TOTW & Merrick canned food?

cs026a

Hi guys!

Quick foody question for all you nutritionally-wise folks out there. I have a very picky eater, who has probably tried almost every food in the pet store (of the middle of the road variety, anyway). Today I decided to get a small bag of TOTW and try to phase it into her diet slowly (she currently eats Purina, as it is the only thing she likes). I also got some Merrick canned food - which seems to have whole pieces of meat in it. Lucy has seasonal alopecia, and I'm trying to beef up her food nutritionally to maybe improve her baseline nutritional status, in turn lessening her hair loss.

We also typically mix in hard boiled eggs and ground venison probably 1-2 times per week. She eats a "varying diet" better than the same thing every day, so it's working for us. My plan was to mix the Merrick canned food with dry food some days, other days mix in ground beef (cooked), and some days mix in eggs. When she's really hungry she will eat dry food plain, but she just never seems to enjoy it. We enjoy mixing it up for her, so it's not a problem. I've recently incorporated pumpkin into the mix as well.

Any thoughts? Nutritionally, I'm sure the TOTW and the Merrick are better than the Purina - but is it ok to mix in other stuff she likes? Ground beef, eggs, carrots, cucumbers? Should I be cooking the ground beef/eggs or are they healthy raw as well? Some folks feed the shell from the egg right? I haven't yet attempted that yet.

Thanks for your help!!

Namasteak

I don't have experience with the Merrick canned food but we feed kibble with wet/fresh food supplements for a dog with allergies 

kibble - ACANA Pacifica

wet food mixture (lasts 4 days for 2 50lb dogs) - 4 raw eggs, 1 can tripett green venison tripe, 1 can ziwipeak venison (I love that the ziwipeak has organ meat in it)

1 tbsp pumpkin (most days frozen in a kong, somedays its just on top)

whole carrots as snacks, yogurt in kongs sometimes

kristinanddan

I mix in some Merrick wet food as a treat sometimes - it's a huge hit in our house. And definitely a whole lot more nutritious than Purina.

dexteroni

We use Merrick canned as a way to give Dexter some powdered and liquid supplements.  He greatly enjoys them, and there are so many varieties that he never gets bored with them.  I believe they are complete nutrition, which means you could feed just that and it would be a balanced meal.  We don't do that, but I like that the little bit he gets is nutritious.

We also use Weruva cans sometimes, which Dexter absolutely loooooooves.  But they make him incredibly gassy, so they are a very very rare treat - given only when we can sleep with the windows open and a fan running, lol. 

cs026a

Thanks for the replies! The Taste of the Wild food smells pretty bad in the bag..I'm assuming it's how it is supposed to smell though. Lucy loves it, from the moment I opened the bag she was whining..so we'll see how we are in a few weeks!

Thanks again guys!

jdbmjm

Which TOTW did you get? I found it to be the only fish based food (Pacific Stream) that didn't make my whole kitchen smell like fish. 

TOTW is a really good food and one that I've found keeps all of Heidi's itching, tummy problems, ear infections at bay. I also mix in meat once a week (I don't eat any meat, so I don't usually have it on hand), and veggies (cooked and raw) as treats. I give them raw and cooked meat. I put plain yogurt, fruit, unsweetened applesauce, plain peanut butter, pumpkin and bits of veggies in their kongs. My dogs never turn their noses up at anything, ever, so maybe I'm not the best example, but it's worked with even sensitive dog. 

Good luck! 

sandollar1010

You are describing exactly what I do with my pup.  She gets TOTW lamb kibble with all different Merrick canned varieties mixed in.  She also will get a small amount of whatever we are having for dinner, and on the weekends maybe an egg or two.  She was never a big eater, but we have been doing this since about January and she eats wheatever we give her now.  She has no tummy issues, and she is pretty sensitive.  I think your dog will love this routine!

eshee8198

I have a very picky eater as well - she also has a food sensitivity. We tried both TOTW and Merrick for a while, and while she liked them okay, they gave her bouts of colitus. We eventually switched to Fromm's - a mix of kibble and canned food, and she loves it (and no more tummy issues). We rotate through the flavors to keep her interested. I've heard that some people have had issues with TOTW lately - they were bought by someone or their manufacturing has changed, I can't really remember. i LOVE the Fromm's - it was recommended by someone on this board - so if you're able to find it it might be worth a try as well!