Ucky Unagi

Since researching the origin of the Shiba Inu, I've always been a believer of incorporating some of their more 'natural' homeland ingredients into their diet.
Including fish, seaweed, etc.

So when I found this (on bestbullysticks, also a product reviewed positively by WDJ):


I was super excited. Addiction's Unagi (eel) and Seaweed entree.
It is a novel protein and grain free formula which therefore caters to many dog suffering multiple allergies.

Ingredients:

Eel, Venison, Potatoes, Carrots, Peas, Carrageenan, Cassia Gums, Dried Seaweed, Garlic, Taurine, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulphate, Ferrous Sulphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Sulphate, Manganese Sulphate, Niacin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid

Looks fine, right?

I open it. Date on can is good, packaging intact. Looks like a normal dog food with nice chunks, you can see the seaweed and potatoes. You can smell the meat, sort of like a sushi-type smell. I think - awesome! the dogs will LOVE it.

Not so much.

Not one single dog ate any of it (which, are three dogs in total). Not even Kitsune the food guru. Not even the ravenous puppy. Not even the picky Tsuki.

So. If your dogs liked this food, let me know!

Salmon Paws

best. training. treat. ever.



Salmon Paws Omega Stix , as described by Best Bully Sticks:

These jerky treats are made from 100% wild caught Alaskan Sockeye Salmon and contain no fillers, bones, or other salmon by-products. These treats come in a two pack of stix which are each about 6-7 inches in length.

Many of the other salmon treats out there are made from farm raised salmon, which contain lower levels of nutrients and higher levels of fat Farm raised salmon is also very oily in nature and can lead to loose stools. Many fish dog treats also contain bone and other unwanted by-products. These do not!

Besides being a great low fat protein source for pups, these treats also contain high levels of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. These omega acids are great for maintaining a healthy skin and coat, and help to promote cardiovascular and joint health.

And I do cut them small to use as training treats!


They last longer than a bag of pre-portioned training treats if you cut them small enough. They are stinky, but therefore incredibly enticing for most dogs.

The puppy got some and learned to sit and down!

Rabbit Feet, v 2.0

I have blogged about dehydrated rabbit feet as a treat before, but wanted to highlight a new company's dehydrated rabbit feet that we tried recently.

Aunt Jeni's Rabbit Feet.
The ingredients listed are just that simple: Rabbit Feet: rabbit feet (furry)

The feet were just right for my adult 18 & 24lb shiba inus. 
However, I chose the smallest foot in the bag for our foster puppy, and I think it was a little too much for him (he was unable to chew it/crunch it)

VPI top 5 ailments

According to a list dogster.com posted, (VPI) evaluated this issue and released the following results, listed in order of frequency:
The most common health problems in dogs are:

1. Ear Infections
2. Skin Allergies
3. Pyoderma/Hot Spots
4. Gastritis/Vomiting
5. Enteritis/Diarrhea

Its rather amazing. It seems the solution to all the above problems is a natural, unprocessed diet. And perhaps many are issues that arrise due to vaccine damage. Just sayin...

back up foods | canned salmon

salmon seems to be a coveted protein in a canine diet. I can't get past all the potential harms of feeding raw salmon, fresh caught or farmed, so this is the route I take:


Wellness 95% Salmon, canned. Naturally preserved and ethoxyquin free protein sources.


Please note, this is a supplemental feeding item - NOT intended as a complete & balanced diet!

nature's variety | bison

 

Despite a little hang up in sourcing (so far, unknown) and ingredients, I did have my dogs try this new protein variety from Nature's Variety.

Ingredients:


My main question is about the montmorillonite clay. And its function in raw dog food.

According to their website, this ingredient is defined as:

Montmorillonite is a clay that is primarily colloidal silicate, which contains over 50 ultra-trace mineral compounds including Antimony, Barium, Beryllium, Boron, Bromine, Cadmium, Carbon, Cerium, Cesium, Chloride, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Dysprosium, Fluoride, Gadolinium, Gallium, Germanium, Iodine, Lanthanum, Lithium, Manganese, Neodymium, Nickel, Phosphorus, Rhenium, Rubidium, Samarium, Scandium, Silicon, Silver, Strontium, Sulfur, Tellurium, Thallium, Thorium, Tin, Titanium, Vanadium, Ytterbium, Yttrium, Zinc, and Zirconium. Feed studies by the Veterinary Medical Diagnostics Laboratory at Texas A&M University have shown that Montmorillonite clays can sequester (bind) aflatoxins contained in grains and oilseeds.

Wikipedia has this:

Other uses include as an anti-caking agent in animal feed

 And complete mineral data for montmorillonite here.


The dogs did enjoy these medallions, though.

what does 'organic' mean?

From The Honest Kitchen:

The term ‘organic’ refers to ingredients that have been grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms (GMO’s), or radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones and must be fed only organic feed, and raised in an environment that meets organic standards.

Click to read more!