How to Properly Feed Your Maltipoo
When considering a healthy diet for your maltipoo, it’s important to think about how often you feed them, what types of food is best, what times are best, and what foods to avoid in your maltipoos diet. This article will go through the puppy stages from 2 months on and help you understand the type of diet they need as they grow into adulthood.
How Often should you feed your maltipoo?
2-3 Month old puppies
When you first bring your puppy home for the first month or so, it’s recommended to have dog food available to them at all times. This is important during their early stages of growth.
3-12 months
During the puppies first year, they should be eating at least 3 times per day. You can also provide treats in between but I would recommend reserving treats as rewards during house training and obedience training as this is the perfect time for them to learn.
After 1 year
It is recommended to feed your maltipoo at least 2 meals per day. As they are a smaller breed, they may not do so well with just one large meal. Again, treats could be offered in between meals as positive reinforcement during training.
How much should I feed my maltipoo?
Although the answer to the question depends on the type of dog food, whether it’s wet or dry, the activity level or your maltipoo, and so-on, we have a few guidelines you can follow to start off with, and then I would change it based on the needs of your dog and ingredients of your dog food.
2 to 4 lbs - Feed 1/3 to 1/2 cups per day
5 to 8 lbs - Feed 1/2 to 3/4 cups per day
8 to 10 lbs - Feed 1/2 to 3/4 cups per day
10 to 12 lbs - Feed 3/4 to 1 cup per day
13 to 16 lbs - 1 to 1 1/4 cups per day.
You may also find recommended portions on certain brand dog foods so I would read the labels and keep their recommended portions in mind as well.
Should I feed my maltipoo Wet or Dry Dog Food?
The answer to this question might differ for each dog so here are a few things to keep in mind.
Dry dog food can play a big part in keeping your dogs teeth strong and healthy but wet dog food mighty be better received by your maltipoo. Our Maltipoos eat the Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Natural Puppy Small Breed Dry Dog Food, Chicken and Oatmeal.
If your maltipoo’s diet consists of mainly wet food, they may be at risk of having loose or runny bowels so we recommend trying dry dog food at first.
If your maltipoo isn’t very receptive to the dry dog food, you can always try adding a little bit of water just to soften the food or mix in a little bit of soft dog food.
Foods that are unhealthy or poisonous for maltipoos
There are certain ingredients that may be very healthy for humans but are poisonous or unhealthy for dogs, so it’s very important to be mindful of this list and make sure your maltipoo avoid these ingredients.
grapes and raisins - These can be poisonous to dogs even in small doses.
Chocolate - All chocolate is toxic to dogs.
Salt - Although small doses are okay, a large quantity could cause kidney issues.
Onions - Onions can be harmful to your dogs red blood cells which is one reason why it’s not good to feed your dog table scraps.
Coffee, tea, soda - These drinks can give your dog seizures and comas and can be life threatening.
Fruit seeds and pits - While dogs may enjoy certain fruits, if they were to eat certain seeds or pits, it could cause some medical issues that could potentially be fatal.
I hope this has helped you decide what and how often to feed your furry friend. Remember, a good feeding schedule is important to the health and happiness of your maltipoo.
If you are interested in adopting a Maltipoo, you can visit our Maltipoo Puppies for sale page to learn more and get on our waitlist.