All True Stories
We got our little fur-baby, Benji, at about 8 weeks. We started him off with Blue Buffalo with the thought that it was the most natural food option we could find at our local pet store, but he quickly developed diarrhea and itchiness. We determined that the diarrhea was probably because he was just getting used to the new food, and it actually did go away after a week or so, as expected. However, the itching persisted. And, it persisted aggressively. He would scratch incessantly, everywhere. We thought his anal glands just needed to be expelled. Nope. We thought it was an ear infection. Got him checked. Nope. We thought he caught fleas at the dog park. Nope. Concerned and being the already all-natural/organic parents we were, we looked for alternatives for Benji's food. After MUCH extensive research, we stumbled upon The Honest Kitchen. Human-grade? We thought, No way. Read about the company in depth. Read the ingredients in depth. Read the reviews in depth. We were skeptical at first, because after all, what company seriously has THIS many positive reviews? So, we bought some of their products to try out, because at this point we were desperate to try anything to ease Benji's itching, but we were also wary, as we did not want to feed him anything that we thought would further irritate his itching. More importantly, we did not want to feed him anything with chemicals, additives, or preservatives - in the same sense that we avoid ingesting any of these things in our own food. I think we started with the whole-grain chicken or the turkey. He absolutely LOVED it, and we noticed that the itching was going away, albeit slowly. We decided to pair his food with boiled, all-natural chicken/turkey for added flavor, and he loved it even more. BUT - he still itched. We decided to switch to the grain-free, and we can say, with confidence, that his itching has improved VERY significantly. Other added bonuses - his coat is SUPER soft, and everyone who we've ever met says he has THE best coat they've ever felt on a dog. In fact, we get asked almost every time what shampoo we use on him, even though we only bathe him maybe about every 3 months or so, and we use simple, pure Castile soap. The bottom line? In The Honest Kitchen, we found products that we could trust AND food that our family member, our fur-child, could enjoy. Whenever we travel, and we have to leave him with a sitter, we simply pack Propper Toppers - which he just absolutely goes ga-ga for. We did notice that his itching does come back when he eats solely Propper Toppers, but it goes away as soon as he goes back to his normal routine of eating the grain-free food. We just found that it was easier to portion/prepare the Proper Toppers when we are away. Typically, we alternate between grain-free chicken (Force), turkey (Embark), beef (Love), and fish + coconut (Brave), topped with Proper Toppers. In addition, we regularly give him the dried fish skins (Beams), and we believe this helps keeps his coat extra healthy. We've tried several of the various treats they offer, and Benji has enjoyed every single one. We just love that the company puts a lot of thought in their recipes that are so evidently so tasteful to Benji, and they use organic, chemical-free ingredients. Although The Honest Kitchen is generally more expensive than what you would pay for dog food at a commercial pet store, and it does take a little bit more time to prepare than simply pouring a cup of dry kibble, we are comforted knowing that we're giving Benji food that is well-balanced and food that will keep him healthy for years to come. Thanks so much, Honest Kitchen! We are definitely customers for life!
Benji
Australian Shepherd — Age 1
