what to feed a akita
- Thread starter loki
- Start date
Hi, Loki,
I was privileged to have many wonderful years with Bear, my wonderful German Shepherd/Akita mix rescued from the pound. Of course you want to make sure she has the best food possible.
An Akita would do well on the BARF diet; Serena could advise you on that. There are several threads here about dog nutrition involving what to look for in a quality kibble. My GSD/wolf mix and two Fila Brasileiros eat Innova kibble and are thriving on it. The two "magic words" to look for in kibble are "organic" and "human grade." This tells you that your dog isn't getting a bellyfull of chemicals, hormones, drugs and other nastiness, and that the ingredients at least meet standards required of human food.
My standard referral (lol) is to www.greatdanelady.com. If you will read her information, you'll be well informed and will have very good parameters to work with.
I'll also suggest that you check out the thread here, particularly the one with the link to a table showing the different feeds that have been found to contain a drug used in euthanasia. It's frightening what goes into our pets' food.
I was privileged to have many wonderful years with Bear, my wonderful German Shepherd/Akita mix rescued from the pound. Of course you want to make sure she has the best food possible.
An Akita would do well on the BARF diet; Serena could advise you on that. There are several threads here about dog nutrition involving what to look for in a quality kibble. My GSD/wolf mix and two Fila Brasileiros eat Innova kibble and are thriving on it. The two "magic words" to look for in kibble are "organic" and "human grade." This tells you that your dog isn't getting a bellyfull of chemicals, hormones, drugs and other nastiness, and that the ingredients at least meet standards required of human food.
My standard referral (lol) is to www.greatdanelady.com. If you will read her information, you'll be well informed and will have very good parameters to work with.
I'll also suggest that you check out the thread here, particularly the one with the link to a table showing the different feeds that have been found to contain a drug used in euthanasia. It's frightening what goes into our pets' food.
Yep.. Stay away from the purina, the pedigree, ALL the grocery store brands, really.. Science Diet, even though some vets recommend it, is HIGHLY overpriced corn kibble with very little of what dogs actually do need.
A raw diet (or the BARF diet) would be wonderful, but not everyone is up for that. If you are, that's awesome, and if you decide to feed a raw diet, the dog will LOVE it. I haven't ever seen a hungry dog turn up its nose at a raw meaty bone.. It seems like a lot more work than pouring kibble into a bowl, and it is, but once you get the hang of it and figure out your ratios, supplements, and what-have-you, it's a snap.
A raw diet (or the BARF diet) would be wonderful, but not everyone is up for that. If you are, that's awesome, and if you decide to feed a raw diet, the dog will LOVE it. I haven't ever seen a hungry dog turn up its nose at a raw meaty bone.. It seems like a lot more work than pouring kibble into a bowl, and it is, but once you get the hang of it and figure out your ratios, supplements, and what-have-you, it's a snap.
I had Kharma with me Saturday at Charley's furniture store. One of his customers came in and we began a long conversation - and friendship. She and her husband managed an animal shelter in PA for 21 years; they even sold their house as it was an on-site job, and she is also an AKC judge, and up until just recently when they decided to retire (They're in their early seventies) raised Championship Dalmations. One of their dogs is featured on the AKC Visa card.
Anyway, we were discussing feeding (they really like the Innova kibble) and she told me that they feed a modified BARF diet, adding a product called Sojourn which is formulated to be mixed with the raw meat. I looked it up, and it really appears to be a product that is well-thought out, with quality ingredients, that is an intelligent means to provide a raw diet if you don't have the means to put into the extensive research and balancing of nutrients. You still need to do your homework and know what you're feeding your dog, but it does provide a good, solid nutrient platform to work from.
Anyway, here's the link: http://www.sojos.com
Anyway, we were discussing feeding (they really like the Innova kibble) and she told me that they feed a modified BARF diet, adding a product called Sojourn which is formulated to be mixed with the raw meat. I looked it up, and it really appears to be a product that is well-thought out, with quality ingredients, that is an intelligent means to provide a raw diet if you don't have the means to put into the extensive research and balancing of nutrients. You still need to do your homework and know what you're feeding your dog, but it does provide a good, solid nutrient platform to work from.
Anyway, here's the link: http://www.sojos.com
I looked at the ingredients on the Diamond website, and I was totally underwhelmed. NOT human grade ingredients - which tells you that anything and everything can be used and not organic, which tells you that the ingredients can be from animal and plant matter that has been treated with hormones, chemicals, etc.
Serena or Grace (Rip's Girl) can give you good advice on the BARF diet. Did you check out the link to Sojourner above, or the link to the Great Dane Lady site?
Serena or Grace (Rip's Girl) can give you good advice on the BARF diet. Did you check out the link to Sojourner above, or the link to the Great Dane Lady site?
I don't follow Pitcairn's recommendations for all the grains, either. In fact I don't use those recipes, although I do use the 'healthy powder'.
In short Loki, a raw diet consists of feeding raw meat and bones, (RAW bones. If you're leery about feeding raw bones, definitely take a long look at the links Serena posted) organ meat (heart, liver, kidney -I don't feed liver and kidneys personally, unless they are from organically raised meat- and even things like green tripe) and vegetables and fruits, which some people don't feed to their dogs. There is little to no grains in this diet, and all the food (besides the veggies, which should be cooked and mashed) is whole and raw.
In short Loki, a raw diet consists of feeding raw meat and bones, (RAW bones. If you're leery about feeding raw bones, definitely take a long look at the links Serena posted) organ meat (heart, liver, kidney -I don't feed liver and kidneys personally, unless they are from organically raised meat- and even things like green tripe) and vegetables and fruits, which some people don't feed to their dogs. There is little to no grains in this diet, and all the food (besides the veggies, which should be cooked and mashed) is whole and raw.