Q: Are Hank & Sadie current on all of their shots?

A: Yes. Hank & Sadie are cared for by Countryside Veterinary Clinic here in Appleton. They are current on all shots/checkups, and Hank & Sadie each get a monthly dose of Simparica Trio, which prevents heartworm, roundworm, hookworm, fleas, and ticks.

Q: What food do Hank & Sadie eat?

A: UPDATED: We’ve switched Hank & Sadie’s food to Purina ProPlan. We have no complaints with the previous food that the dogs were on. Simply, after the last litter of puppies, Sadie wasn’t eating enough and wasn’t gaining enough of her strength back quickly. Sadie went to stay with a Labrador friend for a few days and ate the Labrador’s Purina instead of her own food! We made the decision to feed Sadie what she wants to eat, and she absolutely LOVES Purina ProPlan. As of this writing, Sadie is expecting puppies, so she is eating Purina ProPlan Puppy Large Breed. Hank (and Sadie, when not expecting) is on Purina ProPlan Adult Complete Essentials (it’s easy to find because there’s a Golden Retriever on the bag).

Q: Where do you go to get Hank & Sadie’s dog food?

A: You can find Purina ProPlan at major pet stores, online, and other stores like Tractor Supply, but we buy it at Fleet Farm. Fleet Farm is the best place to go for all of your dog’s supplies, whether it’s food, treats, bowls, crates, toys, leashes, etc. The selection is as good as any pet store and they often run 10% off anything in the store discounts. That’s a great time to stock up!

Q: What food will you be sending home with the puppy?

A: The puppies will be fed on breastmilk for as long as Sadie will allow. Typically, around four weeks of age, Sadie will start to become disinterested in all of those sharp little teeth biting on her all day and night. At that point, we’ll make a soft solution of dry puppy food and water, then slowly decrease the amount of water until the puppies are eating dry kibble. The puppy food we’ll start puppies on is Purina ProPlan Puppy (the one with the Bernese Mountain Dog puppy on the bag). Selecting a puppy food is all about high protein and fat, and low moisture. You want protein to feed your puppy’s energy and fat to help your puppy grow. Every puppy will go home with a starter bag of Purina ProPlan Puppy. We start puppies on the standard puppy food because, as little babies, it’s easier for the pups to eat and digest the smaller kibble. At about four months of age or later, you may consider switching your puppy to Purina ProPlan Puppy Large Breed because the kibble is larger and requires puppy to actually eat the food rather than inhaling small kibble. If you have a completely different brand of puppy food that you like, you can use the starter bag of ProPlan Puppy to gradually transition your puppy to its new diet.

Q: Do you get paid by Purina to advertise their dog food?

A: We don’t get paid by anyone to recommend anything. What we endorse is what we have used and honestly recommend based on 25 years of Golden Retriever ownership & breeding. Other dog foods we have used and recommend are the 4Health brand at Tractor Supply and Diamond Puppy.

Q: What supplies do you recommend?

A: You’re going to want a hair brush, and we recommend the Furminator. If you figure out a way to monetize Golden Retriever hair, let us know. We use slow-feed bowls when puppies get old enough to use them. Puppies tend to eat so fast that they’ll occasionally throw up what they just ate, which is another reason to eventually switch to a large breed puppy food. A slow-feed bowl prevents puppy from devouring the food faster than its system can handle. You’ll want to make sure your puppy has fresh water, and Golden Retrievers like to swim, so start out with a smaller bowl or gravity-fed watering system that prevents puppy from splashing water all over the room (Hank used to love to do this). Also, you’ll want a bottle of Zymox Otic 1.0% Hydrocortisone solution. This is for treating ear infections. If your dog develops an ear infection, you’ll want the medicine on hand right now rather than waiting two days for Amazon to deliver it.

Q: What are some cleaning supplies that you recommend?

A: With Golden Retrievers, you can’t have enough vacuums. We strongly recommend the Rug Doctor Pet Portable Spot Cleaner for cleaning spot stains. It’s very powerful, and ours has lasted for three years with no problems. Our upright carpet cleaner is a Bissell Revolution and it is also excellent, but our model doesn’t seem to be sold anymore. For cleaning solution, we use OxyClean Large Area Carpet Cleaner. For pre-treating or spot cleaning, Dawn Powerspray is excellent.

Q: What shampoo do you use for bathing the puppies?

A: For Sadie & Hank, we use Furminator shampoo and conditioner. It helps to release hair, so that we can reduce shedding for a week or so by just brushing all of that extra fur out. Puppies don’t shed as much, so just a gentle oatmeal shampoo is a good choice. We just have a generic Meijer bottle of oatmeal shampoo that we use for the pups. Be careful not to bathe a puppy too often, or his/her skin can get dry and itchy.