Saturday is National Puppy Day! Maybe you're in the puppy planning stage or already have a cute pup nibbling your fingers and toes. Either way, it's the perfect time to think about dog food for puppies and puppy nutrition. We've interviewed several of our customers who own kennels to get their thoughts on how Muenster dog food supports their breeding pairs and pups.
If you look at Muenster's product line up, there's not a specific puppy formula. A lot of people ask us about that. The answer to this is that Muenster dog food is an All Life Stages dog food. All Life Stages is a classification based on the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles. All Life Stages dog food is designed to meet the nutritional needs of dogs at every stage of their lives, from puppyhood to adulthood and into their senior years. So with Muenster, you won't need to worry about when to switch your puppy to adult food. There's no switch.
The only exception to this is for large breed puppies (more than 70 lbs as an adult). Because of their unique needs our Perfect Balance line has too much calcium for large breed pups. You'll find this on the product detail page under nutritional info.
As your puppy matures into an adult and even senior dog, their health needs may change. We offer different proteins which have different profiles of protein, carbs and fat. Products like our Ancient Grains Ocean Fish contains Chondroitin and Glucosamine to support joints of aging pets.
Why Breeders Choose Muenster Kibble for Their Packs
Understanding that every professional breeder's choice of nutrition for their packs influences numerous aspects like health, reproduction, and growth, we interviewed some of our breeder customers about why they prefer Muenster Kibble for their kennels.
Annette Lewis is the owner of Lotus Kennels. Annette's focus is exclusively on the Shih Tzu breed. She is not a commercial breeder -- producing only a limited number of litters each year. She feeds Muenster Pet Ancient Grains exclusively because, "My dogs are much more active, have tons of energy and my girls are more regular with their seasons," said Lewis. "Puppies love the food. I add beef broth and probiotics to the Ancient Grains Ocean Fish. I rehydrate the food and mush it up until they are 8 weeks old. I have new parents tell me all the time how much smarter and easier it is to train the pups from me compared to their older Shih Tzu."
Angela Ferrari is the owner of New Hampshire-based Allettare Dobermans. Ferrari says the "digestibility and nutrition profile are important to us for ensuring healthy puppies. We have noticed nice healthy puppies at birth," said Ferrari.
Ferrari chooses to feed Muenster's 1932 Flax Free Chicken kibble. "A flax-free food with ancient grains is important to us. We do not feed food with legumes or flax," said Ferrari. "(Our) moms maintain great weight during pregnancy and through nursing," she continued. "Also, our puppies thrive on the food and continue to do great in their new homes."
Brenda Catenaccio is a Texas-based Pomeranian breeder with a Kennel business called Lollipop Poms. She appreciates that Muenster includes Taurine for a strong heart. In fact, this was her catalyst for trying Muenster. She had an episode with a breeding female that had a heart issue. Her vet advised her to be sure the dog's food included Taurine.
What are the experiences of dog breeders with feeding Muenster Kibble to their breeding pairs?
Let's delve deeper into the first-hand experiences of various dog breeders and understand the role Muenster Kibble has played in nourishing their breeding pairs.
Brian Smith of Olympus Kennels in Arkansas breeds Belgian Malinois. "I have fed many of the higher-end dog foods on the market in the past. Malinois have large litters from 8 to 10 pups a litter, which is very demanding on the female dogs. With every other dog food brand my females lose weight and body mass by the end of nursing - to the point they were look malnourished, no matter how much we increased the food. Muenster is the first food that will keep our female's weight to almost pre-pregnancy levels, all through the nursing period," said Smith. "We do add custom ingredients, normally Salmon Oil and Beef Bone Broth to our food for increased calories for our girls both during pregnancy and nursing," added Smith.
Annette Lewis prefers flax free food for her Shih Tzus. "I use the 1932 Flax Free food for my adults customized with probiotics and salmon oil," said Lewis. "Puppies and moms once bred go to the Ancient Grains Ocean Fish with probiotics and bone broth. I've never had an issue changing proteins."
How Muenster Kibble Improves Puppy's Growth and Development
Let's dive into the insight from dog breeders on how Muenster Kibble contributes significantly to the growth and development of puppies:
Brenda Catenaccio with Lollipop Poms feeds Muenster because, "My dogs stay a good weight. I have healthy pups. They seem to be more active. Their poop is more consistent and not dry," said Catenaccio.
Brian Smith of Olympus Kennels said, "Just a look at our puppies and adult dogs and you can see the benefits of feeding a quality dog food. Our puppies look so much different from most all other breeders. Great genetics play a heavy role, but it takes a quality food to bring out those genetics. Heavy bone structure and muscle mass is very evident in our pups."
Annette Lewis says she has a specific plan to help mature her puppies' digestive health. "Shih Tzu can have issues with chicken," said Lewis. "For this reason, I recommend keeping them on Ocean Fish a minimum of 6 months - preferably a year so their guts have time to mature. I have no issues with pups I keep to show and puppies don't have issues later when they start switching proteins."
What are some success stories of using Muenster Kibble in dog breeding
Delving a bit deeper, we asked breeders about whether Muenster dog food had helped them overcome some specific issues they were dealing with.
Annette Lewis had a need for food she could customize for her senior dogs. "I have 2 senior dogs, 13 and 15 years old. I feed the Pork recipe which is low in carbs and I add MCT oil for the cognitive benefits. I feel confident in the food and that's big with all the issues other dog food companies have and the recalls," said Lewis.
Brian Smith found Muenster to be helpful with weight gain. "I tried Muenster food in an effort to put weight on one of my male dogs Maverick. He would go 2-3 days without eating. After switching to Muenster, Mav eats his food as soon as we put it in his bowl, and he is excited about it," said Smith.
What has been your experience working with Muenster?
Many breeders have been Muenster customers for years. They have different criteria for what they look for in a dog food company and a partner in the health of their kennel and business.
Brenda Catenaccio of Lollipop Poms related that she's tried different foods but came back to Muenster because of the nutrition profile. "About 5 years ago, I started using Muenster and absolutely loved it. The dogs did very well on it - maintaining their weight. They ate all their food," said Catenaccio. But she moved to a different food looking for smaller kibble for her very tiny pups. "I took a side trip with another kibble and after realizing it didn't have some of the nutritional ingredients that I wanted for my pups and breeding, I changed back," said Catenaccio.
Annette Lewis found her way to Muenster when she had a negative experience with another brand, "I switched from a very popular food in 2019 that I was feeding for many years," said Lewis, "I was seeing such a change in their stools both adults and puppies. A recall soon came. I had already begun looking at other foods when I ran across Muenster. Found a phone number and I called. THEY ANSWERED THE PHONE! I asked questions and customer service actually answered. That just sealed the deal. I can to this day call, give my name and they remember who I am. Love those girls in Customer Service!" said Lewis.
Conclusion
We hope these interview questions offer enlightening insights into the experiences of dog breeders, their success stories, and the significant role of Muenster Dog Food in the growth and development of puppies. With Muenster Kibble, breeders have found a reliable partner offering nutritious and high-quality feed for their breeding pairs and puppies. If you're thinking of bringing a puppy into your house, you can trust that Muenster's All Life Stages food provides the nutrition your dog needs from puppy and beyond.
If you are a breeder and have questions about Muenster dog food or would like to speak to someone about our breeder programs, contact us at info@muensterpet.com.
