Best Practices for Feeding My Dog

A Brittany, among many breeds, is an extremely high-energy dog and cannot be expected to calm down unless they receive proper vigorous activity and mental stimulation. Thankfully, I am a runner and my pooch joins me, which takes care of the physical part. When he was a puppy, I met with a dog trainer so I could figure out ways to tire him out mentally. According to the American Kennel Club, a mentally stimulated dog is a happy dog. One of her techniques was to use routine activities, such as feeding your dog, as a game to expend his energy. I would put his dry kibble in a ball that he would push around for almost an hour and then at night, I would take frozen, raw meat and put it in a toy for him to gnaw through. I fed him this way (“clean” kibble for breakfast and frozen raw meat for dinner) because I found that was a little more economical than a totally raw diet. I realized a little later on that just like with my own health, there is long-term benefit to investing in good, quality foods and products, even if they are more expensive.

So around the time my pup was 2, I started to feed him Stella And Chewy, grass fed raw meat that is antibiotic-free. Immediately, I noticed improvement in his digestion and his bathroom habits. He was no longer ever constipated and to date, has never had gas - no exaggeration! He always gets a clean bill of health when we visit the vet - good breath, no plaque on his teeth, no other health issues. Here is where you save your money by investing in quality food.

How could giving your puppy the food their biology is designed for not be important?

There are fascinating results from a study in Finland on raw fed dogs compared to kibble fed dogs.

The research involves studying homocysteine (an indicator of the amount of inflammation and chronic disease in the body) relating to diet. This experiment involved four groups of dogs for six months - one group ate raw, one group ate dried food, one group switched from raw to dry at 3 months, and the fourth group switched from dry food to raw at 3 months. Results show that dogs that were fed raw had the lowest homocysteine levels and dogs eating kibble had levels 10X higher! Also the dogs that switched from raw to dry food had a fivefold increase in their levels.

Eating a biologically appropriate diet isn't just trendy, it's healthier.

In addition to raw meat, I add pumpkin for fiber and flavor, fish oil which has a multitude of benefits such as supporting heart health and fighting cancer, and coconut oil, which keeps his coat shiny and soft. I put this recipe into this toy and throw it in the freezer overnight.

Feeding your dog this way is a win win. In the morning, he spends almost an hour biting his way through his frozen, raw food, while stimulating his brain. Another benefit of feeding him this way is that it is similar to how he would eat in the wild; his food would never be handed to him in a bowl for him to swallow up in minutes. That makes me feel good, that I mimic my pet’s ancestral diet as much as possible. This routine becomes an enjoyable activity for him, his clean, high quality food keeps him healthy, and mom gets to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet.

To see just how healthy (and adorable) my dog is, follow him on Instagram.