What do you feed your dogs and puppies?

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Making sure that our dogs and puppies are receiving the proper nutrition is of the utmost importance to us. There are SO MANY choices and SO MANY opinions on this subject...so we look to science and to our veterinarian team. 

 

We’ve been feeding Life’s Abundance for almost 2 years and have been thrilled with the results. We are seeing our dog’s LOVE this food, have shinier coats, whiter teeth, and firmer, less-stinky stools. We feel strongly that this food saved our breeding program and that our adult dogs and your puppy will live a longer and healthier life because of the nutritional support from Life's Abundance food!

 

This line of pet products was formulated by Dr. Jane Bicks, DVM. She has been a holistic vet for over 20 years. She has served as President of the American Veterinarian Association of New York City, earned three Presidential Citations and helped establish one of the largest animal shelters in the world, the author of three books on responsible care and treatment of pets, and has appeared on 48 Hours, Good Morning America, CNN, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and more. She has also created a non-profit foundation where a percent of her product line is contributed toward rescue and care for pets. Many of the ingredients in our pet food today causes a shorter life span due to the ingredients that cause stress on their kidney and liver functions which include; wheat, corn, and soy. These are also major allergens to our pets. By-products such as chicken heads, duck bills, fish heads, chicken and turkey feet, bones and diseased & contaminated slaughterhouse meat can also be included in our pet foods! BHA, BHT, which harms our dog’s liver and kidneys and are known carcinogens, as well as Ethoxyquin, which is used to stabilize rubber can also be used. All these chemicals are added to provide a longer shelf life, for months, even possibly a couple of years. We feel it’s important to be knowledgeable about the food our furry family members are ingesting.

 

But here’s why this food was even a consideration for us...
Life's Abundance foods are formulated by a veterinarian with select ingredients to help your dog achieve optimum health. Life's Abundance uses a "fast-cook" process at low temperatures to help preserve the nutritional value of each and every wholesome ingredient. And they maintain strict inventory controls to ensure the quality and safety of the food. Life's Abundance foods are made in Ohio, in small batches with the finest ingredients, including...
* A proprietary blend of vitamins and minerals
* High-quality protein from chicken meal for strong muscles
* Numerous strains of Probiotic in the guaranteed analysis
* An antioxidant system including vitamins A, C and E.
* A selection of nutritious vegetables and fruits.
* Omega-3 fatty acids for healthy skin and a shiny coat.
* Calcium and phosphorus for healthy teeth and strong bones
* Dietary fiber to help maintain a healthy digestive tract.
* No artificial flavors
* No recalls in the history of the brand, 19 years. 
* No artificial colors
* No corn or corn gluten
* No wheat or wheat gluten
* Safe ingredients in the grain-free formula

While Life’s Abundance dog food “seems” more expensive up front, the cost is about $1.58 a day for a 70 pound adult dog. When considering a dog food, look at cost per pound and cost per feeding, not cost per bag.  With Life’s Abundance, you feed less dog food, but they receive more nutrition! They are able to digest and utilize the dog food more readily. We had direct experience with this when we switched from Purina Pro Plan to Life's Abundance.  Our dog's were eating 3.25-3.5 cups of Purina Pro Plan per day (about $2.05 per day) and since we've switched to Life's Abundance, they are eating about 2 cups of food per day (about $1.32 per day) so while a bag costs more than Purina Pro Plan, the bag lasts longer and is more cost effective in the long run. BUT for us, it's more about nutrition than cost!

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And even better, delivery is typically within about 2 days right to your front door.

 

Also consider switching your puppy to the large breed formula from 10 weeks to 1 year of age as these will be large dogs and the additional vitamin and minerals are helpful for their development.  Most veterinarians recommend a large breed puppy food for the first year or so and then switch back to All Life Stages. 

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We recommend that our Farmstead 51 families buy the following:

a. 2 weeks prior to puppy coming home, a 20 pound bag of All Life Stages and 2 cans of Pork and Venison

b. set up auto-ship for every 5 weeks, either 40 pound bag of All Life Stages OR 37.3 pound bag of Large Breed Puppy

c. when your puppy turns 1 (or around that time frame) decrease food intake and adjust auto-ship to every 7 weeks and stay on or switch to All Life Stages

d. try the porky puffs, beef hearts and dental treats...our dogs LOVE these!

 

Feel free to ask us any questions about this or other foods you’re considering.