Samples - Vital from Freshpet

You might remember a few months ago I switched Theo to a new food and was touting it's magical properties of awesomeness. Or last week, when I talked about how Theo could give the Energizer Bunny a run for his money (He was never that way before the food switch)? Sufficed to say, I have been very pleased with Deli Fresh, which is the "gently cooked" sausage-like slice and serve food we have been giving Theo. And I'm going to tell you more about it, and a new product I just tried.

So here's the thing. I really like this company, Freshpet, that makes Theo's food. I'm not saying they're perfect, because I'd need to be clairvoyant to know that for sure, but I like what I can see. Their website is one of the most, what I would describe as open dog food websites I've seen. It takes some hunting around all the different areas of the website, but a lot of good information is there (and well presented!). And I don't mean a bunch of buzz words spewed on a mostly empty page with a bunch of pictures of cute dogs. I mean real, quantified information on a page with a bunch of pictures of cute dogs (why would you skip a chance at pictures of cute dogs?). For instance, they say their slice and serve food is "minimally processed" and "gently cooked". Well what the heck does that mean, exactly? It means this. Not only do they tell you the thermal units used to cook the food, but they give a handy dandy comparison to typical dry and wet foods as well. It's nice to feel like I'm not just taking their word for it. They're making a claim, backing it up with their information, and letting me decide for myself. As it should be!

You know what else is great? The ingredients in these gently cooked logs. No meals, no byproducts, nothing that suggests the unsavory bits of the animal. Does this mean their "fresh chicken" doesn't come from the 4Ds? Goodness I hope so! But at least I'm getting meat and not bones and beaks and what not. Also, every ingredient that's in there has a purpose (which they explain in their philosophy pages). The grain isn't filler, it's whole grain, it's nutritious. There are ingredients to provide fiber, prebiotics, omega fatty acids, antioxidants, etc. along with the usual vitamins and minerals. Nothing too scary. As I've said in the past, when you slice into the log, you can actually smell chicken. It has the consistency of real meat, and you can see the bits of the grains and fruits and vegetables sprinkled throughout.

I'm not trying to preach that what you should feed your dog. That's up to you, and what you think is best. I'm just trying to pay it forward. A friend of mine told me about Deli Fresh, and before that, I didn't even know products like this existed. And I am just a really big fan.


Anyway, in the course of events (aka, yada yada yada), last week I ended up with free samples from Freshpet in exchange for a review on this here blog. They had posted on the Freshpet Facebook page that anyone interested in free samples of their new product with a blog should contact them. I already touted them a number of times on this blog, so why not? By the end of the week I had four 2LB logs of their new Vital line of product. The main difference between the Vital line and the Deli Fresh line is that Vital is grain free. They focus more on high protein and antioxidants. 2 of the 4 varieties are 85% protein and 10% fruits and vegetables. It says so right on the package. I guess the other 10% is the vitamins and minerals? Another is 80%/10%, and they also have an all meat variety that is 90% protein! Yeah, that's a lot.

So far I've fed Theo 3 of the 4 varieties, and here's what I found:

• The Vital and Deli Fresh products are very similar and quality. Just like the Deli Fresh, you can smell meat, and see bits of vegetable and fruit. It looks like real food that's been squished into a log.
• 90% protein is kind of an insane amount! I ended up with a dog that was a 90% ball of energy. On Tuesday I took Theo for our usual morning run. Usually when we get back to our house, Theo collapses on the ground while he waits for me to take off his collar. This time he stayed standing, and when his collar was off, he ran for his tennis ball for me to throw for him. That was a first. And you can tell when you slice into it that it is really almost all meat. It looks like it.
  
• You can tell a lot about a dog's health by their poop, and Theo's poop has been great this week. Regular intervals, nice and solid, etc. His system obviously processed the food nicely.
• Theo didn't experience any discomfort in the switch between products. He ate it up like any other day, no visible tummy aches.
• Need I even bother mentioning that Theo likes the food? Of course he did. It's food, ergo, he likes it. I don't know if he even noticed a difference, since he wolfs it down just the same.
  

Overall I am really pleased with the Vital food. I had never fed Theo a strictly grain-free diet before, and besides the little boost in energy, I didn't notice a big difference in him (which is a good thing, I think, since he's already on a high quality food). Each of the 4 varieties is aimed at a specific dietary need for some dogs (limited ingredients, alternative protein, etc.), but since Theo doesn't have any special dietary needs, I could feed him all 4. I know a lot of people do the grain-free approach, but as long as they're whole grains, I've never had a problem with them. I don't really subscribe to the ancestral diet idea, since by that same reasoning I shouldn't drink milk or eat cheese, which are both very good for me and delicious! But let's put it this way, if Deli Fresh didn't exist, I would but Vital. I really like both products for the same reasons, I just like Deli Fresh a hair more, I just like the focus of their ingredients a little better. And I hate to say it, but Vital isn't yet carried in the big 6lb logs at my pet store. When they are there side by side (which they may be next time I go, this is a new product after all!), I'll actually probably have a hard time deciding which to buy. I probably shouldn't switch between them, but I'll be tempted!


To find where you can buy Vital near you, here is their store locator. You might be surprised to find that it's carried close to you, I know I was! Be not afraid of the refrigerated section!


I'm fully aware that it sounds like Freshpet paid me in more than just meat for an endorsement, but really they didn't (I wish! I'm going to be needing the money very soon!). I would have written this up without a free sample (though free samples help me get over my laziness, let's be honest), just because I love it so much. I actually go out of my way to buy it, since the pet store I buy every other item for Theo doesn't carry it, which reminds me, I've been meaning to ask the manager about that because I sure would love to just make one trip. I actually just sent emailed them requesting they carry it!



Anyway, that's my two cents on the matter. Feel free to chime in if you've tried any Freshpet products yourself, your take on "gently cooked" food, or whether you subscribe to the grain-free approach or not and why.

Fresh New Attitude

So Theo has been on his new Deli Fresh diet for 3 weeks now, and the change has been unreal. We buy the slice and serve logs (we've tried both the turkey and chicken flavors, which are actually very similar, and Theo of course loves both), slice up about 1/3 of a pound twice a day, cut it into pieces, throw it in his bowl, and that's it! No cooking chicken, no cooking rice, no chopping vegetables, no shopping for multivitamins online because the pet stores for some reason never seem to carry anything that's not for joint health. It's fast, it's easy, and the price isn't that bad. Our local Petco sells it for $15/6lb log. We feed Theo ~2/3 lb per day, so it lasts about a week. $15 a week on food, while definitely not as cheap as kibble, by no means breaks my bank. Especially after seeing his reaction to it.

What I like about this food is that it's the closest thing to real whole food I've found (minus real whole food, of course). When you slice into it you see the bits of carrots and rice. It's the color of chicken, it smells like chicken, it feels like chicken, though processed. It's plainly clear that this is real food that's been cooked and then tightly packed into the log form, rather than torched and compressed like charcoal, a la kibble. I feel like I'm feeding my dog real food which makes me feel good.

Then there was Theo's reaction to the food. I wish I could somehow convey how dramatic the change was. Husband, Mr. I don't want to pay that much for food we can make ourselves, was 100% convinced after observing Theo on this diet for a week. No complaints. No hesitation about going back and buying more. Phew! It wasn't just the extra energy. And Theo had a ton of extra energy. (For about a week there our nightly walks turned into nightly runs. He had so much extra energy to burn that he would just run run run! Good thing I'm in shape!) It was his attitude. He was happy. He was cuddling with us, something he never does. He'd let me pet him whenever I wanted, something he never ever ever does! He was playing by himself, something he never does. And his facial expressions always held a smile.

He's since calmed down a bit. He's back to walking on our walks. And he only cuddles when we're eating. But that pep in his step is still there. There's no doubt it was the switch in food. So, of course, I would recommend Deli Fresh to anyone, and I'm heartily grateful it was recommended to me! (Thanks Philip's owner!)

As random aside: apparently Theo loves Golden Spoon frozen yogurt as much as I do. They have a pumpkin pie flavor this month that is so fantastic Husband and I got a quart of it on Halloween (they were having a special for $5, ooooh yeah!). Theo was eying my bowl big time when I was having some last night, so when I was finished, I put the bowl on the floor to let him have the melty bits. Now, if you'll recall, Theo is a big fat chicken who is scared of dishware. Usually when we try this, he backs away and looks longingly but warily at it. This time after his usual initial hesitation, he went for it! That's how badly he wanted some. I can't say I blame him. That pumpkin pie flavor is darn good! Too good, in fact! I've never eaten this much frozen yogurt in my life!

And in other Theo's exciting life news, we actually made it to the dog park, yeesh, two weekends ago. Man, it's been awhile since I updated, huh? In my defense, I was in St. Louis last week. Anyway, it had been forever since we had seen our other Corgi friends and Theo was very excited. I tried taking him to the dog park a few weeks ago, and he had none of it. He just laid there and looked bored. But with his Corgi friends around, he actually played a little bit! It's crazy, I know.

Of course, the picture here is not Theo playing. That's Theo bullying Philip. As I've said before, Theo is usually sweet and submissive with other dogs, but when he encounters a more submissive dog, sometimes he becomes a real bully. Philip is one such pup. It doesn't help that he's so people friendly. Every time I tried to take his picture, Philip would run up and wedge his head between my face and the camera as if to say "Nevermind pictures when you could be petting me!" I am more in love with that dog every time I see him. Yeah, that could be why Theo doesn't let him get anywhere near me. Heh. Fortunately, Philip has the most easy going personality of any living creature I've ever seen. So he's totally unphased make these kinds of faces at him. I wouldn't be so unphased. That's for sure. You can view the rest of the mini meetup photos here. I haven't had a chance to upload them all, but that's most of 'em.

Have you heard about the new dog flu virus that's going around: H3N8? Apparently it's serious enough that my doggy daycare is requiring Theo to be vaccinated by next week. That was fast! I don't even get myself vaccinated for flus. Yet another way in which Theo is better treated than his owners. Hehe. Is anyone else getting their little ones vaccinated?

Not The Pink Stuff!

The only liquid "medication" I've given to Theo before last week was children's benedryl. Since it's made for kids, they added enough sugar to it to make it perfectly palatable for Theo's consumption. In other words, I could get him to drink it right out of the little cup. Pepto bismol? Not so. I've never taken the pink stuff myself, but apparently it tastes nasty enough that even Theo won't go near it. Poor guy. As part of his tummy upset regimen we were instructed to give him a few tablespoons of pepto bismol every day. I only lasted two. I think the picture to the left clearly spells out why.

First off, the only liquid medication syringe at my disposal only holds about 1/16 of a teaspoon at a time. Which means to give him 2 tablespoons in one sitting, took about 30 million little syringe shots. Needless to say, Theo and I both tired of it very quickly. I have since purchased a much much bigger syringe. Also, Theo kept trying to spit it out (see picture), which not only led to doggy spittle all over my hands (see picture), but also to a very pink dog (see picture). Not to mention a pink me. You can't see it in this picture because I look nice and covered with that paper towel, but my entire arm (my favorite sweater!) is covered in pink doggy spittle. Ew.

So it begs the question, did it work? Why, yes! It did! This was the same disastrous evening where Theo decided to upchuck his new "easy on his stomach" food (the I/D). Perhaps because his stomach was already upset. I think it was in protest to the slop. After the upchucking, Theo was mopey and obviously not feeling that great. I eventually wrestled enough of the pink stuff in him, and 5 minutes later he was back to his normal self: wanting to play fetch and eat. After the second day he obviously didn't even need it, so I figured I wouldn't even bother putting us both through the stress.

Where was Husband during this whole debacle? Well since I'm in the photo (like the fun I had with pixelation?), I'll give you one guess. Yep. While I was juggling a stubborn bratty puppy, cleaning up dog vomit, and getting covered in pink goop, Husband was snapping pictures. I guess I should be thankful, otherwise we wouldn't have a remembrance of this extra fun event! *sigh*

On the food front, I convinced Husband to do a trial run with Deli Fresh. From what I've gathered, their slice and serve logs are basically whole ingredients that are gently cooked (as in, cooked enough that their not raw, but not so much that all the nutrients are killed. So like people food rather than kibble). It's sold in the refrigerated section of my local big-name pet store. Unfortunately, they don't carry it at the smaller specialty pet stores I prefer to frequent. Oh well. I'm really liking this stuff so far because it feels like I'm just feeding him regular pre-cooked food. You can even identify ingredients like brown rice and carrots, and it smells like chicken. And you can't beat the convenience! Also, I feel like I'm feeding him a more complete diet. It has all the vitamins and nutrients that he needs added to it in the correct balance to keep him healthy, which was something that always kept me a bit worried with the diet I was feeding him. At my local store it was $15 for an 8lb log, which should last about 8-10 days. So about $45/month. No bad at all! Considering how much time I'm saving by not having to constantly be cooking chicken and chopping fruits and vegetables and cooking rice, I'm thinking this might be a permanent thing.

Oh, and Theo's health issues? Ok, it's kind of a long story. Do you need a bathroom break? Maybe a glass of water? Better get it now. We won't be having an intermission. Also, the rest of this post is mainly going to talk about poop, so the faint hearted should just stop reading now. Seriously.

Ok, so about 2 months ago we noticed Theo's poops were consistently soft. Not runny, not like diarrhea. Just soft. All the time. It wasn't anything to cause alarm, but I started restricting his diet to clear it up. I started by taking him off the kibble. Maybe it was just a bad batch. Then I took him off dairy. Then I added pumpkin. Nothing changed. Next to go were the fruits and veggies, leaving just the bland chicken and rice. Nothing changed, leading me to think it wasn't an issue with his food. This was over the course of several weeks. Then I got a postcard in the mail telling me it was time for one of Theo's vaccination shots. I figured while I was at the vet, I would have them look him over to see if they could shed any light on the issue.

$200 later I was sent home with some anti-diarrhetic (flagyl, I believe it's called) pills for the soft poops, and some probiotics for his digestion. They also did a fecal analysis that came back negative. He was on the meds for a week, and they seemed to clear things right up. Almost immediately his poops were hard. I remember scooping up the first hard poop, shoving it in Husband's face and saying "It's FIRM!" It's amazing how caught up you get about poop when you're a dog owner. And it's rather embarrassing how much it comes up in conversation with other dog owners. Sorry neighbors, for constantly steering the direction of the conversation to poop! After the week on meds things went back to normal. I reintroduced Theo slowly to his more regular diet, and his poops stayed good. I should also mention that through this whole process his appetite and energy level never changed. Other than soft poops he never had any other visible symptoms.

Then a few weeks later Theo's doggy daycare called to tell me Theo was having major diarrhea. I told my boss "I gotta leave early. My kid is sick at daycare." Just for effect. It was fun. It was a Friday evening. Theo had diarrhea (and I wish there was a worse term for what kind of diarrhea he had because I feel like diarrhea just doesn't cut it here) until we took him to the vet that Monday morning. Probably about every 2-3 hours he had to go, and usually felt like he had to go every hour. That includes the middle of the night. Husband and I had to take turns taking him outside every couple of hours. 3 nights in a row was brutal. Yes, I know we're not ready for kids. I'm fine with getting up once. Twice was a bit torturous. By the third time I was fed up enough to wake up Husband and make him do it. Hehe.

As I said, it wasn't just diarrhea. It was soup. It came with a complement of squirty noises. Lots of doggy wipes were involved. Theo had the most adorable embarrassed-looking face every time he went. But other than that, no change in his demeanor. He would be playing fetch out in the backyard, same as always, and suddenly stop and run off for the occasional pit stop. It was rather hilarious, actually.

So that Monday morning Husband took him back to the vet. You already mostly know how it turned out. Even though he told them Theo was on a chicken and rice diet, they insisted on pushing their swill on him. And the same exact meds as before. And another fecal test, which of course came back negative. The meds suppress his symptoms, but they made no effort to diagnose him. Why was he having the issue in the first place? I have to think it's related to the soft poops from the last few months. They apparently just shrugged it off and said he had probably "gotten into something". First off, he didn't. I watch that dog like a hawk. And second, what could he have possibly gotten into that would cause that level of diarrhea for 4 days?! Honestly, it never showed any signs of improving the entire weekend. When we took him to the vet, whatever was bothering his system was still bothering him.

The meds have suppressed the issue, so we're just going to wait and see. If it's something like an infection or some other issue that hasn't already cleared up on its own, it'll rear it's ugly head again. And when it does, we'll be ready. To take him to a new vet. Hooray!

In the meantime we're looking into pet insurance. Because really, I wasn't convinced, but I think in the long run it'll be worth it. Anyone have insurance with a company other than VPI? Just curious, since VPI seems to be what everyone has.

And that's the saga of Theo's poop troubles! My intestinally-challenged little troublemaker. Did you survive? Should I say diarrhea one more time just in case I didn't already offend you with the frequency of its use? Naw, I wouldn't do that. I'm classy like that.

Something For A Rainy Day

1. Due to popular demand (by one whole person!) I've put up a new poll.  That's right, I'm making you actually click over to my page from you google reader or the like. *groan*  But this is a fun one!  I wanted to know what type of swag people would be interested in if I were to do a giveaway with some of the money from the Petsmart giftcard I got for Theo's winning costume (read: I'm doing a giveaway, tell me what you want).  Here are the items I was thinking that go along with the poll items: Frisbee, antlers, plush, stocking, and chuck-it.  If you have another suggestion (which I'm completely open to!), let me know.
2. I can't guarantee anything by Christmas, so keep that in mind.  I'll do my best though.  Keep an eye out for the giveaway because it won't last long!
3. We met up with some Corgis in the area this weekend, including Philip.  Unfortunately, we were rained out again.  Why does that always happen when I meet up with him?  Well it was a lot of fun while it lasted.  This group of 5 Corgis is a really good group.  They all get along, and they're all very sweet dogs.  I'll post my pictures once I get a chance to download them from the camera.  But be warned, I got an iphone yesterday (it is awesome!!!), and I'll probably be good and distracted by that for most of the week.
4. Theo fell asleep at my feet last night.  He never sleeps that close to me.  Then this morning he snuggled with me on the couch.  The snuggly moments are few and far between, which makes me appreciate them all the more.
5. Along with cheese and peanut butter, Theo now has a love of almonds.  Everytime he hears me tilt the jar he comes running, looking expectantly at me for a handout.  No matter where he is in the house, he can hear the dispensing of almonds.  It's adorable.
6. We're wondering if we should get Theo some shoes for the snow next week.  He's a total temperature whimp, just like mommy and daddy.  Personally, I think a light coat for him would be better, and more comfortable.
7. We bought the peticure safeguard to attach to our dremel so we could sand Theo's nails indoors without making a mess (it gets dark too early to keep doing it outside).  We tried it out yesterday and it worked great!  No dust, no mess.  There was another bonus too: safety.  Sometimes when we're sanding his nails he freaks out and tries to bite the sander.  Obviously, not the best thing for Theo's mouth, and Husband kept getting scratched up by it when he would try and stop Theo from biting it.  This attachment works great for those two purposes.  

Food Is A Tricky Question

Someone who just got their Corgi puppy last week asked me how much she should feed him. It reminded me that I haven't talked about food a whole lot on this blog even though I meant to. Part of the reason is that food is a tricky subject. Every dog is different, just like people. Just like there are people who can eat chili cheese fries all day and still be a twig (damn them!), I'm sure there are dogs that can eat a lot of kibble and still keep their girlish figure.

First off you have to decide how often to feed them. Some people do once, some people twice, and some even more. I would say it depends on how old your dog is. When we first got Theo he was a young pup with a raging metabolism, so we fed him 3 times a day. Actually, I only just recently reduced him down to 2 meals a day. I don't think I'll ever feed him just once a day. How would you like to be fed once a day? I think it's better to spread it out into a morning and evening meal.

How much to feed your dog obviously depends on what you're feeding your dog. I've read that if you use high end kibbles you actually have to feed your dog less because their more nutrient rich. I don't know if that's true, but generally if I eat a chicken salad vs. junk food I don't get fuller any faster on the salad. If anything food with fillers make me feel full longer. I would just use the bag as a guideline for how much to feed. I say guideline because I've heard from more sources than I can count that dog food companies suggest too much food per meal (more kibble fed = more money for them). So try feeding a little less and see how that goes. I myself feed Theo a combination of a natural diet with a high end, high protein kibble mixed in. So obviously it's harder to determine what's the right amount to feed.

An important thing to keep in mind is the age of the dog you're feeding. When we first got Theo he was eating maybe a cup a day. That quickly changed as he got older and at one point he was probably up to ~2 1/2 cups a day. Now that he's older his metabolism is obviously slowing down so I've actually been feeding him less than I did 2 months ago. Interesting how that works! When I asked Bailey the Beagle's owner how much food she gets, she said a cup a day. Bailey is 5. She's also smaller than Theo so I'll never feed him that little. Right now I feed Theo about 1 1/2 cups per day. The point is that there's never any one answer for how much to feed a dog (which is probably why I never found good information on it). You have to look at your dog, their weight, their habits, their age, and judge accordingly.

Don't worry, your dog won't roll over and die if he's one pound overweight. There's a trick to see if your over or under feeding your dog. Feel your dog's ribs. Can you feel them? If you can't feel ribs put little Fido on a diet, he's a fatty! Look at what kind of food you're feeding and how much. If you're still feeding puppy food, it's probably time to switch to adult. If you feed 3 cups a day, try reducing to 2 1/2 cups. I know it's hard to change your dog's eating habits, but if you stick with it, it quickly becomes the norm.

If you can feel ribs, great! Can you count them? As in, if you move your hand over your dogs ribs can you distinguish each rib bone well enough to count them. If the answer is yes, give Fido a snack! He's too skinny! That's the happy medium you want. You want to be able to feel your dog's ribs but not count them. Hey, I can still feel my ribs, does that mean I'm not fat!? Hehe. Again, that's just a guideline. I can still feel Theo's ribs, but to me he still looks a little tubby sometimes, so I've been really watching what I feed him. But at the same time I think it's just him getting bigger and his "chest dropping". That's what one of my neighbors refers to it as, and it's true! When Corgis get bigger their chest seems to grow down. LOL!

So now that I've spilled the beans on Theo's eating habits, anyone who wants to join in tell us what you feed your dog, how much, and how often. Do you think I've left any important information out, or just gotten something wrong?

Dog Food A Little More Demystified

I have a hard time with the notion that everything a dog needs nutritionally can be packed into a handy dandy hard piece of kibble. If such a thing is possible, where's my people kibble? I wouldn't mind having all my nutritional needs met by little crunchy balls I could pop in my mouth all day (and they would clean my teeth!). So I supplement Theo's diet with "whole foods", which just means regular food (not processed fat America food, just real food). I've said this before, but since I'm going through the trouble of doing a partially whole food diet, I want to make sure I'm feeding him a quality kibble as well, otherwise what's the point?

Well the other day I found this website, and I'm loving it! It basically has a rating system for most dog foods (it had all the ones I could think of), on a scale from 1 to 6 stars. It also breaks down the ingredients for you, based on the quality as well as the quantity, which is nice. For instance, the reviewer doesn't just note that there is quality meats in the product, s/he also points out where in the ingredient list the meat is because it makes a difference. The 6 star foods I saw all had at least the first two ingredients as meat.

I was happy to see that the kibbles I've been feeding Theo have all been rated with 5 or 6 stars (I've tried out a few different kinds over the last few months just to see if he reacted differently or looked differently eating any of them). I just switched Theo to this one, and so far we're both loving it. I think it's a keeper!

Sensible

One of the books I read but haven't yet had time to review is Better Food For Dogs. I thought it was a great book, but it really scared me, in some respects, about doing a home-cooked diet for my dog. There's so much to research and keep track of to make sure I'm feed the right balance of nutrients. I don't want each meal to be an ordeal in which I carefully calculate each and every calorie.

When I conveyed this concern to my husband, he replied, as usual, with a completely sensible answer that made me feel silly for ever being worried. He asked me how I feed myself. Do I measure all my food out on a scale or in measuring cups? Do I count every calorie before I eat any food? Do I make lists of all the different kinds of foods I need to make sure I eat and make sure to vary it every so often? Or do I take a sensible approach to eating. Do I make sure to eat different things throughout the day. Definitely the latter. I make sure that I pay attention to my proportions without being too exact. I have my good days and I have my bad days, but overall I'm healthy and varied in my diet.

It's not an exact science. If I can feed myself and keep myself happy and healthy, then why couldn't I do it for my dog as well? Sure, I'll need to pay attention to his/her weight and exercise level, and adjust accordingly, but that's not hard to do. I'm not going to let myself get overwhelmed by this.

A Cautionary Tale Of Free Feeding

Most websites and books you read on Corgis make a point of saying that you should not free feed your Corgi. They are eating machines and don't know when to stop. Of course, this isn't necessarily the case with all Corgis, but the general trend. I've always found it strange that some breeds will eat only when they're hungry, and some breeds will eat until they explode. Why is that? I've had people telling me that all I have to do is set down a bowl of kibble in the morning and I'm good for the rest of the day.

A long time ago, before I even started this blog, I saw a story about a corgi that was free fed nearly to the point of death. She was 70 pounds (!!!), and luckily her owners gave her up before she died from obesity. I was bummed because when I went to look for it again, I couldn't find it. But last week I happened up it again, so now I can share it with you. The story of this dog is mixed in with this article by a breeder who is warning about the dangers of over-feeding your dog, and giving advice on the best way to make sure you feed your dog in a way that ensures its good health.

As the time draws near when I get my puppy, I've found myself a lot more concerned with nutrition. I'm going to need to feed this puppy and keep it healthy, so I need to learn as much as possible, especially since I plan to do a "whole foods" diet. One of the concerns is what is the right amount to feed? I've heard anywhere from under a cup a day to over two cups a day. The article rightly states that it depends on the dog's age and activity level. I'll have to keep a close eye on him/her and work closely with my vet to make sure s/he is healthy. I think the "I'm starving" puppy stare is going to be the hardest part for me. If I won't be able to tell if the puppy is really still hungry, or just wanting more food, then I'll need to make sure I know what enough is. I'm afraid I'll be in constant fear of starving or underfeeding the puppy.

Any Corgi owners out there reading this, how do you decide how much food is enough for yours? It must be difficult, especially when some experts say that following the direction on the kibble bag would be feeding too much food.

Rate Your Kibble

While we're on the subject of food, I also found this post on the GoCorgi forum. I think it's really interesting because it's finally a way to quantify all the stuff you read about what's good and bad in dog food. I would also add that the score would be an instant zero for companies that don't use human-grade food as well. By using this system it's not just about good food and bad food, it's also about the gray area. How bad or good is the food exactly? I think it's pretty neat stuff!

Just Say No To Puppy Food

GoCorgi Forums has a very interesting article posted on why you shouldn't feed a puppy "puppy food". I've heard this from numerous other sources before, but I think this person sums up the reasons quite nicely.

Breaking Down Food Ingredients

Click on the picture for a readable size. This is a "good" and "bad" comparison chart for dog food ingredients. I think the side by side comparison, for example the chicken meal vs. poultry by-products, was very helpful.

Right now I'm thinking that I'd like to do mostly home-cooked food for my puppy, but incorporate some human-quality dry kibble in as well. This will help keep puppy's teeth clean, and will be a good compliment to the food I'll be giving. Thus, I'm in the process of researching good dog food brands. I'll post a comprehensive list of the companies that sound up to snuff.

Another reason to research human-quality food companies, even if you are doing home cooked meals, is for treats and supplements as well. As much as I'd like to make my own dog treats, I'm guessing that I'll be a bit time constrained, and buying them at least occasionally will be far easier. And dogs need vitamins, just like people. I'd rather get them from a company that has the same philosophy on canine nutrition that I do.

Can I Have A Dog Treat Too?

Since I'm planning on feeding my puppy a home-cooked diet, would it be weird if I ate my dog's food too? I just saw a recipe for pumpkin biscotti cookies, and they sound delicious! I would probably substitute whole wheat flour for the all-purpose, but other than that, I'll bet they're pretty darn good. Would my puppy get mad at me if it saw me eating his/her treats? *sheepish grin*

Vets Agree: Buy Commercial Dog Food Or Your Dog Will Die

I found this article very interesting...and not in a good way. I find this to be a good example of why the attitude of "a vet said it, so it must be true" is dangerous. This vet claims that commercial dog foods are the only way to give your dog a balanced diet. Canine nutrition is so complicated the average person couldn't possiblly figure out how to handle it on their own.

So then how did wild dogs stay healthy before humans came along to overly process their food for them? How did they manage to perfectly balance their requirements for meat, carbohydrates, fats, and minerals? And if we can't keep a dog healthy with a nutritious diet, how do we keep ourselves healthy? Don't humans too have requirements for protein, carbs, minerals, vitamins, etc.? Maybe Iams should expand to people food as well.

I think the only thing in this article that makes any sense are the comments at the end calling this lady out for selling out to dog food companies.

The "Never feed your pets..." list mostly consists of food that give indigestion, nothing worse. In fact, the only things on there that cause anything worse than indigestion is chocolate, onions, and raisins, at least from what I've read. I've read dogs can't digest milk very well, but that cheese and yogurt are actually a good source of calcium for them. And while onion is bad for dogs, some garlic can be beneficial. This list is very misleading and I've found a ton of sources that contradict half of the items on it. My personal favorite is number 15: Moldy Foods. What does she think is in commercial dog food?

Just Because Puppy Likes It, Doesn't Mean It's Good

Husband and I were planning to feed our dog home cooked food even before the pet food recall. There seems to be a negative connotation with feeding your dog "people food". They say it's not good for the dog and you should feed your dog pet food to make sure s/he gets a balanced diet. I find this ironic because most people wouldn't eat what they feed their pets, and what could be in my food that's so bad for a dog (minus the obvious things like chocolate), but is ok for me?

It's no secret that what they put in pet food is not healthy by any means. Pet food, as I understand it, is made from the food that was not fit for human consumption. That means dead and rotting meat and moldy grains, all tied together with lots of soy, which dogs actually have trouble digesting. How is that better than a steak, brown rice, and broccoli?

Some might say it's too expensive to feed their dog home cooked food. Well I would argue that first, it's probably not much more expensive if you take into account that your dog will probably need less vet visits because s/he'll probably be a healthier dog. Also, it wouldn't be so bad if you shopped at costco. You can buy a huge bag of frozen chicken breasts for $12. Second, if you can't afford to feed your dog in such a way to keep him/her healthy, then you shouldn't own a dog, period. Would you have a baby and feed it rotten food with the argument that you couldn't afford better food?

I've heard people say that if the dog doesn't mind eating the food, then what's the problem? It's pretty common knowledge pet food companies spray dry kibble with fat to get the dog to want to eat it. If food looks appealing to a dog, they'll want to eat it. Even if it makes them feel sick later, they'll still eat it. A co-worker last week told me about his dog that reinforced this fact with me. My co-worker likes very spicy food, and his dog, of course, always wants some of what his owner is eating. So my co-worker started offering his dog jalapeno peppers when he ate them. The dog would happily gobble up the peppers, and pay for it later when his little booty was on fire after digesting those things. The next day my co-worker offered his dog the peppers again, and again the dog happily ate them up, forgetting his discomfort from the day before. The dog wouldn't associate the food with what was causing him pain hours later. So just because a dog likes his kibble doesn't mean it's good for him.

I'll still need to do some research into doggy diets, proportions, recipes, that kind of thing. I'll post when I find out more.