There's lots of ways to feed dogs well. I am sure someone will be along shortly who remembers the link to the analysis of different dog foods. Many of us here feed rather high octane, no-garbage foods. Dogs don't need corn and wheat and poor quality proteins. I just finsihed reading two canine nutrition books, and I cant find the quote right now, but one of these authors wrote essentially that sure, they knew a dog who lived to be 17 on grocery store dog food and was much loved etc- he stank, he often itched, and bore it all well all that time, but if you have a choice to keep your dog healthy and strong and clean, then look harder at your feeding choices. What you put in the dog is what he has to grow on and build himself out of.
I dont think there is anything in particular that only Kai Ken need that any dog doesn't benefit from. I feed mine about 70% raw/fresh foods and 30% quality kibble. He eats a variety of proteins and a few plants. I give him fish oil or kelp in his dinner, but I also feed my greyhound/gsd the same stuff. In fact she needs it more- elimination of grains and the addition of fish oil have left her ear-infection free for at least 5 years. My Kai guy is healthy, lean and strong, his teeth are white and sharp, he never gets ear infections, his coat is thick and lush, and his breath smells good- in fact his whole body smells good from his toes to his ears to his shoulder blades and mane. I have never met a dog that smelled so good- part of it is being NK I think, and good nutrition does the rest! There's lots of good feeding info on the forum if you search.
I would look for better food than IAMS Its pretty grain heavy and not good quality foods..
I feed Bella and Dink Wellness core ocean and they're doing great on it. Dink our 13-15 year old mix breed acts more active now than when she was eating the Beniful food.
Wellness core is a bit expensive, but there's plenty of other dog foods that are of good quality and decent price.
I feed Saya my shiba inu a prey modal raw diet she just started last Monday and have been doing great on it. I chose this diet for her since she is my dog and I love the benefits of it.
I don't think kai kens really need any special diet, but I'd try to go for grain free food they don't really need the grains. Salmon oil is great to add to their food too keeps their coats nice and soft. =)
I read somewhere that the japanese would feed there dogs fresh/raw foods like a combo of fish and rice ......ect.
Back when i had my beagle we would feed him alot of raw dear meat and rabbit whenever it was is season, so i guess a raw diet would to just fine
I can actually add to this. Diet is very important to a Kai. The first reason is purely for their coat. Ofcourse, diet will also assist them in leading a healthy/happy long life.
Koda is now almost 1. When he was weened (?sp) he was put on high quality kibble right away. His skin did dry out, and it was easy to just add Salmon oil to get rid of his dandruff. It dried out when he started to lose his puppy fur and get some more adult fur. Now Koda is on around 70/30 raw/kibble mix. He does get some kibble. Mainly on days when his owner is lazy or hasn't picked up enough meat. I really need to get another freezer just for him. Koda is beautiful. He has such a great coat and everyone loves petting him. He also smells great, never had that "dog" smell to him. Like Chrystal with Sage, I think he smells good from his ears to his paws.
About three weeks ago, I started fostering a Kai from Taiwan. She was tied up outside for a year, so I'm sure that diet wasn't important to her owners. She smelt up my car in 5 minutes of being there. PHEW!!! I couldn't stand smelling her and covered the couch and all the furniture with old sheets. She did have a lot of scabs, and I took her to the vet within a couple of hours of picking her up. We cleaned up her wounds and gave her a bath, but she still smelled. She got a 2nd bath the next week, but again the smell came through (not as bad, but still there). Her coat was also terrible to touch. It was all wirey and parts stuck up like a mohawk. After three weeks of being on a grain free diet with Salmon Oil and Solid Gold Sea Meal (thanks Jessica for the recommendation) her fur is getting so much better and the smell has gone away. The baths weren't going to do it. It was her diet that needed to change. The other day, when she was sprawled in my lap Ruby style, I noticed just how good she smells now.....like a real Kai!
It is amazing to me how dogs on good diets don't smell. Honestly I haven't bathed Miko in many months. And Ruby has only had one bath at the vet before her spay. Neither of them smell at all. In fact people have commented on how GOOD Ruby smells. She actually smells like honeysuckle flowers. No idea why. But she eats organic raw and no grain and both my dogs have glowing coats, tiny stools, no gas ever, and are healthy little muscle machines.
I noticed when we went & visited Brad & Jen, their house did NOT have that "dog smell" people who own dogs usually have, despite the fact that they had 14 dogs at the time. I was really impressed. Bare in mind all the Anderson's dogs get either RAW or a Premium Kibble.
Usually, when I visit people's homes, & even if they only have one dog, you can definitely "smell" that the dog lives there, despite the house being clean, & the dog being clean, the dog emits a smell.
Is it really linked to good food? I was always told some breeds just have a strong "doggy smell," like GSD's, but I wonder how much of that is based on diet? ~
On another note, my father's cat gets Evo / Orijen food rotation with some RAW...& she doesn't have a "cat" smell either. Even her litter doesn't smell...
But my Aunt's cats get fed some cheap storebrand food & they stink to high heaven.
Maybe it is food related??? Kind of like how if you eat too much curry you smell like that, or if you drink alcohol you smell like alcohol? ~
My cat gets raw and doesn't have a smell, and she's 18 years old. Usually when animals get older, they tend to start smelling like old animal. I definitely think it's diet.
Well, Osy, when you visited we didn't invite any of the CO in, that would have changed your opinion on our dog's smelliness. LOL Even on a top-quality they smell, especially when they are wet. But I agree, even Blue doesn't smell - and he is a breed of dog that would probably have a "dog smell" if fed a poor diet.
We feed Acana, Orijen, and RAW and are pleased with all three. We don't see a huge difference in our dogs that eat RAW vs. Acana/Orijen - but I am sure there is a diff. Kona (male Kai Ken) and Ahi (female Shikoku) don't like RAW - no idea why. Loa (female Shikoku) and Mochi (female Kai Ken) LOVE RAW tho. We would love to feed all the dogs RAW it would just be too costly.
We also add a probiotic to the Acana/Orijen eaters and Salmon oil to everyone's.
I wanted to make a point about the dandruff mentioned in Tara's post. Kai tend to have dandruff. Marain warned us about it when we picked up Kona, and we have noticed it in all our imports too. No idea why they get it, Shigeru mentioned that Nori's breeder said it was due to their thick coat,and Kai do have a very thick coat... so maybe that's the reason. I agree with Tara, Fish oil did help clear it up, but we still notice it on them - especially after wearing a harness for a while. Point is, if you own a Kai Ken and notice some dandruff on them, don't freak out, its a "Kai thing".
Yeah dandruff during coat blows are normal Saya got dandruff during her fall/winter blow and now she's blowing again there's dandruff.
I do think the dog smell is due to the food and maybe some breed, but mostly food Bella eats wellness core ocean and she doesn't smell anywhere and Saya is feed a raw diet she doesn't smell at all except when she ate kibble her breath smelled, but now on raw it is much better.. lol
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I dont think there is anything in particular that only Kai Ken need that any dog doesn't benefit from. I feed mine about 70% raw/fresh foods and 30% quality kibble. He eats a variety of proteins and a few plants. I give him fish oil or kelp in his dinner, but I also feed my greyhound/gsd the same stuff. In fact she needs it more- elimination of grains and the addition of fish oil have left her ear-infection free for at least 5 years. My Kai guy is healthy, lean and strong, his teeth are white and sharp, he never gets ear infections, his coat is thick and lush, and his breath smells good- in fact his whole body smells good from his toes to his ears to his shoulder blades and mane. I have never met a dog that smelled so good- part of it is being NK I think, and good nutrition does the rest! There's lots of good feeding info on the forum if you search.
I feed Bella and Dink Wellness core ocean and they're doing great on it. Dink our 13-15 year old mix breed acts more active now than when she was eating the Beniful food.
Wellness core is a bit expensive, but there's plenty of other dog foods that are of good quality and decent price.
I feed Saya my shiba inu a prey modal raw diet she just started last Monday and have been doing great on it. I chose this diet for her since she is my dog and I love the benefits of it.
I don't think kai kens really need any special diet, but I'd try to go for grain free food they don't really need the grains. Salmon oil is great to add to their food too keeps their coats nice and soft. =)
Back when i had my beagle we would feed him alot of raw dear meat and rabbit whenever it was is season, so i guess a raw diet would to just fine
The kibble review site Chrystal was talking about is: Dog Food Analysis ~
Koda is now almost 1. When he was weened (?sp) he was put on high quality kibble right away. His skin did dry out, and it was easy to just add Salmon oil to get rid of his dandruff. It dried out when he started to lose his puppy fur and get some more adult fur. Now Koda is on around 70/30 raw/kibble mix. He does get some kibble. Mainly on days when his owner is lazy or hasn't picked up enough meat. I really need to get another freezer just for him. Koda is beautiful. He has such a great coat and everyone loves petting him. He also smells great, never had that "dog" smell to him. Like Chrystal with Sage, I think he smells good from his ears to his paws.
About three weeks ago, I started fostering a Kai from Taiwan. She was tied up outside for a year, so I'm sure that diet wasn't important to her owners. She smelt up my car in 5 minutes of being there. PHEW!!! I couldn't stand smelling her and covered the couch and all the furniture with old sheets. She did have a lot of scabs, and I took her to the vet within a couple of hours of picking her up. We cleaned up her wounds and gave her a bath, but she still smelled. She got a 2nd bath the next week, but again the smell came through (not as bad, but still there). Her coat was also terrible to touch. It was all wirey and parts stuck up like a mohawk. After three weeks of being on a grain free diet with Salmon Oil and Solid Gold Sea Meal (thanks Jessica for the recommendation) her fur is getting so much better and the smell has gone away. The baths weren't going to do it. It was her diet that needed to change. The other day, when she was sprawled in my lap Ruby style, I noticed just how good she smells now.....like a real Kai!
I noticed when we went & visited Brad & Jen, their house did NOT have that "dog smell" people who own dogs usually have, despite the fact that they had 14 dogs at the time. I was really impressed. Bare in mind all the Anderson's dogs get either RAW or a Premium Kibble.
Usually, when I visit people's homes, & even if they only have one dog, you can definitely "smell" that the dog lives there, despite the house being clean, & the dog being clean, the dog emits a smell.
Is it really linked to good food? I was always told some breeds just have a strong "doggy smell," like GSD's, but I wonder how much of that is based on diet? ~
But my Aunt's cats get fed some cheap storebrand food & they stink to high heaven.
Maybe it is food related??? Kind of like how if you eat too much curry you smell like that, or if you drink alcohol you smell like alcohol? ~
We feed Acana, Orijen, and RAW and are pleased with all three. We don't see a huge difference in our dogs that eat RAW vs. Acana/Orijen - but I am sure there is a diff. Kona (male Kai Ken) and Ahi (female Shikoku) don't like RAW - no idea why. Loa (female Shikoku) and Mochi (female Kai Ken) LOVE RAW tho. We would love to feed all the dogs RAW it would just be too costly.
We also add a probiotic to the Acana/Orijen eaters and Salmon oil to everyone's.
I wanted to make a point about the dandruff mentioned in Tara's post. Kai tend to have dandruff. Marain warned us about it when we picked up Kona, and we have noticed it in all our imports too. No idea why they get it, Shigeru mentioned that Nori's breeder said it was due to their thick coat,and Kai do have a very thick coat... so maybe that's the reason. I agree with Tara, Fish oil did help clear it up, but we still notice it on them - especially after wearing a harness for a while. Point is, if you own a Kai Ken and notice some dandruff on them, don't freak out, its a "Kai thing".
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I do think the dog smell is due to the food and maybe some breed, but mostly food Bella eats wellness core ocean and she doesn't smell anywhere and Saya is feed a raw diet she doesn't smell at all except when she ate kibble her breath smelled, but now on raw it is much better.. lol