# For anyone willing to share...



## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

I would love to hear your answers to the following diet-related questions. I realize choosing a food is highly personal, I’m in the process of figuring out what is the best food we can afford for our puppy coming home in early December.

1. What food/supplements to do feed?
2. Why did you choose this?
3. What is your estimated monthly food expense?

I really appreciate the input!!


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

It's definitely personal and I think there is more than one good option. I'll just answer what we do. 

1. Nom noms fresh food delivery. No supplements.
2. Convenience, delivered in prepackaged servings. healthy with whole food ingredients, one of our dogs has a sensitive stomach. 
3. For two small dogs $180 a month. (one puppy would be half. the serving size is the same because puppies need more calories per pound) If I had a large dog this would absolutely be cost prohibitive. But it works for us with this breed.


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

Melissa Woods said:


> It's definitely personal and I think there is more than one good option. I'll just answer what we do.
> 
> 1. Nom noms fresh food delivery. No supplements.
> 2. Convenience, delivered in prepackaged servings. healthy with whole food ingredients, one of our dogs has a sensitive stomach.
> 3. For two small dogs $180 a month. (one puppy would be half. the serving size is the same because puppies need more calories per pound) If I had a large dog this would absolutely be cost prohibitive. But it works for us with this breed.


Thank you Melissa!! Yes it's so nice that these little buddies need a lot less food! We've always had big dogs and been limited to high quality kibble but now I'm interested in learning about the other options. Really appreciate you sharing &#128578;


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

Be sure to continue with the puppy food your breeder has been feeding. The switch to adult food comes later, maybe 9 to 12 months. 

Shadow eats Victor Yukon River Salmon & Sweet Potato for almost 3 years now. My local pet store sells it for $13./5lbs. which feeds him for a month. He is crazy for it and that's what he gets for treats also. No supplements on a regular basis.
Why? Victor is made in USA with US sourced ingredients. They have never had a recall. Several of the breeders I've talked to feed Victor to all of their show dogs. It is easy to find at many pet food stores as well as Chewy.
So $13. a month for food plus he drinks only bottled purified water, maybe $5. total $20.

When you switch foods, be sure to do it very slowly to avoid digestive(messy!) problems! Good luck with the new arrival!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

As a different view from this, I have been told by a number of vets that the nutritional needs of puppies and dogs is the same by the time they leave their breeder. Brands sell "puppy formulas" to have more "shelf space" in the pet stores. If you choose to feed kibble, as long as the kibble is small enough that the puppy can eat it, it makes no difference whether it is a "puppy formula" or not. I bought into the idea of "puppy food" for my first. My others started eating the same food as my adult dogs as soon as they came home.

I am not evading your question, but mine now eat a specialized diet because one has special health needs that your puppy will not have. So it really has no relevance to your situation.


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

Tere said:


> Be sure to continue with the puppy food your breeder has been feeding. The switch to adult food comes later, maybe 9 to 12 months.
> 
> Shadow eats Victor Yukon River Salmon & Sweet Potato for almost 3 years now. My local pet store sells it for $13./5lbs. which feeds him for a month. He is crazy for it and that's what he gets for treats also. No supplements on a regular basis.
> Why? Victor is made in USA with US sourced ingredients. They have never had a recall. Several of the breeders I've talked to feed Victor to all of their show dogs. It is easy to find at many pet food stores as well as Chewy.
> ...


Thanks so much!! So nice Shadow loves his food! I appreciate you sharing what works for you both. As far as supplements we used things like salmon oil, probiotics and missing link with our large breed dogs in the past. Depending on what we settle on I may introduce some of those with this pup. Yes great reminder on transitioning foods slowly!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

I currently feed a raw homemade diet as well as some ground whole prey items from My Pet Carnivore. I do not feed any supplements.

I switched to a raw diet from kibble because I knew a lot of people who fed raw and raved about its benefits, including my holistic vet, so I was curious. I am from Missouri (the “Show Me” state) so I guess I like to see things for myself. I also wanted to try it because no matter what kibble I fed Mia she would poop 8 or 9 times a day and this was making potty training difficult. Therefore, started feeding Natures Variety raw. This made a huge difference in Mia’s pooping! The dogs loved it too. A couple times I tried to feed them kibble again and they looked at me like I was crazy. I must confess I do love it when my dogs enjoy their food. So I never fed kibble again. A couple other benefits I noticed feeding raw is that my yorkie smelled better. He used to have an odor and required frequent baths. Mia never had an odor so maybe this is a yorkie thing. Also, Mia no longer had tear stains. I eventually started making my own because I wanted greater control over the quality of the ingredients and because they started using HPP for a lot of commercial raw and I did not want that. We raise some of our own beef and my husband deer hunts so I wanted to be able to include these ingredients in their diet. I have been feeding raw for over 10 years and they are now 12 years old. They are both healthy, but of course I have no way of knowing if they would be healthy eating something else!

As far as cost, I am not sure. I do not keep track but would think it is reasonable for a small dog.


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

I must have gotten you confused with another new puppy coming person..I thought the new arrival was going to be your first dog ever!


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

When we brought Shama home, we gave her the kibble that our breeder recommended, Now Fresh for Small Breed Puppies. Our breeder said we had to consult her before changing Shama's food! We eventually switched to the Adult variety of Now Fresh for Small Breeds. Meanwhile, we were supplementing with canned Wellness food and canned pumpkin.

Recently, Shama was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, so she eats Hills Prescription K/D Diet kibble and canned. She also still gets her canned pumpkin.

DH bakes training treats with the canned food, the canned pumpkin, dried blueberries, and a bit of flour to hold it together. She really likes those treats! I also use tiny bits of raw carrot and baked crunchy apple chips for training. (I was worried she'd lose interest in training, but she seems to like training. She just did a fabulous job in our agility class tonight, for example!)


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Your question really made me stop and think! I realized I haven’t really considered the exact numbers in a while. I’m guessing based on how often I buy food, but these estimates are on the high side because I normally don’t stock up on food due to freshness, but due to covid I’ve increased my food cushion a bit. When I fed high quality kibble alone, which was only for a short time, my guess is a bit less than $25/month. Now I feed a mix of baked raw kibble and freeze dried and it’s about $45/month. I almost did freeze dried raw exclusively and changed my mind based on how quickly we went through the first bag. Instead I decided to do one $30 bag of freeze dried raw per month and mix it with kibble. Take this all with a grain of salt since DH says my estimations regarding money are often interesting. In my defense, he’s good at math in his head so his estimations are usually almost exact, and my estimations are more like educated guesses  

I just finished a large probiotic supply and switched to Proviable last week. I didn’t look around for the best price because I wanted to try it for a month before buying a larger quantity, but it looks to be about $12 month. It’s more expensive than what I have been using but I’m interested to see if it helps with mild tear stains, as long as it’s still effective as a digestive probiotic.


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## KristaS (Sep 26, 2020)

Shamamama, those Bare apple chips are yummy!!!! My favorite snack for me! I’m going to see if Jojo likes them. I gave her a piece of apple that she tasted and played with but didn’t eat. It seems to me she likes crunchy textures. Thanks for the idea!


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Willow eats Honest Kitchen's Verve, which is a dehydrated grain/beef dog food. She loves it. She gets beef only because poultry gives her the "back door trots". She loves the dehydrated food and used to turn her nose up at her kibble. Only ate enough kibble to survive it seemed. No problem with food now. She gobbles up her Honest Kitchen.

She also gets a probiotic and I've been using Proviable DC. I use this brand only because years ago there was a thread where someone said that giving this probiotic helped clear up tear stains. Willow has saliva staining and I was hoping this probiotic would help. It doesn't but I still give it to her since it is supposed to be good for them, especially in the gastrointestinal health.

The Honest Kitchen food costs me anywhere between $50 - $65 every 3 months. I get the 10 lb. box and use Amazon's subscribe and save. That's why the cost varies as the order is discounted a percentage based on the total subscribe and save products on that particular month's order.


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

Molly eats Instinct by Nature’s Variety. Right now it is the Be Natural lamb kibble. It is $16 for a 4.5 lb. bag which lasts over a month. I top this with their freeze dried lamb mixers. She gets four pieces at each meal so that bag lasts me a long time as well. She also gets 1/8 tsp. of probiotic sprinkled on her food each morning. Keep in mind that Molly only weighs eight pounds and eats 1/2 cup or less of kibble each day so she is cheap to feed!


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

KristaS said:


> Shamamama, those Bare apple chips are yummy!!!! My favorite snack for me! I'm going to see if Jojo likes them. I gave her a piece of apple that she tasted and played with but didn't eat. It seems to me she likes crunchy textures. Thanks for the idea!


That is so funny! The thought never occurred to me to try them myself! I'd try one now, but I just finished a bowl of delicious chocolate ice cream ...


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

This has been SUPER helpful. I now have a better idea of what we’ll be transitioning to post breeder food. Thanks so much for all the input 🙂


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## Jeanniek (Mar 20, 2018)

Zumba now eats a purely raw diet down, Stella & Chewy's nuggets, complete and balanced meal. I rotate from the available choices that she likes, trying to keep a balance between hot / neutral / and cold foods. She eats 5 nuggets a day and it costs about $120/month. The beef and chicken are in the low $20s but venison, quail, things like that, are mid $30s for a package of 40 nuggets.

When the vet told me she wasn't eating enough and that I had to feed her more in the early part of the year, I started feeding her Fromm's adult Gold choice, half serving of the kibble, half of the raw food. And she seemed to really like that. But she got really ill last month, and eating kibble definitely made her sick, so I have discontinued the kibble and am back to pure raw food. I am not blaming the Fromm's, which is considered a good kibble. It could have been the pork Stella & Chewy's, which I read (afterwards) that the fat in pork is harder to digest. Regardless, I'll keep her off of kibble, and pork.

I do give her either a tablespoon of kefir a day, or 2 tablespoon of raw goat's milk. That is supposed to help the digestive system.


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## Jeanniek (Mar 20, 2018)

Melissa Woods said:


> It's definitely personal and I think there is more than one good option. I'll just answer what we do.
> 
> 1. Nom noms fresh food delivery. No supplements.
> 2. Convenience, delivered in prepackaged servings. healthy with whole food ingredients, one of our dogs has a sensitive stomach.
> 3. For two small dogs $180 a month. (one puppy would be half. the serving size is the same because puppies need more calories per pound) If I had a large dog this would absolutely be cost prohibitive. But it works for us with this breed.


Thanks, Melissa, for the mention of Nom Noms. I just looked them up and think I will try them for both my dog and cat. I like the prepackaged servings idea, and the convenience of having it delivered. I have a question for you. How many prepackaged servings do you get - are they figuring one meal a day, or more? How much freezer space do they take? Thanks!


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

Jeanniek said:


> Thanks, Melissa, for the mention of Nom Noms. I just looked them up and think I will try them for both my dog and cat. I like the prepackaged servings idea, and the convenience of having it delivered. I have a question for you. How many prepackaged servings do you get - are they figuring one meal a day, or more? How much freezer space do they take? Thanks!


I get a month's worth at a time. It comes in a box on dry ice. For both dogs that does take up quite a bit of freezer space, and I keep it in my garage freezer. The packets are separated into two meals a day. So they each have 2 packets a day, though with Roxie I did split it into three till like this week, because of her being a puppy. You can defrost up to 8 days of food at a time and it will stay fresh.


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

How old is Shama? Our dogs get pumpkin every night as a treat. Is it good for kidney function? I have no doubt that you are giving Shama the best care possible.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Jeanniek said:


> Zumba now eats a purely raw diet down, Stella & Chewy's nuggets, complete and balanced meal. I rotate from the available choices that she likes, trying to keep a balance between hot / neutral / and cold foods. She eats 5 nuggets a day and it costs about $120/month. The beef and chicken are in the low $20s but venison, quail, things like that, are mid $30s for a package of 40 nuggets.
> 
> When the vet told me she wasn't eating enough and that I had to feed her more in the early part of the year, I started feeding her Fromm's adult Gold choice, half serving of the kibble, half of the raw food. And she seemed to really like that. But she got really ill last month, and eating kibble definitely made her sick, so I have discontinued the kibble and am back to pure raw food. I am not blaming the Fromm's, which is considered a good kibble. It could have been the pork Stella & Chewy's, which I read (afterwards) that the fat in pork is harder to digest. Regardless, I'll keep her off of kibble, and pork.
> 
> I do give her either a tablespoon of kefir a day, or 2 tablespoon of raw goat's milk. That is supposed to help the digestive system.


I am wondering what kind of illness Zumba had. Was it pancreatitis? I know that some dogs cannot handle as much fat as others. Mia does not do well on the commercial raw pork I have tried. She does not get sick but her stools are a bit looser and it just does not seem that she does as well. If I make my own food with pork, I control the amount of fat in it and she tolerates it well. This is an advantage of making your own food. However, I know it is less convenient.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> I am wondering what kind of illness Zumba had. Was it pancreatitis? I know that some dogs cannot handle as much fat as others. Mia does not do well on the commercial raw pork I have tried. She does not get sick but her stools are a bit looser and it just does not seem that she does as well. If I make my own food with pork, I control the amount of fat in it and she tolerates it well. This is an advantage of making your own food. However, I know it is less convenient.


Yes, pork can be a VERY lean meat, depending on the cut and the way it is cooked.


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

1. I currently feed something most here turn their nose up at: Pro Plan. The boys get a few different formulas either rotated or mixed. I add Glycoflex joint chews as they are both canine athletes, and they get a small amount of freeze dried raw sprinkled over top.
2. I've fed nearly everything under the sun thanks to my previous job at a boutique feed store. I always turned my nose up at Purina. I don't remember why I initially added the Pro Plan (I believe I wanted a active dog food), but I fed it in conjunction with Victor. Victor changed their formulas, so I removed it to reassess the new ones and make a formula choice, and suddenly my dogs were doing the best they've ever done with a food. Small, firm stool, maintaining a proper body weight, better dental health... I never went back to the Victor. 
3. It is a very low cost for me. I get a professional discount (which, mind you, is not why I began feeding what I feed  ), so I end up spending about $20 a month on food for the two dogs.

Secret's out. Sophie feeds crap :laugh:


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

I experimented with lots of food and thought: Patti is JUST A PICKY eater because she was off and on eating. Eventually, I learned she wasn't a super picky eater. She was a puppy figuring things out just like Mamma.

At this time: I ended with Honest Kitchen which is FDA approved to be called Human Quality. It's expensive! HOWEVER...these little dogs don't eat very much so it isn't like feeding a 70lb Lab or Golden-Doodle.

It's dry food that has to be prepared each time, which takes about 5 minutes. To the dry food I add about 1TB of HK Pour Over Broths/Stews and mix them together with beef or chicken broth. I add a 6-8 pieces of HK's crunchy toppers similar to Kibble. BUT... what Patti most *LOVES!!! is Chicken.* I top it off with a few pieces of fresh boiled chicken. (I boil a Hen about once a month)

In cases of Emergencies when I want Patti to COME QUICKLY.... Like when she's flashes out the front door to chase the UPS Guy..... I Yell: *Want Chicken! She comes running 99.5% of the time. *

Whatever you get, IMO .... I would get whatever you think is best because they don't eat that much.

HK Dry Food: 1/8th a cup ...two times a day equals 1/4 of a Cup a Day.... plus a 1TB of broth with a little chicken broth. You can use water.... :hungry: My "taste buds" think Patti prefers beef or chicken broth. :hungry: :wink2:


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

Actually KarMar, Purina Pro Plan (vs the dog chow) was recommended by our most recent breeder. When I was researching I came across several other breeders who had it on their list as well. I’m not familiar with Glycoflex so that’s another product for me to review as I reassess food and nutrition for our 3 babies. I like to research kibble on Chewy because because there is complete nutritional info that is easy to compare between brands. Even with pumpkin and coconut oil our 11 year old is having constipation, which has me researching options similar to what Mikki is doing. I also cook fresh chicken liver 🤢 and always have some in the freezer as I get the same response as Mikki when I yell “Liver! Who wants liver?” They get boiled chicken daily which looks identical to the food dish above.
You have 4 dogs? Wow, I thought Karen and I were busy! Are they all Havanese? I’m still trying to remember which dogs go to each person. Sophie I can remember since there is another “elder” with a Sophie that I’ve gotten to know via e-mail. I don’t think she’s eating crap😆 The right choice is whatever works for an individual dog. Happy Halloween!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KarMar said:


> 1. I currently feed something most here turn their nose up at: Pro Plan. The boys get a few different formulas either rotated or mixed. I add Glycoflex joint chews as they are both canine athletes, and they get a small amount of freeze dried raw sprinkled over top.
> 2. I've fed nearly everything under the sun thanks to my previous job at a boutique feed store. I always turned my nose up at Purina. I don't remember why I initially added the Pro Plan (I believe I wanted a active dog food), but I fed it in conjunction with Victor. Victor changed their formulas, so I removed it to reassess the new ones and make a formula choice, and suddenly my dogs were doing the best they've ever done with a food. Small, firm stool, maintaining a proper body weight, better dental health... I never went back to the Victor.
> 3. It is a very low cost for me. I get a professional discount (which, mind you, is not why I began feeding what I feed  ), so I end up spending about $20 a month on food for the two dogs.
> 
> Secret's out. Sophie feeds crap :laugh:


LOL! A lot of people, including breeders feed ProPlan... especially people with BIG dogs, where cost really DOES become a big issue... Purina is really NOT the "big evil empire". It might not be the right food for every dog... it doesn't for instance, work for Kodi, who has food intolerance issues. But it's a very good, well balanced diet, and it won't break the bank.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

JaJa said:


> Actually KarMar, Purina Pro Plan (vs the dog chow) was recommended by our most recent breeder. When I was researching I came across several other breeders who had it on their list as well. I'm not familiar with Glycoflex so that's another product for me to review as I reassess food and nutrition for our 3 babies. I like to research kibble on Chewy because because there is complete nutritional info that is easy to compare between brands. Even with pumpkin and coconut oil our 11 year old is having constipation, which has me researching options similar to what Mikki is doing. I also cook fresh chicken liver &#129314; and always have some in the freezer as I get the same response as Mikki when I yell "Liver! Who wants liver?" They get boiled chicken daily which looks identical to the food dish above.
> You have 4 dogs? Wow, I thought Karen and I were busy! Are they all Havanese? I'm still trying to remember which dogs go to each person. Sophie I can remember since there is another "elder" with a Sophie that I've gotten to know via e-mail. I don't think she's eating crap&#128518; The right choice is whatever works for an individual dog. Happy Halloween!


Both of my performance dogs are on Glycoflex also. My vet suggested that they go on it before they started any serious work. They have been on it ever since.


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## BoosDad (Mar 8, 2020)

Boo eats JustFoodForDogs fish and sweet potato recipe. It costs about $125.00 a month. He also takes a 
probiotic every day and a B12 supplement every other day. We switched from Stella and Chewy's and Ziwi Peak (great diets) to homecooked, due to his age, at the recommendation of his vet. He adapted to the change very well.


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## Faithb (Aug 18, 2020)

My vet suggested the veterinary ProPlan formula when Desi was having stomach issues. He has been eating it since without issue.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

BoosDad said:


> Boo eats JustFoodForDogs fish and sweet potato recipe. It costs about $125.00 a month. He also takes a
> probiotic every day and a B12 supplement every other day. We switched from Stella and Chewy's and Ziwi Peak (great diets) to homecooked, due to his age, at the recommendation of his vet. He adapted to the change very well.


Boo is lucky to have a dad that fed him a high quality food throughout his entire life and that you raised the bar even further in his senior years when he needed it most.


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## pvlahos (Jan 2, 2020)

Our Duke is super picky. We went through so many different kibbles and he didn't like any of them. At the recommendation of our neighbor who also has a Havanese we tried Stella and Chewy's freeze dried raw beef dinner patties. He likes them. We also buy the Primal Chicken freeze dried raw chicken patties. We'll give him 3-4 of those in the morning, and then we home cook his dinner food: ground turkey, chicken or pork with 1 egg to bind and then we add cooked rice, carrot (or any other vegetable) and a vitamin topper mixed in. We make in big batches ahead of time and then freeze them in individual portions. I'll set one out in the late morning to thaw by dinnertime. He LOVES home cooked food and seems very happy with this current setup. I don't think we're ever going back to kibble. For treats we give him fruit, sugar free yogurt, or scrambled egg.


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

Thanks for the info pvlahos, I’m in the process of food change right now. Have you seen the thread COVID puppy boomers come brag here? KrtistaS started it, it’s fun to hear from other new people and the puppy pictures are so sweet. There’s no such thing as too many puppy pictures😋


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

pvlahos said:


> Our Duke is super picky. We went through so many different kibbles and he didn't like any of them. At the recommendation of our neighbor who also has a Havanese we tried Stella and Chewy's freeze dried raw beef dinner patties. He likes them. We also buy the Primal Chicken freeze dried raw chicken patties. We'll give him 3-4 of those in the morning, and then we home cook his dinner food: ground turkey, chicken or pork with 1 egg to bind and then we add cooked rice, carrot (or any other vegetable) and a vitamin topper mixed in. We make in big batches ahead of time and then freeze them in individual portions. I'll set one out in the late morning to thaw by dinnertime. He LOVES home cooked food and seems very happy with this current setup. I don't think we're ever going back to kibble. For treats we give him fruit, sugar free yogurt, or scrambled egg.


What kind of vitamin topper?


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Mikki said:


> I experimented with lots of food and thought: Patti is JUST A PICKY eater because she was off and on eating. Eventually, I learned she wasn't a super picky eater. She was a puppy figuring things out just like Mamma.
> 
> At this time: I ended with Honest Kitchen which is FDA approved to be called Human Quality. It's expensive! HOWEVER...these little dogs don't eat very much so it isn't like feeding a 70lb Lab or Golden-Doodle.
> 
> ...


For the last three days Patti has been Boycotting Honest Kitchen, even the Chicken topping and has almost quit eating. She'll go a day and eat one meal the next. She usually eats in two meals a day. :surprise:

At first I thought she was sick! But she appears fine and after I tried adding pieces of cooked hamburger as a topping she eagerly ate the hamburger but refuses to eat the chicken and HK.

I resorted to giving her a small can of Science Diet I happened to have on hand and she ate that instead. Previously she turned her nose up at the chunky beef and chicken Science Diet dog food (not kibble). Hummmm......

Patti's been on my HK recipe for 2.5 years ... I guess she's tired of it??:frown2:

Thanks everyone for all their different ideas.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mikki said:


> For the last three days Patti has been Boycotting Honest Kitchen, even the Chicken topping and has almost quit eating. She'll go a day and eat one meal the next. She usually eats in two meals a day. :surprise:
> 
> At first I thought she was sick! But she appears fine and after I tried adding pieces of cooked hamburger as a topping she eagerly ate the hamburger but refuses to eat the chicken and HK.
> 
> ...


I have no experience with picky dogs. However, I have a very picky cat. If I feed my cat the same thing day after day even though he loves it, he will eventually go finicky and quit eating it. To get around this, I rotate foods with him. Note that some of the foods he went finicky on he will eventually eat again. However, he seems to need a break from them. I am not sure if this applies to dogs but thought I would throw it out there.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

mudpuppymama said:


> I have no experience with picky dogs. However, I have a very picky cat. If I feed my cat the same thing day after day even though he loves it, he will eventually go finicky and quit eating it. To get around this, I rotate foods with him. Note that some of the foods he went finicky on he will eventually eat again. However, he seems to need a break from them. I am not sure if this applies to dogs but thought I would throw it out there.


HK has many different flavors and I rotated them.... But apparently they are different enough.

OT .... Nancy, yesterday I collected billions of Comos seeds. :smile2:


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Mikki said:


> For the last three days Patti has been Boycotting Honest Kitchen, even the Chicken topping and has almost quit eating. She'll go a day and eat one meal the next. She usually eats in two meals a day. :surprise:
> 
> At first I thought she was sick! But she appears fine and after I tried adding pieces of cooked hamburger as a topping she eagerly ate the hamburger but refuses to eat the chicken and HK.
> 
> ...


I don't know what to tell you. Once I discovered Honest Kitchen for Willow, she has never turned her nose up at it. I do stick her probiotic capsule into the HK mush and if I don't give the dish to her immediately and the capsule starts to dissolve, she won't eat the food. I think it's the taste or smell of the powder that gets released from the capsule. The only other time was when she came home from the vet after getting her teeth cleaned and a couple pulled. She was totally out of it and wouldn't eat then. However, those are the only times she turns her nose up.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mikki said:


> HK has many different flavors and I rotated them.... But apparently they are different enough.
> 
> OT .... Nancy, yesterday I collected billions of Comos seeds. :smile2:


Once you get Cosmos going, you definitely never have to buy seeds again! One thing I did have problems with this year is the dogs getting into them. Those seeds are very sharp and a little scary, especially if they get near their eyes or ears. Next year we should be at our new house and I will plant them where dogs cannot get too close.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Mikki said:


> For the last three days Patti has been Boycotting Honest Kitchen, even the Chicken topping and has almost quit eating. She'll go a day and eat one meal the next. She usually eats in two meals a day. :surprise:
> 
> At first I thought she was sick! But she appears fine and after I tried adding pieces of cooked hamburger as a topping she eagerly ate the hamburger but refuses to eat the chicken and HK.
> 
> ...


Is it possible she's not hungry for a medical reason that doesn't necessarily involve active symptoms? It occurred to me recently that sometimes Sundance gets a little backed up. He holds it a lot. I think I didn't realize because he had diarrhea trouble when he was little so I'm always on the lookout for the opposite. I've been watching it to bring up with the vet, and I've noticed he'll barely touch his breakfast on those days.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> Is it possible she's not hungry for a medical reason that doesn't necessarily involve active symptoms? It occurred to me recently that sometimes Sundance gets a little backed up. He holds it a lot. I think I didn't realize because he had diarrhea trouble when he was little so I'm always on the lookout for the opposite. I've been watching it to bring up with the vet, and I've noticed he'll barely touch his breakfast on those days.


When this started the first thing Daddy and I did was go out in the yard and checked Patti's poop. We did find the rubber casing that fits inside the ear of an Ear Bud in her poop. :surprise: We've been looking for that. It's clear plastic and I thought it was hidden in our shag carpet somewhere. Good Grief! why would she swallow it. :Cry: She has This Thing about Ear Buds.

Other than that Patti's poop looks healthy. Thanks for the tip, I'll be more observant about watching her poop.

After whipping up her usual HK meal when she didn't eat it, I put the Science Diet in another bowel next to it and she ate that. She use to be Crazy for the cooked fresh chicken topping but wouldn't even eat it.

I'm going to switch her for a while and then try HK again and may mix something in with it like liver.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mikki said:


> When this started the first thing Daddy and I did was go out in the yard and checked Patti's poop. We did find the rubber casing that fits inside the ear of an Ear Bud in her poop. :surprise: We've been looking for that. It's clear plastic and I thought it was hidden in our shag carpet somewhere. Good Grief! why would she swallow it. :Cry: She has This Thing about Ear Buds.
> 
> Other than that Patti's poop looks healthy. Thanks for the tip, I'll be more observant about watching her poop.
> 
> ...


Perhaps Patti's system was off because of eating the rubber casing and that is why she went for the Science Diet. I think switching it up for awhile sounds like it is worth a try. Please be careful with liver. It is loaded with vitamin A and too much can cause serious and irreversible damage over time. Please do your research on this. I am wondering if mixing in different proteins like pork or beef may be appealing. Good luck! I think switching brands even with the same protein can be helpful. Here is a link explaining the long term consequences of feeding too much vitamin A to dogs.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/vitamin-a-toxicosis-in-dogs


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> Is it possible she's not hungry for a medical reason that doesn't necessarily involve active symptoms? It occurred to me recently that sometimes Sundance gets a little backed up. He holds it a lot. I think I didn't realize because he had diarrhea trouble when he was little so I'm always on the lookout for the opposite. I've been watching it to bring up with the vet, and I've noticed he'll barely touch his breakfast on those days.


In my experience, constipation can be related to eating too much fiber. I know this sounds contradictory because we are told that eating veggies helps prevent constipation. However, in some individuals it actually has the opposite effect. Anyway, this may not be the problem but thought I would share my experience.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

mudpuppymama said:


> In my experience, constipation can be related to eating too much fiber. I know this sounds contradictory because we are told that eating veggies helps prevent constipation. However, in some individuals it actually has the opposite effect. Anyway, this may not be the problem but thought I would share my experience.


It's possible, he does not tolerate grain and is on grain free. I think some of it is rushing him in the morning to go potty. He used to always go twice as a puppy and he rarely does it anymore, but I think we stopped watching as closely to make sure he was really finished once he was potty trained. He will hold it for exceptionally long periods. Since I started watching it and asking my family when they take him out, there have been many times I found out later from my kids that he didn't poop at all in the morning because he hurried to get breakfast, and then he held it all day. Some of those days he then only ate a couple bites of breakfast. It's not something I'm seriously worried about, it's more something I realized I wasn't paying attention to, and it's connected to other things.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> It's possible, he does not tolerate grain and is on grain free. I think some of it is rushing him in the morning to go potty. He used to always go twice as a puppy and he rarely does it anymore, but I think we stopped watching as closely to make sure he was really finished once he was potty trained. He will hold it for exceptionally long periods. Since I started watching it and asking my family when they take him out, there have been many times I found out later from my kids that he didn't poop at all in the morning because he hurried to get breakfast, and then he held it all day. Some of those days he then only ate a couple bites of breakfast. It's not something I'm seriously worried about, it's more something I realized I wasn't paying attention to, and it's connected to other things.


I always try to keep an eye on the poops but sometimes it is difficult. My husband does not seem to think this is that crucial :crying. Sometimes he takes Mia out and then I asked him if she pooped and what it looked like. He will say...hmmm I don't remember. Yikes. At least your kids are doing better than that!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

pvlahos said:


> Our Duke is super picky. We went through so many different kibbles and he didn't like any of them. At the recommendation of our neighbor who also has a Havanese we tried Stella and Chewy's freeze dried raw beef dinner patties. He likes them. We also buy the Primal Chicken freeze dried raw chicken patties. We'll give him 3-4 of those in the morning, and then we home cook his dinner food: ground turkey, chicken or pork with 1 egg to bind and then we add cooked rice, carrot (or any other vegetable) and a vitamin topper mixed in. We make in big batches ahead of time and then freeze them in individual portions. I'll set one out in the late morning to thaw by dinnertime. He LOVES home cooked food and seems very happy with this current setup. I don't think we're ever going back to kibble. For treats we give him fruit, sugar free yogurt, or scrambled egg.


I remember you struggling to find something Duke likes. I am glad you found something that works. I was just wondering if you are following a particular recipe to make his homemade food and which vitamin topper that you use. Thanks.


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

The link you posted is a good one Mudpuppymama, I think everyone should read it. The first time you posted about vitamin A I immediately took the dogs off liver, pumpkin, carrots and eggs until I was able to talk with our vet. They’re back on the pumpkin, tiny bits of liver and little bites of carrots. She wants me to hold off on the eggs and adding spinach and broccoli until they’ve completely transitioned off the kibble. Luckily if I put a note on the sliding door, Ed will always give me a morning poop report and if it looks different he takes a picture. Our vet is usually pretty amused with us but she appreciates the information. 
Ironically, Cotton isn’t constipated any more and can stand on his hind legs now and is chasing balls around the house! I’m still researching and looking at HK and balanceit.com since I want to add some of my own ingredients. Thanks again Mudpuppymama!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

JaJa said:


> The link you posted is a good one Mudpuppymama, I think everyone should read it. The first time you posted about vitamin A I immediately took the dogs off liver, pumpkin, carrots and eggs until I was able to talk with our vet. They're back on the pumpkin, tiny bits of liver and little bites of carrots. She wants me to hold off on the eggs and adding spinach and broccoli until they've completely transitioned off the kibble. Luckily if I put a note on the sliding door, Ed will always give me a morning poop report and if it looks different he takes a picture. Our vet is usually pretty amused with us but she appreciates the information.
> Ironically, Cotton isn't constipated any more and can stand on his hind legs now and is chasing balls around the house! I'm still researching and looking at HK and balanceit.com since I want to add some of my own ingredients. Thanks again Mudpuppymama!


JaJa you are welcome. Glad you are researching and checking with the vet. BTW, I am envious of your husband's detailed poop reporting. Taking a picture of poop? Mine cannot even "remember" if Mia pooped let alone report on "quality"!


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

For anyone who is curious I *think* we are going to feed Stella and chewys raw coated kibble. I went to our local pet store today (which is excellent) and received a lot of great info. This was one of several they highly recommended. I noticed the 22# bag is of course a MUCH better value than the 3.5# (no in between sizes). I emailed the company and they told me it should be fine/safe if it takes 2 months to get through a bag. I plan on purchasing an airtight container for the bag (the rep stated it needs to be stored in the original packaging). Does anyone else purchase the larger sized bag for 1 dog? I don’t know if I can justify spending so much more on the tiny 3.5# bags.


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

Forgot to mention, we will also use ziwi peaks as a supplement/treat. I’d like to feed that exclusively but I think the price might be outside our budget.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I usually buy the smaller bag for freshness but it drives my husband crazy. Whenever he picks it up he gets the bigger bag and I don’t say anything! I appreciate knowing about the two months. I have been buying a little more food than usual because of covid, just enough to have a bit bigger cushion without stockpiling. I’ve been meaning to check how long the food lasts when it’s unopened, and also keep closer track of how quickly we go through it. I also think there had to have been a middle sized bag at some point because it used to cost about $40. In July I called ahead to order it and when I picked it up it was $70 and huge. At the time I assumed I just didn’t clarify and now I’m wondering if they changed sizes.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Okay I figured out, I do usually buy the 10 lb bag. It is less to buy the 22lb bag, which is why my husband has bought it a couple of times. The 3.5lb bag is definitely the most expensive. I’m pretty sure the 22lb bag lasts quite a bit longer than 2 months, but now I’m curious how much longer. I might have emailed receipts so I’ll try to check.


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> I usually buy the smaller bag for freshness but it drives my husband crazy. Whenever he picks it up he gets the bigger bag and I don't say anything! I appreciate knowing about the two months. I have been buying a little more food than usual because of covid, just enough to have a bit bigger cushion without stockpiling. I've been meaning to check how long the food lasts when it's unopened, and also keep closer track of how quickly we go through it. I also think there had to have been a middle sized bag at some point because it used to cost about $40. In July I called ahead to order it and when I picked it up it was $70 and huge. At the time I assumed I just didn't clarify and now I'm wondering if they changed sizes.


The rep stated that the food is freshest within the first few weeks and safest within the first few months. I think we'll go through a 22# bag in roughly 2 months so we will probably go that route. Price per pound is $6 for the 3.5# bag and $3.14 for the 22# bag!! They don't carry a 10# bag of the puppy formula but I believe they do in one variety of adult so I guess I can consider that too as I remember Karen mentioning that you can feed either.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Oh that makes sense! I remember buying the puppy formula but it was probably close to when he was a year old so it may have just been one time. I agree that the “puppy formula” isn’t really that important, at least when I compared the nutritional content. I did it because he went through a phase where he picked out the kibble and spit it out and only ate the freeze dried food. I hoped the smaller pieces might trick him somehow since it was more like the food he was on as a puppy! But he grew out of it.


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> Okay I figured out, I do usually buy the 10 lb bag. It is less to buy the 22lb bag, which is why my husband has bought it a couple of times. The 3.5lb bag is definitely the most expensive. I'm pretty sure the 22lb bag lasts quite a bit longer than 2 months, but now I'm curious how much longer. I might have emailed receipts so I'll try to check.


I did some calculations based on information I found online and estimated 2-2.5 months for a 22# bag but I could certainly be off... I'll find out soon enough &#128578;


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

Do either of you know if Stella and chewys raw coated kibble has done AAFCO feeding trials. I wasn’t able to find any mention of that when I researched it last week. I looked on chewy.com. but they only carry 18 oz and 25 oz bags.
I’m currently down the balanceit.com rabbit hole which means I make their food and add supplement power. I’m still trying to decide between that and something that is already prepared.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

JaJa said:


> Do either of you know if Stella and chewys raw coated kibble has done AAFCO feeding trials. I wasn't able to find any mention of that when I researched it last week. I looked on chewy.com. but they only carry 18 oz and 25 oz bags.
> I'm currently down the balanceit.com rabbit hole which means I make their food and add supplement power. I'm still trying to decide between that and something that is already prepared.


I decided on the freeze dried patties after failing with frozen and then I realized the patties were going to be ridiculously expensive. I decided to mix kibble with the patties. I learned there were a couple of brands making raw/coated kibble, all high quality brands. I wasn't completely sold on raw kibble but those brands consistently came back with high quality protein sources. I needed grain free so that eliminated anything with questionable fillers, and that left me with something like 2-3 options. That's about when I became burnt out on food research and decided any of those would work. Stella and chewy was easiest for me to get locally so that's what I went with! It also uses a process to kill bacteria that is supposed to preserve more nutrients.

I'm not sure I trust much from any regulatory agency after the grain free debacle, so I'm not sure I would have reviewed anything they said about the food. I do read and refer to scientific studies, but that's also an exhausting rabbit hole so I just plan to revisit what I'm feeding every year or so.

I'm happy with the decision so far, since it was a bit bumpy getting here. Sundance loves all of the freeze dried proteins we've tried. I will never buy any of the fish blends or treats again though. Maybe he is sensitive to fish, because he gobbles it up but he smells SO BAD the next day.

If you're considering something prepared, I really believe there are good options at every price point now. Frozen, add your own protein like Honest Kitchen, or fresh delivery.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Mama Mills said:


> For anyone who is curious I *think* we are going to feed Stella and chewys raw coated kibble. I went to our local pet store today (which is excellent) and received a lot of great info. This was one of several they highly recommended. I noticed the 22# bag is of course a MUCH better value than the 3.5# (no in between sizes). I emailed the company and they told me it should be fine/safe if it takes 2 months to get through a bag. I plan on purchasing an airtight container for the bag (the rep stated it needs to be stored in the original packaging). Does anyone else purchase the larger sized bag for 1 dog? I don't know if I can justify spending so much more on the tiny 3.5# bags.


I tried larger bags a couple of times and even storing the food in an air-tight container, it started smelling "off" toward the end. I went back to buying the smaller bags. I would rather buy a slightly less pricey food and know what I'm feeding is fresh than to feed old food. We've also seen a number of times on the forum that dogs either refuse or actually get tummy problems eating food from the ends of big bags. I'm sure that's not true for everyone, but it's a common enough problem that between that and what my nose told me, I stopped doing it.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> I tried larger bags a couple of times and even storing the food in an air-tight container, it started smelling "off" toward the end. I went back to buying the smaller bags. I would rather buy a slightly less pricey food and know what I'm feeding is fresh than to feed old food. We've also seen a number of times on the forum that dogs either refuse or actually get tummy problems eating food from the ends of big bags. I'm sure that's not true for everyone, but it's a common enough problem that between that and what my nose told me, I stopped doing it.


Oh wow this is so true! Food storage is a huge issue and there are some misconceptions on how long kibble stays good. Karen Becker did a presentation on Facebook about pet food storage problems and how to store it properly. She discusses different types of food, not just kibble. According to her if an animal starts refusing its food, it could be because it has gone bad. Their noses are way better than ours.

https://www.facebook.com/doctor.karen.becker/videos/pet-food-storage-problems/2709111639358947/


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I think if you try the 22 bag and can’t quite finish all of it, it would still end up being less expensive than the 3.5lb bag. I don’t like to waste food but I might go that route. Or look more into the adult formula in the medium bag. The bigger bag lasts longer for me because I combine it with his other food, so how much you end up using might make a difference.

If you go with the puppy line, it’s temporary. Honestly, you aren’t stuck with what you choose right now either way.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

To add to what Karen and I said, as soon as you open a bag of kibble the clock starts ticking. The main problem is that fats start becoming rancid. If you store the kibble in plastic containers this can cause problems too. Here is another article. If it comes down to budget, I would go with cheaper food in smaller bags to avoid the health issues that rancid fats can cause.

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/how-long-does-kibble-last-once-opened/


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> To add to what Karen and I said, as soon as you open a bag of kibble the clock starts ticking. The main problem is that fats start becoming rancid. If you store the kibble in plastic containers this can cause problems too. Here is another article. If it comes down to budget, I would go with cheaper food in smaller bags to avoid the health issues that rancid fats can cause.
> 
> https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/how-long-does-kibble-last-once-opened/


I am feeding three and still buy the small bags.


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

mudpuppymama said:


> To add to what Karen and I said, as soon as you open a bag of kibble the clock starts ticking. The main problem is that fats start becoming rancid. If you store the kibble in plastic containers this can cause problems too. Here is another article. If it comes down to budget, I would go with cheaper food in smaller bags to avoid the health issues that rancid fats can cause.
> 
> https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/how-long-does-kibble-last-once-opened/


Wow 2 weeks tops! If you think about it that really does make sense... hmmm just when I thought I was getting things figured out....


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mama Mills said:


> Wow 2 weeks tops! If you think about it that really does make sense... hmmm just when I thought I was getting things figured out....


Don't feel bad...I am still figuring things out.


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

That video was great Mudpuppymama! That was the first Dr. Becker video I’ve watched to the end. Visuals are vital for the type of info being shared. Adults also need visual stimulation to enhance cognitive processing and long term retention. I’m actually going to watch it again and take notes! The addition of a side kick really enhanced the appeal of the presentation for me. Last year I gave up watching her videos because they were so dry. People who learn effectively via the lecture format comprise 3-6 % of learners, depending on which study is being cited. I taught those techniques to Ed when we were first married and his presentations at tech conferences became the most popular. Even hopeless nerds like to be entertained 😆


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

JaJa said:


> That video was great Mudpuppymama! That was the first Dr. Becker video I've watched to the end. Visuals are vital for the type of info being shared. Adults also need visual stimulation to enhance cognitive processing and long term retention. I'm actually going to watch it again and take notes! The addition of a side kick really enhanced the appeal of the presentation for me. Last year I gave up watching her videos because they were so dry. People who learn effectively via the lecture format comprise 3-6 % of learners, depending on which study is being cited. I taught those techniques to Ed when we were first married and his presentations at tech conferences became the most popular. Even hopeless nerds like to be entertained &#128518;


I know what you mean about some videos. Glad you watched this one until the end. Some great tips. My cat eats some canned food and she had a great tip for that too. It is not just about kibble.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Apparently I have no sense of scale. I was talking to DH while I was getting Sundance’s dinner and it turns out I WAS buying the smallest bags, and that’s why he thought the price was ridiculous and purchased the middle size. Which makes a lot of sense, actually, because (2) 3.5lb bags are the same price as (1) 10lb bag, but it was throwing me off because it seemed like he was going through food at different rates. Over the summer we ended up with a huge bag, and I wish I would have been paying closer attention because I might have tried to vacuum seal some of it, or given some of it away. 

I actually bookmarked this video when you posted it a little while ago, mudpuppymama, but I haven’t watched it yet. Thanks for sharing it! I’m going to watch it tonight because I’m wondering if vacuum sealing a 10lb bag into 2 week portions would be feasible, and I’d like to tell my husband I at least considered it! Now I really need to keep track of the rate he’s going through food because even if I continue with the small bags I might need to make an adjustment to how I’m storing it.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> Apparently I have no sense of scale. I was talking to DH while I was getting Sundance's dinner and it turns out I WAS buying the smallest bags, and that's why he thought the price was ridiculous and purchased the middle size. Which makes a lot of sense, actually, because (2) 3.5lb bags are the same price as (1) 10lb bag, but it was throwing me off because it seemed like he was going through food at different rates. Over the summer we ended up with a huge bag, and I wish I would have been paying closer attention because I might have tried to vacuum seal some of it, or given some of it away.
> 
> I actually bookmarked this video when you posted it a little while ago, mudpuppymama, but I haven't watched it yet. Thanks for sharing it! I'm going to watch it tonight because I'm wondering if vacuum sealing a 10lb bag into 2 week portions would be feasible, and I'd like to tell my husband I at least considered it! Now I really need to keep track of the rate he's going through food because even if I continue with the small bags I might need to make an adjustment to how I'm storing it.


I am glad you are going to watch it. Sometimes I put off watching videos until later (especially long ones) and then forget about them. Hopefully you get some tips.


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

If only we were neighbors and could split bags! Although it supposed to be stored in the original packaging... so much to take into consideration! I’ll admit I’m ready for the dog food hunt to be over for a while. I’d be curious to know how long it takes Sundance to get through either size of bag. Are you feeding the raw coated kibble or supplementing regular kibble with raw patties? Our pet store only sells 10# bags of the small bite chicken in the raw coated kibble. But with all this new info MAYBE the 3.5 ers are the way to go.


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

In case this interests anyone... I was told by a Kiwi Peaks rep that it would cost around $70/month to feed a 10-15lb dog who has an average activity level. No doubt this number will vary dog to dog but I found it helpful as their food is different than most and therefore harder (for me) to estimate how it would add up.


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

Just finished the food storage video. That was well worth watching, thanks for sharing mudpuppymama. Does anyone store kibble in the freezer? I thought I read somewhere else that it wasn’t recommended...?


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I’m unsure on the freezer, too. Maybe someone else knows. Ideally I think it would work really well for me to split a 22lb bag into 3rds and freeze it and take out one bag at a time. But what I’m understanding is it has to stay in the freezer until it’s fed. I don’t think that would work well for me. For now I’m just going to stick with the small bags and I feel I can make the case that it’s worth it, especially since I was doing it most of the time anyway. 

I feed the S&C raw coated kibble and mix it myself with freeze dried raw patties. I tried several different kibbles that were good quality and settled on the Stella and Chewy because it worked with Sundance’s stomach sensitive, it’s easy to get locally, and I use the S&C patties. I’m not opposed to changing kibble again in the future, I just don’t want to mess with something that’s working right now. Fromm was a good one and I think slightly less expensive but I had to drive to get it. 

I might need to rethink how I store the freeze dried patties, though. I use a food grade canister but I shred them up so I can measure it out with a proper size scoop. I never considered oils in the patties and the video didn’t mention it. I do keep kibble in the bag and inside an air tight container, and I didn’t notice with the accidental purchase of the big bag that Sundance wasn’t eating, but he’s really food motivated. In retrospect, though, it makes sense that he went completely nuts when I brought home a new bag of food after that. It probably smelled amazing to him, lol. Poor guy.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

mudpuppymama said:


> Oh wow this is so true! Food storage is a huge issue and there are some misconceptions on how long kibble stays good. Karen Becker did a presentation on Facebook about pet food storage problems and how to store it properly. She discusses different types of food, not just kibble. According to her if an animal starts refusing its food, it could be because it has gone bad. Their noses are way better than ours.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/doctor.karen.becker/videos/pet-food-storage-problems/2709111639358947/


Nancy... Thanks! that is a good video. My daughter's Golden-doodle often passes up Kibble and maybe this is the reason why.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mikki said:


> Nancy... Thanks! that is a good video. My daughter's Golden-doodle often passes up Kibble and maybe this is the reason why.


Another one of several things I learned after having my dog 10 years... :crying:


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

pvlahos said:


> Our Duke is super picky. We went through so many different kibbles and he didn't like any of them. At the recommendation of our neighbor who also has a Havanese we tried Stella and Chewy's freeze dried raw beef dinner patties. He likes them. We also buy the Primal Chicken freeze dried raw chicken patties. We'll give him 3-4 of those in the morning, and then we home cook his dinner food: ground turkey, chicken or pork with 1 egg to bind and then we add cooked rice, carrot (or any other vegetable) and a vitamin topper mixed in. We make in big batches ahead of time and then freeze them in individual portions. I'll set one out in the late morning to thaw by dinnertime. He LOVES home cooked food and seems very happy with this current setup. I don't think we're ever going back to kibble. For treats we give him fruit, sugar free yogurt, or scrambled egg.


Did switching his diet help with his regurgitation issues?


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