Recommended Foods
With so many dog food options it can be really confusing to chose one for your dog. It is important to remember that puppies and adults have different nutritional requirements. Some foods are formulated as “all stages” formulas, and these are suitable for both puppies and adults. I still prefer a dedicated puppy food for the first 6 months and then gradually switch over. to an adult formula. This ensures that your puppy will get the concentrated nutrition they require while growing, minus the higher protein that most adult formulas contain. High protein will cause your puppy to grow more rapidly. This can be a problem for growing joints. It is important that the joints develop slowly so that they all join together with the rest of the skeleton harmoniously. Rapid growth can cause a painful condition called “ panosteitis” or can cause joint damage and increase the incidence of dysplasia.
The food you chose will have a huge effect on your dog. It will contribute to their overall health, stamina and weight. If we only ate McDonalds, we would start to see the disastrous effects on our health after some time. The same is true for dog food.
When choosing a dog food there are some things to consider:
Has the company been recalled frequently? You can look this up online.
Is the food mostly filler with a very long list of words you can’t pronounce in the ingredient section? Some corn is ok but if most of the first ingredients are just fillers, stay away.
Is the first ingredient a whole meat source or at least a meat by-product meal? This is what you want.
Are the protein sources pea protein and legumes? I would stay away from these foods.
Some of the foods that I would normally shun actually work well for Bergamascos. Bergamascos can be picky eaters. They also can have a hard time keeping weight on.The following foods are recommended based on either their ingredient profile OR Bergamascos have done well on them. Personally I use Inukshuk kibble and I use the higher fat and protein formula for my adults. They have been on this for a couple of years with no issues and it is made in New Brunswick, Canada.
I would advise to stay away from grain free foods. We still do not know if they are linked to the increased incidence of cardiomyopathy in dogs, but regardless, grains are important.
Here is the list of foods that our dogs have done well on or that I would feed to my dogs. There are many other great choices. If you have any questions about what food to choose please do not hesitate to ask.
For puppies I keep it really simple and use Purina Pro Plan for large breed puppies. We supplement the puppies with lots of fresh meat and goat milk as well so rather than mess around with nutritional profiles, we just chose a basic food that we know will give them exactly what they need. You can chose any large breed puppy food but the key is to transition very slowly ( over a week ) if you are going to switch the food. Pro Plan is also readily available which makes it easy for our puppy families to continue with. Inukshuk also makes an all stages food so for Canadian families, this may be a good option for you.
In addition to kibble, we feed dehydrated patties and for picky dogs, this is a great meal topper. They also work very well when traveling and as treats.
Our favorite dehydrated supplemental foods:
Recommended Supplements and Treats
We use some of these supplements to enhance the health of our dogs. I do not recommend the supplements for puppies. I consider an adult a dog over a year of age for the purposes of nutrition. The trreats are find for puppies but best to break them into tiny pieces for training.
A wonderful source for all natural made in the USA treats is THE QUIRKY PET in Montpelier, VT. This unique pet supply shop is owned by one of our puppy families. Cindra and Richard Connison have actually had 4 of our Bergamascos over the years, making them the inspiration and mascots for the shop. Here is a link to shop if you would like to see their inventory and treat your dogs to some high quality chews!
