[Deborah M]

Sheryl,
You just have to do your own homework and really research the food you’re using. I had a lot of trial and error, even with the the best quality foods. But, just because your breeder recommended a food, doesn’t mean it’s the best. Even with champion dogs. My breeder is excellent. Produces top notch puppies (many champions) and takes superb care of them prior to them leaving her home. I would NEVER go to another breeder. However, I also would not feed my dogs what she does – I won’t mention the food, but it’s an inferior food. After all of my mistakes, and pulling my hair out, I ended up switching to a freeze dried raw that is: 1) excellent quality, 2) sits very well with my dogs, and 3) they LIKE!!! I won’t go back to kibble. I would recommend that you just start out with the 5 star foods on the Editors list, and go from there. Btw, in terms of transparency, I’ve been able to take a virtual tour of my manufacturer’ facilities (very very clean), and making the food, showing the ingredients, mixing it up into various batches, and packing it. I’ve been able to talk to people at the plant personally because I had a lot of questions about switching to raw and they are always extremely responsive and helpful. Of course not suggesting you go raw, but just to expect no less from the manufacturer for what ever you choose.
Good luck.
Deborah.

[Deborah M]

Nancy,
K9Natural does not use HPP – which means it stays a true 100% raw. A few folks have suggested adding just a little bit of vegetable to this diet because of the tendency for the stool to be a little dry. I think I mentioned – I add a little pumpkin and that seems to do the trick. The feeding guidelines for mine are as follows: for an 11 lb. dog, they recommend about 1 1/2 scoops of food for the day – I adjust the water how I prefer. I have found that I needed to increase the food a little more and they have maintained a steady weight. So, I give them one scoop in the morning and another at night. That said, I am increasing the amount of food they recommend by about 1/4, so I need to factor that in to what I use for the month. I also give them a nice meaty bone about once a week. So, yes – even for my little ones, it’s expensive. But… since my daughters are taking their sweet time giving me grandchildren, these two get spoiled :):)

[Deborah M]

Nancy,
You are most welcome. Good luck on getting a response. Don’t forget they are in Australia, so it may take a day or two with the time difference. If you want the email of the guy who I have corresponded with on several occasions, his name is Shane Bartlett -email is: sbartlett@k9natural.co.nz – he has been very helpful and nice. You can just let him know the crazy lady in the US with the two Shih Tzu’s who love Green Tripe, referred you. LOL. 72 lbs.! That’s a big one – he/she would eat mine up as a snack 🙂

[Deborah M]

Nancy – sorry, I neglected to answer your question about the weight gain/loss. No noticeable difference in loss or gain, but what I did notice after a while was that both of my dogs became leaner … not thinner, but leaner / stronger. Shih Tsu’s tend to have a problem with weight gain … i.e., they can just get fat … so I am particularly interested in a food that helps them stay lean.

[Deborah M]

Hi Nancy,

It really wasn’t a difficult transition. I was given a sample from the pet store and took it home to try it. My dogs went so nuts for it (I had never seen them eat with such gusto) so I thought I would try it. I have had VERY successful communications with the folks at K9 in Australia. I just email them with my questions, and they email me right back with a personal email. I have even struck up a friendly rapport with “Shane”… very helpful “Kiwi” as he calls himself 🙂 He suggested to me that when making the transition, that I might want to try to start with the Lamb Green Tripe, which I did. It has the most HORRIBLE smell in the world, but its ONLY ingredient is Green Tripe and very digestible and VERY good for them. They gobbled it up, despite the disgusting smell. I started adding in the venison, and they gobbled that up too. I don’t get the beef b/c it’s too high in fat. I noticed a difference in their stool immediately. Much smaller, and on the dry side. Sometimes, I add a little straight pumpkin so help keep their stool from being too dry. Now, I feed them only the venison, and add just a little of the tripe to aid in digestion. I’ve read ONLY good things about green tripe. Believe me when I say my dogs were finicky. I coaxed, begged, and added topper after topper – wasted a lot of money on high end kibble, Orijen, Acana, etc.. They didn’t like anything. Now, they eat like regular dogs, and on cue, so that I don’t have to leave food out for them when I leave for work. I purchase through Chewy.com – in bulk – it’s cheaper. Sometimes, Amazon. I’m sure there are other brands of freeze dried raw that are good, but I like the ingredients of the K9 Natural and I’ve had nothing but success. It will be pretty expensive for a large breed, however. That’s the downside of raw. I’ve priced all of the better ones out, and they all seem to be very similar in price. Good luck!

[Deborah M]

On paper, Fromm’s is definitely an above average food. That’s why I tried it for my two Shih Tzus. But, sadly, they wouldn’t eat it. I’ve tried so many “five star” dry foods and the reaction I got with just about every thing I tried would go something like this….: They anxiously wait for me to put the bowls down, they stand in front of the bowl, give it an unenthusiastic sniff and walk away with sad eyes as if I’ve just given them cardboard or something. I would come home after work, and food wouldn’t be touched. Orijen is one dry that they will eat, but only sometimes. I recently switched them over to K9 Natural (freeze dried raw) – venison and occasionally add in some of the Green Tripe. OMG!!! – you would think they died and went to heaven. In two years, I’ve never seen them attack their food like this … like actual REAL dogs. It’s expensive, but soooo worth it. Since mine are small, the expense isn’t as much a factor. I do feel bad for those with large breeds who want to go the raw route because it IS expensive, but I am factoring in how much money I’ve wasted in the last two years with failed trial and error. I order on-line … it’s less expensive.

[Deborah M]

I would try the Venison, Chicken, or the Green Tripe. The lamb and the beef are pretty high in fat. The green tripe is disgusting … it smells like an elephants stall. But … my dogs LOVE LOVE LOVE it. And I’ve read so many beneficial things with regard to the green tripe. And it’s very easy to prepare. My dogs have always been really finicky eaters since they were puppies. I’ve tried dozens of top quality brands, this is the ONLY food that actually causes them to beg at meal times. I am very happy with the quality of the ingredients, the ease in preparation, and the fact that my girls absolutely love it. It is on the expensive side, so I feel bad for those with large breed dogs who want to go this route. My two are only 11 lbs each, so its a little more affordable for me. I buy it in bulk at either Amazon.com, or Chewys. Both offer free shipping and no tax options. The local pet store is more expensive, plus I have to pay tax. Hope this helps.

[Deborah M]

K9 Natural saved me!
I tried everything to get my two Shih Tzus to eat. They would eat to live and that was about it. My local pet store recommended the K9 Natural Venison and Green Tripe. Wow. What a difference. They love it and eat on cue, every morning, and every night. I’ve read blog after blog, review after review, and it seems that almost everyone shares my opinion of this food. You can actually pronounce each ingredient, and they are all quality ingredients. Lastly, I’ve contacted the K9 manufacturer a couple of times with questions since I’m a raw diet newbie. They got back to me with a personal email right away, both times, and answered my question in detail to my satisfaction. Not only it this a great product, but it comes from a great company.

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