Hi minnie-mama, congratulations! Havanese is a great breed, very much like maltese, which I have.
Here’s some good information on the importance of a rotational diet. I changed my pups’ diet a few days after they came home and used probiotics, enzymes and pumpkin to avoid stomach issues, and still use first two for good digestion and to keep their immune systems strong.
/frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/
Dr. Karen Becker’s newsletter gives excellent nutritional advice, and I use the Mercola enzymes, probiotics, krill oil and multi vitamin she recommends. Mercola also makes a natural flea and tick repellent that is the best smelling one I’ve used, and it works.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/07/21/13-pet-foods-ranked-from-great-to-disastrous.aspx
I highly recommend the book Scared Poopless to help avoid cancer and other diseases later on. The author’s website is loaded with helpful advice on avoiding vaccine overdose (especially important for small dogs), and how to do heart worm meds safely.
http://www.dogs4dogs.com/
Mine get a variety of the five star freeze dried and dehydrated foods (all you have to do is add water) with some home prepared meals using Dr. Harvey’s premix and organic meat already made from Whole Foods. Their main meal consists of these foods, and at night they get a light meal of dry and a topper like lean meat, egg yolk, yogurt, cottage cheese, goat cheese, a sprinkle of parmesan, a sardine from the can or ground salad or vegetables (never feed onion). As long as you keep toppers and treats under 20% of their daily intake, the diet will stay balanced.
I always get grain-free and gmo-free foods. Their favorite dry foods are air dried like Ziwi Peak, Real Meat Food Co, Only Natural Max Air Dried and Wellness Core Air Dried. Some of the better kibble foods that my picky ones have eaten are Petcurean Go Now, Farmina, Amicus and Wellness Trufood Baked. You can call the companies to get samples, and make sure to get the small breed puppy formula. I always buy the smallest bags, and do not keep food over one month because it starts to go rancid.
The treats they go crazy for are Stella and Chewys, Orijen, Lakse Kronch Wild Salmon, Primal and Dogs for the Earth. Dogs for the Earth also makes an organic food that they love.
Make sure to avoid synthetic shampoos and other toxic products. Earthbath puppy is a good one that is non-toxic. For face, when mine were puppies, I used Castle Bath which is a non-toxic face cleaner and powder to keep faces clean and avoid tear stains….cotton baby washcloths work best with this. Baby shampoo from the healthy food store is also good for faces. Avoid drug store brands because they’re loaded with toxic chemicals.
http://www.castlebaths.com/tear-stain-remover.html
Before I got my maltese I joined an online maltese forum where I learned a lot about food, training and grooming… you may want to consider one for Havanese.
Good luck!
