We have eleven diets that are designed to support puppies during their rapid growing months. You can view these recipes by visiting the page with products recommended for puppies on our site, found here.
Alternatively, we’ve listed our recommended products here. You can find information on each of these recipes at the links below:
Dehydrated recipes:
- *Grain Free Turkey: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dehydrated-grain-free-turkey-dog-food
- *Grain Free Beef: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dehydrated-grain-free-beef-dog-food
- *Whole Grain Chicken: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dehydrated-whole-grain-chicken-dog-food
- *Limited Ingredient Chicken: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dehydrated-limited-ingredient-chicken-dog-food
- Limited Ingredient Fish: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dehydrated-limited-ingredient-fish-dog-food
- Limited Ingredient Duck: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dehydrated-limited-ingredient-duck-dog-food
Whole Food Clusters:
- *Grain Free Chicken: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/grain-free-clusters-chicken
- *Grain Free Turkey: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/grain-free-clusters-turkey
- *Grain Free Beef: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/grain-free-clusters-beef
- *Grain Free Chicken Puppy Blend: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/puppy-grain-free-clusters-chicken
- *Whole Grain Chicken Puppy Blend: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/puppy-whole-grain-clusters-chicken
Why aren’t all of your recipes okay for puppies?
The reason some recipes are appropriate for puppies while others are not is because puppies have slightly different mineral needs than adult dogs. Of particular interest are Calcium and Phosphorus. Not only are the actual levels important, but also the ratios of one to the other. The diet should contain between 1:1 and 2:1 parts Calcium to Phosphorus.
It is recommended that excessive amounts of Calcium should be avoided in large and giant breed pups because of their increased propensity to develop bone and joint problems. That being said, there is a tendency towards excessive focus on percentages and milligrams of particular nutrients
Do you have any specific recommendations for large and giant-breed puppies?
For large and giant-breed puppies, it is also particularly important to not overfeed or provide too many calories, especially while they are puppies, because this can lead them to grow too fast, which may result in developmental bone and joint problems in later life.
If you have a large breed puppy, we recommend starting out with any of the recipes marked with an asterisk (*) in the list above. These recipes offer a Ca:P ratio ideal for a growing large breed pup. This is primarily important during the first 4-6 months of rapid growth. After about 6 months, you may transition/introduce the rest of the diets listed above.
For puppies that are not large/giant breed, you may rotate all eleven puppy friendly recipes. Most vets advise that a puppy should be on a puppy diet until 12-18 months of age.
What if my puppy has specific dietary needs or limitations?
We’ve created a “Find My Recipe” quiz to help pet parents find great recipe options for their pet’s individual needs. This short quiz will ask specific questions about your pup’s age, anticipated size, activity level and dietary restrictions to help match you with recipes that are right for them. Take the quiz here: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/pet-food-finder