Feeding the Zoo

As you can probably imagine, feeding five dogs who are all different sizes, types, and life stages can be tricky! I feed three different kibbles and mix in fresh veggies and cooked meats.

For kibbles, I feed Victor Select Beef Meal & Brown Rice, Blackwood 2000 Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Recipe Active Diet, and Blackwood Chicken Meal & Rice Recipe Puppy Growth Diet. Here’s the scoop (pun intended) on who gets what:

Joe – 1/2 cup Victor, 1/2 cup Blackwood 2000

Bella + Clem – 1/4 cup Victor, 1/4 cup Blackwood 2000

Roo Frank – 3/4 cup Blackwood 2000, 1/4 cup Blackwood Puppy

Sioux – 2 cups Blackwood Puppy

As for cooked meats, everyone get a few tablespoons of ground turkey, ground chicken, or chicken hearts/gizzards. My crew prefer carrots, peas, green beans, and pumpkin for veggies, but will try just about anything once (they’ve ben known to enjoy the occasional lettuce leaf and cantaloupe mellon too!). Oddly enough, none of my dogs like fish. Nobody has any allergies however Joe and Bella have very sensitive bellies.

My dogs eat twice per day and usually get treats around lunch. Bella prefers to eat in her crate (probably so nobody can bully her away from her food – she’s a slow eater!). Sioux also eats in her crate as part of our “good things happen when you go in your crate” training. Joe, Clementine, and Roo eat together in the kitchen. I always feed the dogs in the same order (Joe, Roo, Clementine, Bella, and Sioux) which seems silly but the dogs really appreciate the ritual.

Shockingly I had never fed a dog out of a kong until this year… but they love it! I tried it with Sioux, Joe, and Roo and it was a hit. The kong actually keeps Sioux busy enough for us to get out of the house without her noticing (or caring) makes for a much stressful departure in the morning. We’re using Planet Dog kong balls. What’s your favorite kong?