# what do you all feed your poodle?



## Reiko (Mar 9, 2013)

In another thread, I posted the following about what I feed and why. For treats, currently I feed them these dental treats and (training) treats.

For what people feed in general, there are a lot of threads already on this topic in the food forum. Recently, my own search led me to this particular thread, What do you feed and why? which may or may not be useful.

If you are interested in food allergies related foods, you can also try searching for the key word 'allergies' and pick 'Poodle Food' for your forum.

If interested in puppy food specifically for your upcoming poodle, you can try a search for 'puppy' in the Poodle Food forum.


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## Coldbrew (Jun 17, 2015)

we did feed fromm large breed puppy, but due to Jasper's itching have just started (as in yesterday) switching them over to 4Health Grain Free. the main ingredient in all their flavors is potato though, so it might not be a good option for you. our pups seem to love it though!

Every M/W/Th they get a raw chicken back/neck instead of their evening meal, which helps keep their teeth and gums nice and healthy (and is great for teething pups!)

we also have been "topping" their kibble with Fromm Grain Free, which has tons of flavors but is a bit out of our budget to use as a main food. we use it as training treats and to stuff their kongs with, and they love it.

and every night before bed they each get a dollop (maybe 1/2 a teaspoon each?) of pumpkin to help with digestion.


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## AngelAviary (Aug 12, 2014)

I feed a food called Breeders Choice Active Care. Chicken formula. I mix in a big tablespoon of Evengers Organic Chicken canned (it has only 3 ingredients in it) and Stella gets 1/8th teaspoon of Probiotics in her food. My Border Collie gets a hip and joint supplement called Joint Strong mixed with her dry/canned. Im looking into a supplement right now for hair growth/quality for Stella if she is cleared to have a litter in the spring. They both get Pig ears to chew, bully sticks, Himalayan Chews, elk antlers and Grain free Greenies. Various treats (some are grain free) but both my dogs are very picky eaters, so I have a lot of trial and errors. Thankfully I work at a Pet Store and my fellow employees have dogs not as picky as mine!


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## dogdragoness (Oct 18, 2015)

Oh I am sorry I didn't realize there was another thread already, I apologize!


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

That's okay about the other thread; people are always posting the same topics but it's still interesting because it's another view or a more current one. I feed all our dogs Acana; they love it, and it's never had a recall. The poodles had booster shots this week and the vet was very complimentary about them, saying they are very fit and strong, and their teeth are good. I was feeding the Bostons raw but they don't like it as much as they like the poodles' food, so back to Acana they went.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

I was kind of glad to see this food subject come up again because it is apparent that I am not the only one who also finds food choice to be an ever evolving process. MY guys are currently cycled off Orijen and on Acana, on Honest Kitchen Zeal, and Stella and Chewy's frozen patties. I alternate the protein sources depending on which dog is being fed, and/or if I start noticing signs of food sensitivities. when things settle down I intend to feed more raw, but I just don't have the energy to do it right now. Wilson thinks nothing of skipping three days of eating if he doesn't like his food...of course, the cat's food is delicious. He is healthy acting (vet checked) and happy, just very selective when it comes to food. Sailor was the same way when he was Wilson's age, so I will just keep on putting the healthy food in his dish. I should have named him Ribsy!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I feed raw. Mi Chi mill eat anything but my Tpoo is so finicky he doesn't eat kibbles very much, just enough so he won't die of starvation.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I too cycle my dog on various foods(brands, protein source, & type) usually half her diet is raw (chicken, beef, & pork) and other half is kibble,canned, and dehydrated. She does not have any digestion problems doing this so I like that she eats a variety of foods, as according to Dr Karen Becker you can sometimes avoid 'developing' food allergies doing this.


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

I switch my guys up between Victor, 4Health and Wholesome, Every one in a great while (like when I don't schedule my time correctly) they get stuck with Pure Balance. They also get fresh bones from a local packing house, chicken necks from a friend who bulk orders, and Bug caught and ate a mouse two days ago. I was so tickled at how very proud he was.  Oh, and Drift (German ****** - catches and eats sparrows, eww)

Yeah, I'm not right. lol


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

BorderKelpie said:


> they get stuck with Pure Balance. They also get fresh bones from a local packing house, chicken necks from a friend who bulk orders, and Bug caught and ate a mouse two days ago. I was so tickled at how very proud he was.  Oh, and Drift (German ****** - catches and eats sparrows, eww)
> 
> Yeah, I'm not right. lol


BorderKelpie
Last month I bought Molly the Pure Balance 'cups' for when we go visiting...they are a perfect sized serving for her (3.5oz) She loves it!!!!
So on my latest visit to Wally's World I got the Wild Bison grain free kibble and she likes it too! Wow pretty reasonable review and cost on this food too! I've added this to my rotation!!!!


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## grab (Jun 1, 2010)

I rotate my dogs. Usually between Sportmix Wholesomes, Breeder's Choice (though they're discontinuing the formula they eat, which is sad), and Victor. I do like the grain free foods, but my male Chow does better with some grains, so I usually stick with foods that have grains in them, do avoid irritating his delicate digestive system. They've done well on Abound salmon/pumpkin as well when I tried it


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## BrooklynBonnie (Jan 16, 2015)

We feed Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Boost Puppy Kibble, and I have been putting a handful of regular Instinct Kibble (with raw coating) on top for a few months in preparation to switching Mochi off the puppy kibble. I also use Instinct freeze-dried raw for treats, and in the past would use Instinct frozen raw as a bedtime snack or when putting her in her crate when we left to go out for a few hours. I haven't bought the frozen raw bites in a while but think I will again soon.

For a while Mochi wouldn't eat well and we were mixing in Instinct canned too but we don't do that anymore. For training, I use Pet Botanics soft training treats and she loves them.


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## Jasper Rules (Jul 12, 2015)

We rotate through a couple of different brands. Jasper typically eats Acana Regionals or Orijen dog food, but have also given him Wellness Core and are currently trying out their new Trufood line (which he loves).


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## peccan (Aug 26, 2014)

Sulo has kibble available at all times. He takes a little snack if he feels peckish. We're using Canagan's grain-free Free-Run Chicken Small Breeds formula which has a bit more fat than the PureNatural formula we had previously.

His dinner is around 170 grams of fatty (40%) ground beef, which I defrost and warm up on a quiet heat with a splash of water. Once the meat is warm it's released a lot of liquid and I use that to soak up a handful of kibble (20-25 grams) as everything cools down.

Finally I add the nutrient supplement and if needed, some shredded carrot or a bit of boiled potatoes mashed for fiber. I leave the grub for the night and Sulo will eat 2/3 to 3/4 before bedtime. In the morning his water, kibble, and grub are available in his room when I'm gone and he usually eats the leftovers during the day and I can wash the bowl when I get back home.

Yes I'm trying to get his weight up, he's a skinny teen at 6,6 kg/14,5 lbs and 40 cm / 15 3/4 in so quite underweight... His rump has been filling up nicely ever since I upped his meat portion tho :3


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## dogdragoness (Oct 18, 2015)

I wish I could feed nature's variety, but it's too expensive down here, so I feed holistic select. Which is about $62 here after taxes. We feed the turkey and lentils


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## Shellie (Jun 3, 2015)

We feed Maisy *Fromm Chicken À La Veg*. She loves it, and it's reasonably priced for a high quality kibble


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## RangersMom (Aug 7, 2015)

Earthborn Large Breed formula (my Standard Poodle is 90 pounds). He likes it and he no longer has any rashes or itching since he has been on it. I do give him raw chicken thighs or turkey necks frequently just for his enjoyment and dental health.


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## dogdragoness (Oct 18, 2015)

I was feeding EB primitive naturals, but Lincoln starting showing sensitivities to potatoes, so we switched to holistic select turkey and lentils (potato free) and he has done great! the batch I am still feeding is still mixed with the old food, so it will be awesome to see how he does when he is all the way on it!


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## Pella (Oct 7, 2014)

Lena came from her breeder with BLUE SEAL puppy kibble & made me swear to feed it to her. I totally admit that the very next day I started switching her over to a different food. I have pretty strong opinions about filler ingredients, & also have a terrier mini poodle mix with a ton of food sensitivities, including poultry. So Lena ate Zignature Lamb Limited Ingredient grain free formula up until this week. We just got in as a new client for a holistic vet in the area & he recommended just feeding raw chicken backs or necks. Some of what I've read states they need more variety in their protein sources, but I decided it was a good place to start & ordered 25lbs of chicken backs at our local health food store. 

After spending the better part of a week trying to convince my partner that his dog would be ok on just raw chicken, we finally started feeding them raw last Saturday. His dog is a hound mix who tends to bolt his food so fast he throws up...unless you spread it out on the floor or use a special bowl. Well, we worried about him gobbling the chicken, but he actually eats it quite well and is nice and slow about it. Switching him over to the raw chicken seems to be absolutely the right move for him. He loves the chicken, he's excited for the chicken, he eats the chicken...and no stomach upset from the switch whatsoever. 

Lena on the other hand...diarrhea the first day...but none since then...however...My puppy seems to have ADD about eating. The vet said to feed outside to keep harmful bacteria outside the house, and Lena is just totally distracted out there. The first day she was really absorbed in eating the piece of raw chicken...now a few days into things she barely touches it & has only finished her small piece once! It is not going well! I think she may need time to strengthen her jaw. I think tomorrow I am off to buy her more Zignature lamb, so that we can at least ease her into this raw chicken thing a little slower...

Also, my holy terrier is at least 10 and has very few teeth left, plus the allergy to poultry so the vet had me put him on Raw Instinct lamb chunks. Sadly he had a bad skin reaction to them, BUT he also went from sleeping literally all the time...to playing with the other dogs & playing with tennis balls again. His urine went from dark to clear. He is coming when I call him. And he's asking to go outside instead of needing us to drag him out there. All good signs.  So I bought him Raw Instinct Rabbit formula today. Let's hope a change in protein helps!!

Love seeing this thread on dog food. One of the reason I came on the forum tonight was to see what I could find about feeding raw! So thank you for strating this thread.


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## kjgendreau (Oct 20, 2015)

My boy eats Now! Fresh. It's grain free and contains fresh deboned chicken, rather than chicken meal, which can contain 4-D meat (made from dead, diseased, dying, or disabled chickens). I top it with a spoonful of cottage cheese and a bit of cooked hamburger or chicken.


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## dogdragoness (Oct 18, 2015)

Well, considering that my dog would eat roadkill if I let him (of course I dont), he tried to even eat a dead toad the other day (yuck!) I dont think "4D" animals in his food would bother him hahaha


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## robby69 (Apr 29, 2012)

Feeding our new puppy, Bil-Jac. That was what the breeder was giving. We may switch our older spoo to it also, when they both start to free feed. They both seem to love it.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

kjgendreau said:


> My boy eats Now! Fresh. It's grain free and contains fresh deboned chicken, rather than chicken meal, which can contain 4-D meat (made from dead, diseased, dying, or disabled chickens). I top it with a spoonful of cottage cheese and a bit of cooked hamburger or chicken.


This needs to be clarified! 4D meat in a dog food is when the source is given a generic name ie; 'meat byproducts' or 'meat meal' or 'poultry byproducts' Named proteins are ok ie; 'beef byproducts', 'beef meal', 'chicken meal', 'chicken byproducts' etc.

Reading labels is important in assessing quality!
There is an explanation of this at Dogfoodadvisor.com just enter 4D dog food in their search bar.


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## kayla_baxter (Jul 17, 2015)

kjgendreau said:


> My boy eats Now! Fresh. It's grain free and contains fresh deboned chicken, rather than chicken meal, which can contain 4-D meat (made from dead, diseased, dying, or disabled chickens). I top it with a spoonful of cottage cheese and a bit of cooked hamburger or chicken.



Just because I look at the bags every day at work I have to point out that Now is actually chicken free. It's a turkey, salmon, duck mix and they now have a fish and a red meat. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

I feed my girls Ziwipeak air dried beef food. It has the simplest ingredients I have ever seen in a dog food and the best part my my girls actually eat it! I used to feed Now Fresh, but decided to go for a meat only food since I could afford it with one less dog. The Now was a good food but I just wanted to get away from the processed kibble stuff. 

Another add on the 4D ingredient thing is that they are also rendered animals from vets and shelters. I never used to believe it until I started working next to a shelter and saw the rendering plant come to pick up all the dogs and cats that had been euthanized and picked up off the roads that week. Like Mollymuia said 4D's are specifically ingredients that are unidentified animal sources like; animal by product, animal fat, animal digest, meat, bone meal,etc. If you see an identified source like beef by product or chicken by product then it has to be that actual animal. Granted they can still be rendered animals. Which imho is not something I would want to feed my pet. Plus it has to be cooked at such a high temp most of the nutrients are cooked away.


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I have one dog that has to have low protein and the other that has to have low fat. I wanted grain free as well, which is hard to find one that is also low protein.

I found I can feed California Natural Kangaroo and Lentil or Natural Balance LID grain free in almost any flavor but chicken (Misha doesn't do well with chicken). Because the California Natural was harder to get, I pretty much stick with the Natural Balance. Not the best food in my opinion, but sometimes you just have to feed what works


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I feed Victory raw. I switch it up. Chicken, duck, quail, turkey, beef, rabbit, lamb with and without vegetables. Buffalo as a treat.


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## wmoore (Dec 1, 2015)

I try to keep my dogs food as balanced as I can


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## PoodleRick (Mar 18, 2013)

Didn't read the whole thread but if it wasn't mentioned earlier there is Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor, they test and rate dog foods. We feed Penny Earthborn Holistic grain free and switch around the variety. So sometimes it's Coastal Catch or Primitive Natural or Great plain Feast or Meadow Feast. Then we add a spoonful of one of the varieties of Merrick canned food as a topper. She's doing great on that set up and she seems to like it.

Rick


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## PoodleRick (Mar 18, 2013)

Huh, I just now saw this on the dog food advisor website. Apparently they don't do testing.

*The Dog Food Advisor does not test dog food products.

We rely almost entirely on the integrity of the information posted by each company on its website. As such, the accuracy of every review is directly dependent upon the quality of the test results from any specific batch of food a company chooses to publish.*

Now I'm not so sure of my choices.

Rick


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## robby69 (Apr 29, 2012)

We fed our last 2 spoos IAMS. 1st one was 16.5yr old, current one is 8yrs old. Never any food related health issues.

New spoo is on Bil-Jac from breeders. Will probably switch both spoos over to Bil-Jac adult when time comes.

Probably just as much controversy with dog food as their is with politics. Everyone thinks there's is the best and there is no swaying them.


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## mother4 (Jun 8, 2014)

Glad to hear a spoo breeder recommends Bil Jac - its the only thing my spoo will eat consistently.


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## Shamrockmommy (Aug 16, 2013)

I feed Fromm dry, rotating around all their lines, the Classic, Gold and Four Star. 
I add yogurt or cottage cheese (spoonful) to their breakfast meal. They get a biscuit of some sort at lunch (usually Iams) and then evening mea is dry Fromm plus a spoonful of the canned Fromm Gold. 

I keep attempting other food brands but there is always some problem with the dogs. Fromm is the only one where all four of my dogs thrive.


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## shell (Jul 10, 2015)

Tucker, one of my maltese eats The Honest Kitchen, home cooking and an occasional bowl of kibble.

Rocky, my other maltese eats Acana singles and regionals-it is the first dog food we have found that he does really well on (No vomiting and firm poop). He has digestive issues so my husband is not a fan of me feeding him home cooking or The Honest Kitchen. We have to be careful with what he eats.

Addy, our SPOO (Coming home 02/20 WOOT) I will be feeding Acana as long as I am able to afford it-I don't have any idea how many bags we will be going through and it's a really expensive food. I'll also give her a bit of The Honest Kitchen here and there and some home cooking too.

I also want to feed her things like chicken necks and I'm going to be looking into raw bones too.


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## dogdragoness (Oct 18, 2015)

I am kind of limited, because I have one dog here that cant get any food with potatoes in it so our options are kind of limited, I am so glad I found holistic select, that is what all our dogs will get from now on.


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## gigi (Jan 15, 2009)

My toy poodle gets Zignature Turkey formula (no chicken, potato, grain, corn, wheat, soy, diary, chicken by-products)


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## Shamrockmommy (Aug 16, 2013)

I should say now I feed Jack Fromm canned only. Getting tired of him starving himself and being rail thin with hinger pukes. He hates kibble. I don't know if it's the flavor but it also seems he has a hard time chewing no matter what the size of kibbles. 

Booger


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## BrooklynBonnie (Jan 16, 2015)

*Updated*

I posted before that I fed Mochi Nature's Variety Instinct Puppy kibble with Raw Boost. Not sure if I mentioned, but I had planned to and actually did switch her to NV's Prairie kibble when she was done with the puppy stuff. She was rail thin and had hunger pukes regularly. It was always hard to get her to eat even with raw bites mixed in or canned food mixed in. She'd go for it for a couple meals, but then just decide she wasn't interested anymore.

She actually lost weight (again) between 11 months and 12 months of age; almost a whole pound. BUT when we got Chuui last month, Mochi started eating more of her food if only to keep Chuui from getting it. She still seemed too thin, and the vet said I needed to get her to eat more. Wasn't gonna happen - so I found the highest calorie kibble Nature's Variety offered (that wasn't raw boost) and we've moved them both to that. It's their original Instinct line. The Chicken formula has the highest calorie count - over 40 calories more than the Prairie line of kibble's chicken formula. They've both gained about a pound in the last 4 weeks! (All the Nature's Variety lines are formulated for all life stages).

So it's going to be Nature's Variety Instinct Kibble (original) Chicken formula from here on out. Neither Mochi nor Chuui seem very food focused (unless it's treats) so as long as they eat at least two meals a day (and they are pretty good at this now!) the higher calorie kibble should be enough to keep their weight healthy. Yay!:cheers2:


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Maizie's on Pinnacle Salmon and Potato Grain-Free now. She did great on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach, but it's easier to buy one food that they can all eat.


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## ancientman (Nov 5, 2015)

*orijen*

Orijen puppy. 5 months old. Will be switched to Victor or Fromm after her first birth day. I heard high protein and high glucosamin(?) is good for growing puppy.

She was on Blue buffalo and Acana until 3 months old but did not do well with them. With Orijen, everything seems perfect except terrible fart issue.


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

Abbey eats 3 times a day, breakfast is Acana kibble with Greek yogurt and fruit, the other two meals are home cooked, meat and vegies. I also add coconut oil and eggshell, sometimes fish oil or flaxseed oil. I only keep the kibble in her diet so she's use to it for when we travel.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Pella said:


> Lena came from her breeder with BLUE SEAL puppy kibble & made me swear to feed it to her. I totally admit that the very next day I started switching her over to a different food. I have pretty strong opinions about filler ingredients, & also have a terrier mini poodle mix with a ton of food sensitivities, including poultry. So Lena ate Zignature Lamb Limited Ingredient grain free formula up until this week. We just got in as a new client for a holistic vet in the area & he recommended just feeding raw chicken backs or necks. Some of what I've read states they need more variety in their protein sources, but I decided it was a good place to start & ordered 25lbs of chicken backs at our local health food store.
> 
> After spending the better part of a week trying to convince my partner that his dog would be ok on just raw chicken, we finally started feeding them raw last Saturday. His dog is a hound mix who tends to bolt his food so fast he throws up...unless you spread it out on the floor or use a special bowl. Well, we worried about him gobbling the chicken, but he actually eats it quite well and is nice and slow about it. Switching him over to the raw chicken seems to be absolutely the right move for him. He loves the chicken, he's excited for the chicken, he eats the chicken...and no stomach upset from the switch whatsoever.
> 
> ...



Pella, I starting feeding a raw meaty diet about a month ago. I can't believe how fast that time has gone. I spend some time on a raw feeder's site and have been doing as much research as possible. One thing I gather is to start out with chicken for a week or two...make sure they adjust to it. But over time, they need variety, the more variety, the better. Certain meats have nutrients that others don't. I also have gathered from more experienced people that once they get use to each protein source, the bulk of their meat should lean toward red meat. But again, chicken, for instance has a lot of something that other meats don't and visa versa. 

I'm still quite nervous about whether I'm leaving something out but learning all the time. My little Jose` with tooth issues just can't crush up bones so he has to either eat frozen raw that I choose the brand, Nature's Variety that has the bone crushed up in it... or has has to eat canned food. Some meals I'll give him some fresh meat with some ground up egg shells and steamed/pureed vegetables. But the Poodles are doing well with crushing the bones. But we really haven't tried bones of other animals except for pork ribs and that didn't work out. So, next we'll try those goat bones. But I think they've been cut. They came frozen so I'll have to inspect or give it a try and see. 

As far as the vegetables, that's a whole other controversy. Some think they don't need them if they get a huge variety of meaty bones. And in fact say they can't digest them, even if they're steamed and broken down in a Vita Mix. I'm not convinced they can't use some of those vitamins. But tripe will mimic what the prey animals eat that the dogs and wolves would eat. So, for the time being, I'm including some veggies. 

I have worked up from chicken wings, backs, thighs to cuts of lamb, (scored some on a big mark down yesterday...woot) beef and pork. No bones that have been sawed by the butcher because they're too sharp. And no weight bearing bones of ungulates...too heavy and dense, can break teeth. 

I found a couple of Asian markets that have all kinds of weird stuff that is great, some very expensive though. I picked up for my new, bigger and better freezer (lol...yes, I succumbed) some goat with bone, kangaroo meat (just a little...very expensive, so won't be regular)...duck feet, got a couple of whole rabbits. I'm still looking for tripe. Very important that it's green tripe, not the bleached white stuff found in grocery stores. They can't sell tripe where they sell human food in this country. So I am going to have to go online I think, unless I find something in Seattle...still looking. At these markets, they had frog legs (pricey) and stomachs, brains, (I didn't buy, lol) and they had kidneys, which I had trouble finding before. They need 10% of their diet to be organ meat, but only 5% of that being liver. So, it's important to find other organs. Some don't count as organ meat, such as tongue, gizzards, etc. 

I hope you go onto a raw feeding forum to learn more, read from veterinary nutritionists, even see a holistic vet that knows about nutrition (they don't all). You can kill a dog just feeding meat or one thing. They can miss out on vital, essential elements. It's okay for a while, while your dog is transitioning. Good luck! It is scary a little bit at first. But I truly like feeding fresh, whole foods just like I do for myself mostly. I like that it's all made for humans and the odds of having something wrong or poisonous or absent of adequate nutrition is lower. To know what they're eating for sure, to be able to control it to a pretty good degree, to no longer put my trust into some multi billion dollar industry to care that much about my dog just became more appealing to me. I do realize that not all commercial food is created equal and some are definitely probably better than others. Good luck to you.


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## TuckersMom (Feb 9, 2016)

We just switched Tucker off a chicken based food (Bill-Jac), which the breeder had him on, to Acana Ranchlands. I'm mixing in some pumpkin to help with the transition. Today was his first day on 100% new food. He loves it.


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