For a long time I thought Norman had to eat a larger portion than Kaya because he is a bigger dog (Kaya weighs 55lbs & Norman weighs 65lbs) but it finally dawned on me that Kaya is more active and so she expends a lot more calories than him so now they're getting the same amounts. It also took me a long time to narrow down the right amount. I like them to be on the lean side as I think it's best for their joints but not too thin like true sport dogs would be. I also would never want them to be hungry of course! So for a while now, they have been getting 1 1/4 cups in the morning and 1 1/2 cups at night and it's just right!
And they still have plenty of energy to do this for a couple hours every day...
Their current kibble is Nature's Variety Instinct limited ingredient, alternating between lamb and turkey. Why limited ingredient? Their only dietary requirement is grain-free (grain makes them itch) and while all of the Instinct line is grain-free, the limited ingredient type has less protein at 29%. The rest are 35% to 42% which I believe is too high for their activity level.
This food is a high quality 5-star kibble and while it is expensive, they eat much less of it and so it lasts longer than a cheaper bag of food. Plus they love, love, love it and they digest it so well. There are tons of reviews saying this food works miracles for pups with allergies and stomach issues. They don't typically have these issues but I think it is a testament to the quality of ingredients in the food.
Along with each meal they get a teaspoon of coconut oil which they love so much. I was previously giving them salmon oil, which was great for their coats but it gave them stinky fish breath and as much as they love giving kisses, it was not cool. My housemate now tells me that they always come into her room in the morning "smelling like a piña colada"...yum! I've read that coconut oil is very high in omega goodness and great for fighting cancer. If that's not true...at least they still have sweet breath and shiny coats. Cat bonus...Gina goes crazy to lick the spoon after!
They also get a teaspoon of Missing Link Ultimate Hip & Joint with each meal too. The don't have any aches and pains yet at their young age but I feel like it's good for them after all the running, wrestling, climbing and swimming they do! Plus there's tons of other goodies in this supplement.
Last but not least...treats! They only get treats for training so I like to keep it to bite-sized and easy to chew treats with no junky fillers so they can eat several at a time. I love a lot of the freeze-dried type treats like the Raw Natural's turkey treats, PureBites' duck and Nature's Instinct raw boost bites. The raw boost bites have to be broken up but they're great for bribing Norman to get in the car.
They also get Dogswell dried chicken or duck strips which I cut up into bite-sized pieces. These are great to shove in my pockets when we're out too because they don't crumble, smell or dry out.
I'm so relieved our hunt for the perfect food is finally over! What are your pups eating these days?
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