Hi Karen,
After searching past posts on nutrition and not finding information regarding the sojos diet, have you (or anyone else on the blog) tried and/or recommend the sojos grain-free fruit & veggie dog food mix. I’m already adding raw beef heart (lately Rudi has decided he doesn’t want it), ground sirlon and sirlon I cut up and add to his Taste of the Wild. He’s always preferred to play or anything other than eat. He’s 77 lbs. I’m not worried about his weight but want to find a diet “he wants to eat”. This past week I’ve added some Mexican crumbling cheese and this morning a slice of swiss…he seems to like cheese but I’m stopping that before it becomes a habit…I know, I hear the chuckling, I’ve already created a habit. 😉
So I guess you simply mix your amount of sojos contents, first five ingredients are sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, celery, apples, whole egg (guess that’s 6) with water and raw beef or poultry. Let stand for at least 30 minutes then feed. It does include flax meal.
I was given a small sample packet but decided to ask your expert advice first. Thanks in advance and here’s wishing you a lovely, reflective Memorial Day Weekend.
Julie Hesse & Rudi 😛
Karen I want your opinion on Mulligan Stew kibble. http://www.mulliganstewpetfood.com/
Hi Julie & Rudi!
Years ago I fed the Sojo’s diet for my past GSD. I found it to be a good clean food but you would have to use supplements to complete this diet. Not a hard thing to do, but, another step which I could help you with. Another alternative would be to try Honest Kitchen’s “Preference”. You only add meat, no supplements needed as this is a “complete” diet. The Preference may be more expensive as I’ve never compared them, but they may turn out to be about the same price once you add the expense of the vitamins (which should be human quality). It is also VERY important to rotate your dog’s food source (even dry kibble-done slowly) as often as possible so that they do not become allergic to the ingredients. That’s why so many pups have SO many problems today! Imagine your family only feeding you a “Big Mac” twice a day for your entire life!!!! Great at first, BUT!!!!! :~) Honest Kitchen does have other sources which have the meat in it. You are on the right track!!! These choices are the next best thing to feeding totally raw.
If you are already adding different raw meats to his food, and he doesn’t seem to be gobbling it up, pour a little boiling water on the raw meat (to turn the edges white) before mixing with his other food. This should stimulate his appetite.
Please let me know how I can help!
Best regards, Karen :~)
@Karen Murray Thanks so much Karen! You are a wealth of helpful information.
Rudi and me leave tomorrow for a tracking seminar so I’ve not tried to change Rudi’s diet yet, he’s really going for the ground sirlon/chuck. Why he’s decided he doesn’t want the raw beef heart I don’t know…perhaps he just likes a change. When we return Monday we will try a little boiling water on the raw meat before mixing with his other food. Thank you again for sharing, so much appreciated! JH 🙂
@Julie
Hi Julie,
Sorry it took me so long to reply but I e-mailed the operations director of Mulligan Stew with questions and he just got back to me.
This food really interested me since they stated info about enzymes, anti-oxidents and cell strengthening. But the one thing that stuck out to me was their vitamin and mineral contents especially the calcium. When I asked them about this, their reply was that their dry kibble attained it’s calcium from the cabbage, proteins, alfalfa meal and the egg content in the formula. They also stated that Zinc, E, Potassium Iodide, and D3 were added to meet minimum AAFCO Guidelines. They seem to have high integrity with regards to processing and lab testing (which can be seen on their site). Although they process their food at the lowest temperature possible to preserve the vitamin and mineral content of their ingredients, it still is not in it’s raw form so I would probably supplement this food a little. But, that is just me being cautious since they do not perform “feeding trials” on their products. I do like their theory of “less is more” and minimal ingredients. Note that their canned food is “recommended for supplemental feeding” only. That is b/c they do not supplement the canned food with Copper or Iron. They feel that the AAFCO guidelines for those two specific minerals are to high and feel that they are able to surpass all the guidelines with the natural sources within their food which is great! The high cabbage and horseradish content may give some dogs gas, but that would pass as their system got use to the food. If you do consider this food, please remember to change it out with your current food SLOWLY. About 1/8 cup for a large dog for a few days and then increase the amount per day slowly until you reach the recommended amount .
Hope this helps!!!
Best regards, Karen :~)
Thank you so much Karen! I switch from one premium food to another without easing into the next variety/brand. I think many of the premium foods are so similar that I can get away with doing this. No G.I. upsets, loose stools. However, you can not do that with the Mulligan Stew. The formulation is so different from other foods that you will have very loose stools until they adapt to it. Yes speaking first hand here. Thank you for the warning.
Julie,
While I was making my raw meat mix this afternoon and adding “CABBAGE”
to the mix, I had to smile (sorry!!) remembering your note from this morning
about your experience with the Mulligan Stew! Oh my goodness!!!!
You must have had a hard time with “clean up” detail!!! :~)
I have always added cabbage periodically to Teeghan and Doogan’s food
but until I researched this food for you, I had never thought to put a little
horseradish in the mix!!! It just goes to show ya, you can never stop
learning!!!!
Karen, you are a wiz! The information that you’re willing to share and the research that you do for us is wonderful. Thank you!
You’re very welcome!
ANYTHING for dog health and clean food!!!
Warm Regards! Karen :~)