What should a puppy diet chart look like in India?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Feed a complete puppy food in measured meals: four a day from 6 to 12 weeks, three a day from 3 to 6 months, and two a day from 6 to 12 months, as the Merck Veterinary Manual sets out. Switch to adult food once grown, which takes almost 2 years in large and giant breeds.
How much to feed depends on the food and the puppy, so start from the pack's guide, weigh your puppy every couple of weeks and adjust to keep it lean. Large breed puppies, such as Labradors and German Shepherds, need portion control and no extra calcium. Ask your vet to check the plan.
How many meals a day does a puppy need?
The Merck Veterinary Manual's puppy feeding table, with notes from WSAVA and VCA.
| Meals a day | Food | What to watch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 to 12 weeks Merck Veterinary Manual | 4 | Puppy food | Puppies can leave their mother at about 7 to 8 weeks and feed themselves. Keep the breeder's or shelter's food at first. |
| 3 to 6 months Merck Veterinary Manual | 3 | Puppy food | Weigh every couple of weeks and adjust. Keep large breed puppies lean. |
| 6 to 12 months Merck Veterinary Manual | 2 | Puppy food | Most dogs are adult by 9 to 12 months; large breeds are still growing. |
| After 12 months Merck Veterinary Manual | 1 or 2 | Adult food, when your vet agrees | Large and giant breeds can take almost 2 years to become adults. |
No grams or cups are given here, on purpose: amounts depend on the food's calories and on your puppy. Use the pack's guide as a start, the dog food calculator for an estimate, and your vet to check.
What food should a puppy eat?
A food made for growth, labelled complete and balanced.
Merck says puppies need a special puppy food that gives enough calories, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals for growth, and suggests looking for a nutritional adequacy statement on the label. WSAVA's Global Nutrition Committee says a pet should eat a complete and balanced diet for its species and life stage from a reputable company. A food labelled for all life stages is also formulated for growth.
Large breeds need extra care. Merck explains that a growth label in the US must say whether the food suits the growth of large-size dogs, those expected to weigh 32 kg or more as adults, and that this requirement currently applies to calcium. If you have a Labrador, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Rottweiler or Great Dane puppy, ask your vet whether your chosen food is suitable for large breed growth.
Home-cooked puppy diets are possible but risky. WSAVA says a home-cooked diet must be formulated by a veterinary nutritionist and fed under careful vet supervision, and that recipes from books and websites should not replace main meals. A growing puppy has the least margin for error.
How do I know I am feeding the right amount?
Feed the puppy in front of you, not the number on the pack.
- Start with the pack's feeding guide. WSAVA says label amounts are a starting point, and individual dogs can need up to 50% more or less. WSAVA
- Measure every meal with a cup or kitchen scale, and feed at regular times. VCA Animal Hospitals
- Adjust about every 2 weeks at first, so your puppy reaches and keeps an ideal body condition. WSAVA
- Learn the body condition score: on WSAVA's 9-point scale, 4 to 5 is ideal. Large breed puppies should be kept at about 4 out of 9. WSAVA
- Keep treats to about 10% of daily calories, including bits of roti, fruit or training treats. WSAVA
- Leave fresh, clean water out at all times, more so in Indian summers. RSPCA
- Take your puppy out to toilet soon after meals: VCA says puppies generally need to relieve themselves within 10 to 15 minutes of eating. VCA Animal Hospitals
What should I avoid when feeding a puppy?
Do
- Change food gradually over at least 3 days, because sudden changes can cause vomiting and diarrhoea. WSAVA
- Feed set meals. VCA says free choice feeding is not recommended for puppies, because it can cause juvenile obesity and lead to orthopaedic problems. VCA Animal Hospitals
- Ask your vet about the food at the first vaccine visit, and bring the pack. Merck Veterinary Manual
Don’t
- Add calcium or vitamin supplements to a complete puppy food. WSAVA says it can be risky, and Merck says excess calcium is more of a problem for growing large and giant breed dogs. Merck Veterinary Manual
- Free feed a large breed puppy. WSAVA says these puppies need portion-controlled meals to grow slowly and avoid joint and skeletal problems. WSAVA
- Give milk as a main food after weaning. ASPCA notes that pets lack much lactase, so dairy can cause diarrhoea. ASPCA Animal Poison Control
- Share food cooked with onion or garlic, or any grapes or raisins. ASPCA lists both as toxic to dogs. ASPCA Animal Poison Control
- Give cooked bones or raw meat and eggs. ASPCA warns of bacteria in raw foods and of bones splintering. ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Can I feed my puppy roti, rice, curd or dal?
As small extras, some plain foods can fit inside the 10% treat allowance, but they cannot be the diet. WSAVA warns that home recipes found in books and online are often unbalanced, and a UC Davis study of 200 dog recipes found 95% lacked at least one essential nutrient. Family food in India is usually cooked with onion, garlic, salt and spices, which make it unsuitable for dogs.
Petym's guide to Indian foods dogs can eat lists what is safe as a treat, and the can my dog eat this tool checks a single food. If you want to feed home-cooked meals, ask your vet to refer you to a veterinary nutritionist.
When should I see a vet about my puppy's eating?
See your vet at once if a young puppy stops eating, vomits repeatedly, has diarrhoea with blood, or seems weak or lethargic: do not wait to see if it passes. Petym's guide to the signs your pet needs a vet now has the full list.
At routine visits, ask your vet to score your puppy's body condition and check the food and portions. Merck notes that vets also check puppies' stools for worms every 2 to 4 weeks until two tests in a row are negative, which is a good time to ask about diet.
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Questions owners ask
How many times a day should I feed my puppy?
- The Merck Veterinary Manual's table gives four meals a day from 6 to 12 weeks, three from 3 to 6 months, and two from 6 to 12 months, all of puppy food. After 12 months most dogs eat one or two meals of adult food, though large breeds may stay on puppy food longer.
How much should I feed my puppy?
- It depends on the food's calories and your puppy's size, age and activity, so no chart can give one number. Start with the pack's guide, measure each meal, weigh your puppy every two weeks and adjust to keep a lean body condition. Petym's dog food calculator gives an estimate to discuss with your vet.
When should a puppy switch to adult food?
- When it is grown. Merck says most dogs reach adulthood at 9 to 12 months, but large and giant breeds can take almost 2 years. Ask your vet when to switch, and change over gradually across at least three days to avoid stomach upsets.
Does my puppy need calcium supplements?
- Not if it eats a complete and balanced puppy food. WSAVA says adding supplements to a complete food can be risky, and Merck says excess calcium is more of a problem for growing large and giant breed dogs. Never add calcium without your vet's advice.
Can I give my puppy milk?
- Puppies drink their mother's milk until weaning, but after that milk is not needed. ASPCA notes that pets lack much lactase, the enzyme that digests milk sugar, so cow's milk and other dairy can cause diarrhoea. Give fresh water and a complete puppy food instead.
Can a puppy eat home-cooked food?
- Only on a recipe made for it by a veterinary nutritionist, with your vet keeping watch. WSAVA says home-cooked diets cannot be tested for adequacy, and recipes from books and websites are often unbalanced. Growing puppies, especially large breeds, are the most at risk from a diet that is slightly wrong.
Keep reading
- PuppiesCare, vaccines and training for a new puppy.
- Dog food calculator
- Puppy weight estimator
- Indian foods dogs can eat
- Foods toxic to dogs
- Signs your pet needs a vet now
Free tools for this
- Dog food calculatorDaily calories from weight and life stage, turned into grams from your pack's kcal per kg.
- Puppy weight estimatorA range for your puppy's adult weight from its age and weight, from published growth curves.
- Can my dog eat this?Roti, curd, mango, chai and 55 more foods, each with a sourced verdict.
- Puppy vaccination plannerYour puppy's vaccine dates from its birthday.
Words on this page, explained
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Puppy care (opens in a new tab)
- WSAVA: Frequently asked questions and myths (Global Nutrition Committee) (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Dog and cat foods (full review November 2023, updated June 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutritional requirements of small animals (full review November 2023, updated September 2024) (opens in a new tab)
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Feeding times and frequency for your dog (opens in a new tab)
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control: People foods to avoid feeding your pets (opens in a new tab)
- University of California, Davis: Homemade dog food recipes can be risky business, study finds (15 July 2013) (opens in a new tab)
- RSPCA: Getting ready for your RSPCA rescue dog (pre-adoption booklet, 2023) (opens in a new tab)