Now for all you dog people out there, I want
to share what Buddy and Ellie gets to eat on a daily basis including their
supplements. I did write a previous
post about feeding the dogs in April when they had to go on a special diet
for a week. I also want to point out that what Buddy and Ellie eat may
not be ideal for your dog but after years of trying different foods on Buddy
and/or Ellie, this seems to work the best. In addition, all the foods I
give Buddy and Ellie are made in the USA.
I have included some information on each item
and the costs, and I estimate that I spend about $710 per year on food and
supplements for Buddy and Ellie. This doesn’t include any treats I buy or
make for them but that will have to be another post!
Dog Food Brand: Canine Caviar (http://www.caninecaviar.com/)
Can you tell that Buddy loves this food?
Lamb & Pearl Millet ALS Dinner is my choice for Buddy and Ellie. What I love is the limited ingredients in the dog food and it is holistic. Buddy loves this food and he gobbles it up. It’s the only food he’s ever tried to take a bite of while I pour the bag of food into the dog food storage container! The first ingredient is dehydrated lamb, which is a great sign for a dog food when the first ingredient is the protein.
To give you an idea, I have tried all these other dog food brands in the past 7 years: Before Grain, Blue Buffalo, California Natural, Canidae, Innova, Natural Balance, Nutro Natural Choice, Solid Gold, and Taste of the Wild. I don’t think any of these are bad brands but the Canine Caviar has worked the best so far for my dogs.
Cost: The largest bag of food costs $61.99 at my local pet store. It usually lasts about 1 ½ to 2 months for both dogs.
Supplements:
Buddy loves this vitamin so much! I just put it in with his food and he thinks it’s a treat. They are liver flavored and are chewable. I started giving this to Buddy when he turned 7 and was considered a senior dog by the vet. He’s almost 11 now and still has energy to keep up with his younger sister. My brother also took Buddy on a 1.5 mile run recently and Buddy did great!
Cost: I get this at Costco online and its $29.99 for a 2 pack (600 tablets) and that will last almost a year (about 10 months) since Buddy gets one vitamin, twice a day.
Here is another vitamin that Buddy loves. It contains Glucosamin, Chondroitin and MSM. I started this with his senior vitamin when he turned 7 to support healthy joint function and connective tissue. Buddy eats this with his senior vitamin in his dog food, and no complaints from him!
Cost: Another Costco buy online at $29.99 for 1 pack (300 tablets). He gets ½ tablet, twice a day, so it also lasts almost a year (about 10 months).
This is primarily for Ellie and is a probiotic for her once a day. The Bactaquin comes in capsules that I can open and sprinkle on Ellie’s food. You could also give the capsule directly. One capsule contains 1-billion colony forming units (CFU) of Enterococcus faecium. It also contains yeast extract (which is high in B vitamins) and fructooligosaccharide (FOS, a product of inulin and is a prebiotic, so it helps stimulate bacterial growth). Ellie has a sensitive stomach so if she eats something outside on her walk or gets a treat that doesn’t go down well, this supplement works wonders. I would also give to this Buddy if he ever has tummy troubles.
The Bactaquin is comparable to FortiFlora which I have tried before through my vet’s recommendation once. The FortiFlora is expensive and a 30 pack costs $19.39, so that’s an extra monthly cost. Each package only contains 100,000 CFU of Enterococcus faecium. Here is a website that compares the two probiotics: http://doghealthdoc.com/supplements-medications/probiotics-products-will-a-probiotic-benefit-your-dog/. I chose Bactaquin since it appears better and is a great price, also it was recommended by others who have used it.
Cost: On Amazon its $5.69 for a 40 capsules package or $38.00 for a 120 capsules (3 pack). A one year supply is about $115.
The salmon oil is for both Buddy and Ellie and they seem to enjoy it. This is a great product since the oil is from wild, non-farmed Alaskan salmon. I always get compliments on Buddy and Ellie’s coats whenever I walk them. People usually ask me if I bathe them often and I always tell them I give them salmon oil. I only bathe them maybe 3 to 4 times a year, and I brush them weekly. Overall, I think their healthy eating is the secret to great skin and coats!
Cost: A Costco buy at $32.99 for a 2 pack, 32 ounce each. This lasts a long time, maybe a year for both bottles; and I give them 2 pumps per meal. One pump equals ½ teaspoon.
Here is Buddy's food with his supplements.
Here is Ellie's food with her supplements.
