For all of those feeding kibble, just remember there is a direct correlation of the lack of moisture in dry kibble with UTI's, Calcium Oxalate Crystals, Struvite Crystals and stones. If you prefer to feed a kibble, then maybe think about soaking it in warm water. And it is a myth put out by Milk Bone years and years ago that they need something crunchy for their teeth. For those looking into things to clean the teeth, just be sure to check ingredients. These are the ingredients to CET toothpaste:
C.E.T. Toothpaste: Toothpaste for Dogs & Cats - 1800PetMeds
As compared to PetzLife Gel: (you have to scroll way down to see the ingredients)
Peppermint Oral Care Gel | PetzLife Oral Care, Dog Dental Care | PetzLife
And PetzLife has less grain alcohol in it than Leba III and is a much better price. :thumbsup:
As for CET chews....for the life of me why vets recommend it is beyond me since it's a rawhide! :w00t:
For food, just remember that when using some of the really good sites that do reviews and recommendations, often the higher ratings go to the higher protein foods, which we all know isn't what most of our fluffs do the best on. So don't be afraid of the 4 star over the 5 star foods, depending on the reasons they are 4 star over 5 of course.
Here's what mine have been on for over 5 years now. I believe in rotating so we don't build up an allergy to certain foods. Plus we get different things from beef as we do from fish as we do from lamb, etc.... So do our fluffs. And by rotating you increase the odds of truly giving a complete and balanced diet. Say the bag of food you always feed is AAFCO compliant, but on the high end of the compliant range of calcium for example. Over time it can bring your dogs phosphorous level down to where it may fall out of the WNL's range. So by switching it up, the odds are another food may be on the lower end of calcium. Plus different foods have different things in them that are good for them. Just be sure to try and keep the protein and fat percentages within a few percents of each other so you don't have tummy upsets. Also by rotating you are really helping to build a really strong digestive tract. :thumbsup: Mine can now jump from an 18% protein food up to a 30% with no issues. And I don't have to worry when someone gives them a treat they aren't used to about them getting upset tummies. But this took time to build up really strong GI systems.
Mine rotate through 6 grain free formulas of Addiction Dehydrated Raw. (Which isn't truly raw since it's been dehydrated. Freeze dried is another story.) So they get Steakhouse Beef & Zucchini, Country Chicken & Apricot, Herbed Lamb & Potato, Figlicious Venison Feast, Outback Kangaroo Feast and Perfect Summer Brushtail. All of those are between 18% - 21% protein (which is even fine for a kidney diet) and are single source proteins with just a handful of ingredients. Great for when you have a fluff that develops an allergy or a food intolerance as it will help to narrow it down. But they aren't by any means a LID. When feeding the Addiction, one meal a day I also add 1/4 patty of Stella & Chewy's Freeze Dried Raw (also single source protein foods) to both Jett & Callie's food (Jett is 5 1/2 lbs and Callie is 4 lbs) and Zoe gets 1/2 a patty (she is 9 lbs). Then I also throw into the rotation The Honest Kitchen (also dehydrated so not truly raw) Thrive (Turkey) and Embark (Yes it's another chicken and they already have a chicken food with Addiction. But it has quinoa in it that I like them to have on occasion.) And we also rotate in some of Grandma Lucy's Pureformance (I prefer the chickpeas over white potatoes-Artisan) the Goat and Rabbit formulas. All of these you rehydrate with warm water.
For treats we do Bravo Training Treats and Bonus Bites and Dehydrated strips (like jerky). All free range, no antibiotics or hormones, meat. That's it. No fillers, preservatives, colors, etc... We also do a lot of CocoTherapy's Veggie and Fruit Crunch and their 5 star training treats. Love Dr. Harvey's Sweet Potato Fries!! We do those for bedtime snacks. I never have to worry about them possibly choking on a fry vs. a whole sweet potato chew.
Supplements: We do daily plant based & dairy free Probiotics with Digestive Enzymes, Fish Oil, Virgin Cold Pressed Coconut Oil, and for a super antioxidant Bixbi's Immunity Blend. It's a blend of mushrooms. I mix that all up in one of their meals.
Chews: Merrick Corporal Caps, Bravo Dry Roasted Tracheas & Churpi Chews (in limited quantities due to the salt).
For me? Well...I'm kind of like Pat. If I took care of me like I do my fluffs, I'd be Cindy Crawford gorgeous! :HistericalSmiley: