# What dog food do you give your Havanese?



## pvlahos (Jan 2, 2020)

Hi all,
I'm curious what kind of store bought dog or puppy food you give your Havanese. We are not on the home cooked bandwagon yet (though may be in the future) and have tried several foods but our 6 month old Duke doesn't seem to like any of them. Our breeder gave our puppy Holistic Health Extensions and this is what was recommended to us. It's been about 6 months of eating mainly this food (with some dried chicken meal mixers added in) but our puppy has lost interest in it. We've tried a few others too here and there but to no success. He will only eat his kibble now if we mix real steak or chicken with it; and even then he tends to only eat the real food and doesn't eat much of the kibble. We don't eat meat often in our household but when we do we always give Duke some, which he loves. But again, I'm not sure we are ready to jump all in to the home cooked meals just yet. 

Anyone have a kibble their pup loves?


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## Wulfin (May 3, 2019)

We went through a variety of kibbles that Denver refused to eat before we decided to feed raw. We feed Carnivora. Now he eats out of a slow feeder bowl because he loves it. LOL.

I know people like Honest Kitchen which is a dehydrated raw. My dog's mother was fed Fromm with great success.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Many of us on HF feed Honest Kitchen. It is NOT kibble. You can purchase it two ways - with the dehydrated meat already mixed in (or) as a "base" dehydrated mix with all the essential vitamins and minerals included and then add your fresh meat. You just add water to either mix and let it hydrate a couple of hours before serving. We prefer the base mix and then we add our own boiled (and then shredded) chicken breast to the mix and let it hydrate. We make enough at one time to last 4 days (total of 8 meals) and refrigerate it. Sometimes we will substitute boiled white fish or turkey or lean beef for variety, always shredded so he can't pick out just the meat. This is as close as we come to serving a raw diet. We don't want to worry about serving the right amount of nutrients by doing raw diet from scratch. Ricky LOVES Honest Kitchen. We serve it in his stainless steel bowl and he licks it shiney clean in less than a minute, - every meal. I think there are other good choices out there, but we and Ricky are so happy with HK, we don't bother to try anything else. Ricky is a very strong, healthy, lean, highly active 15 pounder. He is thriving on HK.

Ricky's Popi


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## Yadi (Jan 12, 2020)

I am feeding Yadi raw beef and chicken patties from Raw Dog Hawaii. I have about 2 months stock left in my freezer. Sadly, the owner of the company recently passed, and the future of the company is uncertain. 

A local independent pet store has started to carry Bones & Co, so I am switching to them. Expensive, but they seem like a good company.


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## pvlahos (Jan 2, 2020)

Thank you all. I will check out these options.


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## pvlahos (Jan 2, 2020)

@Ricky Ricardo do you know if Honest Kitchen is appropriate for puppies? Duke is only 6 months. I went to their website but it looks like the food is for adult dogs.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

pvlahos said:


> @Ricky Ricardo do you know if Honest Kitchen is appropriate for puppies? Duke is only 6 months. I went to their website but it looks like the food is for adult dogs.


You are about to open a can of worms! This subject draws heated and passionate discussion on both sides......and everyone makes good points. I am in the camp that thinks that "puppy food" is a marketing ploy to sell their brand of dog food, BUT I COULD BE WRONG. Personally, I would not hesitate to feed Honest Kitchen to my 6 m.o. pup but YMMV. I would feed him smaller amounts three times a day as a puppy than larger amounts twice a day after about a year old.

Ricky's Popi


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

I can't answer the question in regards to puppy food vs. regular food for a Havanese. However, prior to owning Willow, I had a Pembroke corgi. I was advised to NOT feed this dog puppy food. The corgi people said that puppy food made the dog gain weight and grow faster. The corgis have long backs and short legs and that feeding them puppy food put too much stress on their bones too soon. Havanese also have long backs. 

Regarding brands of food, I'm another that feeds Honest Kitchen to Willow. I use the one that includes the protein (beef for her). She loves it. She was started by the breeder on kibble and she was extremely picky and seemed to have not interest in food. Once on the Honest Kitchen she did a complete turn around. Loves it!


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## pvlahos (Jan 2, 2020)

@Jackie from Concrete, WA thank you. Guess I will be checking out Honest Kitchen. Looks like there are two options: including the protein or buying just the dehydrated base and including the protein yourself. You are doing the first option?


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

pvlahos said:


> @Jackie from Concrete, WA thank you. Guess I will be checking out Honest Kitchen. Looks like there are two options: including the protein or buying just the dehydrated base and including the protein yourself. You are doing the first option?


I get the one that includes the protein which happens to be beef for Willow. There are other proteins such as chicken and fish. I buy from Amazon or Chewy.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Honest Kitchen is what I’d go to if I switched food. Right now I am doing Stella and Chewy freeze dried. I did try the frozen patties, which is what I really wanted to do because it seemed like the best preserved nutritional value in an already prepared food, but it just didn’t work out for me. Not home on a consistent schedule to defrost the right amount, etc. We did a combo of freeze dried and the Stella and Chewy baked kibble for a while. We tried Fromm, and it’s a good quality kibble, but went back to Stella and Chewy. I have noticed recently that the Stella and Chewy smells a lot stronger than it used to and it’s starting to bother me. My guess is it’s probably a sign it’s not over dehydrated, but I’m sensitive to smell. 

We do feed a LOT of fresh food as well. I rely on a prepackaged dog food because I can barely keep up with my human family’s nutritional needs, I don’t have time to plan out meals for a Havanese with vastly different requirements. We do give fresh, cooked chicken, eggs, etc. a few times a week and he gets fresh fruit and vegetables every day.


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## mturtel (Dec 2, 2018)

Bodhi eats Fromm's brand kibble 2x a day and wet food with a probiotic mixed in 1x a day at dinner. I feed the wet food after he's finished his dry food. We call his wet food dessert and Bodhi knows he has to finish his dinner (kibble) before he can have his dessert!


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## pvlahos (Jan 2, 2020)

Tried Honest Kitchen yesterday and today. The option with the dehydrated protein already mixed in. Duke would not touch it. Literally took one sniff and turned up his nose, lol. We gave him the chicken one yesterday and the beef one today. Guess we'll try the dehydrated base mix next with adding our own protein.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

It might be something to check in with your vet about. If his growth has slowed and his weight is appropriate, and he’s not losing weight, he may just need less food. Providing there isn’t a health concern, I tend to think, give it time, and he’ll eat it when he gets hungry enough. Also, consider whether or not he’s food motivated in other circumstances.

I think there’s a line between wanting our Havanese to enjoy their meals and letting them call the shots. If food is changed often based on the puppy’s reaction, he’ll learn really quickly to hold out for something better. Most of us wouldn’t tolerate this with our children, so don’t feel guilty about being firm. If my kids don’t eat their dinner, I don’t get into a big thing over it, but they don’t get to search the kitchen for something better. They get an apple, or they can wait until the next meal if they really want. We make food our kids like, but we also don’t exclusively make “kid” food, either. DH still makes stir fry when it suits him. They can pick the vegetables out that they don’t like, lol. Just keep in mind, you’re the doggie parent, and the food that meets your nutritional guidelines, fits your lifestyle, and fits your budget, is the best food for your Havanese. If mine got to pick, he’d probably choose the worst quality, smelliest food in the store, eat tons of it, and quickly develop doggie diabetes. 

That being said, for nutritional reasons, I think the Honest Kitchen with fresh protein added is a really good choice. I’d persist with whichever you think is the best fit for your family, and if he doesn’t go for it, follow up with the vet.


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

pvlahos said:


> Tried Honest Kitchen yesterday and today. The option with the dehydrated protein already mixed in. Duke would not touch it. Literally took one sniff and turned up his nose, lol. We gave him the chicken one yesterday and the beef one today. Guess we'll try the dehydrated base mix next with adding our own protein.


I'm assuming you mixed it up with heated water and let it hydrate before you gave it to him. Sorry he doesn't like it! Willow has seemed to like every flavor she's tried.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

I feed my dogs mostly homemade raw which is an option for people who want to put the effort into it and learn how to do it properly. I sometimes feed ground whole prey from My Pet Carnivore. I believe My Pet Carnivore is a great company and produces a great product and is an easy affordable raw option.


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## novaleemn (Aug 7, 2015)

*Picky eater*

Our 5-year-old Havanese, Coco, is the pickiest eater ever! We have 4 dogs and I don't have that problem with any of the others. I tried Honest Kitchen and he will eat it most of the time (I add chicken, beef or pork). But, he won't even eat that all of the time. We feed our other dogs Fromm kibble which they love. Occasionally, Coco will eat pieces of that if he is desperate. I have come to learn that picky eating must be a Havanese trait!


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

novaleemn said:


> I tried Honest Kitchen and he will eat it most of the time (I add chicken, beef or pork). But, he won't even eat that all of the time.


What is his weight and how much are you feeding him?



> I have come to learn that picky eating must be a Havanese trait!


I don't know, anecdotal experience here on HF seems to indicate that Havanese are good eaters.

Ricky's Popi


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

pvlahos said:


> Guess we'll try the dehydrated base mix next with adding our own protein.


Don't throw out what you already purchased, just add some shredded chicken or beef to that.

Ricky's Popi


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## pvlahos (Jan 2, 2020)

@Jackie from Concrete, WA - yes we added hot water and let it hydrate. He literally would not even look at it! Oh well. We have a super picky puppy I guess. He only wants fresh protein (chicken, turkey, beef) and fresh fruit to eat (strawberries, blueberries, bananas but I don't give those often due to high sugar). I can't say I blame him!!


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## pvlahos (Jan 2, 2020)

@Ricky Ricardo ours is a super good eater IF he's eating what he wants, lol. Which is fresh protein (chicken, turkey, beef) and fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries and bananas - which I don't give often though due to the sugar). It's the kibble that he's picky about.

We feed him twice a day - 8 am and 4 pm. Just under 1/2 cup of kibble each time (softened in water for a few minutes first because he will NEVER it eat hard) with some fresh protein shredded in with the kibble. He eats only the fresh protein usually and leaves the kibble.


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## [email protected] (Jun 10, 2019)

I give my Havanese Farmina N & D for small breeds. There are several flavors like Wild Boar, Chicken, Salmon and Lamb. There is no meal in it; no meat by-products; it has NEVER been recalled and has consistently been rated #1. No preservatives.


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## nwhavmom (Feb 2, 2019)

Similar to Ricky's Popi, I have fed Honest Kitchen to my prev Hav and my current 1.5 year old Hav. And yes, they do have specific formulas that are fine to give a puppy (use the filters on their website). At first my current puppy was less than enthused but then I put only a few small tiny cut pieces of chicken or cooked hamburger on it and now he LOVES it. After switching to HK with my last Hav, he overcame allergies and so much healthier. If your pup won't eat it, maybe he is not that hungry? It is worth giving it a try for all of the benefits. I rotate three of their recipes- chicken with grain, grain free turkey and grain free beef. Best of luck!


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## sema4dogz (Oct 22, 2019)

Royal Canin mini adult . She came from the breeder with Royal Canin puppy and we stayed with the brand . It is only a supplement to her home cooked beef and turkey patties and chicken wings though . She is very strange eater ,a huge meal one night and then will go two days with nothing , such a worry . The vet says she is aboundingly healthy though.
I have bought her a cooked free range chicken for tonight ( and beyond of course) , she has been such a good girl recently , garnering praise from perfect strangers, let alone friends and family . 

Oh,and lest anyone think I am being irresponsible, we are allowed out on our very wide beaches here in South Australia , providing proper distance kept of course . She is amongst the most walked dogs on Earth right now!


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## lindam (Dec 16, 2020)

Yadi said:


> A local independent pet store has started to carry Bones & Co, so I am switching to them. Expensive, but they seem like a good company.


We went to a local pet food store that gets good reviews and the owner was saying how much his dogs health improved since he went to raw. His dog was diagnosed with cancer and given up to 2 months to live. The owner switched his food to raw and it's been 2 years (with no radiation or chemo). I had never heard of Bones & Co but curious if you (or anyone) has experience with this frozen raw.


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