# best type of food for shibas i know that shiba's tend to have a lot of food allergies. any recommendations on what type of food is best for shiba's? are the normal name brands like Iams and Eukanuba OK or do they tend to need a special type? also what about human food? do any of you feed your shiba's human food? i saw on a web… ## Thread In Food · started by shimaurashibalover92 · 10 replies - **Category:** [Food](https://nihonken.org/community/c/food) - **Forum:** [Nihon Ken Forum](https://nihonken.org/community/) ## shimaurashibalover92 · 2009-02-22T17:41:37.000Z i know that shiba's tend to have a lot of food allergies. any recommendations on what type of food is best for shiba's? are the normal name brands like Iams and Eukanuba OK or do they tend to need a special type? also what about human food? do any of you feed your shiba's human food? i saw on a website somewhere that raw foods are good for their digestion and coats. like raw fish and meat. anyone feed their dog raw food? let me know. thanks! ## Calia · 2009-02-22T18:03:14.000Z I've been feeding my pups a mix of brands, but I would avoid any dog food brand that is either sold in a grocery store or use tv commercials. I know this sounds silly, but brands that do this are usually the ones that use low quality ingredients. What we've been using is Nutro's Natural Choice (not the best, but this keeps them from reacting to my sisters dogfood) and Wellness puppy mix. I've kept with the dry kibble as it is better for the teeth than the wet stuff. I haven't used the raw diet, but there are many on here that do. As far as people food goes, I try to avoid it to help prevent begging. The only people foods I've given were bits of cheese and hot dogs as a reward for learning, but we've slowed down on that and are using a high quality dog food instead. Check this website out: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ It rates the dog food and gives you descriptions as to what is good or bad about the stuff used in the dog foods. ## sunyata · 2009-02-22T18:31:40.000Z Shibas tend to do better on a grain-free diet. There are tons of choices of grain free dry foods around, and the website that Beth gave is a great one to help with your decision making. I personally feed Solid Gold's Barking at the Moon, but there are many other choices like Innova, Wellness, Orijen, etc. Some people also like to rotate their dogs kibble. There are loads of threads here about food, diets, RAW, and what not. Whatever you decide, you need to make sure it is what is best for you and your pup(s). Also, I recommend feeding something that is readily available in your area. Unfortunately, this may limit your choices depending on where you live, but can be a life saver in the event of an emergency. ## ljowen123 (moderator) · 2009-02-22T18:43:28.000Z Many shibas do have food allergies dealing specifically with grain. My shiba is one of those. I rotate food between: Solid Gold Barking at the Moon, Evo's Red Meat Small Bites, Natural Balance, Merrick's Before Grain, and I'm looking at maybe one of Evander's (sp?). There are many threads on foods, but there's also a great resource at Whole Dog Journal. They review some great companies and explain what to consider, such as too much ash or potassium. I used their guide to get me started on which foods to buy as well as recommendations from forum members. Let me tell you, though - it isn't cheap. You're not going to find it at the major pet stores (except maybe Solid Gold) - you'll need to look at smaller, specialty shops, or go hunting for it online (if there's nothing close - check out thepetkitchen.com - they carry great foods & ship at reasonable prices). The addage of you get what you pay for really is true - you can tell in their stool, their breath, the coats, and their general well-being. I would love to feed a raw diet, but I don't - it requires a fair bit of planning and I just haven't made it to that point. Jazz does enjoy various raw treats like chicken feet. There are several on the forum that feed raw, some that balance a raw/kibble, and others that are pure kibble. Hopefully, they'll chime in and the benefits of raw (there are many). In addition, you may want to look into supplements at some point - I give fish oil and just recently added seameal for Jazz's coat. Many others give other probiotics for other purposes. ## Ryu · 2009-02-22T19:48:16.000Z I agree with LJ 100% on everything she stated. We rotate between Innova EVO, Orijen, Merrick Before Grain and Wellness Core. We also add brewers yeast, glucosamine (for Ryu), Solid Gold seameal and fish oil capsules to their kibble. For dinnertime, we feed Honest Kitchen dehydrated RAW with some kibble mixed in. This helps us incorporate RAW without the hassle of planning too far in advance. I've noticed numerous improvements in teeth, coat and energy since switching to high quality foods. :D ## JessicaRabbit (admin) · 2009-02-22T20:17:28.000Z If you feed kibble the ones LJ and Pam mentioned are excellent. I periodically feed Natures Variety Raw but for the most part (under a holistic vets supervision) cook for my dogs. We rotate proteins (Tilapia, Mahi Mahi, Ahi Tuna, Salmon, Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Venison, and Rabbit) every 3 days, and feed steamed sweet potatoes, kale, collards, carrots, and chard. We then give additional supplements. For Miko, Solid Gold Seameal, Probiotics, and Fish Oil. For Piglet (who is older, has had knee surgery, and was severely nutritionally deprived prior to being adopted by my husband and me) Manganese, Ostrophin, Basic canine Supplement, Canine Dermal Support, JOT, Fish Oil, Probiotics, and flower essences for dogs with post traumatic stress disorder. Mikos coat has gotten particularly amazing lately (we recently increased her caloric intake dramatically to accommodate her most recent growth spurt). And Piglet's health has improved ten fold since we started cooking for her. Personally I can't imagine ever going back to dog food (although we never know where the future takes us right?) but I wouldn't encourage cooking for your dogs without a very experienced holistic vet guiding you and a boat load of research. Also as mentioned above, I would strongly recommend a subscription to Whole Dog Journal. It is worth every penny and will help you understand why foods like Eukanuba, Iams, and Science Diet are essentially well marketed garbage. And how to pick the right foods for your dog. Good luck. There is a lot to learn. ## Darwin67 · 2009-02-22T20:40:45.000Z @ shimaurashibalover92 where are you located? Perhaps someone nearby or from your area can direct you to specific stores, etc.? ## shimaurashibalover92 · 2009-02-23T20:02:27.000Z we are located in islip, ny ## Calia · 2009-02-24T18:38:56.000Z Wow, you're practically around the block from me...I'm in Ronkonkoma right off the lake ## Zinja · 2009-02-25T03:10:07.000Z I used to give Sasuke some nasty cheap food I was able to pick up at Costco. I felt bad so I switched him to Ori-jen... He tends to eat a lot slower, have a nicer, darker coat, and overall more energy. I also think he likes it a lot more because I've noticed I can keep his attention a lot longer when I train him during feeding time. ## okiron · 2009-02-25T14:18:00.000Z Not saying they're great but Kirkland dog food is a decent dog food for their price. A lot better than Iams and Eukanuba which are a lot more expensive. --- **Navigate:** [Forum home](https://nihonken.org/community/?format=md) · [Sitemap](https://nihonken.org/community/sitemap.xml)