Honest Kitchen web site

http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/index.shtml

But even the premium kibbles spray with greasy fat!!!! Wher does this come from???

I just get worried..You think that you have something pretty well figured out and something new pops up to worry about....

I saw this article and it scared me to death...

http://www.healthyhappydogs.com/APIarticle

This is part of the article:::

Restaurant grease has become a major component of feed grade animal fat over the last fifteen years. This grease, often held in fifty-gallon drums, may be kept outside for weeks, exposed to extreme temperatures with no regard for its future use. "Fat blenders" or rendering companies then pick up this used grease and mix the different types of fat together, stabilize them with powerful antioxidants to [edited] further spoilage, and then sell the blended products to pet food companies and other end users.

These fats are sprayed directly onto extruded kibbles and pellets to make an otherwise bland or distasteful product palatable. The fat also acts as a binding agent to which manufacturers add other flavor enhancers such as digests. Pet food scientists have discovered that animals love the taste of these sprayed fats. Manufacturers are masters at getting a dog or a cat to eat something she would normally turn up her nose at.




I know that bad stuff can and is added to pet food, but way down in the article it states how rancid and filthy Restaurant Grease is sold to pet food companies as the fat that is sprayed on the Kibble....Pet food companies agree that they use a grease to seal the kibble and then add the vitamin pre mix.....

AM I WRONG TO THINK THIS IS SCARY??
I am 50-65% home cooked now and will switch the remaining 35-50% from Kibble to Honest Kitchen Embark and Force as this is not a kibble and they do not use any restaurant grease..IT'S JUST SO EXPENSIVE!!!!
I have been rotating TWO Ocean Blue and Orijen adult and the homemade....

Am I overreacting???
Thanks to all

justaguy93..

Hello
I do the same as you..I feed kibble (Orijen ) weekday mornings and homecooked all nites and weekend mornings...After months of questions and rersearch, I have narrowed it to this:::::
OF THE NINE HOMECOOKED MEALS.....My dog is 60 lbs...

2 meals are Canned Sockeye Salmon ( 1/2 can for each meal) he gets this 2 nites in a row with brown rice, carrots and apples...total 14-16 ounces of food...11 grams of protein from the salmon.. Refrigerate the 2nd   1/2 of the canned Salmon until use...

2 meals are 1 hard boiled egg and green beans and carrots.........1 hard boiled egg has 7 grams of protein..
1 meal is broiled hamburger with green beans and brown rice...4 ounce uncooked hamburger.......

4 meals of baked chicken breast (4 ounces of chicken) with either oatmeal or green beans carrots and apples... The chicken is cooked ahead of time and refrigerated for 4 consecutive meals..
all meals are 14-16 ounces in weight....

Calcium and phosphorus...
It is important to keep this in balance,,,about 1.2 to 1.0 cal/phos.....

Get some powdered calcium citrate powder from a health food store to add to the food...
here is the cal/ phos content of some foods....


for 3.5 oz serving
                Calcium             Phosphorus

Beef           12 mg                    184 mg
chicken       11 mg                     196 mg
Cottage cheese  60 mg               132 mg
1 Egg              27 mg                   96 mg
Salmon           approx 100 mg         approx 200 mg

I use small baking spoons to measure to add the calcium to the food to balance it...

Hope it helps....
Remember commercial foods even the best ones have so much vitamins and minerals so supplementing with vitamins should be done with caution ....I don't do it,,,just the calcium...
Hope this helps

Ken and Wilbur

So the actual "meals" that they use from other sources are imported to them and then the product is finalized at their facility. Can they state where the "meals" come from and the nutrient and mineral content of these meals...and how are these meals preserved??

This is a post from "Rateall.com",,,,,a site where regular people rate the dog foods that they are using....
The poster's ( not me ) concern is that the meal, (Salmon meal, Chicken meal, fish meal,) is not made at Orijen and the temperature that it is cooked at and the preservatives of the meal are not known...
Apparently e-mails were sent to Orijen with this question many times with no response...

here is the post from rate all..


POST
Last update until he** freezes over(I guess):
Yet nearly another month has gone by, and still nothing. Another poster even offered to contact them(by phone) with the very specific questions I have been seeking answers to. Never heard back from them...then he/she was going to try again- haven't heard back from him/her and it's been yet another 2 weeks. As you can read in the other reviews, one person was supposedly told what is being used, and yet another was told something else(mixed tocopherols, which I'd be very surprised would be enough to keep things stable and safe).

So it's plain to see Orijen either doesn't/didn't know what preservatives are being used in the meals(which they do not make themselves, and are cooked multiple times at temps much higher than they claim on their website) or they did/do know and they do not want to disclose it(as I've read companies will choose to do).

The day Orijen decides to disclose this information and/or certain people here decide to post what the answer supposedly is- that is the day their products will actually contain what they say it does. Prior to this- it's anyone's guess what they were using and their pets have been exposed to all that time(it could be harmless...it could be harmful..it could be very harmful). At least no one has given a good reason why it hasn't been disclosed. If a reason had been given or even better yet- the answers would have been forthcoming and gladly given out- I wouldn't still be posting about this months later, and others wouldn't be wondering as well.

Rate All link::::
http://www.rateitall.com/t-353-dog-food-brands.aspx


Does anyone know the answer!!!
Thanks

I posted this on the NEWS link also. Hope it can help someone..

Hi to all:

I found this web site that gives all the nutritional info for all meats, fruits, and veggies...
On top you just submit the type of food you wish to investigate...When the data pops up you can scroll down on the right to get the calcium, phosphorus  etc of specific foods...I am sure most of you have something like this already, but I'm a rookie and it helps me and hopefully someone else too....

http://www.nutritiondata.com/


Best Wishes
Ken and Wilbur

Hi to all:

I found this web site that gives all the nutritional info for all meats, fruits, and veggies...
On top you just submit the type of food you wish to investigate...When the data pops up you can scroll down on the right to get the calcium, phosphorus  etc of specific foods...I am sure most of you have something like this already, but I'm a rookie and it helps me and hopefully someone else too....

http://www.nutritiondata.com/


Best Wishes
Ken and Wilbur

I definitely agree....I will try Target ot Bed Bath  and Beyond....
Thanks for the reminder about Walmart!!!!!!

Lesliek:
Thanks for the help...I printed a chart off the internet that has the amounts of Calcium and phosphorus in meats..I purchased a bottle of calcium citrate powder and add this to keep the calcium/phosphorus ratio to 1.1 to 1.0.

I also found a better steamer thanks to the advice from kaffe..

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=6023593..


I'm homecooking 9 meals a week and rotating kibble, Orijen, TWO Ocean Blue, and Wellness Core, 5 meals a week (weekday mornings)  so 65% of Wilbur's meals are homecooked.. I add Green beans, apples (no seeds), brown rice, to hard boiled eggs, broiled hamburger, chicken breast, canned salmon (sockeye) and will try ground turkey...

I love my buddy and I want him to live forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for caring...
Ken and Wilbur   

I posted the thread on Microwaving..It got mixed reviews, and I don't want to chance anything when it comes to my pet buddy..
Some mentioned that they "Steam" veggies and meat for their pets..

The Walmart Web site has an 8 cup Steamer for $30.  I will pick one up at the local store this weekend...
I can probably figure out how to steam veggies and brown rice, but how do you steam meat?

Here is a link to the Steamer......
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5871077

Thanks
Ken and Wilbur

Why take the chance?
Many have stated that they use Timberwolf Organics Ocean Blue and Orijen 6 fish when allergy concerns exist...
I have read that the main sources of allergies are
Soy
Wheat
Corn
Dairy
and sometimes Rice


Good Luck
Wilbur

Hello to All:

Is microwaving meat and vegetables OK..The reason I ask is that I read today that a lady buys Human grade Ground Turkey and zaps it in the microwave with veggies and gives it as a meal to her dogs...

Is ground Turkey a good protein source and,
Is microwaving foods for dogs safe....
Can you boil ground turkey and is that a good idea??
Thanks

I was not sure which thread title to post this!!!

Hi Everyone,

I am trying to do more homecooked and less kibble. My dog gets kibble for his morning meal ( he gets 2 meals per day ), and I try to do homecooked at nite for his evening meal. His evening meals are now either chicken breast, 1 hard boiled egg, or broiled hamburger. I mix in green beans and apple sauce (unsweetened). I would like to add Salmon as an additional meal as well..

My grocery store sells canned Bumble Bee Varieties:

Canned Alaska Sockeye Red Salmon
Canned Blueback Salmon
Canned Wild Alaska Pink Salmon

I want to feed this 2 times per week...
Does this sound like a good idea???
Thank You
Wilbur

Months ago it was stated that plastic bowls were not good for water and food for pets....
I started using ceramic as a water bowl and a  stainless stainless steel bowl for food....
I would gladly use corning ware or pyrex, but what about the possibility the glass breaking???
Thanks