Tag Archives: honest kitchen

Fill Me Up With Love

15 Nov

One of the things about having a human who isn’t afraid to switch things up when it comes to my supper (and lunch) bowl is that she often gets a little too giddy when a new formula is launched by my all time favorite dog food company, The Honest Kitchen. Due to my position as a THK Allie, I heard about the arrival of two new formulas (one for dogs and one for cats) in the works, so it was with drooling anticipation that I began waiting for the new dog food formula, Love, to hit store shelves. Boy was Love worth the wait (isn’t it always, though?). Love is a grain and gluten-free (a well as dehydrated like all the other Honest Kitchen formulas), and contains ingredients such as hormone-free beef, sweet potatoes, potatoes, organic coconut, papaya, pumpkin, and so many more wholesome and nutritious foods. Like all of the other Honest Kitchen foods, Love is also 100% human grade, made in the USA, and contains non of those pesky fillers and common allergens like beet pulp, corn, soy, rice, or wheat that are often found in cheaply made, grocery store bought dog foods.

You may also notice that the packaging is a little different. Honest Kitchen recently revamped all of their packaging to be even more environmentally safe. The boxes are now made from 100% recycled, unbleached kraft paperboard and all the printing is done using soy-based inks. Plus, the box is 100% biodegradable or recyclable. 

Of course, none of this means anything unless your dog is willing to actually eat the food (or if you’re willing to serve it). While not all that grossed out about the things she serves me (even though she did have an interesting moment with some chicken livers once), my mom has never really been fond of the way my Honest Kitchen food smells. Obviously I love it, but she just has that weird human aversion to things that don’t smell like flowers and baked goods. With the Love formula, however, she rather likes the smell. She said it’s almost spice-like, or cinnamon-y. That’s all well and good, but really it’s my palate that we have to satiate and Love definitely does that and more! I have never left my bowl cleaner than after every meal of Love that I’ve had. It took my mom a little time to get the water to dry ratio correct as Love doesn’t seem to need as much water the rehydrate it as Keen does, so my first few meals were a little soupy (even after five minutes plus of hydrating time), but it seriously did not matter. I still slurped it up and then turned around and asked for more.

If you would like more information about Love, or any of the other Honest Kitchen formulas, please check out their website!

Happy tail wags!

You’re Invited to Dinner

1 Jun

I’ve often wanted to document the steps to my dinner preparation, but since I can’t verbalize in a language that you humans can understand, I decided to let my mom take the reins on this one. So, for your viewing pleasure, here is the step-by-step process of how my mom prepares my The Honest Kitchen food.

Happy tail wags!

Why I Love My Food…

27 Apr

You see that? No, not my mom’s chipping nail polish; the little green thing. That, my lovely friends, is a dehydrated bean from a green bean. It’s not some unidentifiable grey mush, it’s not an overly processed piece of kibble, it’s an actual piece of a green bean. And you know what else I have seen in my The Honest Kitchen’s Force? The orange pieces of sweet potato, the green of the organic kelp, and little flecks of rosemary. Sure, the best of the kibbles that have whole ingredients like chicken (let’s not even talk about the ones that have by-products. By-products?  Really? Would you ever eat an animal’s by-products?) are fine and dandy, but wouldn’t you want your dog to eat food that’s been so lightly processed that pretty much all the nutrients remain in the food, not sprayed on in the end? I don’t know, maybe I’m just being a silly puppy.

Happy tail wags.

Stir it Up

14 Apr

Variety; in regards to dogs, some humans find that word incredibly taboo. There are so many dogs that I know who are fed the same food day in, day out with no change except maybe the temperature of their drinking water. What I find so odd is that humans find this practice completely acceptable while they, animals in their own right, very rarely eat the same food for each and every meal. Varietal (also known as rotational) feeding should not be taboo, or even anywhere near. In fact, varietal feeding can actually be beneficial.

According to the FIDO Friendly article “The Spice of Life” written by The Honest Kitchen’s Lucy Postins, varietal feeding can increase a dog’s chance of receiving a broader spectrum of nutrients and can strengthen a dog’s digestive system. Dogs that are fed the same meal every day are often prone to onset food allergies. After awhile, their systems become so adjusted to the food that it begins to reject it. By rotating what a dog eats, not only are they less likely to develop allergies, their systems are strong enough for a full diet switch if they do happen develop an allergy. Biggest plus (for us dogs at least) is that varietal feeding helps keep us from getting bored with our food. Before I started eating The Honest Kitchen, my mom still hadn’t done a lot of research into the best kind of diets for dogs. She understood the importance of feeding high quality ingredients, but that was about it. Eventually, I became a victim of food boredom. Both of my meal times were met with very little enthusiasm and I would often leave my meal unfinished. This was around the time that my mom started looking into raw diets, and now we are where we are and I am no longer bored with my food.

What about the logistics? What can you start to do if you want to get some variety in your pet’s food? Well, you can rotate your pet’s core food every couple of months (I’ve recently made a switch from Keen to Force) as well as adding quality fresh foods to your pet’s daily meals. Some of my favorites are raw meaty bones (especially oxtails), Greek yogurt, eggs (raw or cooked), roasted veggies like carrots and green beans, and pumpkin or sweet potato. One important thing to remember if you are starting to add some variety to your pet’s diet is to keep changes gradual to allow your dog’s system time to adjust and get stronger.

Happy tail wags!

Source: FIDO Friendly

Stylish Blogger Award

4 Apr

A couple of weeks ago, my very good human friend Cate from blanketID and Under the Blanket informed me that she had awarded me, as well as 14 other great blogs the Stylish Blogger Award! I am one incredibly honored pup. Cate knows stylish, and to be considered a pooch worthy of her attention is a wonderful thing. So thank you very much, Cate! Of course, there are a few stipulations to this award; stipulations that I am very excited to accomplish. First I have to list seven things about myself that you may not know about me. I’m usually very open in my posts, so this took a lot of brain storming. I think I’ve come up with a pretty unique list though!

1. I was not only the only female in my litter, but I was also the only pup with apricot coloring. Both of my brothers were black with white markings on their bellies and paws. They were also much curlier than me.

2. The claws on my back feet are white, while the claws on my front feet are black; all except for one claw which is white. 3. I am very overprotective of my tail. If it gets touched or if one of the cats try to bat at it, I tuck it in and sit on it.

4. The blond hair on my head wasn’t there when I was a puppy. Instead of blond, I had little bits of black hair. During one of my grooming session, my mom trimmed down the hair on my head to reveal a small blond patch. It has since grown from a patch to cover my entire head!

5. When I hear the words “walk” or “ride,” even if the humans are just having a conversation, I will run to the front door.

6. My gramp works for a taxi company called Joe’s Taxi. Because he often comes to visit me during his taxi time, I now think every Joe’s Taxi is driven by him. Whenever I see one, my tail starts wiggling and I get incredibly excited. 7. My clothing wardrobe has now expanded to fill two big totes. Eventually, my mom wants to get me my own mini closet.

The second part of accepting the Stylish Blogger Award is to nominate 15 other blogs to pass the award on to. Obviously this is even tougher than coming up with facts about myself (I am my favorite subject after all), but here I go!

Road Dog Tales: Ever wonder what it would be like to take a road trip around the US with your favorite hounds in tow? The Road Dog crew is doing just that and blogging about their adventures the whole way!

Speaking for Spot Blog: Dr. Nancy Kay, the author of Speaking for Spot, keeps a great blog about useful things every dog caretaker should know.

To Dog With Love: A cute blog written by my furry pal Cosmo and human Diane. I love reading about Cosmo’s agility competitions.

The Honest Kitchen Blog: Not only does The Honest Kitchen make some of the best food on the block, but they also keep an incredibly informative blog where they talk about everything from health issues to yummy foods you can add to your pets diet to new updates about the company.

I Still Want More Puppies: Pup Fan’s blog is always a great stop when you need to watch some cute pet videos and squeal over adorable photos.

K-9 Solutions Dog Training, Inc.: Marie is one of my great new human pals! Her blog not only documents her work with the local Humane Society of Knox County, the daily comings and goings of her two dogs Jack and Jenny, but also some really thought-provoking posts.

Life @ Silly Dogs: Sam and Kelly’s webcomic is one of my new favorite stops on the internet. Their comics are bright, colorful, and above all tail-waggingly hilarious!

Oh My Dog!: I don’t think I can explain Oh My Dog! any better than how it is explained in the “About Me” page: “[it's] a site for all things dog,” including product reviews, recipes, tips, and tons of photos and stories about the Oh My Dog! crew.

Pawcurious: Dr. V’s blog was the main inspiration for my mom to start this blog for me. It was the first pet-centric blog she ever started to read and she’s still obsessed.

Pawesome: Everything you’d ever want in a fun pet-blog you can find on Pawesome: photos, new products, links to other nifty articles and blogs, great information, funny videos, and my favorite, their curbed posts that feature pets spotted by the various blogging team.

Phetched: Phetched often gets my mom in trouble with her bank account! Katherine always features the freshest and hippest pet products on the market. Pretty much every post will make you think “my pet TOTALLY needs that!”

Boulder Dog: Deborah’s stories about living with her shy and sometimes fearful muse, Sadie the Standard Poodle, have been some of the best posts my mom has ever read. This blog is definitely an amazing read and will really make you think.

Confessions of the Plume: Baby Patches is one of the pawesomest kitties I know. Her blog details all the adorable things about her life.

Dog Milk: Like Phetched, Dog Milk features some very barkworthy pet products. Also incredibly dangerous for the bank account.

Boogie’s Blog: Boogie’s Blog is Boogie-centric. This cutie of a Boston Terrier has a dedicated human who chronicles Boogie’s struggles with skin issues, aggression problems, and general adorability.

Happy tail wags!

Fishy

10 Mar

There have been a few posts I’ve done where I have mentioned the fact that my mom puts fish oil on my food (most recently she’s been using Grizzly Salmon Oil). However, I’ve noticed that I haven’t quite explained why fish oil is a good part of my, or any dog’s or even cat’s diet. So today is all about the importance of fish oil and a little something called omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Fatty acids are incredibly important and can often be made within an animal’s own body. There are fatty acids, however, that need to be supplemented. Those are known as essential fatty acids (or EFA). Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids fall under the category of EFA. High levels of these EFAs, specifically omega-3, have been known to drastically improve many facets of well being for dogs as well as cats. One of the biggest benefits is improvement to an animal’s skin and coat. That is the biggest reason I get fish oil in added to my food every day. I am incredibly prone to dry skin, especially in the winter, due to the heating in our house. By treating the health of my skin with fish oils, my itching goes down and my coat looks glossy and feels soft.

Omega-3 has also been shown to improve heart health and can be incredibly beneficial to aging dogs and cats who are at an increased risk of developing heart problems. Another thing that often effects older animals that can be helped with omega-3 is joint stiffness as well as slow down the progression of certain cancer cells and kidney disease. If that weren’t enough, it has also been shown to maintain and enhance the immune system, reduce the symptoms of allergic dermatitis, and fight inflammation and inflammatory disease!

Not to mention, fish oil is just plain tasty.

So, if you haven’t already, maybe you should look into adding fish oil into your pup’s food. If you have any questions, or have a pup who has specific food allergies, make sure you check with their veterinarian.

Happy tail wags!

Source: The Honest Kitchen, Grizzly Salmon Oil

 

Gift Bites

23 Dec

One of my favorite parts of any holiday is giving away goodies to all my friends and family. By now, a lot of my friends have been receiving my Christmas card either by mail or by email (if you check the blog on Christmas Day you’ll see the photo I sent out). I also like to hand deliver homemade treats to all my doggy friends who live near me. This year I chose a really yummy treat called Butternut Drops from The Honest Kitchen cookbook, Made out of Love (which, if you don’t have a copy already, I highly suggest you pick one up because it’s filled with amazing recipes for dogs, cats, and some that humans can eat as well!). The recipe, which you can also find on The Honest Kitchen’s website, goes as follows:

1 cup butternut squash (though you could also use pumpkin or sweet potato)

1 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal

1/4 cup cranberries (we used dried cranberries)

1 tsp nutritional yeast (if you’re having a hard time finding nutritional yeast, check your local co-op or whole foods type grocer)

1 tbsp honey

Boil and mash the butternut squash. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Scoop spoonfuls of the mixture (around 1 tsp or so), roll into balls, and place on a buttered cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool before allowing your dog to nosh away.

I was able to taste a few of these lovely delicacies and all I have to say is that it’s going to be very hard to part with all of them.

Do you make goodies for any of your doggy friends?

Happy tail wags!

 

A Bushel, a Peck, and a Hug Around the Neck

6 Dec

It’s Monday and that means no more blog vacation. It was a fun little break, spent mostly cuddling with my mom in between her study breaks, but boy am I glad to be back! And what’s a better way to celebrate being back than with a review of one of my new favorite products.

It’s no big secret that I absolutely love my The Honest Kitchen food. I am never disappointed when a nice warm bowl of Keen is placed in front of me. In fact, it may just be the best food ever. So I was very thrilled when my mom placed an order through The Loyal Biscuit for a box of The Honest Kitchen’s treats known as Pecks. Pecks are chomp sized nibblets of buffalo and blueberry goodness. They are all handmade and are the perfect size for training treats. Usually with the treats I’m given during our training sessions, my mom has to break them into smaller pieces. Pecks need no such alterations. Their size is also perfect for us smaller dogs who have tinier mouths (though I proud myself on having quite a big mouth for such a small dog). Pecks also have a very satisfying crunch to them. If it weren’t for the fact that my mom is quite the stickler about my treat intake, I probably would not stop gobbling them up.

It seems I have finally gotten over my abhorrence of cookie like treats. It use to be that I only liked those treats of the squishy, free-dried, or  jerky persuasion, but now I’m a little less picky. Hopefully this will open many doors as to the types of treats I will be trying from now on.

Happy tail wags!

How Many Ways

30 Sep

I know I have blogged many a time on how much I love The Honest Kitchen’s product called Ice Pups. Obviously the two easiest forms that I usually get my Ice Pups in is either as ice cubes (also known as “puppy-sorbet”) or a warm broth (very tasty on cold mornings) but there are other ways us pups can enjoy the poultry deliciousness that is Ice Pups.

  • You can use Ice Pups in recipes like this Honest Kitchen recipe for Puppy Birthday Cake.
  • Some people like to make crock-pot stews for their pups (something my not-related aunt Angelica likes to do). The dissolved Ice Pups makes a great broth for any crock-pot doggy stew! In fact I once had an incredibly chop licking one that had turkey, green beans, and of course, Ice Pups.
  • During the summer, if you’re looking for a way to not only occupy your dog but to also keep them cool and hydrated, make a frozen treat ring. Dissolve a big batch of Ice Pups and pour it into a large pan (my mom likes to use bundt cake pans). Take a handful of treats that aren’t too easily dissolved (we’ve used Zuke’s Mini Naturals but you can also use pieces of baked chicken or other things your pup likes) and scatter them throughout the broth filled pan. After it’s frozen, you have a great treat that will keep your pooches occupied until every last nom is gone.
  • Last but certainly not least, you can also use Ice Pups to hydrate your dog’s (or cat’s) Honest Kitchen food. While it takes the process a step further, the boosted taste just can’t be beat (trust me, I know these things).

I would love to know if there are any other great uses I may have missed, or any of your favorite recipes that include the use of Ice Pups! So please make sure you leave a comment.

Happy tail wags!

More Fishy Goodness

16 Aug

If you get The Honest Kitchen newsletter, you would have noticed in the August 9th issue a sneak peak at the tasty goodies being packed in Honest Kitchen’s new fish based food called Zeal. Not available until September, Zeal is Honest Kitchen’s first fish-based food and is completely free of grains, white potatoes and flax. And like all food from The Honest Kitchen, it is 100% human food grade and are always taste tested by some lucky humans.

(photo source)

Because of my Web Hound Allie status with The Honest Kitchen, I was able to get my frito-smelling paws on one of the Zeal test batches. Let me just say, it is absolutely delicious! Mom was quite impressed with the nice large chunks of fish (Herring and Whiting which are white fish) and also how low on the fishy smell it is. Of course a slight fish smell doesn’t really bother my mom (she loves fish like me!) so she was just happy she wouldn’t have to hear my nanny complain. Humans and their abhorrence to stinky things; it’s silly really.

I have been eating Zeal for a little over two weeks or so and I haven’t had any tummy upsets, so I definitely give it two paws up. I’d give all four, but I haven’t yet learned how to roll over on cue. The only difference I have noticed (besides the taste of course) is that the Zeal seems to take a little longer to rehydrate than Keen seemed to. Or maybe my mom has just been adding a little too much water and not realizing it.

If you’re interested in purchasing Zeal, you’ll be able to pre-order batches on The Honest Kitchen’s online store next month. A portion of Zeal’s profits will be donated to marine based charities like the World Wildlife Fund, The Blue Ocean Institute, and The Nature Conservancy. So not only will your dog being getting a full belly of tasty fish, but you will also be helping ocean conservation efforts. Sounds like a good thing to me.

Happy tail wags!

Source: Phetched, The Honest Kitchen Newsletter

P.S. Don’t forget, the Krazy for Pets coupon code is still good until the end of August.

(FTC Disclosure: I was given a four pound test batch of The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal free of charge because of my Web Hound Ally status)

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