Have you looked at Open Farm? They have a chicken stew that has human food-grade ingredients - chicken, chicken bone broth, pumpkin, carrots, red lentils, spinach and some other stuff. I can't access the entire list of ingredients on. my computer, but you may be able to see them on yours. Topper eats Open Farm freeze-dried raw and loves it.

 

Thank you! I’ve heard good things about Open Farm, but I’m trying to find something without all the extras. Peggy already gets kibble.

 

I meant to add that they have several proteins, so it's easy to rotate. Beef, chicken, turkey and three with fish - salmon, salmon and mackerel, chicken and salmon, and herring and mackerel.

 

hmm, i haven't personally tried it but google tells me that this might fit the bill:

Beef, Beef Broth, Agar-Agar, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Salmon Oil, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Magnesium Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Potassium Chloride, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement

 

Yess!! Thank you! Going to investigate further, but this looks perfect.

 

Shoot. Looks like it’s only offered in bulk online. I’ll check out our local pet food store tomorrow. I’ve learned from experience to NOT stock up on food until I’ve tested it on the poodle.

 

finding a single ingredient fortified wet dog food was surprisingly tricky. i found quite a few options that were meat + rice or potato with minimal other ingredients... but so far the hound & gatos was the only one fortified with extra vitamins/minerals to make it a more "complete" meal. i also noted down these options, though i'd categorize the first three more as a "topper" than a nutritionally balanced meal.

evangers ingredients: Beef, Water Sufficient for Processing, Liver, Guar Gum

wellness extension: Beef, Water Sufficient for Processing, Guar Gum, Agar-Agar, Natural Flavor, Sodium Carbonate

tripett: Green Beef Tripe, Water, Guar Gum

canada fresh: Beef, Beef Liver, Beef Broth, Lamb, Tri-Calcium Phosphate, Agar-Agar, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Salmon Oil, Choline Chloride, Salt, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement,L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Selenium Yeast, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Ribflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid.

this last one curiously has beef and lamb, but i noticed that the other formulas in the range had peas which makes it a no-go. worth taking a peek at, methinks.

 

Wow @beowoof! Thank you! And thank you for giving me the correct term for what I was looking for: Fortified. Yes! Exactly.

 

@PeggyTheParti not a problem, hopefully it helps. i think of fortified when i think of breakfast cereal, or in this case, wet food. i wonder if it wouldn't be too much work for you to add the appropriate supplements (vet approved) to something like canned salmon or one of the wet beef toppers listed above to make a similar product at home?

 

That would certainly help me diversify her diet. I’ll continue my research.

I’ve also considered just rotating through a variety of human-grade canned proteins. She currently only gets a small spoonful of Weruva at breakfast and dinner time, to stimulate her appetite and ensure she’s got something in her belly. I’m not sure how much the supplementary ingredients actually contribute to her diet.

Something like this:

StarKist Selects® Chunk White Albacore Tuna in Water - No Salt Added (Can)

starkist.com

 

@PeggyTheParti Do you have JustFoodForDogs in your area? I think some Petcos have started carrying them. They have a variety of cooked proteins with simple ingredients. A couple other companies I think may have simple proteins are RAWZ, Nulo, Primal, and Farmina.

 

If you are only using it as a topper - say 10% or less of total calories - I don't think you need to worry too much about it being completely balanced. The easiest way might be just to cook up some human grade meat - ground beef or lamb or turkey - and freeze it in small quantities. That way if she doesn't like it the rest can get made into a pasta sauce!

 

Yeah, I’m guessing it’s even less of a concern if I’m rotating proteins and cuts. That variety provides its own form of balance.

Wonder if canned sardines would be another good option. The bones might be a nice addition to her diet.

 

Tiki dog meaty?

 

Tiki Dog. maybe? TIKI DOG Aloha Petites Chicken Huli Huli Grain-Free Dog Food, 9-oz can, case of 8 - Chewy.com

Looks like a good good, but it has additional ingredients like sweet potato, kale, etc.

 

Not sure if you are a meat/ fish eater but I agree with fjm. When I am cooking meat or fish I put some aside specially for the dog and cook it without salt, onions etc... I also know someone who made her dog food using a crock pot or if you want to go more gourmet, I have a food saver and portion store meat in the freezer ( raw prespiced for me and no spice for pup) when I need it, I drop it in a pot and cook it sous vide.

 

I’m very picky about my chicken, so all the “weird” bits (bloody spots, rubbery edges, etc.) do get cut off and boiled for Peggy. But her diet is so chicken-heavy, I should really be making an effort to set aside other proteins for her. When cooking tilapia, for example, it would be so easy to add an extra fillet to my prep.

 

Tiki Dog. maybe? TIKI DOG Aloha Petites Chicken Huli Huli Grain-Free Dog Food, 9-oz can, case of 8 - Chewy.com

 

I think Wellness has a line of 'toppers' that are more-or less single protein, but they aren't fortified.

If you were really worried about balance, you could probably make a batch of cooked meat-and-organ -with calcium carbonate pate, and freeze it in small pieces for daily use.

But even I probably wouldn't worry about something I only use a few spoonfuls of and I am rather obsessive with balancing Annie's homecooked.

 

I think Wellness has a line of 'toppers' that are more-or less single protein, but they aren't fortified.

If you were really worried about balance, you could probably make a batch of cooked meat-and-organ -with calcium carbonate pate, and freeze it in small pieces for daily use.

But even I probably wouldn't worry about something I only use a few spoonfuls of and I am rather obsessive with balancing Annie's homecooked.

The single-serving cans of Weruva are useful when travelling, as it’s a complete meal. And it’s good for our emergency supplies. I don’t understand why Weruva doesn’t make a similar formula with other proteins.

I think the Hound & Gatos is the winner. Just need to find a local supplier.

 

Houndgatos.com has a locator on its site. Maybe a store reasonably close to you might sell individual cans? I'd still ring a store before making a special store, as being signed up as a reseller doesn't reflect product in stocks. Which I know you know already 😉.

 

Kiwi Kitchens canned food might be of interest.
This brand is sold at Pet Food Express which is a chain in California. Unfortunately, it might not be readily available elsewhere.

 

I am quite interested in the Hound and Gato food as I think it will do well for my boys. Canned food with extra stuff seems to make for soft poop whereas the meat only ones don’t. I can’t seem to find it at any pet store in my area, which has a lot of pet stores! It is available online but I don’t want to buy a whole case either so I would be very interested how it works out for anyone else who tries it. PeggyTheParti, at your recommendation, we have used the Weruva chicken for quite some time for a topper or an appetite stimulant It agrees with both boys and like you, I would like another flavor. I will be interested to know what you, or should I say, Peggy thinks. Have you been able to locate any via the location finder?

 

Have you been able to locate any via the location finder?

None close to us, unfortunately.

 

I found it at one of the pet stores
close to us. 😊
Definitely different than the Weruva chicken as this is a pate but the ingredients really are good and both poodle boys liked it. It’s not particularly appetizing to look at but the dogs don’t care. 😉We’ll see how things are tomorrow in the poop department although I didn’t give them a lot. I think they will be fine because it’s just fortified beef and beef broth.

 

Oooh! Nice! So glad you were able to get it and the boys were thrilled. Keep us posted on the poop situation.

 

So far it’s totally agreed with both poodle boys and they seem to love it! I am using it as a topper. No poop problems at all.
I’m happy to have found this. Thank you, Beowoof for doing the research. I’m liking what I see with the company too. It’s a Wisconsin based company so it feels pretty local since we are in Minnesota.

 

Yay! I bet Peggy’s going to love it. At the very least, she’ll appreciate the variety.

 

@Spottytoes, are you still feeding the Hound & Gatos? If so, are the boys still liking it?

 

I am! It’s been a great success so far.😊 Bobby has never done well with most canned dog foods. I’m not sure why as the good ones have great ingredients but for him, the meat only ones agree with his gut the best. It’s difficult to find though, as we know.

We’ve been feeding both boys the Hound and Gatos as a topper or appetite stimulant and I can be pretty generous. It’s a very sticky pate and when it’s refrigerated it is pretty solid but I have been adding a bit of water making it into thick gravy. I’ve been mixing it with their kibble for their evening meal. I’ve also fed it a few times straight from the can. They love it and so far, absolutely no tummy distress at all.
It’s totally not a “pretty” dog food in human eyes and the gravy looks gross but we have been very pleased. It doesn’t matter what I think it looks like, right? 😉

I’m grateful to have found this as it’s very difficult to find foods that work for Bobby and we have tried a lot! The one good thing that has come out of Bobby’s food fails is, that since my son’s dog can eat anything, the foods that haven’t worked for Bobby haven’t gone to waste. 😊

We have also been feeding the game bird flavor Hound and Gatos as well as the beef. They love it!

 

Oh @Spottytoes this is too funny!! My sister texted to let me know she was having a small present delivered here for us, and to not open it because it wasn’t gift wrapped.

A small package arrived on the date she said it would, so I wrapped it up for her and put it with the rest of the gifts, for my parents to open on Christmas Day:

A week later another small package arrived. How mysterious! Turns out the package I’d wrapped was actually.....

 

Your wrapping was beautiful - did Peggy get to open it?

 

Lol! If only I’d known what was inside, I’d definitely have let her help. I feel like I should be wrapping it back up for her.

 

Oh, my, gosh!!! I laughed so hard! That is too funny! 🤣 It, was indeed, a beautiful
package.😊
Let us know what Peggy thinks of the food!
I hope she likes it.