I have found that many people do not consider the ingredients in the dog food that they buy for their dog. In fact, many look for the cheapest food out there. I’m hoping I can help convince you to look a little closer at the food you feed your pet.
Jazz has issues with grain - specifically, corn. When I got her, she had very little fur on her front paws. She came to me on Eukanuba Sensitive Skin. I began talking with many of my Shiba friends about the fact that her feet weren’t getting any better. The first thing mentioned to me was that Jazz might have a corn allergy. I began doing some research and found out that there are several lines of Shibas that have developed this allergy. I looked at the ingredients of what I had been feeding and while there was not any corn, she was still scratching and her feet looked awful. The formulation might work for dogs just diagnosed, but Jazz’s paws were callused.
I wanted something with a bit more protein.
Eukanuba Sensitive Skin (www.eukanuba.com) :
Nutrient (percent)
Crude Protein not less than 23.00 %
Crude Fat not less than 13.00 %
Crude Fiber not more than 5.00 %
Moisture not more than 10.00 %
Vitamin E not less than 140 IU/kg
Omega-6 Fatty Acids not less than 2.0 %*
Omega-3 Fatty Acids not less than 0.4 %*
After research & recommendations, I decided to try Solid Gold, Barking at the Moon (www.solidgoldhealth.com)
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein, min 41%
Crude Fat, min 20%
Crude Fiber, max 4%
Moisture, max 10%
The first thing I noticed was Jazz ate her food so fast! She really, really liked it. Based on recommendations from some great shiba pals, I also decided to begin a food rotation. The main reason is because of protein levels. I’ve also noticed that most dogs get “bored” eating the same thing day in and day out.
The next on the rotation was Innova Evo, Small Red Bites.
www.evopet.com
Crude Protein (min) 42%
Crude Fat (min) 22%
Crude Fiber (max) 2.5%
Moisture (max) 10%
Linoleic Acid (Omega-6 Fatty Acids) (min) 1.2%
Carbohydrates NFE (max) 15%
Vitamin E (min) 300 IU/kg
Vitamin C (min) 500 mg/kg
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min) 0.4%
Docosahexaenoic Acid (min) 0.1%
Total Microorganisms (min) 90,000,000 CFU/lb
Calorie Content: 4,370 kcal/kg 527 kcal/cup
Small Red Bites are a staple on our rotation for a couple of reasons: Jazz always eats her Evo and it is easy to find local to me. We now rotate one bag of Evo in-between every other bag.
In the early days of rotation, I also picked up Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance. This was predominately due to it being a lot more accessible. At the publication of this blogpost, I could not get the website to come up so that I could provide the nutrition information.
www.naturalbalanceinc.com
Jazz was not as fond of the Natural Balance Dry Food, so I took it off of rotation. She loves the rolls and we use those as training treats because we can cut them up into smaller pieces.
The next brand that we use sparingly is Merrick’s Before Grain Buffalo. Jazz adores this, but it is not easy for me to find it local. When I drive into the city, I swing by one of the places that sells it.
www.merrickpetcare.com/store/before_grain.php
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (Not Less Than) 32.0%
Crude Fat (Not Less Than) 15.0%
Crude Fiber (Not More Than) 3.0%
Moisture (Not More Than) 11.0%
Calorie Content:3581 kcal/kg (calculated)
One pound provides 1625 kcal of metabolizable energy (calculated). One cup (100 grams) provides 383 calories. (Caloric content calculated using Modified Atwater Method).
Our most recent addition to Jazz’s rotation is Earthborn Holistic’s Primitive Natural. This is carried by my closest supply store, so I am thrilled Jazz likes this. In addition, if you send your UPC’s to them, they plant trees. It’s a neat marketing gimmick and I send in my UPC’s - currently, they’ve planted 32,800 trees. Everytime, I have going in to my local store to buy this brand, there’s been a coupon attached to it.
www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com
Crude Protein, not less than 38.00%
Crude Fat, not less than 20.00%
Crude Fiber, not more than 2.50%
Moisture, not more than 10.00%
Vitamin E, not less than 200 IU/kg
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), not less than 0.10%*
Omega-6 Fatty Acids, not less than 3.30%*
Omega-3 Fatty Acids, not less than 0.55%*
L-Carnitine, not less than 15 mg/kg*
*Not recognized as an essential ingredient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.
5184 kilo-calories per kg 717 kilo-calories per cup
We have also tried out Acana’s Pacifica - Jazz liked it, but I haven’t found a great local provider yet. We are still on the lookout for a consistent provider. http://www.championpetfoods.com/acana/show-product.php?formulation=pfd
We tried Jazz on Orijen 6-fish, but chose not to continue because of the gaseous emissions from Jazz. It was unbearable and since she sleeps in my bedroom, it was simply easier to stop feeding her this than wear a gas mask to bed every night during the rotation. http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/products/6fishdogAnalysis.aspx
Crude Protein (min) 40.0%
Crude Fat (min) 18.0%
Crude Fiber (max) 3.0%
Moisture (max.) 10.0%
Calcium (min.) 1.5%
Calcium (max.) 1.7%
Phosphorus (min.) 1.2%
Phosphorus (max.) 1.4%
*Omega-6 (min.) 3.0%
*Omega-3 (min.) 1.2%
*DHA 0.7%
*EPA 0.3%
*Carbohydrate (max.) 20.0%
*Glucosamine (min.) 1200 mg/kg
*Chondroitin (min.) 900 mg/kg
Microorganisms (min.) 120M cfu/kg
Well, this is what makes up Jazz’s rotation - what do you do?
