Book of Proceedings I PetFeeding

23
Puppy Plan (at least 1x per 2 weeks), the food amount is constantly matched to the current
weight, growth rate and growth phase of the puppy. In this way, too fast growth in puppy's is
detected quickly, and the food amount will automatically be adjusted by the program to inhibit
excessive growth. This will help to prevent many growth related problems at a later age. This
web-based application will be available as of December 2017.
Key nutritional factors during growth
Nutritional factors that play an important role during the growth phase are energy, protein, fat,
calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D. The recommended levels for the growth phase of puppy
and kittens are shown in Table 1:
Table 1: Recommended levels of some key nutritional factors in in puppy food (adjusted from
DeBraekeleer et al., 2010)
Nutritional factor
Puppy’s with an adult BW
25 kg
Energy (kJ/100g DM*) 1550-1800 1400-1750
Protein (g/100g DM) 22-32 22-28
Fat (g/100g DM) 15-25 12-20
Calcium (g/100g DM) 0,7-1,7 0,7-1,2
Phosphorus(g/100 g DM) 0,6-1,3 0,6-1,1
Ca : P ratio 1 : 1 – 1,8 : 1 1 :1 – 1,6 : 1
Vitamin D (IU/100g DM) 35 35
* DM, dry matter
Energy
Adequate energy intake during the growth phase is important for puppies to support growth.
During the fast growth phase, the daily growth of puppies is variable and ranges from 10-30
grams for toy breeds to more than 200 grams per day for giant breeds. It should be noted that
small breeds need relatively more energy to facilitate growth than larger breeds. This is due to
the fact that small breed dogs need relatively more energy for maintenance because of a larger
surface-area-to-volume ratio. On top of that, the daily growth as a percentage of the final weight
is higher in small breed dogs compared to larger breeds. In order to facilitate this relatively
higher energy requirement for smaller breeds, a diet with a slightly higher energy, and thus fat
content, is indicated. On the other hand, it is advisable to feed a larger breed dog with a diet
slightly lower energy content to help prevent too rapid growth.
Protein
Protein delivers the major building blocks for the body, and therefore during growth it is of
primary importance. A good quality protein (read: a balanced amino acid composition with
sufficient essential amino acids) is needed to support growth. A shortage of high-quality protein