Right now there's a can of Iams wet dog food that I'm trying to get rid of because Butters is certainly NOT eating that crap. However, it is hard to give it away because I can't tell people the reason I'm giving it away is that it's not good enough for my dog. I DO hate to see it go to waste though.
Yesterday, Sprite and I went to Pet People to find treats for Butters. He is definitely more interested in obeying us if we have tantalizing treats. I'm not a fan of dog biscuits because I read that carbohydrates are not part of a dog's natural diet. It defeats the whole purpose of buying awesome dog food that doesn't contain wheat and corn only to have them pop up in doggy biscuits. So in the end, I settled on Real Meat Beef Jerky Treats and Fruitables Pumpkin & Blueberry Mix. The latter serves in place of biscuit treats because the main ingredient is pumpkin instead of some type of flour.
My main criteria when selecting food for Butters is that it has to be as close to natural as possible. Neither one of the treats has artificial preservatives and the Beef Jerky Treats, after I cut it up to little pieces, will last us a long time.
On dog food, currently Butters is on Blue Buffalo's puppy formula. I will discontinue that as soon as he's done because it contains tomato pomace (pomace is the leftover pulp, skin and seeds) which can stain bichon, maltese and poodle's hair since these breeds typically have tear staining problems. Otherwise, I think Blue Buffalo's a pretty good brand. I have a $5 coupon that expires at the end of this year if anyone wants it.
On switching dog foods: there's a lot of debate on the level of sensitivity of dogs' digestive tracts and the ensuing debate revolves around whether they should be fed table scraps and whether they should always eat one type of kibble. In my opinion, I don't think table scraps encourage begging or upset their digestive tracts, too much. Begging is a behavior that can be corrected with discipline and upset digestive tracts...well, how much human food is the dog really ingesting each time? Moderation is key. Plus, my experience in China showed me that dogs that eat table scraps have gorgeous gorgeous shiny coats that amazed even me. Subjectively, sharing food is a chance to bond with them and train them.
As for eating one type of kibble, I just don't buy it. Are modern dogs really so pathetic as being able to handle only one type of food all their lives? I read somewhere that it's a good idea to switch kibble and rotate the main type of protein in the listed ingredients to prevent dogs from developing an allergy to it. I don't know how much eating one thing really contributes to future allergies, but on getting more nutrients out of food, it certainly makes sense to rotate different types of food. I don't like it when half of the ingredient list is made up of added vitamins and minerals. If the food is well rounded, then vitamins and minerals should be part of the food already without being additional ingredients.
All this to say that for Butters, I think I'm going to rotate through Orijen and Innova. The presence of tomato pomace in many dog foods helps me narrow things down quite a bit. I am such a huge fan of Orijen food. Price-wise, it is comparable to a lot of the higher-end dog food. OTOH, one can actually read/pronounce most of the ingredients on the list. According to the company, the ingredients are fresh and never preserved. Other than the puppy and senior formula, the company also produces an Adult formula, which is like a different formulation of the puppy formula based mainly on chicken, Regional Red with a focus on red meats, and 6Fish which is self-explanatory. Orijen also has the advantage of containing higher calories/kg than most dog food, so dogs can eat less and feel more full. And Innova is a decent substitute.
As for real food, we found that Butters is not a fan of carrots, but definitely likes cabbage, mangoes, avocado, shrimp, and pork. In moderation, of course.
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