What's For Dinner?

I'm a dog.  I eat dog food.  Dog food, in general, gets a bad rap.  And if you look at the labels of most of the kibbles available in the grocery store or Target, it's easy to see why. Dogs are primarily carnivores.  While veggies and grains are a part of a healthy diet, they should be a small part.  Brands like Purina, Hill's Science Diet, and even Iams are packed with corn and its derivatives.  Have you ever seen a dog eat corn? I didn't think so.

In the shelter, I was eating Hill's Science Diet Puppy Lamb Meal & Rice.  Unsurprisingly, lamb and rice were the first two ingredients.  Off to a good start!  But then, the ingredients list went downhill, with whole grain wheat and corn gluten meal.  The folks at the shelter knew that this wasn't the best food for me, but it was what they had.  They recommended to Matt and Alicia that I stick to a "grain free" diet.

Grain free basically means no wheat or corn.  Rice is okay.  That's why they switched to Avo Derm Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Formula - Puppy Dog Food.  While Alicia says they went with this brand on the recommendation of a friend with a pit bull mix, I think she really chose it because it's made with avocado, her favorite food.  The natural oil in avocado helps keep my skin healthy and my coat shiny.

Chowing down!

We just finished the transition from Hill's to Avo Derm this week.  I eat 3 cups of food per day, so I'd get 1.5 cups of Hill's Science Diet and 1.5 cups of Avo Derm each day.  Matt and Alicia also give me bits of all-beef hot dog when they're trying to get me to do something I really don't want to do, like get in the car crate, or when they want to encourage me to make the right decision (poop and pee outside, sit on command).

Mid-scarf.

One of my favorite treats, though, is frozen green beans.  Yup, you heard me right.  Frozen green beans.  Alicia likes to use these while training on commands or just as a hot afternoon treat after a walk.  Typically, dogs who are overweight go on "The Green Bean Diet" (just Google "green bean diet" and you'll find tons of recipes and recommendations on how to incorporate green beans into your dog's diet).  If anything, I was a little bit underweight when Matt and Alicia first brought me home.  Instead of substituting green beans for other food, I just get to eat green beans.  The great thing is that green beans are a great source of fiber.  Delicious!

Mmmm...Green-uh-muh-beans!