puppy diet

Question
i have chosen to make my 12 week old cocker spaniels food from scratch however i am interested in making sure i am providing him with all the nutrients needed. i am currently following my breeders diet sheets but still want to find some more information about how much of each nutrient is required and what to change as he grows. Are there any websites/books that have this sort of information?  

Answer
Ah, one of my most favorite subjects :)

Most dog nutritionists would say to complement homemade food with a really top quality dog food and the reason is the amazingly fast and massive growth spurt a puppy is going through.

I'm not sure I totally agree with that but there is validity to it.  The balance and the supplements are all done for you.  Having said that, if the "pound" of food is properly balanced you just feed more as the puppy grows.

To comment on your homemade food I'd have to know what you're doing and what supplements you're adding.  A calcium supplement is THE most important thing and the general rule of thumb is 1/2 tsp. of ground egg shell to every lb. of food.  You can use bone meal but the general consensus is that egg shell is better.  (This is assuming you're doing a cooked diet, not raw).

You'll also need a good dog food for "those days" that happen to us all :)

There are lots of books and websites on dog nutrition and I will warn you, it's a minefield with lots of conflicting information and points of view.

But I'd be happy to go over what you're doing with you.  And suggest some new types of dog food - like Addiction, which is a raw, dehydrated food with no grains.  It's fantastic and I use this from time to time with no guilt :)

I suggest you write me directly at DeeBeck7765@aol.com because that'll be faster and this can get very chatty :).  It would be a pleasure because most of the time I'm reduced to begging people to at least stop feeding supermarket junk.
Delores