Puppy Food & Supplies

Feed a complete and balanced food made for growth, labelled for puppies or for all life stages. Puppies need more energy, protein and certain minerals than adult dogs, and many puppy foods add DHA to support brain and vision development. The easiest way to choose is by your puppy's expected adult size: small breed puppy food has smaller kibble and more energy per bite, while large breed puppy food controls calories and calcium to support steady growth and healthy joints.

Choose by your puppy's expected adult weight. Royal Canin, for example, groups its Size Health Nutrition puppy formulas as X-Small (up to 4 kg), Small (4 to 10 kg), Medium (11 to 25 kg), Large (26 to 44 kg) and Giant (45 kg and up). If you are not sure how big your puppy will get, ask your breeder or veterinarian.

It depends on size. Small and medium breeds usually switch at around 10 to 12 months, large breeds at around 12 to 15 months, and giant breeds as late as 18 to 24 months. Switch gradually over 7 to 10 days by mixing a little more of the new food into the old food each day, and ask your veterinarian if you are unsure.

Most young puppies do well with three or four small meals a day. At around six months of age, many puppies can move to two meals a day. Use the feeding guide on the bag for amounts and adjust to keep your puppy at a healthy body condition.

Large and giant breed puppies grow for longer and are more prone to joint problems if they grow too fast. Large breed puppy foods have controlled calories and carefully balanced calcium and phosphorus to support steady growth and healthy bones and joints.

A new puppy checklist usually includes puppy food and food and water bowls, a crate or exercise pen, a comfortable bed, a collar or harness with a leash and ID tag, training pads and an enzyme stain and odour cleaner, chew and teething toys, small training treats, and a brush and gentle puppy shampoo.

Yes. PetMax is a family-owned Canadian pet store in Hamilton, Ontario, serving pet families since 1993. We ship across Canada, and you can order online for in-store pickup in Hamilton, usually ready within 24 hours.