CHESAPEAKE BAY RETRIEVER

Puppy nutrition and health, part 1.

Please be advised that these are my opinions only. As with anything else you read on the web, don't take anything here as gospel. There are a lot of different ideas out there. Study them all and make up your own mind.

What should you feed a young puppy?

What do you feed your rapidly growing 3-8 month old pup? Puppy or adult food, premium or discount brand, chicken & rice or lamb & barley, purchased food or homemade, raw or cooked. There are so many choices, so many sales gimmicks.

Our choices.

We feel that a medium quality puppy food is likely best for most growing Chesapeakes. If smaller stool volume is very important to you, one of the more condensed premium foods might be your choice.

Feeding routine for young pups.

Young pups are fed dry puppy food with plain, active culture yogurt added several times a week. Starting at 14-16 weeks, our dogs are fed a mix of dry kibble and raw venison/beef trimmings. Raw bones are on the menu once a week when available. Venison necks and ribcages are big favourites. The dry kibble is a mix of two different brands. One is a chicken based product, the other is made with salmon. Our dogs like the taste and boarders seem to eat it happily.

Designer diets, are they worth it?

I do not like the growing craze for "different" protein & carbohydrate sources. Like lamb & rice diets, these were originally designed as "allergy testing foods". Twenty years ago most dogs would not be previously exposed to these unusual ingredients and could be fed with them while other foods were introduced one at a time to see what triggered allergic reactions.

Feeding an allergic dog?

With all the ingredients used in various dog foods, some dogs are already exposed to all of the available protein sources. Dog food companies push special ingredients as "more natural, less allergies, etc". If your dog does develop allergies, what are you going to feed him while you find out what is causing the problem?

Another feeding idea.

Another approach is to feed many different protein sources while the dog is still a young puppy and change brands and types of food every month. By necessity, this is our technique, as the meat availability changes with the seasons.

How much should you feed?

The big question is "how much?". Don't go by the chart on the dog food bag. Most pups will be overfed if you follow those amounts. A few might be underfed. The condition of your pup is the only chart you need. He/she should be a trifle thin rather than too fat. The ribs should not be too prominent but can be easily felt with no thick covering of fat. There should be a fairly noticeable "tuck-up" or waist behind the ribcage.

Free feeding or regular meals?

Most pups will be in better condition and less apt to develop picky eating habits if they are fed "meals" rather than having food available at all times. Anything not eaten within 15 minutes should be removed and offered at the next feeding. If your pup consistently leaving food uneaten, perhaps you are feeding too much. If any of our young dogs takes more than 5 minutes to eat, they are sick!

Table scraps, yes or no?

We give table scraps to our dogs. Why waste perfectly good food. However, our dogs are kept on the lean side and are not picky eaters. I save all fat from cooking, trimmings from meat, extra cooked vegetables and starchy foods like rice or potatoes.

Foods to avoid

Never feed cooked steak or other brittle bones. Big chunks of ham skin or large pieces of turkey skin should never be given to a dog usually fed a medium to low fat food. A high fat meal given to a dog unused to it can cause acute pancreatitis. Dogs should not be allowed to eat raw onions as they can trigger a type of anemia. Bakers chocolate, cocoa or large amounts of dark chocolate can be fatal. Some dogs cannot eat grapes without danger.

Feed leftovers mixed with the regular meal.

Table scraps should be well mixed into the dry dog food. If your pup is a picky eater, do not feed table scraps until you have changed his routine and he is cleaning up his regular food.

How many daily meals?

For many years we fed only once a day but have changed to twice a day feedings for all our dogs. Young pups are fed three times a day. The dogs seem much happier with the two meals and, according to some studies, they have a lessened risk of bloat & torsion.

Part 2