.
Advanced Nutrition Vet Approved known as AVA is a high-quality premium brand which is produced by Pets at Home.
Designed to support wellbeing and health, as well as provide superior nutrition, AVA puppy food has a special blend of nutrients to support your growing pup.
Pets at Home produce a range of other foods and products; theyre not just a retailer.
They have created AVA to be a particularly gentle and natural addition to their products, perfect for pooches who are on the sensitive side.
AVA puppy food includes both wet and dry food so you can select the option that suits your pet.
But what do the AVA puppy food reviews make of this product?
Heres a look at whats inside the packaging.
Range of Foods
When you purchase dog food, some brands offer different options depending on the size of your dog.
AVA goes one step further and caters specifically for certain breeds, such as Shih Tzu, Yorkshire terrier, and many more.
Thats not the case with their puppy food though; this more selective type of food is only available with AVA adult dog food.
AVA puppy food is available in either a wet or dry format. The whole range is made from premium, natural ingredients only and is completely free of pork, soya, dairy, wheat and gluten.
Therefore if youve got a dog whos prone to allergies, this puppy food could be a top pick.
The wet puppy food they offer includes:
- Chicken pate
- Chicken and lamb pate
And their dry puppy food:
- Small breed chicken kibble
- Medium breed chicken kibble
- Large breed chicken kibble
Both 2kg and 15kg size bags are available.
The kibble is sold in bags for either small, medium and large breeds, which is a simplified version of their breed-specific adult food.
Its important to pick the type that corresponds with your poochs breed because the individual kibble will be sized for your dogs mouth.
Kibble which is too small wont feel satisfying for your canine, and if its too big, they may struggle to eat comfortably.
Recommended:We take a close look at Burns puppy food in our latest guide.
Health Benefits of Ava Puppy Food
No matter which type of AVA puppy food you select, your dog will be enjoying natural ingredients with no artificial additives.
The formula focuses on skin, coat and digestion to help your dog look and feel their best.
Puppy food has very different requirements than adult dog food and AVA has received official approval from vets.
It has been formulated to deliver a high-calorie diet which is rich in important nutrients to encourage healthy growth and development.
The protein is carefully chosen to be easily digestible by immature canine systems. It contains slow-release carbohydrates to support steady energy levels plus soluble and insoluble fibre to aid digestion.
Ongoing brain development, kidney health plus skin and coat conditioning are supported by nutrients which include Omega-3 and Omega-6.
Recommended: Dont miss our Acana puppy food review next.
Beneficial Ingredients
AVA is a dog food which aims to go beyond just providing good nutrition; the blend of ingredients help to improve your poochs health and get them in tip-top condition.
It does this by not only relying on the highest quality proteins and ingredients but including their own special blend of nutrients.
Known as +Imuvita, this collection of extracts has been carefully selected to boost your dogs wellbeing. It includes green tea extract, cranberry, beta-glucans and pomegranate.
Brewers Yeast is also included as an ingredient because of the health benefits its linked with. In dogs, Brewers Yeast is believed to promote healthy function of the eyes and liver, plus boost the hair and skin.
Brewers Yeast includes B vitamins as well as a whole host of minerals including chromium, selenium, zinc, potassium and iron.
These are good for your canines body in many different ways, such as supporting the immune system and helping with the production of red blood cells.
Recommended:Make sure to check out our Bakers puppy food review after this.
Is Ava Dog Food Good Value for Money?
AVA puppy food is geared towards dogs who have sensitivities and owners who want to ensure that theyre buying high-quality, all-natural ingredients.
This means its not aimed at the budget market and is competing with other premium brands.
Compared to other puppy foods which have a similar profile, AVA is middle of the range.
Its not the cheapest food nor is it the most expensive. Broadly speaking, its on a par with brands such as Iams.
Are There Any Negatives?
Although Brewers Yeast is associated with many health benefits in dogs, it can be problematic for some.
If you notice your dog is suffering with more gas than usual or is bloated, this could be due to the Brewers Yeast in the food.
Most dogs only suffer from mild symptoms which quickly pass but for others, the problem can be quite severe.
This is more likely to occur in dogs which have known digestive difficulties or a breed which has a tendency to bloat.
Larger breeds with deep chests are more likely to have tendency to bloat (such as St Bernard, Weimaraner, Irish Setter and Great Dane).
Brewers Yeast also has the potential to interfere with any medication your dog may be taking.
This is especially the case if the medication includes any Brewers Yeast already. Although the amounts involved are quite small, its best to clear it with your vet first.
Conclusion
AVA puppy food is one of the premium brands from Pets at Home that offers dog owners the opportunity to buy a natural, hypoallergenic formula which has been carefully blended to provide optimal health benefits.
Compared to lots of other dog foods, AVA stands out for its commitment to quality, receiving vet approval on the formula.
AVA dog food puppy reviews reflect this fact with the majority of owners praising it, and describing the positive effect on their canine.
If you want a dog food that will deliver a real bargain, AVA probably isnt what youre looking for.
However, if youre searching for a premium puppy food that contains high levels of protein and no hypoallergenic ingredients, this formula is very affordable.
Alternatives to AVA include Iams, Eukanuba, Skinners and Autarky, which range from cheaper than AVA to more expensive.
However, even with the alternatives, there are very few which are high in protein, a complete food, and hypoallergenic in the same way that AVA is.
For this reason, its widely rated by veterinary professionals as a top food for your pup.
