September 29, 2014

Making Healthy Changes with Natural Dog Food #PawNatural

dog food rotation diet

This post is sponsored by Only Natural Pet and the BlogPaws Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about the new Canine PowerFoodTM, but Rubicon Days only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Only Natural Pet is not responsible for the content of this article.

Recently I asked Rubicon Days' Facebook followers what was important to them in selecting a dog food. Some of the responses were "no allergens" "made in USA," "grain-free," and "natural ingredients."

I'm not proud of some of the food that I bought for my previous dogs, but I think there has been a revolution in the pet food industry in the last several years, inspiring us to be more educated and make healthier choices for our companions. By reading labels, researching ingredients, and buying the highest-quality foods our budgets allow, we can help our dogs reach their nourished, healthful potential. Lasya and Freya lived long lives and did not always eat top-shelf dog food, but I am determined to do better with the Ginger Sisters' diet.  I was therefore thrilled to partner with local Boulder, Colorado-based company Only Natural Pet for the launch of their new natural Canine PowerFoodTM  which was developed by a holistic veterinarian and is allergy-friendly, grain-free, and made in the USA.

We selected the limited-ingredient Just Fish Recipe of Only Natural Pet Canine PowerfoodTM  and I was very pleased with what I saw on the label. The food is made in the USA, and de-boned whitefish is the first listed ingredient, followed by vegetables, fruits and other nutrients. Two of the more interesting ingredients are green lipped mussels and sea cucumber, which are included in the PowerBoostTM Blend, a freeze-dried coating. Both of these oceanic ingredients are indicated for joint health. The coating also includes pumpkin, digestive enzymes and probiotics, all things I feel are beneficial to my dogs. 


On the first day, I fed 1/4 new food and 3/4 old food in our Slo Bowls

Ruby and Boca are already on a high quality rotation diet which I've talked about quite a bit here. They eat freeze-dried or dehydrated raw for breakfast and kibble for dinner. I am always open to adding new brands to our pantry as I believe variety is good for them. We generally switch dog food brands and/or varieties by the bag or box. The Ginger Sisters have never had any trouble changing foods on their rotation diet, but for the purposes of this food trial we followed the gradual transitioning guidelines provided by Only Natural Pet. Some dogs are sensitive to change, especially if they have been eating the same food for their whole lives. When introducing a new dog food, begin by incrementally increasing the ratio of new food to old food over the course of at least ten days.

Both dogs (even picky Ruby!) ate the Just Fish Feast enthusiastically and are now fully transitioned to it, with the addition of camelina oil, which I rotate seasonally with salmon oil and coconut oil. Although neither of my girls have allergies, I prefer to avoid grains and particularly corn, and Only Natural Pet Canine PowerfoodTM is free of corn, wheat, oats and soy. My dogs are at ideal weights with shiny coats, white teeth and no digestive issues and they have maintained this condition through the transition. I feel I can put my trust in a company that maintains a list of unacceptable ingredients for the products it manufactures and carries and I feel confident about adding this new natural dog food to our regular rotation. In addition to the fish variety, Only Natural Pet will also release a poultry and a red meat blend on October 6th, and the kibble is available for pre-order here.  You can also visit Only Natural Pet on Facebook and Twitter


17 comments:

  1. They have some worthwhile stuff over at that store
    Lily & Edward

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    1. I need to visit the Boulder store sometime, it's not far from me at all!

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  2. I'm always looking for kibble to add to the fluffies' rotation. I'll have to look more into this one. Sounds like it would pass the mom test ;)

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    1. Their pre-order prices are discounted and I noticed they have some trial sizes for 99 cents!

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  3. Great post! We are loving our pups being on natural dog food! Makes such a big difference with their energy level. I didn't even think about using a Slo Bowl, and I'm sure that would help the transition even more. Great idea and thanks for sharing! Happy Monday! Bets & Co at Sweet. Dog. Life.

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    1. My picky dog Ruby has so much more interest in her food if there is some puzzling or play involved. The Slo Bowls have been a huge hit at my house!

      Thank you for visiting!

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  4. Hey wow, Silas can eat that. Usually he can't do fish kibbles, because he's allergic to salmon.

    I would also like to add my allergy PSA here: it's a great idea for every dog to rotate to a different source of protein periodically. Unlike people, dogs generally become allergic to foods from over exposure. Even if you change kibble brands, there's a good chance your dog will be eating one of the same two or three proteins every meal.

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    1. That's so cool! Great point about protein rotation. I even try to make sure their breakfast protein and dinner protein are different because I'm weird like that.

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  5. Hmmm, now I am interested in your rotation diet... I guess your dogs do well with the raw in the mornings? I may need to test this out with Shiner. Great review also! Shiner loves her Fish Feast as well. Sounds like your pups do well with transitions too.

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    1. The main brands I feed are Addiction, The Honest Kitchen, Fromm, Nature's Variety and Wild Calling. We've had no problems with feeding the combination of freeze-dried raw in the morning and kibble at night. I know some raw feeders caution against mixing the two but my dogs have never had any issues with having them at separate meals. I'm not sure if the fact that it is freeze-dried makes a difference. Ruby and Boca both prefer the Addiction dehydrated over The Honest Kitchen, but it is not as highly rated on Dog Food Advisor. I'm hoping to try the other flavors of the Only Natural Pet food, too - I see on their website that they've added a red meat variety.

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  6. Wow! That food sounds awesome! I might have to order some samples!

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    1. The kibble is a nice size for our size of dogs, too!

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  7. That food sounds pretty good, I should look into a rotation diet. It always surprises me when Laika loves fish flavored foods, for some reason it seems odd to me, but they love what they love, I'm not going to argue. Thank goodness for all the great pet foods available now. It's a bit overwhelming but like you I'm a bit embarrassed by some of the foods I used to feed my dogs.

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    1. The rotation diet makes a lot of sense to me, both for variety and appetite and for making sure they are not getting too much or too little of something. It's so easy to get caught up in brand loyalty or routine, and I think we are led to believe that dogs can't handle diet changes, when in fact as long as it's done gradually, most can. My next step in educating myself is reading the book 'Dog Food Logic.'

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  8. This food sounds great! We're currently feeding a whitefish and potato food due to Maggie's allergy issues but she's getting a little bored with it. Thanks for the info! :)

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  9. Since Only Natural Pet is in your backyard, you should see if you can get a factory tour. I bet the Ginger Sisters would love to be "tasters."

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  10. Great review! Miley is loving her Poultry Feast, looks like we're going to have to try the Fish as well! :)

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