1) What is the best diet?

There is no one best diet for dogs. Individual dogs, like individual people, digest food differently. Your dog should be fed a diet that is balanced and, if it is a commercial diet, approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for the stage of life your dog is in (e.g., growing, maintenance, performance). I consider easy maintenance of correct body weight, normal feces, normal activity, and normal hair coat as evidence that your dog is on a good diet.

2) My dog was just bred. When should I change her diet and to what?

Pregnant dogs do not need a change in diet for the first month after they have been bred. During that first month, the pups are developing but are not growing significantly. In the second month of pregnancy, the bitch needs an increase in calories. She can be fed either more of her regular food or a growth or performance food. I prefer the latter because many dogs have trouble eating a significant amount of food late in pregnancy when their uterus is taking up much of the space in their abdomen. When you change diets, if you use diets from the same company and mix the foods, gradually increasing the amount of higher-calorie food, you will be less likely to cause diarrhea.

3) What about raw-food diets?

The main concerns about raw-food diets focus on the possible spread of bacteria from the ingredients in the diet to the dog and to humans and possible inadequately balanced nutrients. Supporters of raw-food diets claim great improvement in activity and general health of the dog. I personally am not a proponent of raw-food diets but encourage you to speak with your veterinarian and other breeders to help you decide whether they would be right for your dog.

4) Is goat’s milk a good supplement for puppies?

If the pup is to be completely hand-raised, canine milk replacers have a much more similar nutrient content to bitch’s milk than do either goat’s milk or cow’s milk. If the pups are nursing off the bitch and you want to give some extra goat’s milk as a supplement, be careful not to give so much as to decrease the pups’ desire to nurse or to cause diarrhea.