Best food for puppies

[Tania Mattock]

Hi all,

just wanted to gain thoughts on the best food for Poochon puppies.

Having some behaviour issues and wondered if a more healthy and balanced idea for treats / dinner time may perhaps help? They are currently on Wainwright and previously AVA.

A neighbour advised me when they swapped from kibble to actual chicken/tripe etc they saw a massive difference in their dogs behaviour.

I am a tad apprehensive on using chicken as a treat due to it being out of the fridge esp on warm days, I know I wouldn’t eat chicken if it’s been out of the fridge.

many thanks!

 

[JoanneF]

Maybe a raw diet would suit?

Raw feeding

 

[excuseme]

Hello,
I hope we get to see some pictures of your poodle cross puppy, maybe you have sent some and I have missed them.

Your neighbor is quiet right, there are many reports of dogs being changed to a more natural raw diet who's temperaments have changed for the better.

We have fed raw to our dogs for 40 years (all working type Cocker Spaniels). They all train easily, we have none of the over excited "bouncing off the walls", that is so often reported about this type of Cocker, they love to learn and are steady quiet family members.

Raw food for our dogs should be given the same respect and clean handling as any meat that we would use for ourselves, our dogs digestive systems are well designed to manage meat that has been out of the fridge for a few hours.

If you want to use healthy treats for your puppy there are plenty of raw vegetables that our dogs enjoy, carrots being one, sprout stalks, the center vein of cabbage leaves, over ripe fruit, apples, pears, bananas.
Dried sprats make nice tiny rewards.
Our @JoanneF has a lovely recipe for liver cake,for treats.

The trouble with man made rewards and treats is that they are made from totally rubbish ingredients (mainly grains) and contain preservatives with flavorings and colourings, many of which are causing our dogs many problems.

If you are interested in raw feeding there is a nice little book that I always mention, "Honey's Natural Feeding for Dogs". It is a small easy book to read and understand.
I buy these from Amazon from as little as 1p at times, they are used but mostly like new. Can also be cheap on ebay too.

I am sure you will get loads of help from this site, there are many of us who feed raw.
ENJOY.

 

[JudyN]

I'm another fan of raw feeding. There's no guarantee that a change in diet will affect behaviour, but yes, it's possible, and feeding a better-quality food will have health benefits anyway.

If you do decide against raw, the All About Dog Food site is really useful: AllAboutDogFood.co.uk It ranks different commercial foods, informs you about the effects of different ingredients, and can suggest god prands based on your dogs' age, size and breed, and your budget.

But raw really is simple once you've got your head around the basics, and is quite possibly the most healthy diet.

 

[Inka]

Totally agree with the others posting feeding a raw diet

 

[Tania Mattock]

Thanks all! Very helpful advice and personal views I will look I got this more before my next food shop!

I would rather them have a raw food diet than something processed with additives they don’t need and if it helps their behaviour then we’ll that’s just an added bonus!!

 

[Richard & Patsy]

I too am a great believer in the benefits of raw. Our pup switched from dry to raw at 10 weeks - he enjoyed it, his coat condition improved and he's poos were not smelly. I used the All About Dog Food website that JudyN recommended and chose Natural Raw Puppy Food

 

[Hemlock]

If raw meat makes you feel yucky, wear rubber gloves.

I weaned my puppies straight onto raw. It really does suit most dogs better than anything else.