What and how much?
WHAT I FED YOUR PUP FROM AGE 5 WEEKS UNTIL 8 WEEKS
At five weeks, I introduce well cooked ground chicken mixed with dried goat milk powder. This mixture is shifted over to ground chicken mixed with organic Menhadden fish meal at a ratio of 2 parts meat to 1 part fish meal by six weeks. Twice a week, they also received ground cooked lamb liver. At 6.5-7 weeks, I grind kibble and add it to make a ratio of 2 parts meat, 2 parts kibble and 1 part fish meal. As time passes, I stop grinding the kibble and leave it as chunks. This is the food they will have before joining your household.
RAW AND HOMEMADE
Homemade is better than kibble. But it can be challenging to get the calcium-phosphorus ratio right. Unless you have some knowledge of nutrition or chemistry, it might be worth seeking expertise if you decide to make your own dog food. The typical mistake is to give food that is too high in calcium for the amount of phosphorus available. For pups, the Calcium:phosphorus ratio should be between 2:1 and 1:1. Most ratios run 1.3:1 or even 1.5:1.
I would not feed raw until the pup is 4-6 months of age because uncooked meat from facilities that process large numbers of animals are invariably going to eventually have some bacterial or cocci contamination. Young pups are still developing their immune systems and cannot handle a huge dose of cocci or E.coli contaminated meat. Unless you grow and butcher your own meat, cook it for your young pup until the pup has a fully developed immune system. I try to make sure to include fish at least three times a week. I am lucky in that I have access to organic Menhadden fish meal, but for those without access to this, cooked salmon or a can of sardines three times a week is great.
I think continuing the feeding of half kibble with half cooked meat and 3-4 times a week supplements with sardines or cooked fish is a superb diet for a pup ages 2-4 months and the meat can be slowly cut back as the pup gets older.
KIBBLES
Store kibble in a cool, dark place. Heat and light will cause the fat in kibble to go bad. Kibbles vary tremendously in quality. Time spent researching your dog's food is time well spent. Fish based kibbles from large fish (haddock, cod, tuna, flounder, whitefish) are not ok for breeding stock because of the content of heavy metals which specifically interfere with fetal development and nursing milk quality. It is not known how heavy metals affect sperm quality but it is probably ok. Fish based kibbles from small fish are better (herring, anchovies, Menhadden) However, fish based dog food has benefits because of the rich nutritional value of fish. I like ACANA brand, Orijen brand, and Evolve. Personally I feed N&D Farmina No Grain Wild Boar and Apple which I think is top notch supplemented with organic Menhadden fish meal and ground meat. I recommend all the N&D Farmina products and they can be found at www.petflow.com. If you feed your dog a non-fish based kibble, then try to supplement their diet 2-3 times a week with a can of sardines or cooked salmon. Sardines have less heavy metals than most other fish and provide the following critical nutrients that can be low in kibble dog foods: iodine, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and omega 3 fatty acids (the good fats).
BEWARE PUPPY KIBBLE
Never feed your pup puppy food unless it is specifically designed for large breed puppies. Adult dog food or general purpose all around dog food is just fine. Puppy kibble is associated with the development of hip dysplasia and other bone problems because the dog's bones outgrow their connective tissue.
NO DAIRY, NO GRAIN
Folks sometimes ask me if they can give their dogs table scraps. The answer is yes if the scraps do NOT contain: dairy products such as cheese, ice cream, yogurt and milk, or bread products such as bagels, pasta, and muffins. Some dogs can handle dairy but many dogs are allergic to dairy and can get pancreatitis if given dairy products. Also dairy products have an incorrect calcium to phosphorus ratio. I also do not recommend any dog food containing grains because grain products produce gas and expand with moisture and therefore can cause bloat.
HOW MUCH?
Some puppies/dogs will eat just what they need and never overeat and other puppies/dogs will overeat and get fat if given free choice. From age 2 months to 3 months, let the puppy eat as much as it would like when offered food 3-4 times a day. Then, starting at three months, put the food down, start your 10 minute timer. After 10 minutes, pick it up. That is the most your puppy/dog should be fed three times a day until he/she is 4-6 months old. At 4-6 months old, go to twice a day feeding.
WHAT ABOUT BONES?
Bones are great. Bones are the dog's natural toothbrush. Big bulky bones from cows, lamb, goats, buffalo and pigs are fine. I recommend you boil big bones before giving to any pup under four months of age because of the possibility of meat on the bone containing bacteria or cocci that a young pup with a partially developed immune system might get an infection from. Also, bird and fish bones are too sharp and can lodge in many places of a dog's anatomy. So take precautions, but dental health is very important for the dog's overall well being.
At five weeks, I introduce well cooked ground chicken mixed with dried goat milk powder. This mixture is shifted over to ground chicken mixed with organic Menhadden fish meal at a ratio of 2 parts meat to 1 part fish meal by six weeks. Twice a week, they also received ground cooked lamb liver. At 6.5-7 weeks, I grind kibble and add it to make a ratio of 2 parts meat, 2 parts kibble and 1 part fish meal. As time passes, I stop grinding the kibble and leave it as chunks. This is the food they will have before joining your household.
RAW AND HOMEMADE
Homemade is better than kibble. But it can be challenging to get the calcium-phosphorus ratio right. Unless you have some knowledge of nutrition or chemistry, it might be worth seeking expertise if you decide to make your own dog food. The typical mistake is to give food that is too high in calcium for the amount of phosphorus available. For pups, the Calcium:phosphorus ratio should be between 2:1 and 1:1. Most ratios run 1.3:1 or even 1.5:1.
I would not feed raw until the pup is 4-6 months of age because uncooked meat from facilities that process large numbers of animals are invariably going to eventually have some bacterial or cocci contamination. Young pups are still developing their immune systems and cannot handle a huge dose of cocci or E.coli contaminated meat. Unless you grow and butcher your own meat, cook it for your young pup until the pup has a fully developed immune system. I try to make sure to include fish at least three times a week. I am lucky in that I have access to organic Menhadden fish meal, but for those without access to this, cooked salmon or a can of sardines three times a week is great.
I think continuing the feeding of half kibble with half cooked meat and 3-4 times a week supplements with sardines or cooked fish is a superb diet for a pup ages 2-4 months and the meat can be slowly cut back as the pup gets older.
KIBBLES
Store kibble in a cool, dark place. Heat and light will cause the fat in kibble to go bad. Kibbles vary tremendously in quality. Time spent researching your dog's food is time well spent. Fish based kibbles from large fish (haddock, cod, tuna, flounder, whitefish) are not ok for breeding stock because of the content of heavy metals which specifically interfere with fetal development and nursing milk quality. It is not known how heavy metals affect sperm quality but it is probably ok. Fish based kibbles from small fish are better (herring, anchovies, Menhadden) However, fish based dog food has benefits because of the rich nutritional value of fish. I like ACANA brand, Orijen brand, and Evolve. Personally I feed N&D Farmina No Grain Wild Boar and Apple which I think is top notch supplemented with organic Menhadden fish meal and ground meat. I recommend all the N&D Farmina products and they can be found at www.petflow.com. If you feed your dog a non-fish based kibble, then try to supplement their diet 2-3 times a week with a can of sardines or cooked salmon. Sardines have less heavy metals than most other fish and provide the following critical nutrients that can be low in kibble dog foods: iodine, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and omega 3 fatty acids (the good fats).
BEWARE PUPPY KIBBLE
Never feed your pup puppy food unless it is specifically designed for large breed puppies. Adult dog food or general purpose all around dog food is just fine. Puppy kibble is associated with the development of hip dysplasia and other bone problems because the dog's bones outgrow their connective tissue.
NO DAIRY, NO GRAIN
Folks sometimes ask me if they can give their dogs table scraps. The answer is yes if the scraps do NOT contain: dairy products such as cheese, ice cream, yogurt and milk, or bread products such as bagels, pasta, and muffins. Some dogs can handle dairy but many dogs are allergic to dairy and can get pancreatitis if given dairy products. Also dairy products have an incorrect calcium to phosphorus ratio. I also do not recommend any dog food containing grains because grain products produce gas and expand with moisture and therefore can cause bloat.
HOW MUCH?
Some puppies/dogs will eat just what they need and never overeat and other puppies/dogs will overeat and get fat if given free choice. From age 2 months to 3 months, let the puppy eat as much as it would like when offered food 3-4 times a day. Then, starting at three months, put the food down, start your 10 minute timer. After 10 minutes, pick it up. That is the most your puppy/dog should be fed three times a day until he/she is 4-6 months old. At 4-6 months old, go to twice a day feeding.
WHAT ABOUT BONES?
Bones are great. Bones are the dog's natural toothbrush. Big bulky bones from cows, lamb, goats, buffalo and pigs are fine. I recommend you boil big bones before giving to any pup under four months of age because of the possibility of meat on the bone containing bacteria or cocci that a young pup with a partially developed immune system might get an infection from. Also, bird and fish bones are too sharp and can lodge in many places of a dog's anatomy. So take precautions, but dental health is very important for the dog's overall well being.