Apart from sound genetics, nothing is more important for the quality and longevity of your Cockapoo’s life than their health and nutrition. Excellent food sources, supplements, filtered water, and exercise are usually what people think of when they hear the words “health” and “nutrition”. And to be sure, they are primary; but it doesn’t stop there. Grooming and dental care are vital to your Cockapoo’s health and nutrition, too. Though I could write pages on each of these topics, I will hit on each just briefly, below. 

Nutrition:  After years of spending a small fortune on what was supposed to be the absolute best in dry and canned dog food, I suspected food that goes through processing, extrusion, and high heats is probably food that has suffered a lot of nutrient losses. The more I read, the more I came to believe a dog’s diet is so key to their health, that it would probably be best to keep it as close to its natural “state” as possible - just like our diet. I resisted doing it for years, and for many reasons, but I finally began to feed my Cockapoos a raw diet - - and wow! The difference in them is nothing short of astonishing.

I suppose I cheat just a little bit because instead of feeding them everything in its absolutely raw (wet) state, the majority of what I feed them is a raw dehydrated food that is reconstitued with liquid. The dehydration process is done very gently so the food retains its color, its freshness, and its nutritional potency. It is also food that is easy to travel with because it requires no refrigeration (until you re-hydrate it), and a ten pound box actually makes 43 pounds of fresh food. Additionally, this food affords the pups and adults the benefits of raw food without “grossing out” some of the more squeamish folks who take home my pups. It is also much easier to control contamination and bacteria.
If you love the idea of this dehydrated food but you have qualms about raw meats, choose the food that provides you with everything BUT the meat - - and add your own form of protein. You can add gently cooked turkey, fish, chicken, beef, lamb, buffalo, etc...These superb dehydrated foods come from a company called The Honest Kitchen; you can find out all about their foods, their mission statement, their USDA-inspected facility, and their supplements online at www.thehonestkitchen.com.

Additionally, I feed my Cockapoos raw green tripe and it is like a magic food for dogs! To learn all about why this (gross looking and smelling) stuff is so nutritionally potent, just visit www.greentripe.com and read all about it. My Cockapoos are crazy for it.

I make sure to sprinkle some antioxidant supplements, some seaweed-based supplements, and every few days I put a bit of salmon oil into their food as well. The Honest Kitchen makes a product called Invigor (antioxidant), Natural Rearing sells the Seaweed-based supplement using Juliette Levy’s Natural Rearing Original Herbal Formulas (the international authority on herbs for animals), and you can purchase good pure Icelandic or Alaskan salmon oil at any fine pet shop.

Dental Care:  Briefly stated, if your Cockapoo’s mouth isn’t healthy their body can’t be healthy. Plaque-covered teeth and inflammed gums are a recipe for “poisoning” your Cockapoo’s vital organs. You must keep your Cockapoo’s teeth and gums clean and healthy! Brushing them regularly helps and so does providing them with good chew toys and chew treats. Dried green tripe treats are like flossing and brushing wrapped in a healthy treat your Cockapoo will love! Avoid rawhide; instead, choose natural tendon chews, etc…Rawhide is often “cured” with formaldehyde and colored with chemicals. Merrick makes some wonderful natural chew treats: flossies, bully sticks, etc…whose source is USA….another thing that is key! Get online, search, buy USA source products, and check the ingredients to be sure there is NO GRAIN in the treats you give your Cockapoo.

Though we were told for years that dry dog food and grain-filled biscuits were good for our dog’s teeth, the truth is quite the opposite: dry dog food actually sticks to dog’s teeth longer than wet food does (think of what happens to your teeth when you eat pretzels or graham crackers). And food that is filled with grain is not healthy for your Cockapoo. Corn, wheat, soy, gluten, corn starch, potato starch….all terrible for your Cockapoo and used as cheap filler in their food that may actually be causing them allergies. If you are going to feed your Cockapoo grain, make it be a grain that doesn’t act like any other grain: give them organic quinoa (keen-wa). It is gluten-free, it is filled with healthy fiber, it is packed with protein, it has every amino acid a food can have, it is heart-healthy, full of iron, and it is very easily digested. And yes: it is delicious and dogs love its flavor.