When Moxie was diagnosed with kidney disease, my vet immediately put her on Hills KD formula. I really balked at this because Hills foods are cr@p as far as I'm concerned and as expected, my dog did very poorly on this diet. So I did some research on home made diets for kidney disease and came up with something and went with it. When she had to go in for her ultrasound everyone grilled me on what I had been feeding her. So, on the internists recommendation, I went to a certified veterinary nutritionist. I showed her what I had been feeding Moxie for months and she said it was exactly what she would recommend her clients feed a stage 2 kidney failure dog. We did change from beef to lamb, and pasta to barley because the internist is testing a theory that she has IBD. But the proportions were the same and the supplements were the same. I felt vindicated at the end of my consultation.

You know your dog better than anyone else. Feed it what it does well on. Change it up. Keep 'em happy.

BTW, those chicken wings will help keep any tartar at bay. A good crunch on some soft bones and those pearly whites will be good as new.

and this is coming from a veteran vet tech (nurse)

I am one of these veterinary nurses and I give mine wet and dry food. I would give them raw if I had the time to mananage it. I also give them chicken wings for their teeth and I brush them. My dogs are deep chested and I do not want them on a complete dry diet in case of gastric torsion!! As long as your dog is healthy and his/ her weight is correct you must be doing the right thing for your dog.

Many thanks for your input. You are right, I think I will buy a few more chicken wings so they become a daily feature rather than a couple of times a week. That should keep their teeth sparkly white

Yes more chicken wings is the way to go. Ollie is a deep chested dog too, so pure kibble is not the best thing for him anyway. It's reassuring that there are some very wise and pragmatic nurses out there. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to contribute.

i feed both my dogs on a raw diet, however i am very lucky as my vet is a great advocate for it so it's a lot easier. I do think you have to do what is best for your dog and you will know that yourself

We all actively try to do what is best for our dogs. The reason we all log on to this site is because we want to improve our knowlege and therefore the welfare of our dogs. The responses to this thread have all (except one), been supportive of a varied diet, with a varying percentage of raw and/or wet food. That represents a huge amount of practical experience and knowledge. Cheers Guys!!

i had the vet tell me how neglectful i was being when i told him britney our pregnant tibetan spaniel was being fed the barf diet.however,when we took the pups for their first vaccinations, he remarked they possibly couldnt be hers as they were so well fed and chunky! i smiled and said"thats the result of the harmful diet you told me off about",enough said,lol.

Well my dogs had to endure fresh mackerel for tea.

Oh mum can't we have dry kibble!



What! A whole one for me?




This is just horrible!!



You can see I have really taken the criticism to heart!!

Just look at those shiny coats, they look fantastic Maxine

Cheers Mini! I must be doing something right.