A couple of people have asked me what I’m feeding our puppies and what I recommend to future puppy parents.  Well, here goes.

I currently have our litter on this high protein, no by-product, grain-free, no recalls, and rates highly on a couple of dog food sites I trust.

But wait, there’s more!

To their kibble I usually add prebiotic and probiotic supplement, or sometimes plain Greek yogurt.

But what’s really, really, really important is:

I add Apple Cider vinegar to keep the acidity in their stomach high and counteract the effect of the starch that is present in all kibble – even grain-free kibble.  Vinegar lowers the pH in the gut and can kill 80-99% of harmful bacteria that could be in his/her food.

Remember that dogs have digestive systems that naturally allow them to eat old, yucky, rotten carcasses and…well some unmentionable treats the cats leave in the yard… without any repercussions as long as they have a healthy gut.  Kibble screws up the healthy gut environment.

The pups are ONLY on kibble because I didn’t think future puppy parents would be able to take them home and commit to feeding a raw diet.  My adult girls and the pup I keep will be on raw.  I’ve done a lot of reading on the topic and I know there’s a lot of controversy similar to ‘GMO-is-ok’ or ‘hell-no-to-GMO’ debate.  I subscribe to the belief that dogs weren’t meant to eat the stuff they put in kibble – even high quality kibble.  Plus, all that starch they can’t process comes out as poop; so you’re paying good money for poop that you then have to clean up.

Sometimes I add chicken bone broth, sometimes NuPro.   They’ve even had canned sardines.  Basically, I try to find healthy ways to provide variety in flavor, texture, smell.

Now, I’m not a fanatic.  Moderation in all things (except wine and chocolate, of course).  When I travel with my girls it’s not convenient to pack, buy, or feed raw when we’re on the road so they get kibble.  Again, I take the precautionary steps of adding the vinegar and probiotics.

Now here’s a little shocker for you: your pup has already had some raw.  <GASP! > I don’t have a meat grinder so the pups have only had a limited amount of “soft raw” in the form of boneless chicken and eggs (including the shell).  Dogs need the right combination of bone and meat, so without a grinder I haven’t been able to turn these little puppies into the savage raw carnivores I’d like to.

You’ll have to decide what will work best for you and your pup, but I highly recommend a raw diet.

There.  I said it.  Now I’m one of THOSE people.