Food

I was in email correspondence with someone who took a dog and a pup from me last year. He was giving me their weights and showing me photos. Both dogs were overweight.

Excess weight shortens a dog’s life and leads to early onset of osteoarthritis (as well as other diseases). It requires more effort to get weight taken off the older they get. So, try to get your dogs to ideal weight early and continue on.

Portioning is most important. I know it is a challenge not to oblige the dog who asks for more. We love our pets and kids, and food is love …but not too much.

Then comes selecting the right food. I got a stern talking to about the head of nutrition at a leading veterinary school for feeding what the professor of nutrition called a ’boutique diet’. I was told to stick to the big three manufacturers who have staff nutritionists to oversee the formulations.

For adult dogs, I recommend the Acana grain-free varieties: Poultry, Red Meat

• Free Run Poultry
• Red Meat
• Freshwater Fish

The high-protein formula features 60% animal ingredients balanced with fruits, vegetables, and nutrients.A freeze-dried coating adds rich, savory flavor.

These have just the right level of protein for my adults and they find the poultry and red meat varieties very palatable. The dogs here at Thundering Paws Farm are less interested in the seafood varieties, so we stick to red mean and free-run poultry.

When I want to up the protein content as I do for pregnant and whelping females, I use these Acana varieties. The high-protein formula features 70% high-quality animal ingredients balanced with fruits, vegetables, and nutrients.

• Appalachian Ranch
• Meadowland
• Wild Atlantic

I supplement the kibble with microwaved ground beef or canned Acana foods.

The Acana Premium Chunks food has 85% animal ingredients in two recipes: Beef Recipe in bone broth and Lamb Recipe in bone broth. It contains chunks of real beef or lamb. The savory bone broth base adds flavor and hydration.

My puppies get Acana Puppy until they are 1 year old.

This grain-free Acana recipe starts with free-run chicken, free-run turkey, and eggs; it features 65% animal ingredients plus fruits, vegetables, and nutrients. The kibble coating provides a savory flavor. Pre- and probiotics offer digestive support.

I mix in Acana Puppy Pate with the puppy kibble. It is chicken, turkey, and herring based, grain-free with 85% animal ingredients balanced with fruits and vegetables. The savory bone broth base boosts flavor and nutrition. The higher moisture content helps puppies stay hydrated.

---

Hills Science Diet is very good alternative to Acana.

Hill’s Science Diet Adult, no corn/wheat/soy formulation. It is a highly palatable food with more of the good stuff and less of the not-so-good stuff. Available without prescription practically anywhere that sells quality food. It will help keep your dog at an ideal weight.

There is a similar Hill”s Science Diet formulation for older dogs that I recommend as well.

And there is a puppy formulation I use, esp. for the first 3 months.

Exercise is important to maintaining a healthy weight, but comes second to diet and portioning.