We get asked alot what we feed to keep our dogs coats so shiny and healthy. The truth is there are so many dog foods out there these days it really is hard to find a good one. Best rule is if you can find it in the grocery store it isnt a good quality food and you do get what you pay for.
The 1st thing you need to consider when buying a food is budget , you dont want to get an expensive food where you cant afford it half way through the month and have to buy a cheap bag until you get paid, switching foods is really hard on dogs and can cause, gas, diarreah, skin issues, weight issues ect. Find a food you can afford no matter when you run out.
Our prefrence for kibble is Orijen , mind you it is very expensive around us it runs $70-$80 for a large bag { with 6 dogs we go through 3-4 bags a month} but it is the best of the best . Another great brand is Acana , made by the same company as Orijen but a little less expensive. Other great foods to look into are taste of the wild, blue buffalo wilderness, and the best bang for the buck is costco's brand Kirkland dog food. Kirkland is great for those with mulitple dogs and who go through alot of food.
Just remember what works for one dog doesnt always work for others, some if having skin issues can be linked to food allergies and grain free may have to be looked into { orijen , acana, and blue buffalo wilderness all are grain free or available grain free}
Another diet we choose for our dogs Is raw, we have a couple who just didnt do well on kibble and made the choice to switch them up to RAW . There is alot more to feeding raw however then just throwing them some chicken or steak , there are things they need which require a variety of meats, organs and bones. We follow the prey model diet and love the results , the key is following the intro to the T , they need time to adjust to the new food so DONT go throwing them all different types of meats all at once. You need to allow 1-3 weeks on the new meat to make sure there are no allergies or issues with that variety. heres the link to the prey model diet for anyone looking to get into it.
http://preymodelraw.com/how-to-get-started/
Keep in mind this does cost a bit more then feeding your typical kibble, with orijen we didnt really notice a price change. Check with your local butchers and price things out and make sure its doable for you .
Some choose to feed both kibble and RAW , the only thing to remember is they digest each very differently and kibble takes alot longer, so best to split feedings up raw at 1 meal and kibble at the other vs feeding both at the same time.
Supplements:
The last part is supplements and additions.
Things we add to our dogs food are fish pills or omega 3-6-9 whichever you want to buy doesnt matter. The oils help in there skin and coat and maintaining a natural balance to help get that nice shine you all want.
Spoonfull or probiotics it helps in digestion , only a spoonfull ever other day or so is all it takes to see the benefits of this.
Eggs, alot of people feed eggs to there dogs however this can be more harmfull then helping they have an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin) and can lead to skin and coat problems. The best bet is to save your egg shells , clean them with water and let them air dry then crush them into a powder form and sprinkle over there food, Its a GREAT source of calcium for them and have more benefits then the raw egg itself.
Glucosamine can also be added to there diet , it helps with joints and bone health. Great for those older dogs who may be getting stiff or used as a preventative { it will not cute hip dysplacia or anything like that } but can help in the longevity they have and frame of motion. I would also recommend those doing sports like weight pull, agility , schuntzhund or anything along those lines add this to there dogs diet.
We do not condone the use of products like Bully max , they are full of fillers and you can get the same results by giving individual vitamins like listed above. As well they portray a very false effect, the majority of dogs who looked ripped and in shape are due to exercise, good quality diet and most of all genetics.
