What we feed our pets and why?

 

The Dogs

Meet Harley, Joker, and Robin. The three most spoiled dogs on the planet, or at least their parents think so. You may have seen them here at the shop if they were doing their greeting job properly. They don't meet new people as none of them know a stranger. They are the reason that Paw of the Family exists. 

The Parents

Our names, if you haven't met us yet, are Jessica and Ryan Meeks. We own Paw of the Family, we live locally here in Anna and absolutely love this community. We moved from Mckinney to Anna in early 2021 and quickly figured out that we were driving back to Mckinney all the time for good quality pet supplies (I believe we mentioned already how spoiled the pups are). These dogs have a special place in our hearts, we learned back in 2019 that we cannot have kids ourselves. After dwelling on that for a bit, we decided that the best option for us was a puppy. From there we got Harley, and as they say, the rest is history. 

What we feed

Lots of folks in this community have been EXTREMELY supportive. We cannot say thank you enough. We have also been so very happy to help folks with dietary needs for their pups. Alot of people ask us what we feed, or what we think the best food is for their dogs and cats, etc.... The answer isn't always simple, because just like us, every pet's needs can be different. Some are struggling with weight issues, some are getting older and less active, others have joint problems, diabetes, kidney problems, and allergies. Always consult your veterinarian, and let us know how we can help.

Harley, Joker, and Robin always get compliments on how soft their coats are, how clean their teeth are, and not to be absolutely gross, but even a few comments at dog parks about how small even the big dogs poops are. All of these things are entirely 100% due to what they eat:

1. Fromm 4 star kibble

2. Half a patty of Instinct raw food

3. Goats Milk (very little mixed into the kibble)

4. Blueberries

5. Angel Eyes supplement

6. Super Snouts Joint Power

Let me start by saying, this is NOT a sale pitch or ad, these are just the items we feed and why we feed them. 

1. We feed Fromm 4 star kibble as we whole heartedly believe in this company and we really love the ingredients and variety the 4 star line offers. 

1. The Fromm 4 star line is meant to be able to switch in between the different proteins, so you can provide your dogs and cats with different flavors and perform a process called protein rotation. Prolonged usage of a single food or protein is believed to contribute to the development of allergies which can present as itchy skin, hot spots, upset stomachs, etc.. 
2. In addition, Fromm does not use any corn, wheat, soy, or any other low nutritional index fillers. So not only can we add variety to our dogs diets, but its pretty good stuff. 
3. Fromm has been in business since 1904, pioneered the distemper shot for puppies in the 1940s, and has only ever had 2 voluntary recalls on their canned food for a little too much vitamin D (this wouldn't have hurt the dogs, but it certainly could have upset stomachs). 

2. We add the 1/2 patty of Instinct raw frozen food as a nutritional booster for their meals.  

1. Why raw at all? This is a big, heavy topic and it deserves it's own blog post. I am going to add just a couple key points.
2. Even the best kibbles out there are still high heat extruded and have alot of the nutrition cooked out of them. Most kibbles are cooked upwards of 500+ degrees. Some are better than others, but, it still doesn't hurt to give a bit more to your dogs. Raw food has the absolute most nutrition for your animals, none of it is cooked out. Many folks actually go 100% full raw diet after seeing the benefit. All of our money has gone into opening the store, so with the 3 dogs, we do half a raw Instinct patty to still provide the boost in nutrients, but to spread the cost out a bit. 
3. There was a study performed in Finland at the University of Helsinki across 16,000 dogs over the course of 10 years which proved the benefits of raw food for the pups. This is also why we carry and feed specifically the Instinct Raw Longevity line. Again, this is not a sales pitch, this is just the food that was backed by that study and we are comfortable feeding to our animals. 
4. This and the Fromm 4 star kibble are why our dogs poops are so small. There is very little wasted as they are absorbing more nutrition from the food. 

3. We add a couple ounces of Goats Milk to each meal as well.

1. Goats Milk has a ton of benefits for our pets. First, its packed with tons of probiotics 
2. Probiotics aid in digestion, and often times, digestion issues can present in more than just diarrhea, if pets are itching alot, it could very well be their gut health. 
3. It aids in allergy relief
4. Most goats milk offered by pet stores also include Turmeric. Turmeric aids in maintaining pain due to arthritis and joints, it helps with blood clots due to its blood thinning properties, also helps with irritable bowels, is an antioxidant, and helps with bone spurs thanks to the curcumin it contains (the yellow pigment in turmeric). 
   

4. Between 6 to 10 blueberries per meal 

1. Blueberries are packed with antioxidants and fiber. 
2. Phytochemicals have also been linked in humans to the ability to fight cancers. Since 1 in 15 dogs develop cancer, this is a cheap and fun way to help our pets the best we can. 
3. They assist in the effects of brain aging in older dogs
4. Lastly, if you have pets that have tear stains, blueberries are a good natural way to help. 

5.  Angel Eyes Supplement

1. This one just goes to Robin, the little Cavalier. We use the blueberries and this to help with his tear stains. We started with the blueberries, but then added this as we still had a little bit, we didn't remove the blueberries due to their other benefits, and we don't give this powder to the big dogs.
2. This is an all natural supplement made with cranberries, blueberries, olive leaf, and marshmallow root. This combined with the blueberries has eliminated Robins tear stains and nasties around his eyes. 

6. Super Snouts Joint Power

1. This one just goes to Joker our Labrador. 
2. Unfortunately when Joker was a puppy, he fractured his leg, so now from a young age, he has arthritis and pain in his leg.
3. Using this, you can't even tell he has any issue at all. He doesn't limp anymore and runs full speed. 
4. It is made from New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels which are natural sources of bio available glucosamine, omega 3s, chondroitin, and other various vitamins and minerals. 

Well, there you have it. This is our feeding regiment and why each item is added (albeit the very quick key points to each). Maybe it sounds crazy to folks, but these are our kiddos. We want to do the absolute best we can for them, so we have spent hours upon hours pouring over foods, ingredients, supplements, etc.. The next step was to open our own store!