Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Pit Bull Fuel

Feeding Maisie involves a lot more than just food.  Her main meal consists of a 1/2 lb. of raw food, twice per day.  This 2 lb. container lasts (35 lb.) Maisie two days, and I usually rotate turkey, chicken, beef and duck:

She now also gets one freeze-dried raw patty per feeding after I noticed she lost a bit of weight over the winter (alternating between duck and chicken, as they crumble more easily than the beef or lamb versions).

But in addition to her actual food, Maisie receives a variety of supplements:

Besides her prescription Clomicalm for separation anxiety (which she gets twice a day), her a.m. routine also includes a glucosamine chew.  Before I started giving her these, she sometimes limped a bit after a full day of daycare but that stopped completely with the glucosamine.  And she loves the chicken-y taste!

In the evening, Maisie gets an Omega-3 acid capsule which benefits her overall health and helps keep her coat nice and shiny.  The ones I have are actually for people (Maisie and I share them) and are generously supplied by a friend who works for a pharmaceutical company, but there are plenty of pet brands too.

I also give her a probiotic at night to reduce occurrences of intestinal distress.  She still has toxic farts though.

Finally, I always sprinkle some enzyme powder (with more probiotics) over any servings of raw.  It aids digestion and and helps Maisie to better absorb all the nutrients in her food.

Phew!!!  All that stuff just to keep one little dog healthy and well-fed...

Thankfully, my own fueling routine is much simpler...at least in the morning! 

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow! Maisie sure does get some good eats! The grouchy old ladies take Glyco Flex & they love it. Poor me, I can't have them because they give me the itchies.

xoxoxo
Pauley James

Oskar said...

I'm sure that she is thankful of all you do to keep her healthy & happy.

Nubbin wiggles,
Oskar

Of Pit Bulls and Patience said...

She looks like she has a healthy belly! How did you decide on the combination of supplements? Was it vet recommended, or based on what you observed? I've added enzymes in the past, but with so many choices out there I haven't got a clue what is the most beneficial for my own dogs. Any hints?

Parker and Skye

Maisie's Mom said...

the acidophilus and Glycoflex were recommended by a holistic vet for my previous pooch and I just stuck with 'em. I also used to give her a fish oil supplement. The enzyme powder was suggested by the owner of the pet store where I buy Maisie's food, he is uber knowledgeable about nutrition stuff!

Two Pitties in the City said...

I think she eats better than me! I've been researching some of the ways to better feed our pooches; we've gone raw and glucosomine, but I might have to look into the other things. You are quite dedicated!

Two Grad Students and a Pittie said...

Oh no, now youve given me all new things to research! I may facebook you later, we do Missing Link but were htinking she needs more fiber and fish oil. Havi eats much better than me...

www.twogradstudentsandapittie.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

hahaha you cracked me up with the espresso machine in the last shot :)

h(eather) said...

Great post! I've been trying to add more healthy things to the dogs meals and thinking about going raw/partially raw... thanks for the inspiration!

Branson said...

That is cool that you feed raw! My mommy wants to try that when we move back to the States. Maisie is so cute!

K-Koira said...

We feed raw too, the dogs love it. But I do a home prep, rather than the more expensive premade raw.

Anonymous said...

Our pups do PlaqueOff for their teeth (its a natural seaweed supplement we swear by), fish oil and glucosamine (along with all natural kibble) - man! The lengths we go to in order to keep our dogs healthy!