WHAT TO FEED YOUR NEW PUPPY?

Several times a day, well-meaning members of various Facebook forums will ask other well meaning members what they should feed their puppy. Members who are not vets, are not breeders and have not read the ingredients on their own dogs food will then tell new dog owners what food to buy usually based on what their dog "likes." And then inevitably, others will chime in criticizing the choice to feed kibble in the first place and at the end of the day I imagine many group members regret asking the question as they get a 50+ responses, none of the helpful,
So as not to be a hypocrite please remember that we also ARE NOT vets, but we are very careful about what we feed our dogs. We talk to our vets. We do our homework. We talk to other breeders. We read labels. We study dog nutrition. We also do not judge other people's decisions on what to feed, as long as they are doing the best they can for their dog. Every breed, every dog and every owner is different. We would encourage owners to investigate all of the following options: 

1. RAW FEEDING - This is a passionate and controversial topic. Those who support raw feeding feel that anything less is unacceptable. That being said, authorities we trust on this recognize that raw feeding is not for everyone. It can be very time consuming, there are contamination concerns and not all dogs can tolerate it. If you have an interest in learning about raw feeding, especially for Cavalier related breeds, we suggest you turn to Dr. Judy Morgan. Here is her recipe for puppy loaf, which is a great introduction in to raw feeding. For those that are interested in raw feeding, another easy introduction is prepared raw foods. We have fed Answers (found in your local boutique pet store), Primal Raw and Instincts Raw which are both highly rated and recommended. Most of our dogs enjoy and tolerate all of these convenient raw options. 
2. HOME COOKED - Many new dog owners get confused with the difference between "raw feeding" (which is based on foods that are not cooked) and "home cooked" which is simply preparing your dogs food at home from ingredients such as lean meats, vegetables and carbohydrates. This is easy to confuse. For example, we shared a puppy loaf above which can be served raw or cooked - it would fall in both categories. Home cooked can also be time consuming, more expensive and challenging (to make sure you dog gets all the nutrients needed). That being said, our dogs love home cooked meals and they've also been great for dogs with special dietary needs or severe allergies. Today's dogs also have another great option which is "home cooked" meals delivered to you and thawed. Our dogs are currently loving Ollie which we will discuss more in a future post. 
3. KIBBLE - Back to the original post, people are usually asking which kibble they should feed their dogs because kibble is the most commonly fed among the choices. Kibble has gotten a bad rap in the past several years due to misleading packaging, recalls and poor ingredients. That being said there is a place for kibble. For example, we like to offer raw and home cooked food for our dogs when we can, but we use kibble in training, when stuffing Kongs, to supplement feeding during pregnancy, when traveling and when transferring pups to new owners. There is a place for kibble BUT you do want to make sure you are feeding the best kibble possible. To that end, do yourself a favor and stop asking strangers on the internet what they feed their dogs because it really doesn't matter. Instead, consider doing the following: 
   1. Talk to your breeder. Why ask strangers instead of asking the person that bred and raised this puppy? I still don't understand why people immediately want to change their puppies food but if you can't resist you should ask your breeder for other suggestions. Assuming you used a reputable breeder, please make sure to ask your breeder WHY they chose the food they sent home with your puppy. You don't want to learn the hard way that your puppy is prone to an allergy or other issue that your breeder may be aware of.
      
   2. Talk to your vet. Yes, I realize that some vets only pitch the dog food they sell in their offices but many others will give you an honest opinion about the best ingredients and considerations for YOUR specific dog. Hear what your vet has to say and then . . .
   3. Read reviews from an unbiased resource that does not make their money from pet food sales. The one we recommend is DOG FOOD ADVISOR because it allows you to pick categories (puppy, with grain, without grain, senior dog) and then get several recommendations with explanations and ratings. Poke around and sample a few. Ones (all 4 star and higher) we have tried and keep in rotation include: 
      1. PawTree Dog Food (all varieties). Read about PawTree here. 
      2. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Puppy
      3. Orijen Puppy
      4. Victor Purpose Nutra Pro (Suitable for dogs and puppies)
      5. NuLo Freestyle Puppy & Adult Small Breed (Grain Free)
      6. Diamond Naturals Small Breed
   4. Go to your local boutique pet store. Yes, sometimes they are higher priced but they also give great advice (talk with the owner or an experienced associate) and often have free samples of the food for your dog to try before committing to a large bag. They also have rewards and loyalty programs that often reduce the cost of their food to be more competitive to Amazon, Chewy, etc. 

At the end of the day, dog food is a personal choice based on your dog, your time and your budget. Don't surrender that choice to strangers with little to no knowledge of any of those factors.

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