Food for Fen

24/03/2025

I love it when when my k9 clients enjoy their new food! This (nearly) 12 year old Border Collie is enjoying her proactive healthy senior recipe formulated by Food for Fen. It provides a targeted nutritional profile just for her 🥰, which is high in digestible protein (but not excessive), moderate in carbohydrate, moderate in beneficial fiber and lower in fat than her previous commercial raw diet. Even though this gal had a clean bill of health from her vet, we begin to watch that the dietary phosphorus and sodium levels are kept in check - a good practice for a mature adult dog to help reduce the risk of renal disease (aka CKD).

12/03/2025

NOW Calcium Carbonate (pure powder) is my go-to for almost all client formulations. I trust the brand and use it in my own dogs' formulations. It has been out of stock everywhere for many weeks, and while I have been told that NOW should have their Calcium Carbonate back in stock by June 2025, clients need alternatives...NOW! 😜

NOTE - Beware of Amazon or other 3rd party sellers not authorized by NOW. As ConsumerLabs has reported, there is a lot of counterfeiting going on in the supplement business, and NOW is a targeted brand.

Below is a list of alternatives with the conversions done for you!
A star (*) denotes I, or a client, have used this brand without incident.

1. *Nutricost Calcium Carbonate - ~1 tsp = 1 tsp of the NOW brand
Available in the USA (iherb) with shipping available to Canada (I have yet to find a Canadian source for this brand)

2. *Powdered eggshell - ~3/4 tsp = 1 tsp of the NOW brand calcium carbonate (see NOTE). If you eat a lot of eggs, this is the way to go! Wash raw eggshells and dry in a 200 degree (F) oven for several hours. Grind to fine powder using a clean and repurposed coffee grinder. There are online sources as well for purchasing. NOTE: This might not be a 100% accurate conversion, but fine for healthy adult dogs. For dogs on a therapeutic diet and for puppy diets, please use a supplement with a guaranteed amount of elemental calcium and dose as per your recipe!

3. Bulk Supplements Calcium Carbonate - ~1 tsp = 1 tsp of the NOW brand. US based but has a Canadian site and orders over $79 ship free.

4. *Elos Calcium Carbonate (food grade) - ~1 tsp = 1 tsp of the NOW brand. Available on Amazon (.com and .ca)

5. NOW Coral Calcium 1000 mg Capsules - 3.16 capsules = 1 tsp of NOW brand (1 capsule provides 380 mg oof elemental calcium).

6. NOW Calcium Citrate pure powder - 1.5 tsp = 1/2 tsp of the NOW brand calcium carbonate (this may turn your batch slightly chalky as much, much more is needed to reach the same levels of elemental calcium as the carbonate powder). NOTE: Citrate should not be used in dogs prone to oxalate stones.

As with any supplement - check the label for added ingredients (common ones may include magnesium and vitamin D). Buy only calcium to replace calcium! Bone meal does not work as a substitution; it will boost the phosphorus in the diet, which is probably already plentiful! For dogs with renal issues (kidney failure) you definitely don't want to use bone meal.

GOOD LUCK!
Let me know in the comments if you were able to find another source!

04/03/2025

It's spring (somewhere at least) and lots of people are thinking about maximizing their dog's nutrition as they ramp up for sports, work or just enjoying longer hikes or runs (my own dogs are looking forward to this!). But remember, diet changes should not happen right before a big competition. While the gastrointestinal system is the first to "blow" (no pun intended 💩) if a diet change is made too quickly, just because the dog is pooping well does not mean that the body has completely adjusted. There are lots of things happening within the body and metabolic adaptations can take many weeks, especially when "training" the body to utilize one fuel over another. This is especially true for diets changes that incorporate increased fat. Fat fuels long duration, low intensity activity and increased fat can benefit canine athletes who compete in sports, working and hunting dogs and our devoted trail running partners.

Check with your vet before increasing fat in your dog's diet. If your dog is at risk for pancreatitis, has had a pancreatic episode in the past, or has another fat-metabolizing disorder, you'll want to increase fat very slowly, if at all. I've had a few pancreatitis cases in the past couple of weeks and while acute pancreatitis is reversible in many cases with the help of a therapeutic diet (or Rx veterinary diet), it is painful for the dog, and expensive for the owner! Plus, there is always a risk that it becomes chronic, which can be challenging to manage.

07/01/2025

How concerned are you about the H5n1 Avian Flu virus? I admit that I am beginning to be concerned...

The virus (so far) appears to affect cats eating infected raw poultry products and raw milk. Dogs may not be as susceptible to sickness (and death) as cats, but it's early days.

For my clients with home prepped recipes using raw poultry, I will reformulate using cooked poultry free of charge, or reformulate the entire recipe to a cooked recipe for a small fee of $25. If you wish to take advantage of this, please send me an email.

**Not valid for recipes using commercial premade raw as a base.

Public health officials and pet food companies continue attempting to determine how HPAI repeatedly occurs in pet foods from South Korea to Oregon to California.

27/12/2024

Northwest Naturals raw pet food recall alert.

Northwest Naturals recalled one batch of Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food after it tested positive for HPAI.

08/12/2024

Calcium (Ca) in a home prepped canine diet can come from several different sources.

Raw Meaty bones provide calcium and phosphorus, as well as energy, a variety of other minerals, vitamins, amino acids and fatty acids - all unique to the type of RMB being fed.

Powdered Bone Meal also provides calcium and phosphorus.

Calcium carbonate provides only calcium, and in a fairly bioavailable form.

Because I use a lot of eggs in my dogs' diets (we have hens) I tend to use powdered eggshell for calcium in my healthy adult dog recipes. 1 gram (approx. 1/4 teasoon) contains approximately 400 mg of elemental calcium.

Because the calcium content in eggshells varies with the type of feed the hen eats and her life-stage, I don't recommend use in therapeutic or puppy diets where precision is too important. Healthy adult dogs can regulate their calcium uptake whereas puppies and dogs with certain diseases don't do such a great job at this.

19/11/2024

We had a bounty of butternut squash from the garden this year! It works in our recipes as a replacement for sweet potato as they have very similar nutrient profiles. Rich in potassium, vitamin C and beta carotene and providing good amounts of beneficial fiber, but lower in calories than sweet potato (almost half), butternut squash is an ideal choice in recipes for "Easy Keepers" and weight management. I do mine in the Instant Pot, and I overcook until soft and mashable.

07/11/2024

NEW for Fall: Book a live consultation and receive credit towards your follow-on service (diet analysis or formulation).

Do you have questions about your dog's current diet, a newly diagnosed health condition or are you looking to change something but don't know where to start? Or perhaps you have general questions about canine nutrition? A 30 minute live consultation is a good place to start. I can answer your questions, discuss options and we can then decide how to proceed. If you book a follow-on service for the same dog/condition within 1 week, you will receive a credit for the full amount of the live consult with the amount deducted from the follow-on service fees. Book soon! Prices increasing on January 1st.

🥳🥳🥳

Party photo credit: France Poulin

22/10/2024

Fall is here and as many competition seasons are winding down and folks have more time to pursue optimization of their dog's diet, inquiries are on the rise. If you have contacted me via the form on the website, please check your spam folder for the reply. If you have contacted me and have not received a reply, please let me know. They are routed through Wix so may be getting blocked. You can also send inquiries to [email protected].

01/10/2024

We are on the road for a few weeks, living in the van (RV), which means doing our normal "from scratch" diet is not practical. Instead, we do a 50/50 diet of commercial raw (correctly labeled as complete and balanced) and kibble (also with proper AAFCO statement). I find this approach gives a macronutrient profile similar to their homemade food, which probably helps prevent digestive problems. But I always carry a (clinically proven and third party tested) canine probiotic rescue kit just in case. And being around lots of strange dogs, in all this rain and mud, gastrointestinal issues sometimes surface, so best be prepared!

2024 National Sheepdog Finals at Belle Grove Plantation, Middletown, Virginia USA. 🌧🌧🌧

12/09/2024

The new puppy diet package is currently in beta testing! It was easy to design Kale's diet for myself. But for clients, especially those that may be new to home made diets, it was overwhelming and disorganized🙃. Excited to be a part of this sweet girl's life. She likes my hair, at least! And thanks to my good friend for being the guinea pig!

07/09/2024

An important topic for everyone with a senior or near-senior dog. Deeper dive plus access to the paper I wrote for my ACN certificate in the clients-only site. Not a client? Book any service for unlimited access that never expires.

The dreaded kidney disease. It seems that every dog owner has experienced this at some point. Is this an inevitable disease of aging in dogs? Is there nothing we can do about it?What is CKD and what causes it?Canine Kidney Disease or “CKD” is also known as Chronic Canine Kidney Disease, Canine R...

02/09/2024

Grinding whole spent hen with a Weston 32 # grinder. 10 chickens in 10 minutes! This gets well mixed to ensure even distribution of the various parts. Vitamin E powder is added to prevent oxidation of the highly unstable polyunsaturated fatty acids. To be used as a Raw Meaty Bone topper in the adult dog recipes. Great source of Arachidonic Acid (a long chain Omega 6 fatty acid), and provides a boost for my lean and/or non-poulty base mixes.

28/08/2024

UPDATED.

2 more UK brands added, plus an explanation of why the other UK brands that claim to be complete were not added; read this if your brand contains a large list of nuts, seeds and herbal ingredients.

Commercial Raw Premades for Dogs *UPDATED Dec 5, 2024*

UPDATES:
Northwest Naturals (Oregon) added to the USA list

The raw dog food industry has come a long way! (Thank Dog!)

While there are still many commercially available premades that are not balanced according to nutrient requirements (and still have labels that read something like "Turkey, Turkey Organs, Turkey Bones, Kelp" 🙄), many companies are beginning to offer at least one line of correctly labeled, complete and balanced food for dogs.👏👏

Below is a list of balanced commercial premade raw dog foods that follow nutrient guidelines (AAFCO and or NRC for North America; FEDIAF for Europe). If I've not included your favorite, there is probably a reason, such as using seeds and herbs to meet mineral requirements, for example. There are several brands that do this. Bioavailability of minerals from seeds and herbs is questionable. While the recipe may look fine on paper, it may not be providing all the nutrients as labeled (see notes under Beware! for an explanation)

But I digress...If your favorite brand is not listed, let me know in the comments!

"How do I know if a particular raw food is right for my dog?"

If your dog can eat within the package guidelines for his/her weight and maintain an ideal bodyweight, this indicates that the food has the correct caloric density for your dog. Of course, other things must be considered too, especially for canine athletes or dogs with health conditions.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Most commercial raw dog foods will NOT work for (drastic) weight loss or "easy keepers". Fat is a cheap ingredient and most commercial raw diets are higher in fat than would be indicated for weight loss. Many dogs needing to lose weight, or those dogs that are easy keepers or low activity, will probably NOT be able to eat within the package guidelines for their size without gaining weight. Many brands formulate assuming a very high energy multiplier and work well for high calorie burners only.

BEWARE! Websites are often misleading (some brands labeled "Complete and Balanced" are actually "ratio", "BARF" or "PMR" style of raw feeding, which do not follow nutrient guidelines and are not based in science; they are often deficient and/or excessive in several important nutrients.

In the UK especially, there are several brands/lines that claim "FEDIAF" but contain a long list of nuts, seeds and herbs and no vitamin/mineral additives ("Nutritional Additives" on the label).

Anyone who has studied nutritional science in dogs understands that these ingredients may not provide their "on paper" amounts of any given nutrient due to reduced bioavailability in the canine. Due to the way the mineral is structured (bound) within the plant matter, some (or all) of certain minerals may not be absorbed and thus the nutrient is unavailable to the dog. In reality, such vast amounts of these types of ingredients would need to be used to account for their reduced bioavailability, which makes them poor choices to use in canine diets as sources of minerals.

This is why "nutritional additives" appear on (UK) pet food labels - only small quantities of a supplement are generally needed to meet requirements, vs. huge quantities of plant ingredients. While plant matter does offer many other benefits in the canine diet (antioxidants, water-soluble vitamins, beneficial fiber and other non-essential but important nutrients) they are generally not good sources of minerals. This is especially true of iron. "Non-heme" iron (iron from plant sources) likely has zero bioavailability in dogs. So think twice about feeding an all-chicken diet with thyme, parsley and spinach listed as "good sources of iron"; for a dog - they are not!

And finally, The List!

Complete and Balanced Commercial Premade Raw food List (will be updated frequently-ish)

Guide/Legend:

ALS = All Life Stages. This means the food is complete and balanced for growth and reproduction as well as adult dogs at any stage of life.
Adult = the brand offers complete and balanced formulas for adult dogs
Adult and Puppy = the brand offers separate complete and balanced formulas for adult dogs and puppies.

Canada only:

Purevolution (Quebec only, adult and puppy)
Faim Museau (Quebec and Ontario only, ALS)
Iron Will Raw (Canine Complete only, adult and puppy)
Aliments Crus Grenier (Quebec only, Premium Recipes only - ALS)
Alpha Dog Distribution (Quebec only, AAFCO recipes only - adult)
CaniPro (Quebec only, Completes and Supreme Completes only - adult and puppy)
Karbur (Quebec only - Ontario coming soon, Complete Meat Blends only - ALS)
Karnivor (Quebec and Ontario only, ALS* (they recommend the Beef and Chicken recipes for puppies).

USA only:

Carnos - formerly Top Quality Dog Food (Completes only - ALS)
Oma's Pride (Completes only - ALS)
Titan (ALS*) *Not suitable for easy keepers - very high fat. Excessive retinol (Vitamin A), although not exceeding safe upper limits)
Rebel Raw (ALS)
Bravo (Balance formulas only - ALS)
Answers (Detailed formulas only - ALS*) *Not suitable for dogs requiring a low histamine diet, such as mast cell cancers, allergies and possible food sensitivities)
K9 Craving (ALS)
Just Food for Dogs (Gently Cooked - ALS* (they recommend Chicken & White Rice and Fish & Sweet Potato recipes for puppies)
Northwest Naturals (ALS, ALS including Large breed puppies)

Internationally available:

Instinct Raw (adult and puppy)
Instinct Raw Longevity (adult and puppy)
Stella and Chewy's (Raw Dinners only - ALS)
Primal (USA and Canada only - adult and puppy)
K9 Natural (Australia and New Zealand only - ALS)

UK only (FEDIAF):

Nature's Menu (Complete and Balanced line only - adult and puppy)
Poppy's Picnic (adult and puppy)
*NEW* Kiezebrink (KB Complete and Alaska Dog lines only - adult and puppy)
*NEW* Wilson’s Pet Food (Premium 70|10|10|10 lines only - adult and puppy)

**Food for Fen has no affiliation with any manufacturer and by listing the food does not constitute and endorsement**

18/08/2024

We were not able to make it to the sheepdog trial this weekend, so am trying to be productive making the meat base for the next several weeks of recipes.There are 3 of these tubs, each with 10.7 kg of meat (20% fat ground mutton, 5% fat ground chicken, beef heart, trimmed and ground). This is the most time consuming part of my prep - cutting, grinding and weighing large amounts of meat.

Each dog has an individualized topper recipe including varying amounts of beef liver, pork kidney, 12% fat tripe for those that need a boost of iron and manganese), RMBs, carbs (this week will be oatmeal and sweet potato, along with a seasonal veggie mix) and their individual supplements to balance the diet to each dog's nutrient requirements.

Because this base will be frozen for an extended period, I add vitamin E powder for food preservation (70-300 IU per lb. of food, depending on how long it will be frozen for). Yes, I have a whiteboard, which needs a good cleaning (and which I alone understand)! 😆

While this method works for me, it may not for others. What are some of your diet prep hacks? Are you a "mix everything together" type, or do you countertop prep at mealtime? Do you "eyeball" amounts or do you weigh and measure? 🧐🤔

20/07/2024

Commercial Raw Premades for Dogs *UPDATED Dec 5, 2024*

UPDATES:
Northwest Naturals (Oregon) added to the USA list

The raw dog food industry has come a long way! (Thank Dog!)

While there are still many commercially available premades that are not balanced according to nutrient requirements (and still have labels that read something like "Turkey, Turkey Organs, Turkey Bones, Kelp" 🙄), many companies are beginning to offer at least one line of correctly labeled, complete and balanced food for dogs.👏👏

Below is a list of balanced commercial premade raw dog foods that follow nutrient guidelines (AAFCO and or NRC for North America; FEDIAF for Europe). If I've not included your favorite, there is probably a reason, such as using seeds and herbs to meet mineral requirements, for example. There are several brands that do this. Bioavailability of minerals from seeds and herbs is questionable. While the recipe may look fine on paper, it may not be providing all the nutrients as labeled (see notes under Beware! for an explanation)

But I digress...If your favorite brand is not listed, let me know in the comments!

"How do I know if a particular raw food is right for my dog?"

If your dog can eat within the package guidelines for his/her weight and maintain an ideal bodyweight, this indicates that the food has the correct caloric density for your dog. Of course, other things must be considered too, especially for canine athletes or dogs with health conditions.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Most commercial raw dog foods will NOT work for (drastic) weight loss or "easy keepers". Fat is a cheap ingredient and most commercial raw diets are higher in fat than would be indicated for weight loss. Many dogs needing to lose weight, or those dogs that are easy keepers or low activity, will probably NOT be able to eat within the package guidelines for their size without gaining weight. Many brands formulate assuming a very high energy multiplier and work well for high calorie burners only.

BEWARE! Websites are often misleading (some brands labeled "Complete and Balanced" are actually "ratio", "BARF" or "PMR" style of raw feeding, which do not follow nutrient guidelines and are not based in science; they are often deficient and/or excessive in several important nutrients.

In the UK especially, there are several brands/lines that claim "FEDIAF" but contain a long list of nuts, seeds and herbs and no vitamin/mineral additives ("Nutritional Additives" on the label).

Anyone who has studied nutritional science in dogs understands that these ingredients may not provide their "on paper" amounts of any given nutrient due to reduced bioavailability in the canine. Due to the way the mineral is structured (bound) within the plant matter, some (or all) of certain minerals may not be absorbed and thus the nutrient is unavailable to the dog. In reality, such vast amounts of these types of ingredients would need to be used to account for their reduced bioavailability, which makes them poor choices to use in canine diets as sources of minerals.

This is why "nutritional additives" appear on (UK) pet food labels - only small quantities of a supplement are generally needed to meet requirements, vs. huge quantities of plant ingredients. While plant matter does offer many other benefits in the canine diet (antioxidants, water-soluble vitamins, beneficial fiber and other non-essential but important nutrients) they are generally not good sources of minerals. This is especially true of iron. "Non-heme" iron (iron from plant sources) likely has zero bioavailability in dogs. So think twice about feeding an all-chicken diet with thyme, parsley and spinach listed as "good sources of iron"; for a dog - they are not!

And finally, The List!

Complete and Balanced Commercial Premade Raw food List (will be updated frequently-ish)

Guide/Legend:

ALS = All Life Stages. This means the food is complete and balanced for growth and reproduction as well as adult dogs at any stage of life.
Adult = the brand offers complete and balanced formulas for adult dogs
Adult and Puppy = the brand offers separate complete and balanced formulas for adult dogs and puppies.

Canada only:

Purevolution (Quebec only, adult and puppy)
Faim Museau (Quebec and Ontario only, ALS)
Iron Will Raw (Canine Complete only, adult and puppy)
Aliments Crus Grenier (Quebec only, Premium Recipes only - ALS)
Alpha Dog Distribution (Quebec only, AAFCO recipes only - adult)
CaniPro (Quebec only, Completes and Supreme Completes only - adult and puppy)
Karbur (Quebec only - Ontario coming soon, Complete Meat Blends only - ALS)
Karnivor (Quebec and Ontario only, ALS* (they recommend the Beef and Chicken recipes for puppies).

USA only:

Carnos - formerly Top Quality Dog Food (Completes only - ALS)
Oma's Pride (Completes only - ALS)
Titan (ALS*) *Not suitable for easy keepers - very high fat. Excessive retinol (Vitamin A), although not exceeding safe upper limits)
Rebel Raw (ALS)
Bravo (Balance formulas only - ALS)
Answers (Detailed formulas only - ALS*) *Not suitable for dogs requiring a low histamine diet, such as mast cell cancers, allergies and possible food sensitivities)
K9 Craving (ALS)
Just Food for Dogs (Gently Cooked - ALS* (they recommend Chicken & White Rice and Fish & Sweet Potato recipes for puppies)
Northwest Naturals (ALS, ALS including Large breed puppies)

Internationally available:

Instinct Raw (adult and puppy)
Instinct Raw Longevity (adult and puppy)
Stella and Chewy's (Raw Dinners only - ALS)
Primal (USA and Canada only - adult and puppy)
K9 Natural (Australia and New Zealand only - ALS)

UK only (FEDIAF):

Nature's Menu (Complete and Balanced line only - adult and puppy)
Poppy's Picnic (adult and puppy)
*NEW* Kiezebrink (KB Complete and Alaska Dog lines only - adult and puppy)
*NEW* Wilson’s Pet Food (Premium 70|10|10|10 lines only - adult and puppy)

**Food for Fen has no affiliation with any manufacturer and by listing the food does not constitute and endorsement**

07/07/2024

Garden clean out - the first of the season! The surplus kale, chard, parsley and bok choy 🥬 are harvested for the dog veggie blend, before the bugs can eat it all! This will be cooked and then pulped in the food processor with some overripe watermelon 🍉 and bananas 🍌 the humans couldn't get to in time, and leftover blueberries🫐 and apples🍎. Homemade bone broth🍗 is added instead of water for processing; both for taste and a little boost of glycine. The finished mixture will provide vitamin C, B vitamins and various phytonutrients, as well as soluble and insoluble fiber 🥗. It will be fed as part of a balanced diet but could be a good, low calorie kibble topper as well, in small amounts, watching for loose 💩.