Afortunado Portuguese Water Dogs have been blessed with strong, healthy, energetic dogs. This does not come solely by chance. We work hard to ensure the optimum health of our dogs through daily physical exercise, mental challenges through training in multiple performance venues, proper grooming, and a premium diet of real food. All the dogs at Afortunado are fed a raw diet.

Their diet consists primarily of raw meat, just as any carnivore would eat in the wild, however our dogs are lucky enough to have only the best quality, human grade meat. Dogs do not have teeth like we do. Take a look at the back molars of any dog. They are not flat like an herbivore or omnivore would have. Dogs have sharp, pointy teeth in order to chew and crunch meat and bones. Their throat has elasticity, so that when they swallow, their throat can expand to accomodate larger pieces of food. Our dogs all love their food and we appreciate the control we are able to maintain over what they eat.  

We give a varied diet of whatever meat we can get, preferably organic and from local sources whom we trust. There is no end to what we can give them. Chicken, beef, turkey, pork, deer, lamb, fish, organ meats, whatever we can find. The bones are important. We do not grind our bones as the benefits of breaking the bones themselves is crucial for the overall health of the dog. When a dog chews on the bones, they scrape their teeth and remove plaque and bacteria. The work required to rip and chew their meals ensures healthy gums through increased blood flow. 

Aside from a daily diet of fresh meat, throughout any given week our dogs get organ meats, a couple of raw eggs for biotin, a daily capsule of high quality Salmon Oil for Omega 3 fatty acids and tripe. These contain the only essential dietary requirements lacking in the meat that we are able to get at our local supermarket or farm. Historically, Portuguese Water Dogs were fed primarily fish at the end of a long work day on the boats they worked on with the Portuguese fisherman. For that reason, we also like to include a regular supplement of kelp, supplying a wealth of mineral elements and iodine. Being bred to fish and live on the sea, we feel this is a sensible addition to our dogs diet.  

We are strong proponents of the Raw Diet for our dogs, however it is not required of our puppy owners to follow it for their dogs. We do ask, however, that each of our prospective clients research on their own the benefits and daily requirements of feeding their dogs a proper, well balanced Raw Diet. As always, we are more than happy to give advice or suggestions if you have questions. I know our dogs have reaped the benefits with full, shiny coats, strong muscles, unwavering energy, sweeter breath, whiter teeth and they have yet to require a trip to the vet for a tooth cleaning!