Meals

Before George came home, I was swayed by the raw food movement. I bought a puppy starter pack and my freezer was full.

George had been eating Acana puppy kibble at the breeder so I did intend to continue that for a while.

At an early vet visit for George's microchip, when the vet heard I was thinking about a raw food diet, he had a lot to say.

I did take it on board. I don't think I was entirely convinced by a raw food diet.

I'm not here to convince or advocate for a certain diet. You have to do what's right for you and your dog.

But for me, I don't have the knowledge, skill or time to provide a nutritionally balanced raw food diet every day. I'll leave it to the experts. I struggle to get my own nutrition right!

Kibble gets a bad rep but certain brands have a lot of scientific research behind them to ensure dogs get the nutrients they need.

We stayed on Acana puppy for 12 months, moved to Acana adult for a little while, then switched to Royal Canin Mini when George was struggling with his appetite.

We're still on Royal Canin Mini now. It's one of the more expensive brands but I trust that it has the right nutrition. And George likes it. One of their claims is that it is palatable for fussy smaller breeds.

George is right on the cusp at 10kg but we're sticking with it for now.

Wet food is helpful for George's medication.

We use Nutripe (salmon and green tripe is the favourite) mixed in with his evening kibble as I can mix in the liquid Metacam. He also has Purina Pro Plan Calming Care probiotics with his evening meal (recommended by our vet behaviourist).

I use Nutripe to wrap his evening meds. He knows the words "tablet time" and "are you ready for your meatballs?" 😆

George is more of a picky eater in the mornings.

I wrap the morning meds in Royal Canin Adult Poodle wet food - at the moment, more high value.

He prefers to eat his breakfast at around 11am.

When he was 6 months old, we transitioned from 3 meals a day to 2 meals a day. His daycare at the time would only allow lunch for puppies under 6 months old.

When George started struggling with his appetite, we went back to 3 smaller meals a day (2 if he is at daycare and hasn't eaten breakfast which sometimes happens).

I didn't really want him to eat lunch but I can't have him at daycare all day without eating.

Now if I'm working from home, he will still have breakfast, lunch and dinner. He has trained me well!

We use a combination of bowls (easier when adding the medication) and slow feeders.  Snuffle mats and lickimats for enrichment.

I think we have found a combination that works for us and our vet endorses his diet. I am just happy that George has a healthy appetite, enjoys his food and eats well.