What to feed our new Cavapoo puppy?

A Law

We just got a 12 week old cavapoo and I'm wondering what is best to feed her. I have researched a fair bit but am still stuggling. Some places say just nuts, other say nuts are rubbish. Chicken, mince, salmon is good.... Some where else saying it's not good. I just want to make sure she's getting what's best for her.

The breeder was feeding her Gain puppy and sapling which seems to be for greyhound pups who would need a different diet? Has anyone any recemmendations? Also struggling a little with portion size, I don't want her eating too much but don't want to starve her either.

Thanks

Faith

Portion size is sometimes calculated on projected adult weight. You can probably get an estimation from your vet. But basically, if she seems starving or too thin, give her more food. Some brands have more guidelines in terms of age and weight so just read the pack on whatever food you choose.

In terms of food, it's a minefield and I completely empathise. We tried half a dozen foods before setting on one. People have strong feelings about grain-free/grain-inclusive foods, and I'm one of the people who doesn't feel that there's enough scientific evidence to support a grain-free diet as the preferred approach, so we use grain-inclusive foods. We've settled on Red Mills Leader for our golden retriever as it's Irish made, didn't upset her tummy, has made her coat much more shiny, she loves it and it doesn't break the bank. But we also tried Carnilove, Lukullus, Markus Muhle, Gain and maybe others. It was trial-and-error until she was about 13 months old! Many European brands (available on Zooplus) are great quality and more affordable than some brands stocked in Irish pet shops. I think you just need to try and few and see what works for you.

On the wet/dry discussion, again it's a preference. Wet is probably way more enjoyable for the dog, but you can use dry food for enrichment in loads of ways (scattering, snuffle mats, inside toys, puzzles, etc). Wet is also much more expensive so it depends on your budget. Again, it comes down to what works for you.

JustAsking2022

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058310343/what-to-feed-our-new-cavapoo-puppy

most decent dog food brands come with a measuring cup and guidelines for the size and age of the dog. Puppy feeds should be regular. I use Burns for my dogs and always found it a suitable reasonably priced food. It's available in most pet stores too which is always a plus.

NSAman

A cavapoo you say? Obviously filet mignon!

seriously what stated above is good advice. One additional advantage of dry food is treats in training.

Grainnef93

Congrats on the new puppy ❤️

What was said above is great advice. I work with dogs and honestly there's no one size fits all when it comes to dog food. Grain suits some and doesnt suit others.

We have 5 dogs 3 do amazing on Red Mills Leader while 2 of them are on Celtic Canine. Were picking up number 6 on Saturday 🙈

As your pup was on Gain with a lower amount of meat content I would try Leader or something similar first as its less likely to give him an upset stomach when you make the switch.

Best of luck.

https://www.mutts.ie/product/leader-puppy-dog-food-12kg/

https://www.mutts.ie/product/celtic-canine-grain-free-dog-food-salmon/

A Law

Thanks for all the information. I think I'll give red mills leader a try them and I'll keep the steak for myself!

I have been soaking the gain nuts in water to soften them, the breeder was giving them to her dry. Is this alright to do for now and with the leader?

tk123

If the Gain is suiting her I’d leave her on it a while longer - especially if you’re only changing because you think it’s for greyhounds? A pup is a pup - they don’t need breed specific diets … more than likely you’re going to change and fall down the rabbit hole of trying to choose/trying tons of different dry foods until you find one that suits.

I will say my pup came to me on Gain but I raw feed my other dog.. so pup went on raw from day one ... the bag of Gain is still in the back of the press and the pup is now 2 lol 😂

Faith

It's fine to soak them but shouldn't be necessary unless she's struggling to chew them while teething. One supposed advantage of dry food is it helps clean their teeth, and soaking removes that advantage.

The meat content note above is a good point - our dog really struggled digestively with food with a protein % of more than about 30%. So she loved Carnilove, but at 38% protein, she had very runny and frequent poops. It's worth reading nutritional labels!

tk123

Dry food cleaning teeth is a myth..besides it’s a pup - all their teeth fall out 😆

This is why I love raw / wet - I just feed it and don’t worry about protein content or a handful of peas or any of that crap. OP if you’re browsing Zooplus check out Rocco wet food - I use it to bulk out the food when they’re pups (a retriever pup would be eating over 1kg of raw/wet when they’re growing - eating us out of house and home!!) and then as I cut the food back I continue adding some in. I also use it if I forgot to defrost their food or if somebody is minding them.