Need Help in choosing the right type of food

[Kish07]

I am a proud new owner of a 12 week old female Siberian Husky. Zoey is her name. I had her since she was 8 weeks and she is the best ever. I’m having an issue with her eating her kibble. I’ve bought various brands and found at 9 weeks she was eating Nulo Puppy food for large breeds. I mix in a little water to get the kibble a bit soft but after 2 weeks of it she goes out of her way not to eat. She does eat food just not that kibble. Any suggestions please? A trainer advised that I was giving her too much human food (grilled chicken and brown rice) and that’s got her wanting only that. I need to train her to eat this so she might stay a day without eating a lot but if I stick to a set time of eating she will eventually get it. Is that right?

[wolfpup]

I am not the most tactful person on the planet - but please read through to the end.

 

Your pup is very bright (as well as gorgeous) - she already knows that kibble is not what she is meant to eat.     Dogs mainly produce enough amalayse to digest around 4% starch  - kibble is between  30-50% starch  (add up all the % of the guaranteed analysis ingredients and take the figure away from 100  -  that is the amount of carbohydrate/starch that is in the kibble).      

Dogs belong to the order Carnivora  - (meat eaters for the last 40 million years).   A growing puppy  needs meat and bone  (or bone meal)  in order for them to get the nutrition their bodies and bones need during the massive growth spurt they will be going through for the next 12 months.    Despite the very clever (and expensive) marketing - kibble is in fact the worst food to give a dog  - and especially a puppy  -  it was/is made for the convenience of the owner  - NOT for the health of the puppy.  I am not even going to mention all the artificial vitamins and minerals that have been added because whatever nutrition was in the food to begin with has been destroyed by the manufacturing processes.

In fact dogs only need protein and fat in order to survive  - although some berries (raspberries, blackberries, cranberries etc) and a little pureed low starch veg like broccoli, spinach, cauli, asparagus, kale etc will give them added phytonutrients.

No healthy dog will willingly starve itself  - so if you wait long enough and withhold proper food,  your pup will eventually eat what is there   -  it does not mean however that what she is eating is the best thing for her.

Try her on some commercial puppy raw food (preferably with crushed bone added) - add in  things like very lightly scrambled egg  but  then just whisking a raw egg into the food  for added nutrition.     Just as an experiment  put two bowls of food down  - one her usual kibble  - and the other  some raw minced meat with a whisked raw egg in if you want  -  give her the choice of the two bowls and see what she goes for.

I freely admit I am biased against kibble  and very pro  raw feeding  -  but then again I have 4 years of dog nutrition training and studying to back up my beliefs.

If you wish to learn about real nutrition your pup obviously wants  - I will happily send you loads of information/lists of articles etc  - they are already on this site if you search for it.

 

 

 

[Kish07]

Hey @wolfpupthank you very much for taking the time to provide helpful and meaningful feedback and suggestions. I changed her food yesterday to Freshpet (grain free) chicken and egg with garden vegs (I mean it sounds good but she went berserk for it).

 

Knowing you advised raw, would Freshpets chicken recipe be ok? Alternatively I will get her some raw minced beef and bone with some scrambled eggs. I'm not overly cautious about her cost of food just whats best for her.

 

Also, I know human food isn't for dogs but is there sometype of a cheat meal that I can give her that she can eat without having to go to the doctors? Medial rare steak? Sausage and mash?

[wolfpup]

I checked it out as far as I could  - they omit any sort of food analysis on their site.   It appears to be a massive step up from kibble  - however even though you say money is not an issue  - it will work out very expensive the bigger she gets  - just a thought.    One thing to check on the new food - is it designed for puppies?    Puppies need about 15% more protein and added calcium  than an adult dog.

There is nothing wrong with 'human food'  -  providing there are no chemical/spice additives to it   i.e.  a lamb chop is fine  -  a chicken curry, fish & chips or a commercial burger is not  -  common sense must prevail.    Mashed potatoes is not good  -  white potatoes are very high in starch and actually contain very little nutrition for a dog.  Sausages are ok as a small treat - but are extremely high in fat (saturated fat) and usually contain many additives.

Why go to the doctors  (vets)?   Is she poorly?    Vets are not well trained in nutrition  -  and what training they do get is usually provided by the major pet food manufacturers.

I will message you for your email address  (not a good idea to post it on an open forum) and send you a list of articles which will give you a good basic knowledge of feeding   - including what nutrition is in what meat/vegetable/herbs etc.    One thing to remember is that dogs do not chew their food   (they eat first and ask questions later)  their mouths and teeth are designed to tear meat and swallow - preferably as fast as possible  -  and chunks of vegetables will go through their digestive system largely undigested   -  give her some peas and chunks of carrot and the next day you will see them deposited on the ground largely as they went in.   Vegetables need to be pureed preferably  - or very finely chopped/minced  in order for the dog to be able to get the maximum amount of nutrition from them.

Most dogs are fed large amounts of chicken (cheapest meat)  -  but the poor chicken is one of the most unbalanced meats on the planet  (closely followed by pork)  - purely because of the way we feed them.  A wild chicken would be eating loads of insects and worms and even small amphibians (frogs  -  and even mice etc) -  we feed them wheat/corn/oats/barley/ and genetically modified soya.    One of my boy's went into anaphylactic shock after eating chicken  -  but he can eat a day old chick with impunity  -  he is not allergic to chicken  but IS allergic to soya, corn, wheat, and oats  - he reacted to what the chicken had eaten in its lifetime before becoming his dinner.   The old addage "you are what you eat" is actually true.

Having said that  - it is relatively easy to balance out chicken with the addition of fresh  WHOLE fish  -  mackerel, sardine or herring.    Also you could use about 1/16th of a teaspoon of organic chlorella mixed into the meal.

In short  - raw meat/veg is best, but either home cooked  or commercial cooked is also far superior to either tinned or kibble  - so you have made a massive step forward in providing your gorgeous girl proper nutrition.