# The Honest Kitchen: opinions?



## BiggiesMama (Oct 21, 2013)

Hey everyone! I'm new here. I have a nine month old chihuahua(possible mix). His name is Biggie and he was rescued from a shelter after being in a possible car accident(he has major teeth issues.) after being fed kibble much too large for his mouth, Biggie was content with having AvoDerm dry kibble for small puppy breeds, but after realizing how bad avocado pits are for dogs I switched him to Taste of the Wild, which he liked for a while but then refused to eat. He has the tendency to throw up bile when he hasn't eaten so I knew I had to find a food he wanted to eat. I then switched to Evangers wet dog food and he loved it, and then got sick of it. I recently bought a brand that is local to me(based out of Salinas, CA) called Happy Dog Food which is dehydrated veggies and vitamin supplement that is mixed with fresh meat. He would eat all the meat(I used roasted chicken) and he leaves the vegetables(carrots, celery, parsley, etc). I know that chicken with some vitamin supplement is not a fulfilling and nutritious meal for my beloved pup. I am looking into The Honest Kitchen. Has anyone had any successful experiences with this food with a super finicky pup? I would probably add some meat to it since I know that they are a little skimpy with meat in their mixes. Are there any other super nutritious brands I should know about? I love the idea of feeding him fresh meals daily rather than dry kibble or wet food, as I don't trust pet food companies. I also read some great thins about Ziwipeak and Fromm. I would definitely consider mixing either of those with The Honest Kitchen. I just want to give my dog the best food possible. He's worth every penny.  also, I have never fed him are food. I'm not opposed to it, I suppose I'm just scared that he'll get sick from salmonella or something. Any advice is much appreciated!


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

I am in the UK, so can't recommend brands to you. I do use ZiwiPeak occasionally, and my three go absolutely nuts for it. 
I feed raw, and would definitely recommend this way of feeding. There is a whole section on raw feeding in this forum, and we have some very knowledgeable and experienced raw feeders to answer any questions.
Salmonella from raw meat does not pose a risk to your dog, their digestive systems are designed to cope with germs that would be dangerous to humans. As long as you observe basic hygiene rules there is no more risk to your family than when you prepare raw meat to cook for yourself. Also, remember that there is often salmonella in kibble.
A good place to start is dogfoodadvisor.com they rate all types of dog foods, from kibble to pre-made raw.


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

I know several people who feed the honest kitchen that you add your own meat to (all people with performance border collies- but I am not sure how much that really means other than it got popular with their group). It is this product- Preference - Grain Free, Homemade Dog Food Mix | The Honest Kitchen I agree the other mixes are a little low on the meat but I think the one you add meat to is a pretty high quality product and a good alternative for people who want to home cook but don't have the time to put into making a complete diet. Plus then your pup is eating much less processed foods and I am all for that in any circumstances you can work it out. It would probably be pretty palatable too- being that you are adding your own meat, but I can't really speak to that.


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

Also to add (now that I re-red it and see "are" may be a typo for raw)- I feed raw, and I could not recommend anything more than that. I truly believe it is the best diet out there and if you are thinking about it you should go for it. Dogs digestive systems are different than ours and salmonella is not something you have to worry about as long as you have a healthy dog. Their digestive track is set up to handle bacteria like that, it is much shorter than omnivore like us and along with some other safeguards in their system they are able to process bacteria without a problem. Just think about how much your dog sniffs around at the park, they lick the dirty ground, sniff poop (their own and others) lick the bottom of their feet, their butts and do plenty of other stuff that exposes them to bacteria. Raw meat is a breeze if your digestive system is equipped to lick poop. There is a lot of good getting started info on here, read through some of the threads, I am sure they will make you feel better.


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## BiggiesMama (Oct 21, 2013)

Thank you both for your input. And yes, i meant "raw" not "are". My apologies! I went out today and got samples of The Honest Kitchen. He did not like the beef version one bit. He didn't even lick it. I then have him a single piece of kibble by Solid gold in the flavor Barking at the Moon, he didn't like it at all either. I also bought some frozen raw patties for him by Stewart Rae naturals: Fresh to Home. Tonight I gave him the lamb version which he wasn't ecstatic about at first, but he did up eating it. Tomorrow I will try the chicken and salmon version. I would love a good kibble to give to him. I love the website dogfoodadvisor.com and have been going off their 5-star rating system. It's just so difficult because I will see a 5-star kibble and then look at the comments and people will post about how terrible the food is. I like referring to this site since everyone also has chihuahuas. I just want the best possible food for him. I've heard good things about Fromm on this site but from doesn't receive a 5-star rating from DogFoodAdvisor. Ahh I'm so torn.


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