I try not to let Tofu get caught up in brand names and labels as I want him to grow up to be a well-rounded, inclusionary kind of dog and not a snob who turns up his nose at others because they're not wearing muttlucks or designer jackets.
One of the things we don't skimp out on is food, particularly in light of the food scare last year where a number of people lost their beloved furkids to tainted kibble. Now, it's no guarantee that the stuff that goes into his tummy is 100% foolproof even if we did make it ourselves, but at least with a higher grade food there's less of a scare. At least that's what I tell myself.
However, since we tried switching Tofu to a new brand of food in the summer (and failed) he's become really picky about his kibble. Even the standard brand that he was perfectly happy gobbling up became so distasteful to him that he stopped eating it altogether. At first I started mixing a little bit of wet food or yogurt to make it more palatable for him but this resulted in a bit of weight gain and, frankly, I didn't want to keep covering up his food for the rest of his days.
So, we made a switch to a new brand and it still took him a good week of coaxing to actually eat it without hesitation. In the meantime, I've brought home a number of sample packs from a local pet store to see if there's another flavour or brand that he prefers and will eventually make the switch to something he enjoys rather than puts up with. Spoiled, right? Hey, at least he's not getting designer dog food. That's right, according to PupStyle.com, Rachel Ray and other chefs have come out with their own lines of dog food. Perhaps for those with a higher income than I can lavish this dining experience on their dogs. But if I can't afford to eat at a super high-end gourmet restaurant, neither can Tofu.
Nom, nom, nom?
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6 comments:
I saw that Rachel Ray dog food at Wal-Mart; I don't know how much it was though.
I'm still terrified to make any diet changes after the great poop marathon of 2008. shudder.
i used to have Sharkie on his own food...but had to give up...no matter what i would do he would eat the Lab's food. Or at least pick out the bits he loved. He would push dog food out on the floor with his long nose to get the crunchy bits that had "meat" on the inside. We have to be careful with what we give him. It has to be small. If the pieces are too big...he will not chew right, then will swallow and choke.
I looked at the ingredients of Rachel Ray's line of dog food. Lots of grains (fillers). Not the best you can buy for your precious.
I was actually surprised at the LOW cost of the Innova and California Natural brands of dog food that Jasmine is on right now. Eukanuba Dachshund Formula, with MUCH less nutrition and FAR LESSER quality ingredients was almost 2x the price of the much higher quality brands. The huge amount of marketing drives those prices...*sigh*
Jasmine still doesn't like (and won't eat) just plain kibble, so we mix about 1T of wet with 1/4 cup of warm water and mix it in with the dry. This also helps to give her the daily hydration she needs (she doesn't like to drink water for some reason).
Since he came home, Simon has been getting dry kibble from the vet. (I think it's called MEDI-CAL? I haven't seen the bag it comes in for a while) Many vet offices that I have been in around HRM carry the brand. It also comes in wet food. He doesn't always eat it with enthusiasm, but it keeps him trim and he gets a soft shiny coat (he gets compliments all the time actually!). He's on weight maintenance right now and even in the winter time he stays slim and muscular! I cannot remember what ingredients are in the food, but it seems to have worked out well for him :) Good luck with your food search!
Lacey: LOL! I'm not sure how something can be "gourmet" if it's sold at Walmart.
Ben: I think I've finally found a brand that he likes but he keeps getting bored of the flavour before the bag is done.
Anonymous: The weird thing is that Tofu used to be a little vacuum. He'd gobble up his food in a few seconds. So we got him a treat dispensing ball to slow him down and now he eats at a normal pace and actually chews his food.
Margaret and Jasmine: That's terrible about that line of food! Honestly, you have to be so careful picking out foods because so much of the labeling is misleading. The brand he's on now seems to be working out well and sometimes I'll still give him wet food for special occasions. My husband tried the warm water trick and that has worked too.
Amy: I've heard of Medi-Cal and it seems to work for a number of dogs. For Tofu, I've been finding that the food has to smell really good. He turns his nose up at brands that smell like dog food..!
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