# Hot Topic - Dog Food



## RedSoxFan (Aug 22, 2017)

Ok... I know this is a hot topic and everyone has an opinion... but I have relied on a lot of advice from this forum and it’s all been very beneficial for my chocolate Havanese. This is the greatest breed and an awesome forum that has helped us immensely. 

We have been feeding Merrick Small Breed (pink) bag for a while now. It’s NOT grain free. That was coincidental. Our vet just advised us not to use grain free until more info is available. I really love the site dogfoodadvisor which I discovered via this forum. Most dog food is grain free. For those of you who prefer to NOT use grain free ... which dog food are you using? Our Hava is growing tired of Merrick Small breeed puppy. Looking at Victor... 

What are you using for your Havanese?


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

I feed my boy Victor Yukon River. It is grain-free. He loves it for 1 year now but he is not a fussy eater and it seems to agree with him. The only thing he doesn't eat is any kind of medication!
I like the Victor foods because they are easy to find, reasonably priced ($13 for 5 lbs.), several breeders I spoke to feed Victor. I order from Chewy sometimes and it is available at a few stores close by. I did try another one by Victor that was not grainfree. He loved it but he was pooping about 8 times a day. I think it was the grain.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I’m pretty sure Fromm has formulations with and without grains because I unintentionally bought one with brown rice or barley. 

You could also just add a “topper.” I never really used one that was marketed that way because it was cheaper to buy the freeze dried patties and break them up, but I did buy a bag once to use as treats and our puppy went crazy over the freeze dried fruit in it. 

Not contradicting your vet, but I thought something was published recently enough that the vet’s recommendation may have changed since your last visit. I only remember because my husband read about it and was teasing me about our dog food budget. Might be worth asking again the next time you’re there if it would increase your food options. It seems like when we first brought home our puppy I always had to check packages for grain free and now there’s more grain free than not, even with the scare.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

info here

__
https://176405475391%2Ffda-dog-heart-disease%23.XLy0cuhKjIU


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## Scarlett's mom (Feb 14, 2017)

Answers raw


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Regarding food, there is no one right answer. I am going to give you two professional opinions:

Ricky's Vet - The protocol for professional Vets is a well balanced kibble diet that probably will include some grain as a filler. Kibble diets are relatively inexpensive, easy to administer, and generally relatively well balanced. He generally recommends a kibble diet to most dog owners who don't want to get involved in the science of canine nutrition. In his professional career, he has seen most dogs of all breeds thrive on this type of diet. He has seen some research on grain free diets but these have not been peer reviewed. He cautions that because you read something on the Internet, it should not be taken literally or out of context. He agrees that too much grain in a diet as a filler is not nutritious, but some grain can be beneficial to a dogs health. He is most concerned about raw diets. These can be very tricky. The dog owner who feeds a raw diet must be very careful to include all the additional vitamins and minerals to make the meal well balanced. In his practice he sees to many people feeding a raw diet that have no idea what they are doing. In general, he recommends against a raw diet for that reason. But for someone who knows what they are doing, a raw diet can be just fine.

A Vet from Kentucky - I happened to be randomly seated at dinner last week next to a gentleman who is a Vet from Kentucky for 40 years. The subjects of canine diets and male neutering came up in our informal conversation. He too recommends a well balanced kibble diet which may or may not include grain. He said SIMPLE is the best strategy for most pet owners. Regarding neutering, he recommends that males be neutered between the age of 6 months to 18 months. However.......recent research seems to indicate that LARGE BREED dogs should not be neutered before 12 months to avoid the potential for certain types of canine cancer. So he has changed his personal protocol for large dogs (Rottweilers, German Shepherds, etc.) to 12 to 18 months. He said the problem is that many of his clients have read about this research on the Internet and presume it applies to ALL breeds. He said that is not what is indicated. He has seen no increased incidence of cancer in small breeds like a Havanese related to neutering at a relatively early age, in his career. So for a Havanese, his protocol is still 6 to 18 months for neutering.

Ricky's diet - I feed Ricky Honest Kitchen 'Preference'. This is a dehydrated, human grade base preparation consisting of fruits, vegetables, seeds, vitamins, and mineral to which I add the prescribed amount of protein (usually fresh boiled shredded chicken breast). I add a topper of a little grain based kibble and a tablet of probiotics and one of salmon oil and a half tablet of Benedryll (for his seasonal allergies). Ricky loves his diet and licks his bowl super clean twice a day. Ricky poops on average 3 times a day. His stool is well formed, glossy (indicating sufficient water in his diet) and firm but not hard. Ricky's Vet says he is strong, muscular, perfect weight, alert, and thriving. He says Ricky's diet meets all of his requirements.

So there you have it, clear as mud, right? There is no one right answer. I would suggest you take input from this forum and then discuss with your Vet. The Vet is an integral part of the team (you being the other) to keep your dog happy, healthy, and long lived.

Good Luck and keep us posted on what you decide.

Ricky's Popi


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

My vet said dog foods tend to follow what is in vogue with humans. Gluten free is big now with humans so grain free is now popular with dogs. Gravy became popular with humans and then the Gravy Train dog food became popular. He said that domestic dogs and wild canines have always been inclined to eat the rumen sack from a dead ruminant animal. Ruminant animals eat grains and grasses. Therefore, historically, canines have had grains in their natural diets.

Willow gets Honest Kitchen. I give her one that does contain grains and includes the protein, which, in her case, is beef. She loves it and licks the bowl clean twice a day just like Popi said Ricky does. In fact, Popi is the one that turned us on to Honest Kitchen.


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## RedSoxFan (Aug 22, 2017)

Thanks for the thoughtful response. Our vet is a wholistic vet. They are exceptional and don’t push things. In fact, she won’t recommend a food. She just offers research and she is very educated on nutrition etc. For her to suggest avoiding grain free, was a huge flag as they are a very conservative practice. The info you offered above makes a lot of sense. Looking at Annamaet Encore and Victor but will also consider Honest Kitchen. Thanks for the info,


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

I feed homemade raw. I like the peace of mind of knowing exactly what is in my dog’s food, how it was raised, how it was prepared and that it does not contain pesticides, preservatives or any other chemicals. I also do not have to ever worry about a pet food recall.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

I feed Patti - Hill's Science Diet Wet Dog Food, Adult, Small Paws For Small Breeds, 3.5 oz twice a day, morning and evening. 90 calories per feeding. Once a day in the morning along with the Hills Wet Dog food, I give her 1/4 C Instinct Raw Boost Grain Free Recipe with Real Natural Dry Dog Food. 125 calories per feeding. Total about 300 calories. Then she gets treats during the day. I read she needed about 400 calories a day. Patti weights 14 lbs is 11.5 inches tall. 

The Hills Science Diet Wet for Small Breeds is Chicken or Beef with vegetables. I buy it by the box which contains 12 individual feedings, 6 chicken & 6 beef. 

It was a major Brain Teaser trying to figure out what and how much to feed her. Good Luck! everyone does something different.


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## Dianedp (Dec 16, 2018)

Mikki,

Silly question, but is wet food messy? Will Smokey need to be washed up every time he eats it? I feed him dry Iams (and other than hot dogs it's his favorite food in the world) but my daughter started her dog on Science Diet and her dog thinks _that_ is the best food in the world. I was considering getting Science Diet kibble but I've been curious about trying some wet food, too.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Dianedp said:


> Mikki,
> 
> Silly question, but is wet food messy? Will Smokey need to be washed up every time he eats it? I feed him dry Iams (and other than hot dogs it's his favorite food in the world) but my daughter started her dog on Science Diet and her dog thinks _that_ is the best food in the world. I was considering getting Science Diet kibble but I've been curious about trying some wet food, too.


No questions are silly...I've asked plenty of them. Canned dog food is more nutritious and better than Kibble. People use Kibble because it's cheaper. Canned dog food can get expensive, especially for big dogs. My Vet recommends Science Diet. I don't know if it's the best. There are a lot of good quality dog foods on the market. I've tried many and Patti liked them all.

I settled on Science Diet Small Breed Wet Stew because it's convenient and Patti likes it. Once a day I mix 1/4 C of Kibble with the morning serving. It comes in small 3.05 oz cups...one serving. Open, serve and throw away. It is pieces of meat and vegetables in a thick stew. It isn't watery and messy but some will stick on the edges if you dog has a long beard. I've gone back to a cute short, puffy puppy-mustache because it is easier to keep clean and looking nice. Those wonderful long mustaches and beards are beautiful for about 5 minutes after grooming. Then every time they drink water, play outside in wet grass or root around on the floor it's a mess.

Science Diet has another Small Breed 5.8 oz canned dog food that is wet but *NOT* a stew. Patti like it, too. I must be extra lazy because for me this was not as convenient. I had to divide the serving and store the remainder in the frig. Then felt like I had to warm up the second serving.

I buy it from Amazon and it cost $16.14 for a carton of 12 or $1.34 each - if you set up an automatic monthly order system. Otherwise, a one time order cost $16.99. When I bought this at Pet Co it was $1.89 - 1.99 each. The biggest negative according to Reviews is the Cost.

HOPE THIS HELPS


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Dianedp said:


> Mikki,
> 
> Silly question, but is wet food messy? Will Smokey need to be washed up every time he eats it? I feed him dry Iams (and other than hot dogs it's his favorite food in the world) but my daughter started her dog on Science Diet and her dog thinks _that_ is the best food in the world. I was considering getting Science Diet kibble but I've been curious about trying some wet food, too.


We mixed wet with kibble for our puppy until about 6 months old (maybe 4??) as per our breeder's instructions. I did NOT want to do wet food because I'm sensitive to smells, but it was really not bad. He's a pretty neat eater, it was never in his beard or anything, but sometimes I wiped just his mouth. He was little though, so I was still wiping his eyes a couple times a day. He really licked every drop off his mouth, haha. Wet food has a stronger smell than high quality kibble but i actually don't think it's as strong as Iams. I'm sure they have several types, I just remember being in a friend's house recently and thinking the food smelled strong and I thought it was Iams. Our puppy LOVED canned food and we had to taper off slowly because he pulled out all the stops. Eventually I replaced it by adding crumbles of freeze dried food on top of his kibble.

I did have to remember to wash his bowl right after he ate because if I waited until right before the next meal there was sometimes a residue from the food.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> We mixed wet with kibble for our puppy until about 6 months old (maybe 4??) as per our breeder's instructions. I did NOT want to do wet food because I'm sensitive to smells, but it was really not bad. He's a pretty neat eater, it was never in his beard or anything, but sometimes I wiped just his mouth. He was little though, so I was still wiping his eyes a couple times a day. He really licked every drop off his mouth, haha. Wet food has a stronger smell than high quality kibble but i actually don't think it's as strong as Iams. I'm sure they have several types, I just remember being in a friend's house recently and thinking the food smelled strong and I thought it was Iams. Our puppy LOVED canned food and we had to taper off slowly because he pulled out all the stops. Eventually I replaced it by adding crumbles of freeze dried food on top of his kibble.
> 
> I did have to remember to wash his bowl right after he ate because if I waited until right before the next meal there was sometimes a residue from the food.


I bet you're a great cook. My un-researched and personal opinion is ALL good cooks are sensitive smellers, along with having a son who is ultra-sensitive to smells and is a fabulous cook. He can taste every ingredient in a food dish.

Although, I'm pretty sensitive to odors and I have not noticed any distinctive smell from Science Diet Small Breed Wet Stew meals.


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

Our vet said not to do grain free, specifically. He's super laid back and holistic. It's the only thing he said definitively. And this recent study came out:

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/a...P184xO_gMf7yDKZ9-u0u5O8xqUj3jY_sRexGUQui5uq8g

In the end, it's a personal choice what to feed our pets. We do the best we can.


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

I'm very sensitive to food smells. I can't stand the smell of any canned food with the exception of tomatoes-- including other vegetables. I make everything fresh because of it. I'm absolutely certain I couldn't take the smell of canned dog food. LOL


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

Dianedp said:


> Mikki,
> 
> Silly question, but is wet food messy? Will Smokey need to be washed up every time he eats it? I feed him dry Iams (and other than hot dogs it's his favorite food in the world) but my daughter started her dog on Science Diet and her dog thinks _that_ is the best food in the world. I was considering getting Science Diet kibble but I've been curious about trying some wet food, too.


Willow eats Honest Kitchen which is dehydrated and becomes wet once you add the water. Sometimes her face does get messy and I just wipe it with a wet washcloth. Other times it doesn't. I guess it just depends, but I would say it gets a little messy more times than not. It's not a huge mess. Just sometimes a little gets in her beard.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Melissa Woods said:


> I'm very sensitive to food smells. I can't stand the smell of any canned food with the exception of tomatoes-- including other vegetables. I make everything fresh because of it. I'm absolutely certain I couldn't take the smell of canned dog food. LOL


I'm the same way, I've hated canned vegetables since I was a kid. I think the metallic smell of the open can reminds me of sitting at the table because I had to eat my vegetables! My mom started doing side salads with meals at some point, and I still prefer that. My husband prepares frozen vegetables sometimes. I'm weird about food smells but I deal with it, it's just different with something that comes up every day, like dog food.

The good quality canned dog food is more like opening a can of chili. You wouldn't want to inhale the aroma (you might even hold your breath a little, haha), and you'd much rather make it fresh, but it's not offensive like the canned dog food I was familiar with. The brand we used did have whole vegetables, etc. By the time the dish soap is sudsing up the bowl, the smell is gone. I was still glad when we tapered off.

I remember being surprised that the frozen raw we tried had the mildest smell of any food I tried. If I could remember to take it out of the freezer, figure out whether to transport or replace it for daycare and outings, etc. frozen would have been my preference. However, I do think it would be more than I want to spend on food once we get second Havanese so I think it worked out.

I don't remember our vet even addressing grain free I just know things can change and there were some postings here on it so it's worth checking in on these things if you're in the office and thinking of making a food change.

I do think a lot of it is lifestyle - how much time can be committed to planning meals, etc. We do our best, but doing our best also means when we have to make compromises, we choose them carefully and then don't spend a lot of time second guessing. Re-evaluate when something changes.


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

My mom makes her 2 chihuahuas’ food, all in a pressure cooker. She says it’s pretty easy and the dogs are 17 and 18 yrs old and still quite healthy, so I guess it works. Now I’m doing high quality kibble for small breed puppies (science diet, in continuing w the breeder’s diet for him). I’m not sure what my plans are long term, other than maybe supplementing that with home cooked. We’re still adjusting to potty training and he’s doing so well, and is so predictable that I don’t want to rock the boat yet, if that makes sense. I’ve seen the raw dehydrated stuff and that might be a good addition.


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

Oh and the above study was released in December 2018 and talks about taurine deficiency and congestive heart failure correlation with grain free and high legume diets


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## RedSoxFan (Aug 22, 2017)

Yes our holistic vet said the same thing. Grain Free - no good. She said until we learn more, do not go with a grain free diet. OK so here's the *UPDATE: * We tried Annamaet Encore food and also Victor Select Nutro Pro. She turned her nose up at Annamaet and doesn't like Victor Nutro Pro much better. Then I'm reading DogFoodAdvisor dot com and while Victor receives 5 Stars, there's a mention of the controversial ingredient "Blood Meal" that is in all or most Victor foods.

Either way, our picky Havanese is not liking either of them. She DID like Merrick Small breed for a while. So, maybe I'll try some of the suggestions made here. Just ordered Honest Kitchen Human Grade Dehydrated Organic Grain Chicken Dog Food <-- will mix with water and see how she fancies that.


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

Then I'm reading DogFoodAdvisor dot com and while Victor receives 5 Stars, there's a mention of the controversial ingredient "Blood Meal" 

I checked my current Victor Yukon River food and no mention of blood meal. It seems that they have changed the formulation recently. Good thing I have an extra bag so I have a month or so.
Do you know what the problem is with blood meal? I couldn't find it on DogFA.


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## RedSoxFan (Aug 22, 2017)

Tere said:


> Then I'm reading DogFoodAdvisor dot com and while Victor receives 5 Stars, there's a mention of the controversial ingredient "Blood Meal"
> 
> I checked my current Victor Yukon River food and no mention of blood meal. It seems that they have changed the formulation recently. Good thing I have an extra bag so I have a month or so.
> Do you know what the problem is with blood meal? I couldn't find it on DogFA.


. You can google topic but it says it's a controversial product: Blood meal Blood meal is a by-product of slaughter and used to make high-protein (very low ash) animal feeds.

Yet even though some consider it a controversial ingredient, blood meal can still be considered a quality source of animal protein.


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

Thank you for the info. and the head's up on the new change to the Victor foods. My boy has a delicate tummy so I'm not sure how the reformulated food is going to work for him. I hate it when they change things like this. I will have to compare the ingredients and figure out if we even want to try the new food. I wonder why they changed it.


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## RedSoxFan (Aug 22, 2017)

*Winner Winner... Chicken Dinner!* So, looks like this *The Honest Kitchen* Whole Grain Chicken is just what my Havanese needed. She loves it and chases the bowl around the kitchen looking for more. Wow. Seems like she is tolerating it well as her stomach gets used to the change with her stool being softer but ok.

The hardest part with this food is the wait... after you mix the water in, you have to wait 3 minutes for it to expand. My Hava goes nuts during this time. Thanks for the food recommendation Ricky Ricardo and Jackie from Concrete


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

RedSoxFan said:


> *Winner Winner... Chicken Dinner!* So, looks like this *The Honest Kitchen* Whole Grain Chicken is just what my Havanese needed. She loves it and chases the bowl around the kitchen looking for more. Wow. Seems like she is tolerating it well as her stomach gets used to the change with her stool being softer but ok.
> 
> The hardest part with this food is the wait... after you mix the water in, you have to wait 3 minutes for it to expand. My Hava goes nuts during this time. Thanks for the food recommendation Ricky Ricardo and Jackie from Concrete


You are very welcome! Ricky's Popi is who got us started on Honest Kitchen. I use the timer on the microwave to time Willow's meal. I think she knows the sound when it goes off as she always comes at the sound of the timer!


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## penak (Mar 11, 2019)

Indeed, very interesting thread


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

RedSoxFan said:


> She loves it and chases the bowl around the kitchen looking for more. Wow. Seems like she is tolerating it well as her stomach gets used to the change with her stool being softer but ok.
> 
> The hardest part with this food is the wait... after you mix the water in, you have to wait 3 minutes for it to expand. My Hava goes nuts during this time. Thanks for the food recommendation Ricky Ricardo and Jackie from Concrete


YEP, Ricky has been eating it for four years now and never gets tired of it. Happy this is working for you. Careful when starting out with any change of diet. It can take 7 to 10 days for a tummy to adapt to a new diet. Stools can be soft during that period and in worst cases can cause diarrhea.

Here is what we do for preparation. We mix a batch that lasts about 3 days (2 meals a day equals 6 meals). We mix it up the night before and let it hydrate overnight in the frig. We ALWAYS keep the prepared food in the refrigerator. DON'T LEAVE IT OUT FOR ANY PERIOD OF TIME. You can leave the dry stuff in the box in a room temp., dry place. You can microwave one serving at a time to warm it up if you wish, but Ricky doesn't really care, so we serve it to him cold straight out of the frig. He licks his bowl 100% clean every time!

This stuff is made right down the road from us in San Diego. I trust the company and their philosophy on canine nutrition.

Ricky's Popi


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## Jeanniek (Mar 20, 2018)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> YEP, Ricky has been eating it for four years now and never gets tired of it.
> 
> This stuff is made right down the road from us in San Diego. I trust the company and their philosophy on canine nutrition.


I currently give Zumba Primal raw food which is supplemented during the day with fruits, vegetable, fish and the chicken she steals from the cat's dish. I hope that is a balanced diet, but not sure, so am looking at the Honest Kitchen. I am trying to determine how many meals one gets out of a bag. How many 1/2 cup servings would one get out of a 3- pound bag? Can you give me an idea?

Thanks!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Jeanniek said:


> I currently give Zumba Primal raw food which is supplemented during the day with fruits, vegetable, fish and the chicken she steals from the cat's dish. I hope that is a balanced diet, but not sure, so am looking at the Honest Kitchen. I am trying to determine how many meals one gets out of a bag. How many 1/2 cup servings would one get out of a 3- pound bag? Can you give me an idea?
> 
> Thanks!


I thought that some of the Primal raw formulas are complete and balanced and others need additional things added. Are you feeding one of the complete and balanced formulas? If so, I would think you are safe as far as balance goes.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Jeanniek said:


> so am looking at the Honest Kitchen. I am trying to determine how many meals one gets out of a bag. How many 1/2 cup servings would one get out of a 3- pound bag? Can you give me an idea?
> 
> Thanks!


This is going to vary depending on which Honest Kitchen formula you select. I can only tell you what works for us.

We serve Ricky a base formula that requires the addition of protein. Why do we do it rather than using a formula that includes the protein? Because we find it is less expensive. We add cooked (simmered) shredded chicken breast to the base formula about 90% of the time. 10% of the time we will add shredded fish filet, turkey, lean hamburger, chicken parts (liver, gizzard, etc.) just for some variety. Ricky doesn't really care, he likes them all and begs for more. The only thing we haven't tried is tofu, but I know he would love that too.

We purchase the HK base formula in 7 lbs. (dry) boxes which makes the equivalent of 29 pounds of prepared food (with protein and water added). We mix 1 cup of dry base, 1 - 1 1/4 cup protein, and 1 cup of water and let it hydrate overnight. This makes about 3 cups of food once the dry ingredients absorb all the water. Ricky gets two 1/3 cup servings per day, so 3 cups (one cup of dry) lasts about four days. Ricky also gets about 1/2 cup of steamed vegetables, dehydrated banana, treats, and cookies each day for training purposes. If you would ask Ricky, he would say we are starving him but his steady 15 lb. weight on regular weigh-ins say otherwise.

Using the preparation above, we find that the 7 lb. box of base mix lasts us for about 2 months. So there is around 15-16 cups in one 7 lb. box.

"How many 1/2 cup servings would one get out of a 3- pound bag? Can you give me an idea? "
Are you talking about dry or wet prepared? I would guess about 15 to 20, 1/2 cup dry servings.

Ricky's Popi


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## Jeanniek (Mar 20, 2018)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> This is going to vary depending on which Honest Kitchen formula you select. I can only tell you what works for us.
> 
> We serve Ricky a base formula that requires the addition of protein. Why do we do it rather than using a formula that includes the protein? Because we find it is less expensive. We add cooked (simmered) shredded chicken breast to the base formula about 90% of the time. 10% of the time we will add shredded fish filet, turkey, lean hamburger, chicken parts (liver, gizzard, etc.) just for some variety. Ricky doesn't really care, he likes them all and begs for more. The only thing we haven't tried is tofu, but I know he would love that too.
> 
> ...


Thank you, Popi. I did not understand the complexity of my question, but you answered it thoroughly and even gave me something to think about - using the base formula as you do as a way to reduce the high cost of her food. Thank you again.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

please remember to consult with a nutritionist if you prepare your dog's meals.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*base plus protein*



Ricky Ricardo said:


> This is going to vary depending on which Honest Kitchen formula you select. I can only tell you what works for us....


If this vegetarian could deal with handling/ cooking meat this is probably what I would do....


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Melissa Brill said:


> If this vegetarian could deal with handling/ cooking meat this is probably what I would do....


Yeah, our oldest daughter is vegetarian so she feeds her dog a will balanced kibble. However, when her dog, JoJo (named after Trader Joes cookies), comes to visit Grandma and Grandpa, she gets Honest Kitchen with fresh chicken for meals. JoJo loooooooves to come and stay with us. She not only eats her HK but tries to eat Ricky's too, and vice-versa so we have to separate them at meal time.

You can always purchase HK with the dehydrated (powdered) protein mixed in, but it is more expensive that way.

Ricky's Popi


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*vegetarian*



Ricky Ricardo said:


> Yeah, our oldest daughter is vegetarian so she feeds her dog a will balanced kibble. However, when her dog, JoJo (named after Trader Joes cookies), comes to visit Grandma and Grandpa, she gets Honest Kitchen with fresh chicken for meals. JoJo loooooooves to come and stay with us. She not only eats her HK but tries to eat Ricky's too, and vice-versa so we have to separate them at meal time.
> 
> You can always purchase HK with the dehydrated (powdered) protein mixed in, but it is more expensive that way.
> 
> Ricky's Popi


Perry definitely needs (and gets) a balanced food with meat in his diet - I'm currently using Fromm as his dinner kibble and stella/ chewy freeze dried for his breakfast (good thing he's small!). The less expensive option of using real meat and HK would be great, just can't handle the meat 

I had my last dog when I was living in Azerbaijan and, at the time, couldn't get a good kibble so she got homemade - which (for the meat) was basically me getting ground beef and dumping it into a pot of water with some rice or oatmeal (and then adding in the veggies and other supplements) and that (open package, dump, stir) was almost more than I could handle in terms of raw meat cooking


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## BoosDad (Mar 8, 2020)

Boo ate Stella and Chewy's freeze-dried and/or Ziwi Peak air-dried lamb recipe until he was about 14 years old. For the past few years, he has been eating JustFoodForDogs (home cooked) chicken and rice recipe. I switched him to JustFoodForDogs because his toy poodle brother (RIP 2/6/20) was eating the kidney diet recipe. He seems to enjoy it, with a little added boiled chicken breast, and always has a solid BM.


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