Does anyone feed Honest Kitchen?

[Ellie May]

Omega 3 and 6 are not recognized as an essential fatty acid in dogs. It is still a good idea to give Omega 3. I would go with the Nordic Naturals Omega 3 for pets.

Probiotics and digestive enzymes are very much a matter of opinion. They probably won't hurt a thing, but I would not be spending my money on them without some good proof that they are needed. Ellie gets digestive enzymes because she needs them to be able to eat. I would be so thankful if I didn't have to give them... A healthy pancreas can do its job without supplementing enzymes.

A vitamin is necessary, but there are none that would have the right ratio of calcium, etc. So you would have to use a few different things. Or you can just give BalanceIt instead which I would highly recommend doing. Actually, you can just go buy a recipe from their site and choose the BalanceIt opinion. It would meet AAFCO standards and you can choose your proein and carb source. I would personally choose a low fat option for a Yorkie. Or your vet can do it and have more options about % of fat (they would just go to the vet portion of the site). BalanceIt is an all-in-one supplement. You would give a certain amount of protein, carb, maybe vegetables, and oil, and the supplement. You don't have to add anything else at all. You can still give Omega 3 if you want.

[Ellie May]

ETA: Even with the protein added, they aren't guaranteeing that it is balanced. So I guess it depends on if you are comfortable with that or not.

[my2boyz]

Thank you. I certainly don't want to give anything that isn't neccessary.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by my2boyz

Thank you. I certainly don't want to give anything that isn't neccessary.

Well, some people believe it is necessary. Just have to decide if you think it is or not. But technically no, probiotics and enzymes are not necessary for healthy dogs. Omega 3 is something you really would want to consider.

[my2boyz]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Well, some people believe it is necessary. Just have to decide if you think it is or not. But technically no, probiotics and enzymes are not necessary for healthy dogs. Omega 3 is something you really would want to consider.

That makes sense...thank you.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by my2boyz

Preference is a 'base mix' food so you add to it to make it complete...it is made to "bridge the gap between raw, home made and commercially prepared foods for pets"...that was taken from the box.

I have been led to believe that the Omegas are part of their neccessary supplementation...or is that a 'sales pitch'? I see them included in a lot of dog foods too. My vet recommended several supplements, a multi vitamin, pro biotics and digestive enzymes along with either the Omegas or Flaxseed to mix with a home cooked diet.

Is here a supplement I should be using for home cooking that would cover everything they need that may be lacking in their food?

There are lots of sales pitches in the dog supplement industry and you're right it is hard to sort out who is telling you the truth and who is robbing you blind.

I use Nordic Naturals Pet Omega 3 for all three of my dogs at a therapeutic dose for maximum benefit.

I do not use probiotics or enzymes, but have in the past on occasion.

Yes, BalanceIt is an all in one product. However it is designed to be used with their computerized recipes. I use it for my dogs with diets made specifically for each dog by a vet nutritionist. Years ago I did separate human grade supplements to balance out my home cooked diets but it was time consuming and more expensive. I've been using BalanceIt for almost 2 years and I'll never go back to separate supplements.