Feed Honest Kitchen ONLY?

    • Gold Top Dog

    Feed Honest Kitchen ONLY?

    Hi - based on feeding twice per day, curious to know if anyone feeds Honest Kitchen formulas (other than Preference where protein needs to be added) only for BOTH meals? If you do only feed Honest Kitchen, do you add extras? What are the extras that you add and why (supplements, omegas, bone meal, more protein)?

    I've gone from feeding premium kibble only (with fresh food and treats here & there) ... to homecooking only ... to a dehydrated raw herbal/carb/veggy mix where protein needs to be added ... back to homecooking only ... to a combination of Honest Kitchen and premium kibble. I'd like to ditch the kibble and go with feeding Honest Kitchen for both meals and am looking for feedback from those who just feed HK.

    Thanks!

    • Gold Top Dog
    Me me me! With the exception of 1/2 c. kibble for kong-filling purposes :) My golden x poodle eats the Keen. I haven't had any problems, except for a lack of green in my wallet - even for a medium sized dog like her it's expensive!
    • Gold Top Dog
    D'oh - I forgot to say that I *do* add probably 2-3 T of pumpkin a day. She needs some extra fiber :) Sometimes I get a wild hair and add some yogurt or an egg or something but not on a regular basis.
    • Gold Top Dog

    Jewel eats the Keen, and we're extremely happy with it. I do add fish oil, Prozyme, and a spoonful of tasties (yogurt, tripe, meat, whatever) to everybody's bowl, but that's something I've always done. She started on it, because of a bladder issue that has completely resolved. She is so happy to eat it, I've left her on it. The others eat kibble, for cost and convenience. Bean needs a lot of tidbits for training, and kibble makes that MUCH easier.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Ziva eats HK Keen or Preference (with beef added) full-time.  She gets an incontinence supplement twice daily and a 1000mg fish oil cap with a tablespoon of plain yogurt (for the probiotics) in the morning.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I have fed EMbark, Thrive, Keen and the new fish one full time as well, although at the moment I am feeding homemade raw diet. 

    The dogs did very well on it, they had bulkier poop on it than homemade but I felt good that they were eating real food and thriving.

    I switched to homemade becuase of the cost and also because I like to make their food. 

    • Gold Top Dog
    Excellent - many thanks to you all!
    • Gold Top Dog
    I should also mention the main reason for my inquiry. My concern (other than the cost of feeding 3 large dogs HK twice per day, lol) is the calcium. My Vet - who feeds grain-free as well as raw - thinks that the HK's calcium ratio is not what it should be. We discussed this a while back and I can't remember now if she thinks it's too high or too low...I'm thinking too low. Wanted to see how many dogs were doing well on just HK. Anyone have more info or input on the calcium ratio?
    • Gold Top Dog

    I emailed my contact at THK (I'm part of their Allies program) about your calcium concerns.  This is what she replied:

    Sure. We have all of our AAFCO profiles up for grabs online! Most recipes are around 1.5:1, and AAFCO recommends that the calcium/phosphorus ratio should be between 1:1 and 2:1.

    http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/products/learn/understanding-nutrient-profiles/

     Hope this is helpful info. Smile

    • Gold Top Dog

    TAOofGoldyShep
    We discussed this a while back and I can't remember now if she thinks it's too high or too low...I'm thinking too low. Wanted to see how many dogs were doing well on just HK. Anyone have more info or input on the calcium ratio?

     

      I checked HK's website and they don't give the percent of calcium and phosphorus in the guaranteed analysis of their products. Maybe your vet was concerned about Preference. I have home cooked for Jessie using a recipe formulated by a nutritionist, and had to add calcium to the food. The amount of calcium depends on the phosphorus content of the meat you're using, but as a general rule, you need to add 250 mg of calcium for every three and a half ounces of meat. So, the amount of calcium in Preference (they use tricalcium phosphate) may not be enough depending on how much meat is added.

    • Gold Top Dog
    Great info, very helpful - MANY thanks to you both!

    As a side note, I've been ordering 4 boxes at a time which affords a discount. In my last order there were coupons in each box for $20 off next order. That will be nice, as it will offset the cost of shipping and then some. I haven't found the selection of HK formulas very plentiful around here. Not as many retailers carrying now either as there used to be. Just as easy and less money to order online from them directly (at least it has been this way for me in my area).

    • Gold Top Dog

    TAOofGoldyShep
    In my last order there were coupons in each box for $20 off next order.

     

     That's great. None of the stores around here have ever carried it. I did order it for Jessie, but she can't have it anymore because of her chronic pancreatitis. Have you tried Petfoodirect? I can get Jessie's canned food there cheaper than in the local stores, even with the shipping charges.

    • Gold Top Dog
    No, I haven't tried Petfooddirect. Am browsing their site right now though and I don't see HK or THK...will keep browsing.
    • Gold Top Dog
    I like k9cuisine.com as well as another I have bookmarked at home and can't think of :)
    • Gold Top Dog
    Wowza! I just checked the prices of HK at k9cuisine...you're not going to believe this, but they are charging almost $20+ more per 10 lb box than directly from HK website. Even with free shipping that's a lot. I checked the two formulas that they carry, both were this way. K9cuisine has them on sale right now at $10 - $14 off (still marked up hugely though). It's good to know prices, wow!