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!