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What feed are you all using? We have been mixing Wild Blue, fresh meat, and a lower level grain free brand. Our milk cow is almost to the point of giving too much, so we will add that in also. The dogs look and act healthy with no skin issues and lots of muscles! Just checking in and looking to hear what you all are feeding. :*)

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We're feeding Kaposia Supreme Source grain free salmon meal and sweet potato recipe kibble. I also make large batches of home made chicken soup and beef stew for us, and when I do that, I make a separate batch for the dog without any onion, garlic salt or pepper in it. The chicken soup is a bone broth recipe, meaning that after the chicken has cooked, the meat is removed and the bones and cartilage go back in the pot with a little vinegar or lemon juice to simmer for another 4 hours to get all of the minerals and nutrients. Then the bones are removed, the broth strained to be sure no small bone pieces remain, and the diced meat, carrots, peas, celery and brown rice are added back in and simmered until tender. Then I freeze it in serving size containers. She gets either beef stew or chicken soup over the kibble about 4 days a week, the other days she gets about 1/2 cup of plain kefir over the kibble, sometimes with a raw egg whipped in. This is all fine by our vet. It is important to moisten the kibble with something, or the dog's digestive system has to pull moisture in from elsewhere in its body to aid digestion. Two excellent books...Pukka's Promise, and The Royal Treatment. At one year, Kaposia is also well muscled with no skin problems and a shiny coat.

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Sitka gets a raw (blanched) diet. Meat, veggies (cans are easy), and egg. Switch it up with various meats, stocks, and leftovers. I actually worked it out to be cheaper than packaged dog food.

 

I make his meals while I work on ours. He's very healthy and happy. Although he gets a 1/2lb of meat a day, the volume of poop is much less than kibble. To me, that is a big plus. We share snacks, but still he does not vary much in weight, maintaining a lean 36lbs. Neither does he beg at the table. He knows we won't forget him.

 

Sitka is very good at prewashing pans. I appreciate this now more than ever, as water becomes scarce.

 

Also don't have kids, so it seems easy.

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Ayita has been eating Taste of the Wild (Salmon) kibble since Kim recommended it when we picked her up 2 1/2 years ago. We don't supplement her food except for a little natural, unsalted peanut butter for special treats. She is very strong and healthy with a shiny coat and consistent poop. She has never had diarrhea. Since she has never really had "people" food, she doesn't beg for it. Boring but works for us :P ...

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I like your quote, too.

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Lakegirl, oooo mommy can cook! YUM. I really think that's the # 1 thing we can do for their health and longevity. Will add the tip on a little lemon or vinegar to the bones. I use a crock pot which is easier for me than the stove top because I tend to get distracted and burn things or catch things on fire, which is why my husband is the proper cook in our family.

 

We are fortunate that we live in farming country and so we are able to get a monthly delivery from a local farmer. He loves that we take organs and bones because these days it's not that common. If you live in farming country try a google search or check for a meat/ egg booth at the local farmer's market. You might turn up a local farm that can be a supplier of well priced goodies.

 

We've started making "meat loaf". Basically it's the raw formula we use with meat and oats and such but it's cooked and sliced. We find that it's sometimes easier to feed Shiva since he can't stand on his own plus it's a great travel food.

 

We call Cake "Kelpie-Kelp" because she loves the thin strips of kelp that are for wrapping sushi. It's the only thing she will growl at Waki over. I give her one almost every day, especially if I see her eating grass. Tends to stop that behavior which is good because a long blade of undigested grass = a poop emergency (it gets stuck and totally spooks her then you have to chase her around to help). She must be able to totally digest the kelp because I never see any evidence of it.

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I think we've all been there. :lol:

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I am reassured that veggies are just as important for our dogs as meat! I remember when we picked Elena up, Kim had puppy kibble with goat's milk and brocoli Sp? It was a shock and a learning experience. Thanks so much for the info! Some of you are intense on the cooking for our babies! I love the ideas!

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Oh man I would love some of your recipes! I pick up my puppy next week and I'm trying to cram some last minute extra research in :)

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For anyone interested here is a link with information and recepies for bone broth. Just remember if you make it for your dogs...no spices/herbs/seasonings/mushrooms...just dog friendly veggies and meat along with the broth.

 

http://www.jadeinstitute.com/jade/bone-broth-health-building.php

Edited by LakeGirl
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Speaking of mushrooms, Tolinka has warned both Two Step and Rain when they were pups...growl, growl, do NOT go near this, growl, growl. Intuitive guy! :wub:

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  • 4 months later...

We feed Fenris a mix of Taste of the Wild (wild boar maybe?) mixed with Artemis fresh mix chicken wet food. Our vet warned that beef can cause food allergies in dogs, and our last dog did develop such an allergy, so we've stayed away from beef. The Artemis is pretty expensive but we're just too busy to try cook and make balanced meals for ourselves even.

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Anyone have thoughts on when to switch from puppy to adult formula?

 

We currently feed Mesa orijen six fish and she loves it (turns her nose up to everything else) - mixed with raw. Loki is on orijen puppy, also mixed with raw. But comparing the puppy to the six fish - there doesn't seem to be much difference nutritionally and he is definitely interested in her food.

 

He is approaching 6 months and I haven't seen much consensus online as to when to switch. I know Kim has said that AIdogs mature quickly, so we were thinking about starting to mix in the 6 fish. Just wondering if anyone here has any insight/experience with their AIdogs. Thx all!

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The most important thing to look at in foods when you're feeding a puppy is the calcium:phosphorous ratio in the nutritional analysis. Puppies can't regulate the amount of calcium their bodies absorb like an adult dog can so excessive calcium in the diet can problems down the line - this is especially true for large breed puppies that grow very large extremely quickly. I think I remember reading that the phosphorous somehow helps them to utilize the calcium properly, and if there is too much calcium and not enough phosphorus to regulate it their bones take in the excess calcium for excessive growth. The correct ratio for calcium:phosphorous in a puppy's food is between 1:1 and 1.3:1.

Orijen 6 Fish is between 1.4:1.1 and 1.7:1.4

Orijen Puppy is between 1.3:1 and 1.6:1.3.
Orijen Large Breed Puppy is between 1.2:1 and 1.5:1.3

 

Honestly I don't know that the minimal difference between the 6 Fish and the Puppy formula is enough to even be a concern. At least the ratio is the same. I raised both of my dogs on ACANA Prairie which is not a puppy specific formula, but the calcium:phos levels were within the acceptable range for puppies and the rest of the nutritional analysis looked similar to other puppy foods I'd seen. At the time, most grain free formulas had calcium levels in the 2.5 range and ACANA Prairie was literally the only grain free that had an appropriate ratio...I'm glad to see that Champion pet foods has made an effort to lower the calcium levels in all of their formulas since then.

 

AIdogs do mature quickly, but they don't stop growing until they are around a year or a little over. Both of my guys gained seemingly all of their growth by a year old and then just when I thought they were done their structure 'evened out' a little - legs get a little thinner, sternum drops down and rib cage flattens out, front legs get taller to level the spine out a little more, etc. But, again, I doubt the difference between the two formulas in question is enough to much difference!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Wow! This is such a thoughtful and helpful explanation - thanks so much Woodrat!

Loki is now slightly taller, but leaner, than Mesa so I suspect he is getting close to his adult height, but still has a lot of filling out to do (he's about 6.5 months now). Based on your explanation, sounds like no harm to add in some of the 6 fish until I run out of the puppy food and then transition to all 6 fish.

 

Thx again!

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