It’s a simple question, but there is no simple answer: What is the best food to feed your Weim? Quality, cost, time are all factors that play into the decision, and of course the needs of your individual dog.
Let me just get this out from the beginning. I feed a raw diet (raw meat, bones and vegetables) and have fed raw for 10 years now, and I truly believe that this is an optimal diet for a healthy dog. But I admit I only went to raw due to circumstance.
When I got my first little bundle of gray, a vet pushed me into vaccinating Riley with a second parvo shot just 2 days after he received his first shot at the breeders. (You can imagine how happy the breeders were with me… but in my defense, I knew nothing back then and let the vet scare me into it. Big lesson learned, and I know more now.) Riley subsequently suffered from vaccinosis which manifested in ear infections, itchy red skin and soft stools. I went to the vet many times, tried different medications, changed his food — only to have the problems recur, and quite simply, I was at my wit’s end after 3 months of this. I went to raw out of desperation. And all the problems slowly went away. I cannot say for sure that it was totally the food, his maturing immune system or a combination of both, but as Jean Dodds stressed in the seminar I went to recently, proper nutrition is the cornerstone of good health! It’s true for people, and it’s true for dogs.
A couple years ago, I got together with Steve, who is a professional field trainer, and my doggy family of 2 grew to 6, plus all our client dogs (who are fed Pro Plan Performance
Riley posing with his dinner (and wondering why mom is making him do this)
They have a veggie only product called Preference to which I just add some raw meaty bones such as chicken backs or wings (ground or whole). I also feed my older adults Keen which is a complete meal and is their “penny conscious” recipe. Younger, active dogs get Embark (grain free) or Thrive.
Why do I love Honest Kitchen so much?
- They use 100% human grade food
- They use organic and free range as much as possible
- They verify that their ingredients are free of bacteria, molds, pesticides and other nasties before they enter the plant located in San Diego, California
- Dehydrated food is technically still raw (like beef jerky) but the process destroys pathogens while keeping much of the nutrients intact
- The food is easy to travel with and feed on the road, no refrigeration necessary
- PEOPLE eat the food for quality control and testing
- And my dogs do great on it!
Check out the Honest Kitchen’s website for complete information about their products including a great page disclosing the source of all their ingredients.
If you want to try this product out, please buy from Dogwise. The prices are the same as buying direct, but they currently have a free shipping promotion if you buy $75 or more. (And yes, JW does receive a small commission through Dogwise if you purchase via one of the links on this site. See my advertising policy.)
What do you feed your Weim? Have you tried the Honest Kitchen?
About justweims
I love this food. I use this in combination with Evo Kibble (both the Red Meat and the Chicken Formula). Evo is a fantastic human grade food that is grain free. I struggled with Heidi’s weight. Nothing medical just a very crazy Weim that has access daily to a great dog park. She’s gained 10 pounds in 1 year and looks gorgeous. I really love the food. Even the cat eats it.