I thought it would be interesting to do a post on what Sullie eats. I know that many of you are pet owners and I wanted to share my experience with finding a food that works for Sullie as well as the extra treats and supplements.

I grew up with dogs and they were always treated like part of the family. But when it came to food, my dad always fed them a generic lamb and rice. There was nothing wrong with this and the dogs were perfectly healthy and happy but when I got Sullie I did a little more research on what I wanted to feed her. I had read so much about the scary things they put into low-grade dog food. My thought was that if I care so much about what I put into my body and how I fuel it, I should also be vigilant about what I feed my pet.

It took some trial and error and patience but I finally found a food that works for Sullie. I did a lot of research on the Dog Food Analysis website and talked to friends as well as my vet about different food choices. There are so many great foods out there and what works for one dog may not work for another so I am not going to share what I feed her but I do want to share a story about the importance of finding the right food for your pet.

I was feeding Sullie a great food but it seemed we were constantly at the vet for ear infections. Her ears were constantly inflamed and full of discharge. It was clear that the infections were very painful for her and it broke my heart to have her at the doctor all the time having her ears messed with.

This went on for about two years until moving to Charlotte and our new vet suggesting that I try switching her food and trying a “novelty protein source” to see if it had an impact on the ear infections. Apparently, it’s normal for some dogs to have allergies to common protein sources like chicken and beef and they can benefit from foods based on proteins like venison, fish, duck, etc. I read up on different proteins and decided to give a duck and sweet potato formula a try. The food is also free of corn and wheat which are also common allergens/fillers.

I was thrilled to find that within a month of switching her food that the ear infections totally cleared up. We’ve been infection-free for almost three years now. If that isn’t a testament to the importance of what you feed your dog, then I don’t know what is. I also have to share that my dad, who always preached that he’d never feed his dogs anything other than generic lamb and rice, is now feeding their rescue golden a premium dog food due to skin allergies. Sam (with me in the photo above) is much happier and less itchy now and my dad doesn’t even bat an eye at buying the food after questioning me for years. 😉

Now, let’s get to the fun part of this post. I do supplement Sullie’s food with different things regularly. Her favorites are plain Greek yogurt (probiotics are good for your pet’s digestion too!), vegetable broth, brown rice, fresh fruit and peanut flour (I have some in a shaker). I try to refrain from giving her table leftovers but I do like to add these types of things to her food. I also sometimes add fish oil or glucosamine tablets to her food to help with her coat and joints.

You’ll notice in the photo above that Sullie is patiently waiting to eat her Greek yogurt kibbles. That is because she was trained when she was a puppy to wait for a certain command to eat her food. She’s so sweet and will sit there and look at her food forever waiting for you to say it.

I made a video for you! Oink, oink. 🙂

Share your experiences with feeding your pet. Do they require a special food? Do you supplement their food?