Caring for your Puppy

What food?  We suggest balance diet of meat and dried food. Many things that owners look for, such as high protein levels and extra vitamins, are more likely to be harmful than helpful. For example, overfeeding and over supplementation are factors contributing to overweight and digestive problems.

How often?  Offer food to young puppies three times a day. If your puppy isn't hungry that often, reduce the frequency. After ten or twelve weeks of age, feed twice a day.  In some cases adult dogs should have their food split into morning and evening feedings. and some dogs eat once a day.  Let your puppy eat as much as she wants in fifteen minutes and then pick up the food dish. Having food continually available encourages overeating, and chubby puppies are more likely to have weight problems and joint problems later in life. Also, because free-fed puppies never get very hungry, they don't enjoy their food unless given special treats. The combination of special treats and freely available food encourages them to become bored, overweight and picky.

People food? Some people food is not advisable, but vegtable, pasta and rice are allright sometime. A good treat to give is liver cake. 

Recipe for Liver Cake:
Ingredients:
• 1 lb wholemeal self raising flour
• 1 lb lambs or pigs liver
• 3 large eggs
• 6 – 8 cloves of garlic
• 4 – 6 oz milk

Method:
• Cut the liver up into small strips.
• Chop the garlic into small slices.
• The best and easiest method is to use a food processor but you can use a liquidiser and / or mix by hand.
• Liquidise the chopped liver and garlic.
• Add the 3 eggs.
• Add half of the flour.
• Add some of the milk in to help the consistency.
• Add the rest of the flour.
• Add the rest of the milk.

Cooking Instructions:
• Line a baking tin with greased tin foil.
• Put the mixture in and cover with greased tin foil.
• Cook for approximately 1 hour (test as you would a cake, insert a knife or skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean it is cooked. If it is still tacky cook for longer but keep checking).
• 170 C or Gas Mark 3.
• I have found that it is better to make up two lots of mixture, one after the other, and use a normal size roasting tin. This will obviously give twice the quantity and save time later.
• Remove the foil from the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven otherwise it will stick to the cake. When the cake is hand hot, cut the cake into strips both ways. This will give you small squares approximately ½ - ¾ inch across and approximately 2 ½ inches deep. Place approximately 8 of these small sections into a small plastic sandwich bag and tie off. Freeze most of the bags keeping one out for immediate use. When not using the unfrozen bag, keep it in the fridge otherwise it will go off quite quickly.