Food, Supplements, and Treats

Nutrisource large breed puppy food is the dry dog food I give my puppies. There are some grain free dog food brands that the FDA has speculated may be contributing to heart disease, therefore I avoid all grain free food. Growing puppies need specific food tailored to their breed. Large breed puppy food is recommended which helps the puppy grow at a natural rate which allows the bones and joints to develop properly. This is key to prevention of bone and joint developmental orthopedic disease (DOD). Growing too quickly is not healthy for large breed puppies. While it is tempting to think that large breed puppies need more calcium to support healthy bone growth, studies have linked high levels of calcium and phosphorus to DOD. Limiting the intake of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D helps reduce the risk of DOD in puppies and limiting the number of calories in their food helps to slow growth rates.  Medium or Small breed food is tailored to help your puppy grow at a faster rate which requires a higher caloric content to their food. Dog foods formulated for small to medium breed dogs increase the calories without increasing the amount of food in a serving. This is done by maintaining a higher fat to protein ratio in the dog food recipe. Although my puppies are not large breed, their genetics are from large breed dogs like the golden retriever, Labrador retriever and standard poodle. Therefore, I only recommend large breed puppy food.

Read more information on the science behind dog food.

Probiotics are not only essential for humans. Probiotics minimize the potential for diarrhea and strengthen your dog's immune system. I give my puppies DocRoy’s GI Synbiotics gel daily until the day they go home with their new family. I use Life 9 from Young Living for the adult dogs (break open capsule and mix with food or small tasty treat). Once the puppy transitions to solid food and go to live with their forever home they can be switched to Life 9 (or DocRoy’s granules are an alternative option). If you would like more information about how to order and use Life 9, please reach out to me.

Another great digestive product for your puppy is DiGize. It is an essential oil blend that naturally helps support digestion and can also deworm your puppy naturally. It can either be placed in their food or tasty treat or diluted and rubbed on their bellies. If you would like more information about how to order and use this product, please reach out to me.

If you’re looking to treat your new puppy during training, stick with healthy, lower calories treats.  Treats are not meant to be a replacement for daily nutritional needs. The Canine Carry Outs bacon flavor are easily broken up into smaller pieces to make them easy to give to your puppy. The Ultra Cruz training treats are small and chewy and are an excellent option as well.