What do I feed my dogs?
I am asked this question, just about everyday. I
think it is because clients know that I feel very strongly that its my job to
give you all the information I can, and then its your job to do what is best for
you and your pets. I am happy to share what works for me and my dogs.
I cannot say there is only one best food for every
dog. I do feel there are general guidelines for any and all the food we feed
our pets. Here are my “rules”:
1) Its something I would eat. Now... you all know I
am a vegan but my pets are not. HOWEVER, although I would not eat an animal
myself, its important to me that the quality of the food I feed my pets is the
same quality I would expect for myself. For me, this means its clean, pristine
ingredients that are non GMO, organic whenever possible, free of dangerous
chemical preservatives and fillers, and provides and assurance that the food has
been manufactured, packed and held in accordance with federal regulations for
human food. This means no by-products (think beaks, eyeballs and rendered
animals) This rule is also true for the food that these animals are fed.
2) No Fillers, dyes, colors and “extras”. No
wheat, no corn, no soy, no sugar, no salt. Although some dogs can digest
these, to a point, dogs have no nutritional need for these and they are used to
make cheap pet food. As a result you get a gassy dog and lots of stinky poop....
LOTS of poop.
3) No preservatives or its preserved naturally. If
no preservatives, this means the food is either going to be dehydrated, frozen
or refrigerated. If it has preservatives I want to confirm they are not derived
chemically, this usually means
- Mixed Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
- Forms of Vitamin C
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Clove
Here are the common ones
to avoid:
-
Ethoxyquin – this is a pesticide and has been linked to cancer
-
Propylene glycol- this is an ingredient in anti-freeze
-
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) – both are suspected of being cancer causing.
-
Tertiary Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ )- a form of butane that is used to make varnish and resins
-
Sodium Metabisulphite- a bleaching agent
4) I make sure all the products I buy are made in
the USA or Canada
Specifically, I feed my dogs Honest Kitchen www.thehonestkitchen.com for their main meals. I usually stick to the grain
free varieties, because having such small dogs there are less calories and they
get to eat a bit more, which they love. I am not opposed to some grain for
dogs, like oatmeal or barley and my dogs sometimes get a grain in a treat.
Honest Kitchen is a dehydrated dog food. It’s a whole food, not a processed
kibble. It looks like dehydrated soup mix. Cost wise, I feel pretty good about
it. More than some, a lot less that others. But, be aware you are buying a
dehydrated food, so a 3 lbs. box will make 10 lbs. of food, don’t be mislead by
the size of the container. I enjoy giving my dogs a hot meal, it makes me feel
good to mix it up and give it to them. Its easy to stuff into Kong's and other
food puzzles, which my dogs eat from everyday.
3 to 5 times a week they do get a
frozen raw bone for 20 minutes. Sometimes, depending on the bone type, this
might be a meal replacement (remember my dogs average 3 to 6 lbs. in size) This
keeps my dogs teeth sparkling white and free of plaque and tarter. We use
chicken necks, bison and beef ribs. Always raw and frozen. I would NEVER give
my dog a cooked bone. Cooked bones are brittle and are the number one foreign
body removed from a dogs lower intestines.
Treats: I use a few things for
different reasons. For walks out and about I use Ziwi Peak Daily Dog. It’s a
food, not a treat, so I don’t mind giving it all the time. They also really
like Pure Bites dehydrated chicken. I also like Himalayan Dog Chew Yaky Puffs
for chewies. My dogs like carrots, zucchini and other raw veggies to snack on.
Supplements: I do use some, to aid
in a few issues for pets:
Coconut Oil: for GI
support
Apple Cider Vinegar: Flea
prevention
Brewers Yeast: Flea
prevention
I get all my pets
food and treats from petStop 360-738-3663. The owners, Allan and Barbara, are very kind
people who are always looking out for our animals best interest.
Hope that helps!
Angi Lenz, owner
Tails-A-Wagging
