October 7, 2026
Nutrition is one of the most important parts of a Xoloitzcuintli puppy's development.
During the first months of life, the body is growing rapidly. Bones, muscles, teeth and the nervous system are developing, which is why it is especially important to provide a stable, complete and balanced diet.
At Sine Metu, we prefer a complete puppy food specifically formulated for growth.
When a puppy comes to its new home, I recommend keeping the same food it has been eating with the breeder rather than changing its diet immediately.
If you decide to change the food later, the transition should be gradual.
For our puppies, I recommend dry food soaked in water before feeding.
From our many years of experience at Sine Metu, we know Farmina N&D for small-breed puppies very well and consider it one of the good options for Xoloitzcuintli puppies.
A complete puppy diet should provide the appropriate amount of protein, fat, vitamins and minerals for growth. Veterinary nutrition guidance also emphasizes that growing puppies need a complete and balanced diet formulated for their life stage.
For a young puppy, softened food is often easier and more comfortable to eat.
Dry food can be soaked in:
Hot water is not necessary.
Leave the food in the water until the pieces become completely soft.
It is best to prepare the portion shortly before feeding rather than soaking large quantities in advance and leaving them at room temperature for a long time.
The number of meals gradually changes as the puppy grows.
The general principle is:
At the earliest stage, 3–4 meals a day are appropriate.
For very young puppies, four smaller meals can be more comfortable because their stomachs are still small.
A puppy can usually move to 3 meals a day.
This is the feeding schedule we commonly use during the active growth period.
Many puppies gradually move to 2 meals a day.
The exact timing depends on the individual puppy, its development, appetite and body condition.
Veterinary guidance similarly recommends four meals daily at 6–12 weeks, three meals at 3–6 months and two meals at 6–12 months.
The schedule should therefore be adapted to the individual puppy rather than followed mechanically.
We look at the puppy itself.
This is where it is important not to give one fixed number for every puppy.
Every food has its own feeding chart, based on factors such as the puppy's weight, age and the food's calorie density.
For example, if the manufacturer recommends 60 g of dry food per day, that means 60 g for the entire day, not 60 g per meal.
If the puppy eats three times a day:
60 g ÷ 3 = approximately 20 g per meal.
The feeding guidelines on the package are a starting point. The puppy's weight and body condition should always be monitored and the amount adjusted when necessary.
For a small Xoloitzcuintli, even a relatively small excess of food every day can gradually lead to overfeeding.
It is better to use kitchen scales and measure the daily amount of food.
Do not simply fill the bowl and guess.
Controlled portions help maintain an appropriate growth rate and prevent excessive weight gain. Overfeeding during growth can accelerate growth unnecessarily and is not desirable for healthy skeletal development.
Do not look only at the number printed on the food package.
We look at:
A puppy should grow steadily, but it should not become overweight.
Sometimes an owner thinks:
“The puppy is small, so I need to feed it more.”
That is not the right approach.
The goal is not to make a puppy grow as quickly as possible. A controlled growth rate and appropriate body condition are much more important.
This is one of the questions owners ask very often.
The first thing is:
Do not panic.
If a puppy skips one meal but:
one possible explanation is simply that the puppy is not hungry.
This is especially possible if it received too much food or too many treats during the previous meal.
In this situation, there is no need to immediately offer ten different foods just to make the puppy eat something.
First ask yourself:
Could the puppy simply have been overfed?
It is important to distinguish a single missed meal from a genuine change in health.
If a puppy refuses food and at the same time becomes lethargic or develops other symptoms, this is a different situation.
Pay particular attention to:
In these situations, do not try to treat the problem yourself with extra food, oil or home remedies.
The puppy needs veterinary assessment.
This distinction is important.
If the puppy is happy, playful, running around and behaving normally but skips one meal, look at the whole situation.
Perhaps:
However, activity alone should not be the only criterion.
If refusal to eat continues or you notice any other change in behavior or health, contact your veterinarian.
Yes.
But treats should remain an addition to the main diet, not a replacement for it.
In our practice, small pieces of dried meat, liver or lung can be used as rewards. They are also described in our book as an addition to the main diet and a form of positive reinforcement.
Treats should be included in the puppy's overall daily food intake.
Veterinary nutrition guidance generally recommends keeping treats to no more than about 10% of daily calorie intake.
With a small puppy, it is especially easy to add too many calories without noticing, so treats should be given in small portions.
When a puppy is eating a complete and balanced puppy diet, additional oil, vitamins, calcium or other supplements are generally unnecessary unless there is a specific reason to use them.
A properly formulated puppy food already provides the nutrients required for growth in the correct proportions.
For this reason, there is no need to add a few drops of vegetable oil simply to make the food “more fatty.”
If a puppy has a specific skin, coat or nutritional problem, or if your veterinarian recommends additional fatty acids or another supplement, this should be determined individually.
Complete and balanced commercial diets generally do not require routine supplementation, and unnecessary supplementation can sometimes be harmful.
A homemade diet can be formulated, but it is not as simple as giving a puppy meat, porridge and vegetables.
A growing puppy needs the correct balance of:
For an owner without specialist training in veterinary nutrition, a high-quality complete puppy food is a much simpler and more controlled option.
Veterinary nutrition guidance warns that homemade diets are difficult to formulate correctly and recommends using a recipe formulated specifically by a qualified veterinary nutritionist if a homemade diet is chosen.
For this reason, I do not recommend creating a homemade diet for a growing puppy without professional nutritional formulation.
Raw feeding is a separate feeding philosophy that requires careful formulation and attention to food safety.
I do not recommend simply replacing a complete puppy food with raw meat.
For a growing puppy, nutritional balance is more important than following a particular feeding trend.
A puppy needs a diet that reliably supplies all essential nutrients in appropriate proportions.
Xoloitzcuintli is a hairless breed, and the body uses energy to maintain its temperature, particularly in cold conditions.
A puppy also needs additional energy for growth and development.
That does not mean that we should simply make the food increasingly fatty or add extra ingredients.
What matters is choosing a complete puppy diet with appropriate energy density and a correct balance of nutrients, then monitoring the puppy's body condition.
Even when a puppy eats soaked food, fresh drinking water should always be available.
Soaked food does not replace a separate bowl of drinking water.
Clean water is essential for normal body function.
If we reduce everything to a practical system:
1. Feed a complete food formulated for puppies.
2. At the beginning, soak the dry food in cool, warm or room-temperature water.
3. Use the manufacturer's feeding guidelines as the starting point.
4. Divide the daily amount into 3–4 meals according to the puppy's age.
5. Around 3–6 months, usually move to 3 meals a day.
6. Later, move to 2 meals a day.
7. Adjust the amount according to the puppy's body condition and development.
8. Give treats in small amounts and never use them as a replacement for the main diet.
9. Do not routinely add vitamins, calcium or oils without a specific reason.
10. If a puppy repeatedly refuses food or develops other symptoms, contact your veterinarian.
You do not need to try to feed a puppy as much as possible.
The goal is not to grow the biggest puppy as quickly as possible.
The goal is to provide healthy, controlled and appropriate growth.
A well-chosen complete puppy food, correct portions, a regular feeding routine and monitoring the puppy's body condition are much more important than constantly adding new things to the bowl.
And if a puppy leaves some food one day, there is no need to panic immediately.
Look at the whole puppy, not only at the empty bowl.
If the puppy is active, happy, playful and feeling well, it may simply not be hungry.
But if refusing food is accompanied by a change in behavior or other symptoms, this is no longer simply a feeding question. It is a health question that should be discussed with a veterinarian.
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All our breeding dogs get tested for genetic diseases and are in excellent health condition.
