[Bobby dog]

ResueDaneMom that’s a good tip. Making it in advance would give it a chance to completely soak up the H2O.

This mornings serving was a different consistency by the time I served it for dinner. All the ingredients had a chance to soak up the H2O so it was thicker, not as oatmealy (is that a word?). It was perfect though because I was able to warm dinner up with H2O. Bobby was happy with both the fresh mix and his dinner serving so it was fine either way for him. Just something to keep in mind.

[Bobby dog]

Jakes mom:
Right back at ya!! Sounds like Jake had a good Mother’s Day snack. 😉

[Bobby dog]

Yes Akari, to get the consistency you want it will be easy by mixing it that way.

[Bobby dog]

Thanks for the mixing tips RescueDaneMom! 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Akari:
I just fed some Love this morning and Bobby got really excited when I let him have a taste before I mixed it with his kibble. At first he gently licked it and I looked away for a second, next thing you know he took a big gulp. lol My fault for letting him taste test.

I followed C4c’s mixing and kept it about a 1 to 3 ratio. It was a oatmealy consistency, I put the rest in the fridge. I just gave him his dinner and I added about 4T of warm H2O and mixed it to about the same consistency as this morning; down the hatch it went. I will need to mix some more tomorrow and I also need to re-check the feeding instructions to make sure I am not giving him too much food.

I’ll probably feed it as a topper for the next three days then switch to something else. I’ll store it as RescueDaneMom suggests in a ziplock baggy. Overall, big hit with Bobby and it was really fast and easy to prepare; I am a first time user of HK.

[Bobby dog]

Bobby’s rotation is the same as BCn’s. I buy small bags of kibble so I can rotate foods often. He can switch cold turkey at any time for toppers, whole foods, freeze dried/dehydrated, or kibbles. I feed anything from 3 to 5 star wet/dry foods so protein/fiber/fat levels change with each food. Most of the time Bobby gets samples of other kibbles during a rotation with no issues. So far it doesn’t matter what the protein is and I feed grain inclusive and GF in hopes of avoiding any food intolerances. I am in the process of finding raw foods that Bobby enjoys as well; again no issues other than his taste buds. lol He has never had any issues with transitions since I began rotation feeding in Sept ’13.

[Bobby dog]

I can’t compete with Akari, I just picked up one Wellness and one Holistice select canned food for my cats at $1.00 off/each.

FYI:
coupons.com has the following coupons posted:
$4.00 off any Nature’s Recipe (Petsmart) dry 4 lbs. or larger
$2.00 off any Nutro Ultra dry 4 lbs. or larger
B3G1 free Nutro Ultra Boost trays
$1.50 off 5 Iams Woof Delights

[Bobby dog]

C4c:
Too funny because I thought the same thing! :0 That’s partly why I posted it because we have been talking about making our kibbles a little more wholesome and this was posted on a dog food site so I just assumed it was a cookbook for dogs. When I saw the pictures I thought OMG do people really make their dog food look that appetizing? Then I re-read the intro and started laughing at myself. My meals are definately not that pretty either. But, I will be checking out the recipes, especially the desserts.

FYI:
coupons.com has $4.00 off Nature’s Recipe 4 lbs or larger any variety dry dog food (Petsmart), $2.00 off Nutro Ultra any variety 4 lbs or larger dry dog food, B3G1 free Nutro Ultra Boost trays, $1.50 off 5 Iams Woof Delights, Sheba $3.00 off 24 cans, a couple Fancy Feast, and $5.00 off Blue Natural Litter (any size) coupons. I know Akari already gave us a review (not so good) of the Blue litter, but just throwing it out there any way.

Cheers 😉

[Bobby dog]

Happy Friday:
Alright, I offered the Primal Chic & Salmon to my other cats and they won’t touch it. Only one kitty likes it, not even the two that like NV medallions wanted to try it. Oh well, Archie gets it all for himself.

On another note, since we are incorporating an ABC menu for our dogs, here is a menu for us from Castor & Pollux: 😉
http://www.castorpolluxpet.com/our-products/promotions

[Bobby dog]

I will whip some up in a few days; I am sure he will enjoy it, he’s a good eater if nothing else. lol He has a can of Weruva to finish up first.

Bobby finished his chew. I have to write Bobby only chews on his stuffed or squeaky toys, so he does chew on a few things. I am going to get some more for him since he loved it. 🙂

I never ordered from them before so I would never had known about the HK sale. So thanks again for the info on the deal Akari!! 🙂

[Bobby dog]

I got my order this afternoon! Bobby is chewing on his Castor & Pollux buffalo chew as I am writing this. He never chews on anything, he really is enjoying himself!! 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Hi neezerfan:
BCn reminded us it is important to let the food rise to room temperature first before opening the bag to avoid any moisture build-up which could spoil the food. I have to say before she gave me this advice I did just open up a bag I grabbed from the freezer and serve it up. Thank goodness it didn’t spoil, now I know.

[Bobby dog]

Akari:
Yuck!!! Poor Kitty. How are you treating it?

Hey C4c:
I think you’re right, Forti Flora. When I researched probiotics on some blogs most posters did not recommend it because of the ingredients; they called it kitty crack. However, it was not completely snubbed because most posters also agreed it worked like a charm to get a cat to eat if all else failed. General consensus was there were better choices. I don’t remember what the ingredients are so I will just have to check it out for myself.

The one thing I did find is raw feeders used probiotics daily. They mentioned sprinkling 1/2 capsule 2 times a day of acidophilus + bifidus capsules, but I just haven’t had time to really check it out.

I was hoping for a human probiotic so I could use it for Bobby (or even me) if needed. Of course I will buy one for cats if I can’t find one, just hoping to find an all purpose product if possible. lol

The other probiotic suggested was plain yogurt. 1 teaspoon before each meal, 3 t max a day. I think I will try that also, I believe they will eat that with no problem.

I can’t feed my female kitty or one of my male cats’ gravy or sauces for the same reason. The common ingredient that I suspect does not agree with them are starches. If I happen to buy something with gravy or sauces, they don’t get to eat any. 🙁

[Bobby dog]

Jakes mom:
Jake must have the best floppy ears. I can’t even imagine two better breeds with nice floppy ears. 🙂

Today was Bobby’s egg day! He does love egg day.

Hey Akari:
I love the Bentley snuggle pic! Poor baby, we used a flea collar on my childhood dog. I never used one for my JRT because many years ago consumers were warned about the possible side effects of some flea collars. Some brands use questionable chemicals. The before and after pictures are pretty telling, you did the right thing by taking it off immediately. They do have herbal flea collars on the Only Natural Pet Website.

I have never heard of stud tail before.

My suggestion on the fur loss would be to look into a probiotic. I was going to wait to update you guys, but here’s my update on feeding my hyperthyroid kitty a probiotic. I started giving him about 2T/day of kefir beginning April 11. He has dry skin which can be a side effect of his daily meds. I have treated his dry skin both internally and externally with organic unrefined coco oil. During the winter it got a little out of hand because of the heat and him staying indoors most of the time. I took him to the Vet, we discussed treatment options. I opted for antibiotics and medicated creme; it helped.

I also started researching possible home remedies other than coco oil. This led me to probiotics. I found info stating when a cat’s gut is in a weakened state probiotics is needed. Antibiotics can contribute to a weakened gut because it kills beneficial bacteria living there. He was also treated prior to the fall with antibiotics for a cut that got infected; this also could have contributed to what he is experiencing with his skin and fur now. A few signs of a weak gut include skin and fur conditions. So I decided to try kefir since I could drink it and I could give it to Bobby and Archie too. Long story short (I know, too late), it’s been almost a month and his skin and fur has improved a great deal. He now has peach fuzz growing on the several bald spots he was licking. The skin is not red and irritated looking, it is healing. I even took pictures at the start of my kefir trial. It really made a difference although he is not eating it as willingly as he was before.

I have been slowly researching probiotics for cats; I just haven’t come up with any recommendations for a human grade one that I could mix in his food or how much to dose. Since Archie has shown such an improvement in his fur and skin, I want to start giving it to my other senior kitty whose fur is not as full as it used to be. He just had a check-up recently, including blood work, and everything came back excellent. The one thing that I think may have affected his fur is at the start of the fall he had a cold and he was prescribed a round of antibiotics. His gut may still be out of whack, IDK. This kitty wants nothing to do with kefir so that is also why I need to find a probiotic other than kefir for him.

Maybe the chemicals from the flea collar put a strain on Kitty’s system internally, IDK just a thought. That’s my kefir and kitty story so far.

Another option for treating pets with fleas is using food grade dematiaceous earth as a flea powder for your kitty; it is inexpensive. Many people use it on their animals both internally and externally for parasites. It does not kill fleas immediately; it damages their exoskeleton which causes their death. You can also use it on floors, bedding, or anything else your pet may use to kill fleas. I feed it to my horses and I also use it as a flea powder. You can find a lot of info about DE and using it on your pets on the Internet.

[Bobby dog]

Hey Naturella:
I was just going to suggest what Akari suggested, freeze them or some of it, if you are able to. I know not everyone has freezer space. I have some freezer space, not much, and when I began rotating I didn’t take the large bag-lack of variety-thing into consideration for a medium sized dog. So I did buy some large bags at first because of course it is more economical. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a big bag if my budget called for it now either, but with sales/coupons I have been doing pretty well. I do have part of a large bag of food in the freezer now that I will finish soon.

I am on a very tight budget too so I know how it is. With Akari’s tips on sales/couponing I have been able to buy small bags at just a little more per pound than I would pay for large bags.

Eventually when I settle into more of a steady rotation, depending on how my finances are, I will probably buy a few large bags of food (more economical) he does well on and then throw in some small bags of other brands for a rotation. Who knows, it all depends on what Bobby needs and does well on.

Not that I am encouraging you to buy more food or anything….lol Anyway, Bruno looks great from the photos you share! His dark fur looks nice & shiny and he looks like he is a perfect weight.

[Bobby dog]

Awwwww, what a lucky Bruno!!!!

Since September I have been rotating foods and only have bought small bags. There are so many I want to try I can only imagine how you feel trying to finish up those large bags! lol I have a spreadsheet noting how he did and if he liked the foods so I definately could have a more limited rotation at this point, but I just can’t do it until we’ve tried as many as possible. Most importantly, Bobby is doing well and seems to like the variety. lol

[Bobby dog]

I ordered all flavors, I agree it is a good deal even with $4.95 S&H. I have not tried HK and am only interested in feeding it as a topper so this is a great buy!!! Looks like on their website the 2 lb starter boxes range in price from $15.99 to $24.99. I ordered some Castor & Pollux chews too.

[Bobby dog]

Hey Jakes mom:
I have to agree, fabulous and easy to follow download!! I hope more people that feed kibble look into it.

I have not done a full day yet, and who knows I may never get around to it! lol Someday I will, grocery day is coming soon! So far I have only fed the items throughout the week. And I adjusted the kibble and canned as you mentioned; it’s an easy adjustment with the chart.

The only ingredient left for Bobby to taste test (and like) is a heart meat. Chicken didn’t go over well, although he does eat the chicken gizzards/heart mix I bought earlier in the month; he just doesn’t eat it enthusiastically. I will keep sampling meats until I find something he likes, no big deal. If nothing else, I know he loves ground beef. But adding the other ingredients has gone well.

And of course it all depends on Bobby. I’ll try an ABC day and if he doesn’t care for it or it doesn’t agree with him I will just continue to feed the items throughout the week.

Bobby just brought me his slobbery bear toy…yuck!

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
I know this may be a silly question, but have you introduced her to the world of pet food coupons and signing up for e-mail promotions at various websites? Does she know how to become an equal opportunity pet food sale shopper and to check out Internet sites as well as pet store sales? lol Can’t wait to read your “off course I have silly” response, but I have to ask.

[Bobby dog]

Never mind, I read your question too fast lol. I’ll check it out later tonight.

[Bobby dog]

Wet or dry?

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
FYI, I know you were looking for an ingredient list and someone just posted this link for Pure Balance info:

http://www.walmart.com/cp/Pure-Balance/1097490?povid=cat202072-env999999-module012814-PUREBALANCEitembadge

[Bobby dog]

Jakes mom:
Even though the bones were cut small I think they were weight bearing bones as well. Oh well, all is well and now I know better.

I was sad when my JRT outgrew her toys and jealous when my friend’s dogs never outgrew that phase. Now I have Bobby and I think he will forever be a puppy. He loves all of his toys; in the house he carries them around all of the time. He goes absolutely nuts at Christmas when he gets them. I wrap them up and he goes crazy tearing off the paper because he knows what’s in there. I always tell him to grow up! lol

[Bobby dog]

Jakes mom:
I am not sure who is enjoying the RMB’s more at this point, you or Jake! lol I have tried some soup bones before; I am not even sure if they are appropriate. This was before I took an interest in what I was feeding Bobby and my cats.

Bobby’s a funny little dude because chewing on the bone or eating the raw meat off of it didn’t really interest him, he just wanted to bury them. He buries anything you give him outside though, even biscuits. He doesn’t even chew on bullysticks. He does chew like a maniac on his squeaky or plush toys. He’s four years old and has the most beautiful white teeth you have ever seen and I do not brush them.

I am still going to go for the beef heart but what I am really interested in trying is a turkey neck. Maybe a different texture may interest him, IDK. I will check out everything that is out though because you never know what you will come across.

These updates make me want to go grocery shopping sooner! Thank you so much for the updates though, they are helpful for me!!!! 😉

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
I have had some cats that like to play rough and they pretty much grew out of it as they got a little older. Although every one of the cats that liked to take a swat at someone walking by usually had that habit until the day they died. Lol IMO it is tempting to play rough with them when they do it, but it only contributes to the problem.

I would suggest not scratching him too much in the places that seem to excite him, always play gentle with him, and when he gets excited from scratching or begins to play rough just stop interacting with him; send him away from you if necessary. I would also not scratch or play with him for a longer period of time when he behaves this way. Instead of a couple minutes try 10 or 15.

Kittens and young cats have an abundance of energy and it sounds like you have provided plenty of toys for him, you give him attention, and most importantly Bentley gives him attention! It has been my experience as they mature they tend to become gentler. Maybe someone else will have some better advice for you but this is all I got for you. 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Hi all:
I just fed my hyperthyroid kitty a meal of Primal freeze dried chic & salmon and he loved it! I was only going to feed him a small amount on top of his usual canned but he seemed to enjoy it so much I ended up giving him about half of the amount suggested for his weight. I want to make sure it agreed with him before I fed him the suggested amount. So far so good, that was about 2 hours ago.

I am going to offer it to my other kitties but I don’t have high hopes. They are very picky.

I got a 5.5 oz bag on sale for $3.00. That flavor wasn’t selling so it was on the clearance rack. It took longer to rehydrate than I expected and was easy to prepare.

[Bobby dog]

That’s good Akari, I got frustrated looking for something as low as EVO and it isn’t even for my cat! lol So this might not be as frustrating for you as I thought.

And you are right they are all pricey; that old saying comes to mind you pay for what you get. But, it’s not too bad considering we are not feeding alot of it. 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Jakes mom:
Glad everything is okay, sulking is good! Jake is a chicken back eating machine!! 😉 Bobby didn’t want to go outside today for a walk because it is cold, rainy, and windy. He said he is much too delicate for this weather! lol

Akari:
I think you have a tall order to fill. I was just tooling around the Internet to check out GF, no fish, low carb dry cat food and I don’t think there are any; well there are a few. The few I found with the lowest carbs are California Nat’l, EVO, Solid Gold (forget which one), and some Vet formulas.

They aren’t the most budget friendly, but they might not break the bank either with a reduced feeding schedule.

What carb % are you looking for? You might have to change your criteria a little bit in regards to fish and carb %’s.

[Bobby dog]

Akari:
Yes, the DFA carb formula is the same as the carb calc, I just like double checking.

Contact Simply Nourish and get exact amounts though, because it really could make a difference; especially with how you intend to feed dry. And if it ends up meeting your criteria, it is one more budget friendly dry food to add to your list.

Remember, this is a list I started and never completed (as with so many things I start haha) so I don’t know the carbs & prices. So basically it is a list of dry GF cat food without fish and %’s of protein, fat & fiber. Here it is:

Dry Food:
Wellness Core GF Turkey & Duck 38, 18, 6
Merrick Purrfect Bistro GF Chicken 40, 14, 5
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Healthy GF Chic 38.5, 11, 7
Nature’s Variety Instinct GF LID Turkey 35, 18, 3.5
Precise Holistic Complete GF – Turkey & Chicken 38, 20, 3
Precise Holistic Naturals GF – Chicken 38, 20, 3
Simply Nourish (Petsmart) GF Chicken 36, 16, 5.5

Sold to Mars end of 2014:
California Natural GF Chicken Cat & Kitten 42, 16, 3
Innova Nat Table GF Chic & Turkey 42, 20, 3.5

[Bobby dog]

C4c:
That’s why I love feeding it, it is in more of a natural form and my cats really do enjoy it.

I don’t worry about leftovers even if it is 12 hours before they are fed again. For me it depends on the weather and seasons.

I feed them in my basement in the winter and summer (there’s a cat door); that’s their preference as well. Since the basement is cool I am comfortable with the food being left in the bowl for that long and mixing what is left over (if any) to their dinner.

In the fall and spring they like eating on the porch so what I feed during these seasons depends on the temperature. If it’s still cool I don’t mind leftovers. When it’s hot I don’t want any left overs so for breakfast I feed what I know they will eat. Sometimes I can feed three times a day depending on my schedule, but I still don’t want any left overs during hot days because it may get rancid. In the evening if there are any left overs I cover the dish in a plastic bag and stick it in the fridge to feed in the morning.

Those are my deciding factors. You could always save the shreds just for the days you are home too. Eating shredded chicken a few days a week may be enough of a variety for them! 🙂

[Bobby dog]

C4c:
I forgot to add a comment about the chicken shreds. My cats do love those recipes and there is not alot of shreds left when they are done eating just some. I just think they get tired of trying to get every last morsel. When I feed them later (always a different food) I just mix the few shreds that may be left over into the pate’. I would probably feel it was wastefull to feed those foods if that was the only food I fed. Since it isn’t I just consider it another flavor/variety for the rotation that they will actually eat. lol

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
I have Wellness Core, Merrick GF chicken, and Innova Nature’s Table in my rotation. As I wrote earlier I am going to look into something to replace Innova since Mar’s will be buying them out, I think at the end of the year. I know recalls will happen and no company is immediately out of consideration because of them, but how they handle them is important.

Merrick and Innova go on sale here and there (nothing spectacular) and of course I use coupons for Wellness. If I fed a large amount of kibble to my cats I could not feed these brands due to the prices. For budget purposes maybe you need to tweek your criteria regarding kibble for now (as long as Kitty does well) and if a food is in your price range that has some fish in the recipe and meets all of your other criterias, consider it for your rotation. Then, keep looking for other options without fish.

Wellness Turkey & Duck does not have fish meal and I believe (not positive) that the indoor chicken formula does not, the kitten has it and I am not sure about the regular chicken.

I do have a list of several dry foods that don’t have fish meal but I have not looked into them as far as carbs, price etc. If you would like me to share them with you I will post them; it’s a starting point if nothing else.

Here’s the DFA link to the carb formula. It is just a subtraction formula, pretty simple. To be accurate you would have to call a company and ask for “as fed” % and also the true ash %. You might want to try contacting Simply Nourish and ask for as fed %’s & ash %’s for their recipes before you rule them out.

/choosing-dog-food/dog-food-carbohydrate-content/

C4c:
Now I know how it feels, walk a mile in someone’s shoes isn’t that how the saying goes? I guess I’ll be jealous of your TJ’s and you can be jealous of my TSC and we can call it even. lol 😉

[Bobby dog]

I love it when I hear any of my guys rummaging around up to shenanigans! I love catching them in the act, it makes me laugh too!

You should probably double check my calculations. I used the DFA’s carb formula and I also ran it through the carb calculator, same answers both times but I am not a math wiz. Lol

If it was me, the deciding factor would be how often I feed it. If I was going to feed one kibble with no rotation, I would not feed anything with fish; if it was part of a rotation I would consider feeding it. But, that’s just my crazy thought process! 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Awwwwww, that’s what my cat Pauly does at the Vet’s office. Did you see him up there right away or did you get the feeling you were being watched and found him looking back at you unexpectedly?

[Bobby dog]

I looked at the chicken & turkey Simply Nourish Source and EVO Turkey & Chicken Formula. Before I realized EVO lists carbs on their website I did my own calculations and came up with 10% carbs, they list max carbs of 12%; I wasn’t too far off. lol If I did my calculations right, Nourish has approximately 24% carbs. I believe your main concern is carbs and EVO wins for lower carbs. EVO has 10% more protein, 2% more fat, and 3% less fiber (good or bad depending on Kitty). EVO contains some fish, Herring is the 6th ingredient and Salmon meal is the 8th ingredient. EVO also contains a prebiotic (chicory root) and probiotics and Nourish just chicory root.
First five ingredients:
~ EVO – turkey, chicken, chicken meal, tapioca starch & chicken fat
50% protein, 22% fat, 2.5% fiber
~ Nourish – chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, dried potatoes & dried peas
40% protein, 18% fat, 5.5% fiber
I would say EVO is a better recipe, but Simply Nourish is nothing to sneeze at! Not sure, other than carbs, what you look for in dry cat food, but this is pretty much what I take into consideration for kibble. That’s my critique of the two! 😉

[Bobby dog]

Jakes mom:
That is awsome, a little patience right? I will be making a grocery store run soon so Bobby will have some of his own chicken backs to chew on! I hope it goes as well for him as it did for Jake. By the way, you are going to be good to go for the ABC day or multiple days (whatever you choose to do) when you do get a chance to download the PDF. 🙂 Positive thoughts being sent to you guys for the Vet visit.

Sharon:
I did try the Halo chicken with the same results. I will buy it again even if only one cat eats it, it’s a good food and the more variety the better. My cats only liked the pork Instinct. I agree there are always some chicken shreds left in the bowl from Soulistic, Weruva, Against the Grain, and Tiki cat foods. I keep them in my rotation (when there are sales!) for variety though.

I am glad to hear your little guy is better! Hopefully it is just a sensitive tummy. 🙂

Akari:
I am checking out those foods now. I will post again in a little while.

[Bobby dog]

Surburban Gal:
Thanks for sharing your cat food recs with us. All of us cat lovers appreciate it! 🙂

Sharon:
Please, no bragging about your proximity to Trader Joe’s!! lol

I agree with C4c, if diarrea and vomiting have been an on-going issue in the past and he is vomitting again for unknown reasons, I would take him to the Vet for a check-up & bloodwork. I just recently had both of my oldest cats in for bloodwork, fecal exams & urinalysis’. One is the hyperthyroid kitty the other has no issues, but it was time for his wellness visit. Both cats’ tests came back perfect so that was a big relief.

Only one of my cats will eat Halo and he leaves all the vegetables in the dish, too funny. None of them are too keen for Core canned foods; they prefer Wellness GF canned. They only go for EVO canned once in a while. It must be nice to be that picky and get away with it! 😉

Me and C4c are big fans of catinfo.org, that is our go to cat site!

No one should feel bad (I don’t) for feeding any brand of canned foods regardless of their financial status. As Dr. Pierson states on her website, she would recommend a canned food over feeding kibbles.

Unfortunately, cats tell us what they will eat. I know it is taking longer than I want to change my cats’ diet, but we have made great strides since September. The important part is to learn how to read labels so better choices can be made in regards to what our pets eat. Each grocery store brand/flavor I feed has a few undesirable ingredients, but are low in carbs to keep the UTI’s away, have a named meat as the 1st ingredient, most don’t have added colors, and all are void of grains, glutens, and starches. Who knows, I may always have to rotate in what I call “grocery store” canned foods, maybe not; time and my cats will tell! 😉

C4c:
I really don’t appreciate you bragging about your new TJ’s! lol I do have an Aldi’s near me but I know for a fact it is not anywhere near a TJ’s shopping experience. I read somewhere, and this may just be an Internet rumor, that when Aldi’s and TJ’s split apart in Germany and each later came to the U.S. that they made an agreement that each company will only build in certain states. If that is true, I may never have a TJ’s close by. 🙁 I guess I will have to I buy the popcorn when I eventually make it there!!

AKari:
I will have to check out those foods later tonight, but do you have to choose between them or is one of them going to be purchased soon? Both are pretty good from what I remember! Also, this may be a stupid question so please forgive me in adavance, are we talking dog or cat food?

[Bobby dog]

Akari:
You are correct, Diamond only manufactures dry food.

[Bobby dog]

Sharon:
You never know, the new food might have upset his tummy. He is so lucky to be adopted by you at 10 years old!!!!

I agree the dyes and artificial flavorings are terrible in Purina canned cat foods. Fancy Feast Classic Turkey varieties & Kitten Whitefish, Pro Plan Finesse Chic & Liver & Friskies Poultry Platter don’t contain added color. Purina One and Sheba do, but I still include it in their rotation to keep them eating. I only have a few “grocery store” flavors to choose from once you limit it to low carbs, meat as the 1st ingredient, no starches, glutens, wheat, corn, or soy, and little to no fish. I wish they never got addicted to Purina, oh well. They have a much better diet now that I have more knowledge about pet food quality.

Trader Joe’s is on my list to try. The only TJ’s near me is about 20 miles away and right now I don’t travel in that direction. More than likely I will be this summer so I am going to try it out. If nothing else, I can mix it with better food to help with the budget if they aren’t too keen on it; and I can’t wait to shop there anyway!! I also want to try their dog food, Bench & Field I think is the name. 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Hi Sharon:
That is so funny your cats did not like the Wellness indoor, mine didn’t either! That has been the only dry food they wouldn’t eat since I changed how I fed them back in September. I gave it a try because it didn’t have fish meal and indoor formulas typically have a little more fiber which my kitties needed at the time, oh well. For dry I feed Wellness GF Turkey & Duck, Merrick GF chicken, and Innova Nature’s Table GF. I probably will not feed Innova after Mars completes the buyout. So I am going to try another dry cat food soon to add to their rotation.

I use Wellness canned also, but I have to continually rotate because they get bored with food. I use Friskees poultry platter, Wellness, Merrick, Evo, 4Health, Blue, Tiki Cat, Against the Grain, and Soulistic regularily. I just added a few flavors of Pro Plan, One, Fancy Feast and Sheba. I got tired of them snubbing their noses at expensive cat food so I am giving in to some grocery store foods that don’t have fish (or contain a little), wheat, corn, or soy and are low in carbs. Innova sent me some coupons for canned food and my cats liked it so I will add that to my rotation as well.

Jump over to the coupon thread Akari started for coupons and sales info! It’s under the “off topic forums.”

Akari:
Let us know how Kitty does on the yeast! 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
What’s the brewers yeast for?

[Bobby dog]

Hi Jakes mom:
Then you will really appreciate the download if you, like me, are not looking to dive into a full or partial raw diet. Commercial raws are expensive for both cats and dogs. My hypothyroid kitty likes NV medallions, but won’t eat it regularily. The cost of feeding all five cats commercial raw is something I could not afford.

I would rather prepare my own raw diet rather than use a commercial if I were to feed it anyway. I have been researching them and I need to gain more knowledge about the needed protein/fat/vitamin levels for dogs and cats to be sure I don’t over or under supplement and cause health problems. It is going to take much more time for me to research a raw diet to do it right and time is limited for me right now.

[Bobby dog]

Hi C4c:
Haven’t been on here all day. I was outside working then wouldn’t you know it the electricity went out for two hours just as it was turning dark. When it came back on there was no water in the barn. I am not a handyman by any means. After checking all the circuit breakers and having no luck I finally had an ah ha moment, reset the breakers in the barn, duh!

I have just been shopping at Wal-Mart, but it looks like I might have to check the grocery store for beef hearts. The Wal-Mart I shop at has a variety of fowl but I haven’t been able to find beef hearts the two times I looked. I will ask someone next time I am there to make sure they don’t have something in the back that maybe they don’t normally put on display.

I really have no recommendations for you as far as which meat; you can’t go by my brats! lol The chicken gizzards and hearts didn’t go over well in my house. I lightly boiled them, Bobby woofed them down, the cats still turned their noses up at them, sigh. Akari and Jakes mom seem to be having better luck introducing chicken to their crew than I have been! And it looks like Jake likes beef heart as well. I am going to try beef heart next. Who knows, Bobby and the cats may not like the meat raw so I may have to lightly cook it. We shall see, I will make adjustments as necessary.

I have not done a complete ABC day yet. The last item I need to introduce Bobby to is a heart or I guess liver. When I do introduce him to it I was just going to follow the 20% rule of thumb and just feed the usual amount of kibble. As soon as I find a heart meat (or some kind of meat) that Bobby likes then I will do a complete ABC day.

It looks like Jakes mom found the website that we needed so I think we will have all bases covered.

Jakes mom:
Good idea checking out that website. I will check it out tomorrow! Thanks 😉

[Bobby dog]

Jakes mom:
I forgot to add that you didn’t miss anything, we carried the conversation over from the review side. lol Sorry about that and glad you asked because if you do decide to download it I think you will really enjoy the info. 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Hello Katj813:
Along with the brand/recipe that crazy4cats mentioned, all of the 4Health canned food that HDM mentioned from Tractor Supply (both stewed and pate’ varieties) remain soft even after refrigeration. The salmon and lamb are the only pate’ styles, but they are not as dense as some other brands. If you find a can food firms up too much from refrigeration you can always add a few tablespoons of warm water to it to make it softer and easier to mix as well. 4Health is only 99 cents for 13.2 oz., very affordable!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Jakes mom:
It’s an awsome download you can find on Steve Brown’s website. I do want to purchase his book, but as you read above I probably will never go completely raw for various reasons. I downloaded his PDF a while ago and it explains very easily how to enhance any kibble (from Ol’ Roy to 5 stars) with vitamins through whole foods you can buy from the grocery store. I highly recommend it for $2.95, it is more than worth it! Here’s the link:

http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_41/see_spot_live_longer_the_abc_way___electronic_down.html

[Bobby dog]

Petco is offering free shipping with no minimum purchase today and tomorrow only & up to 40% on certain items.

Good time to try that small bag of food your regular pet store never carries!

[Bobby dog]

You’re welcome C4c!!! 🙂
I hope more people check it out. I understand tight/limited budgets and have to follow one myself. There are many books on my list to read, but buying textbooks, living expenses, my family, and providing care for my zoo are more of a priority right now. But, a download for $2.95, can’t beat it!

The download is so helpful since I cannot go raw at this time (cost and no space in the freezer) not sure if I ever will go completely raw, but I definately want to feed Bobby as well as I can. The download certainly helped me do that. I think anyone will agree $2.95 for the information inside is more than worth it. The best part is the whole foods are really things you can buy at any grocery store, nothing exotic, you can make it really affordable by looking for sales, it is explained well, and is easy to follow. You don’t even have to make a whole meal of it, you can add extras to each meal through the week. It’s one of the best buys I have made recently!! lol

[Bobby dog]

I also agree One Beyond is a pretty good food, but it has the K3 in it! Darned Purina!

I can’t beat what you paid for your NS and 40 lbs for $50 would have been nice too.

I got the NS for around $9.00 more or less (can’t remember exactly) for a small bag. It was on sale and I had a $5.00 coupon from the pet stores free calendar they give out at the beginning of the year. That will probably last Bobby most of the month.

I still buy small bags so I can rotate faster. Eventually I may settle into some kind of rotation and buy medium size bags, but for now he does well on everything so why not keep giving him a variety. Plus it is easier to shop for bargains when you have a larger variety to choose from. lol

[Bobby dog]

My neighbor’s dog is doing well on Purina One Beyond too. He looks better since they switched from Dog Chow to the One Beyond. After this bag is finished, it’s on to the NutriSource Lamb GF that I got a coupon/sale deal with. 😉

Speaking of coupons and getting better deals on better foods. I dropped your name over on the review side about the coupon thread you started over here.

Reading your comments about couponing since you began posting definately gave me ideas and helped me get started with finding sales and matching up coupons. I am a poor college student too. lol

Other posters are beginning to share their tips too about finding good deals, I love that!

[Author]

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