05/02/2024
🐕🍴DOG FOOD🐶🍽
I get asked a ton; "What do I feed my dogs, or recommend feeding?"
First things first, I am not a nutritionist, but I do know something every being needs.
Variety of nutrients!
Let's talk about that!
Many vets will suggest a diet that has been vet formulated and tested. But I challenge you to compare that ingredient list to one of a higher quality company!
The difference? Oftentimes, you'll find a lot of fillers, either grained in regular formulas, that just expand and make the animals feel full (Dried plain beet pulp is a primary example! It's fed to horses and has to be extremely watered down to prevent Colic!).
Or perhaps it is grain free, but the 4th or 6th ingredient is lentils and chickpeas? Meaning they've substituted the protien percentage with high protien plant based items, instead of meat!
There are a small collection of diets, such as Nutrience Sub Zero, Acana; Ranchlands, Grasslands, Pacifica. Who have a large meat content, with a variety of protiens in one bag, instead of just beef.
Allergies? Pacifica by acana is actually the only safe brand and line for my allergic to life bulldog, no chicken eggs, no salmon, no beef and no grains.
You'll also notice a few toppers and that the kibble has been soaked with water!
This bowl is one of our simpler ones, to showcase how easy it is to find things to improve your dogs diet!
In the bowl;
•Acana Pacifica for base.
•Back2Raw Turkey formula, we add this because all Raw is pricey and hard to balance! A mix seems to help our pups stool as well!
•Water; hydration is a must! Kibble is dried and over time will cause acute dehydration!
•Quail eggs; most stores sell them for 5 to 6 bucks for 18 of them! They're a great substitute for chicken or duck eggs! They also are more nutrients dense than chicken eggs!
•Turkey necks; we don't have an allergy to all fowl or birds, just to duck and chicken! Turkey necks are great for Chondroitin and Glucosamine for joints, and teeth cleaning!
•Goats milk cubes; I melt and refreeze a bottle of goats milk into cubes to make it easier to give, it also helps it last, rather then use it daily. It's great for replenishing gut flora, and aiding in constipation or diarrhea! This bottle also had supplements like blue sprulina added!
Feeding this way isn't a science, it's just adding a diverse amount of ingredients, even rotating them so they only see them a couple times a week! Since educating myself on not only the clinical western medicine food recommendations, and the holistic food recommendations. I've found a happy medium that makes me feel secure about my dogs nutrient variety! But also has completely changed my dogs lives, my mastiff and bulldog both struggled with hotshots, sore ears, bad breath, tear stains, urinary issues, soft stool and even vomiting before making this change.
Below are some links for reading, and some other social media posts/pages with similar/more diverse information.
This page talks a lot about feeding real! They also have a education program open to Pawrents and Professionals. But either course can be taken by anyone who'd like to learn;
https://www.instagram.com/feedrealmovement?igsh=OXNxNjA3bGh5MzEx
This couple has tracked their feeding journey and gotten certified in nutrition along the way;
https://www.instagram.com/thebkpets?igsh=ZjNtMWFsNnFhc3Fx
This lady is a certified dog nutritionist:
https://www.instagram.com/kaylakowalskinutrition_?igsh=MW9rY3lsbXhreHptdg==
An informative raw feeding page, that has given me many topper ideas;
https://www.instagram.com/wefeedraw?igsh=MXF6aGFuNXVkeHVocw==
A treat and chew box subscription company for real dried treats, instead of fresh raw;
https://www.instagram.com/realdogbox?igsh=bHljZXQ1cTdnNjh6
Clinical Pet Nutrionist/Vet Tech;
https://www.instagram.com/wildbiome.dog?igsh=MXB3NTJwMmYyd3ZvYQ==
