Hey,

Happy Wednesday!

Last week I managed to crowbar Alice Cooper into this newsletter. Well, today it’s Donny Osmond's turn because I want to talk about… 

… you guessed it, puppy love!

Ok, the song isn’t actually about puppies but why miss an opportunity to pop an earworm into everyone’s head?

Anyway, tomorrow is National Puppy Day. I don’t think it’s a criminal offense to not like puppies but there’s probably an argument for legislation (joke).

I realize not all of you currently have puppies. However, it’s a safe bet you’ve had at least one in your lifetime and know all the joy, stress, love, noise and — let’s be frank — mess they bring. It’s a tricky time but, when it’s over, part of you always wants to go back there.

Gratuitous puppy photo

I hope this isn’t too personal or sentimental but my wife and I don’t and won’t have kids. So, for me, having a dog, a puppy, is the closest I’ll get to having a child. Indeed, it makes me wonder what kind of parent I would have been — by pondering the kind of dog parent I am.

Am I too impatient? Do I give him enough time? Does my anxiety make him anxious? Am I bad at this? Does everyone feel the same? 

I get guilt, sadness and fear. But I also feel astonishing amounts of love and joy. I guess that’s the same whatever species your kids are.

Enough pondering. These emails should have a feeding tip and today's is fairly blunt: please make sure you feed puppies appropriate food in the right amount at the right life stage. 

I know it sounds obvious but not all dog foods are puppy-friendly and giving them the wrong food at the wrong age can cause serious health problems. There are puppy feeding tips and FAQs here and you can also speak to your vet.

And, of course, you could check out our best puppy foods lists. We have:

Best Puppy Foods

Best Dry Puppy Foods

Best Wet Puppy Foods

Best Large Breed Puppy Foods

Best Small Breed Puppy Foods

Also, if you’d be keen on getting more puppy-related information, such as feeding tips, deals on puppy food, and various other useful bits and bobs (from DFA only), click on this link and we’ll make a note.

Finally, if you know anyone who’s getting or has a puppy, please forward them this email and encourage them to sign up for recalls and feeding tips.

I’m off to give my dog, who’s still a big puppy, a good old wrestle.

Until next time,