Food Additions/Supplements/Treats For The Dog Dish

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

Wanted to share my thoughts on how to get your Doodle to eat a bit.  Teddy never seems to eat except when he has gone along time without eating and/or if he is back from the Dog Park or an active walk

Here are some of the items I use to "spice up" his dry dog food:

(1)  FOOD SUPPLEMENTS:  I have used Purina Pro Plan Additions and also the Nummy Tum-Tums fruity stuff.  He seems to like them all; some are more liquid than others.  

1 Question:  these pouches say to discard (or maybe freeze the remainder) after 2-3 days....since it's in a pouch with a cap in the refrigerator, do you think a few more days would really be dangerous ?  I know they want you to use it up to buy more but Teddy is a Toy Doodle and needs 5-7 days to get through these pouches.  At the same time, I don't want to risk some bacteria infection or whatever.

(2) STELLAS & CHEWY'S CARNIVORE CRUNCH:  Lots of different flavors, I just bought the Salmon/Cod as a change-of-pace and Teddy loves it.  Hasn't had lots of fish treats/foods -- partly deliberate on my part, as I read that mushrooms can give off a fishy odor and I was afraid of him eating them last Fall.  These are soft and flaky and easily shredded on top or mixed in.  Nice aroma....1 or 2 pieces will get Teddy to mow down most of his food bowl.

(3)  PURE BUFFALO by Loving Eats:  These things I just found out and Teddy LOVES them.  Might be his favorite food/treat of all.  These are jerky-like things, half-way between a soft or hard treat and a bully stick in terms of toughness.  So they will last a bit longer than most treats but not like the Earth Animal chews or a Bully Stick.  Cut them with a sharp scissor or most knives and you can break the 2"-4" strips into tiny bite-sized pieces that will make the bag last longer or to mix in to a food bowl.

There are other items I have, but let me see if this generates any interest.  As many of you are more experienced than me this will probably be 2nd-hand knowledge to most of you.  But maybe 1 of the items is new to you or a new member of our Doodle site, so I hope this is useful.

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

We learned a trade kind situation is goof too :)

[Wendy and Myla]

I totally agree with trading, but what I would add to that is a command that you would always use - for us it was  "Drop It" and show her that we were holding a treat that she liked better.  Then we rewarded her with the treat.  What that allows us to do now (almost five years later) is say "Drop It" whenever she picks up something that she is not allowed to have and she will automatically drop it.  We still give her a treat for obeying the command but it no longer has to be a treat that she likes better - it's just part of her trained behaviour. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And it's an important command for other reasons too. There is going to be at least one time in every dog's life where he picks up something that could be dangerous, and a reliable response to "drop it!" might save his life. "Leave it" is also important, because it may stop them from picking up something that could hurt them in the first place. :) 

[Wendy and Myla]

I totally agree - we introduced "leave it" later and actually use it more than "drop it" because we can usually anticipate what Myla will sniff or try to chow down!

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

Karen and Wendy....great posts and yes, I am doing them with Teddy !

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

Anybody got any thoughts about those pouch supplements being used for up to a week if refrigerated ?

They say to discard within 2-3 days but Teddy is small and I hate to waste 1/2 a pouch or more.  OTOH, I don't want to risk infection.

Still, it's sealed and in the refridgerator.  I know I can't use it weeks later but I'm thinking 4-5 days should be OK, right ?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Not familiar with "pouch supplements". I know we talked about the sweet potatoes and pumpkin, and alternatives for that. And I wouldn't buy any kind of Purina product, the sourcing is suspect, as I think someone else here mentioned, plus their ingredients are lousy. Again, we do have a wonderful list of treat brands in The Food Group.  

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

Nummy Tum-Tums and the Purina Additions products, Karen.

A friend told me the Purina thing was OK.  It's the only thing I bought from Purina, just wanted something different for Teddy's meals.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, there are people who think Ol' Roy is okay, too. I guess it just depends on how many chances you want to take with your dog's health & life. 

As I mentioned before, there are all kinds of healthy things you can put in a dog's bowl if you want to add something to meals, and almost all of them are less expensive than these commercial products, not to mention better quality. 

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

I've done a few.  Alot of times, I am pressed for time.  I'm also not the most skilled guy in the kitchen. LOL

Never heard of Ol' Roy and had to Google it.  I think 99% of what I have bought for Teddy is way better quality than that.  LOL

My recent American Express bills will vouch for it !!  LOL