# When selecting a puppy, do you consider the diets of Sire/Dam?



## Craig Caughlin (Oct 17, 2007)

I curious how many of you, if any at all, consider the diet of both Sire and Dam when selecting a new puppy?

I've found a few breeders in my local area that, I think, breed quality dogs. One of the breeders feeds the Sire/Dam kibble (Royal Canin to be specific) and another breeder feeds the Sire/Dam raw meats with ground bones, fresh vegetables, etc.

Maybe I'm worrying too much (although I don't think so) or being too "snobby", but I'd like to think that feeding the parents a more "natural" diet might translate into healthier offspring in the long run?

Yes? No? Thoughts? Comments?

Thank you,
Craig


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## GandalfTheShepherd (May 1, 2017)

I definitely considered it and went specifically to check out puppies whose breeder only fed raw and did minimal vaccinations and oddly enough those puppies looked the worst. The puppies were sick, covered in parasites and diarrhea and laying in outdoor kennels in the mud and rain with dirty water buckets.. not even bowls. Her stud dog had clearly been through tough times and had floppy ears and the females were all extremely skiddish. She had about 10 different litters of puppies going at once. In the past I've gotten dogs from breeders who fed kibble and they were much healthier. I would love to see a breeder who took care of their dogs AND fed raw and did minimal vaccinations but I don't think the selection is that good here in FL. maybe somewhere else. It wasn't a make or break decision for me however, and we ended up bringing home a Blue Buffalo fed puppy instead (although the breeder switched all her dogs off that food rather quickly after thank goodness) and he had issues with the kibble until we switched him raw. I still think he was healthier than that breeder who fed raw in this case. Overall I'd say you have to look at the whole picture, there's a lot of things to take into account and food is just one aspect.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

Diet is only part of the equation. I asked out breeder which kibble is best and she said that they are all crap. She remembers growing up and feeding her mutts table scraps and they lived long active lives. She does feed a decent quality kibble to her dogs. Probably because it is much easier for her and her help to manage. 

I do believe that feeding our dogs the best we can is an important part of taking care of them, but I had a mix that was fed Purina products and even Ol' Roy went money was very very tight and she lived to be a good age.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Craig Caughlin said:


> I curious how many of you, if any at all, consider the diet of both Sire and Dam when selecting a new puppy?
> 
> I've found a few breeders in my local area that, I think, breed quality dogs. One of the breeders feeds the Sire/Dam kibble (Royal Canin to be specific) and another breeder feeds the Sire/Dam raw meats with ground bones, fresh vegetables, etc.
> 
> ...



You must consider the dams diet as part of her overall health and my default the health of her puppies. Proper nutrition plays an important part in the health and development of puppies and impacts their mental capacity and immune systems. A puppies development before it's born is dictated entirely by the dams health and this period is vitally important to a puppies capacity for development after it is born. A malnourished or improperly nourished dam is going to produce puppies whose mental capacity and overall health have already been impacted. The degree to which this can be corrected will vary, but it's sort of like fixing your car after you blow it up instead of attending to maintenance. 
Further to that lack of proper care is indicative of what the dogs mean to the breeder. Consider the dirt poor family whose pet is brushed, walked and trained versus the breeder whose dogs are behaving like banshees and in poor condition. A breeder who can't care for the dogs is breeding for the wrong reasons.


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

I’d definitely consider it but wouldn’t weight the dam’s diet nearly as much as knowing the lines’ health and longevity. I know a couple reputable breeders that feed Royal Canin. Not my choice but they have healthy working dogs that live past 10. You might get a pup with chicken sensitivity like I did but I’ll take that if it’s the worst thing about the pup.


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