6 Jun 2011

Dog's Dinner

When Noodles first arrived he didn't have much interest in food, but that's pretty usual for a rehomed dog. For a few days he didn't really eat at all and after that it was always with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. We were feeding him a relatively well-known healthy brand that we had happily used before with my previous dogs, but Noodles just didn't seem to thrive. He was also incredibly itchy, always biting and gnawing at his paws and anywhere else he could reach.

We thought about feeding him a raw diet but since J2 and I are both strict vegetarians we didn't relish the thought of buying, and more importantly storing, fresh meat. I spent a lot of time trawling the internet, looking for something that would appeal. Eventually, we bought a sample box from Lily's Kitchen and suddenly Noodles regained his appetite. He has a little routine before mealtimes which involves running in ever decreasing circles until the food is put in his bowl, becoming more and more excited. He then absolutely wolfs it down, nothing could distract him until every last morsel is gone. The food is expensive though and to be honest if Noodles were a bigger dog we would not be able to justify feeding it everyday. However, it seems you certainly get what you pay for as after about 2 months Noodles stopped itching. I didn't notice straight away, but once I made the connection I saw a huge improvement in his overall condition; his coat is very shiny and his skin free from dryness and flakes. The constant gnawing has also stopped which is a great relief.

I know that feeding our pets is a very personal choice and Lily's Kitchen won't suit everyone's purse. If Noodles hadn't been so itchy and lacklustre I probably wouldn't have changed brands.

As well as healthy meals, we also feed him healthy treats and snacks such as dried venison heart, ears and lungs, sweet potato chews and he has deer antlers instead of rawhide. I'm hoping that this will maintain his tip top condition and mean less time and money spent at the vets!

8 comments:

  1. Hey you know what? He should eat whatever suits him, so there. I personally enjoy frozen green beans like totally right out of the freezer and momma buys jars of baby human food to put on my kibbles like gravy. Nommy.

    Slobbers,
    Mango

    P.S. I also eat some raw. I eat the Primal nuggets and burgers. But no giant chicken carcasses or anything like that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. One thing compensates the other, right?
    Glad to know he likes it and it is being good for him!
    Kisses and hugs
    Lorenza

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous07 June, 2011

    Hootie, also a Welshie, chews on his paws all the time and itches. BabyRocketDog doesn't gnaw on herself, but does itch. We give them both so many different types of treats I'm not sure how I'd know what causes it. Did you discover this Lily's Kitchen yourself?
    Cassie P.
    http://hootieandbabyrocketdog.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. That food from Lily's Kitchen looks lovely. When we got Prinny he was pretty skinny and was recovering from dysentry after his life on the streets. We didn't feed him any extra, just normal portions, and we did add some rice. One of the local dog-groomers said rice was good, and lots of people made the mistake of feeding skinny dogs too much too fast. Not the same as Noodles at all, just yet another tale of how we need to be careful when feeding our rescued dogs but there is always a solution out there. We did buy a super product in the end, called Green Arks I think? Couldn't find it last time I looked it up. Like Lily's it was expensive, but it was organic and junk-free. Had the dogs howling for their meals because it smelled so yummy!! Pippa has a variety of complete mixes, usually chicken based, but anything too rich and his system can't cope. Supplemented with toast of course. Should have made this a blog post shouldn't ?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Alice Welshie does enjoy a "Lily-Pot" every so often but she is more a (cooked-meat-then-cooled-a-little) meat and kibble girl. Her coat is lovely and shiny but! (and I was given this advice by her groomer, the very nice Sarah) when she doesn't look her best and is getting a little itchy, I pop a few drops of primrose oil on her food (normally 2 meals max.) and this soon clears up.

    Where does Noodle get his deer antlers and sweet potato chews from??? Sounds interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  6. We act like nuts when our food is being prepared too, Noodles! We think you deserve anything that makes you happy!

    Love ya lots
    Maggie and Mitch

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for your comments, everyone.

    Cassie - yes, Lily's Kitchen had a trade stand at a pet show I attended so I was able to speak to them directly about their products. It was also highly recommended to me by other dog owners.

    Rachel - The deer antlers are called "stagbars" and were ordered from Pure Dogs (http://www.puredog.co.uk/our-products.php). You can make sweet potato chews yourself by slicing them thinly and drying them out in the oven at a low temperature. Or if you're lazy like me then you can order them from here: http://www.nelsonspetfoods.com/treats.php

    ReplyDelete
  8. We'll say it again: Lucky Dog. We are so glad Noodles is with you, and we're sure Noodles must feel the same way.

    (Fergi wants to know ... does a tail wag go with the circular pre-meal dance? If so, they could be synchronized partners!)

    xx
    Jake

    ReplyDelete