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When you see a chunk of meat packaged in such a portion size, how can you NOT think it’s obviously meant for a lucky dog?
On Tinkerwolf.com, the blog of a raw-fed Chihuahua named Ted, the Bows were recently featured as #151 and #152 of 1000 raw-fed dogs that the blog author aims to collect.
If you’d like to submit pictures of your dog for their ongoing project, click here.
Speaking of tinkering… I’m trying to make some improvements to the dogs’ diets, as I realize I’m all over the map about what and how I feed them. I compiled a list of every brand and type of protein that the Bows have eaten for main meals over the years, and was a little boggled by the length of my own list.
Here’s my rundown of what the Bows have eaten, in no particular order. Bolded brands are in regular rotation:
Hill’s Science Diet (Bowdu’s first years)
Eukanuba
Kibbles ‘n’ Bits Wholesome Medley (Bowpi with her previous owner)
Natural Balance
Canidae
Blue Buffalo
Taste of the Wild
Wellness
Orijen
Acana
Timberwolf
EVO
Primal Raw
Smallbatch
Sojos
Grandma Lucy’s
Honest Kitchen
Freshpet / Vital
lamb (cooked and raw)
salmon (cooked, also roe)
pork (cooked and raw)
raw turkey (especially necks, tails, organs)
raw chicken (all parts)
raw whole sardines
raw whole mackerel
raw whole anchovies
raw smelt (rejected by both dogs)
raw quail
raw ostrich
X beef X (neither dog has done well at ALL with beef, either raw, cooked, or in kibble form)
raw duck
raw rabbit
raw grinds from Creston Valley Meat (combos of the aforementioned) with supplements
Castor & Pollux Organix
Halo
Great Life
Fromm
Pinnacle
By Nature
… and home-cooked mishmashes of the occasional appropriate leftovers from human dinners.
Though I maintain that variety and a healthy combination of fresh foods is good for them, I think I’m leaning too hard on supplements to round out their nutritional needs. They appear to be doing well on whatever they’re eating now… but I’m reaching for better.
I don’t do too much in terms up supplementing. There is a wide variety of supplements I’ve used, but the mainstays are the salmon oil and vitamin E (I’m pretty sure I’ve told you this close to ten million times now). Those I always use, as Conker does best when they are included in his food. I do regularly use ground roasted chicory root and probiotics, but I don’t exactly consider those supplements anymore. Instead, they are sort of a necessity with Conker. Sometimes I forget that he really does have some nasty digestive issues, since without those, feeding him with any consistency would be nigh impossible.
I really like to use a good variety of foods, but not exactly for variety’s sake. Everything offers different nutrients and I don’t like using the same recipe over and over. Same with kibbles. I’ve done some analysis on a couple brands that I’ve been able to get the full nutrient profiles on and they are ALL OVER the place. Some brands like Fromm have a good amount of consistency in nutrients, but others like Nature’s Variety are just crazy in how much they vary. So,when feeding commercial, I think rotating varieties and/or brands is a good idea, just in case one is way high or low in something.
I should do a list of everything Conker’s eaten. That would be fun.
The real question is where do you get meat that cheap!!!
I think it was a special discount owing to the odd portion size (0.28 pounds — not exactly a practical portion for any human). I don’t think I ever see meaty lamb cuts below $4.99 a pound here.
Thank you for posting the link, definitely the best photo of teeth so far!
Have you ever tried the Bows with tripe? It’s so smelly it takes your breath but Ted loves it, lots of sniffing the air when I’m getting a portion ready for him!
They have not tried tripe yet mainly due to my concern about how both dogs react to beef products… though I guess green tripe is more about the enzyme-rich contents of ruminant stomach than the actual meat, right? Okay, I’m just being lazy about tracking it down.
GreenTripe.com is local enough that there are a few stores that stock their products. Smelly or not, I’m willing to give it a go.
I suspect they will be ok regardless of their issue with beef. But don’t say I didn’t warn you about the smell, liver is like a breath of fresh air after tripe
That’s quite a list you have there!