# The Honest Kitchen?



## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Anyone feed this? How have your dogs done on it? Are you happy with it? Do you feed the food as is, or do you add things to it?
This is the formula I'm looking at:
Force | Grain Free Dog Food | Dehydrated Raw Dog Food | The Honest Kitchen

The Eukanuba trial is starting to go downhill in a hurry. He's been on it for a little over a month now and it seemed very promising. His energy level had increased and his stools are good, but over the past week his schedule has become very inconsistent. I'm also seeing 'eye goop', which he's never had before, and I've noticed him licking his paws all of a sudden. I'm thinking there's probably something in the food that unfortunately just doesn't agree with him.

The Honest Kitchen definitely _sounds_ good. I tried it once, probably close to ten years ago now, with our GSD who was horribly allergic to just about everything. He wouldn't eat it, but he was the pickiest dog I've ever seen, and I don't think I'd have that problem with Riley. He'll eat anything!

Right now, it's between this or going back to Wellness. Looking at the different foods he's been on, he seemed to do well, for the longest period of time, on that one. But I'd love to hear some opinions on THK before I decide.


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

bumping up

I haven't been able to find it near me, but I do plan to try it out at some point.

I know that missmarstar feeds it occasionally to her dogs, I'm sure she will see the thread soon and comment.


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## Meggie'sMom (Dec 24, 2007)

I feed THK along with Wellness. I alternate with Force, Keen and Preference. My dogs have done great on it and even switching to it was so easy, no upset tummies. My Meggie ate Honest Kitchen exclusively the last couple years of her life and loved it. I feel so good about feeding it and the dogs obviously love it. I never had any trouble getting them to eat it. I sometimes add things to Force and Keen, but not always. With Preference I add boiled chicken breasts or occasionally salmon.


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## Meggie'sMom (Dec 24, 2007)

I order from doggiefood.com I can't find it near me either.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

I use The Honest Kitchen as a topper to their food. If cost weren't a concern, I'd use it exclusively. I LOVE it... and the dogs go nuts for it. I've ordered directly from them but now also order from doggiefood.com They have some great discounts. I alternate their formulas.... Force, Embark and Thrive. I also used the beef one ( can't remember the name) when Cody was ill and he LOVED it.

Oh, and also, you can add to it if desired. I believe it's up to 1/2 c of additional meat/veggies to 1 c of food without upsetting the nutritional balance. However, it is not needed with the exception of the Preference which needs you to add a meat/ protein source.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Another thing I wonder about are his teeth, if he didn't have the kibble to help keep them clean. 

I just wish I knew what the problem is with the Eukanuba. I would think it has to be either the corn meal or the whole grain sorghum. He has no problem with chicken. And he's been on other foods that have brewer's rice, barley and/or beet pulp. He didn't necessarily do very well on those foods, but I didn't see these reactions.




Meggie'sMom said:


> I feed THK along with Wellness. I alternate with Force, Keen and Preference. *My dogs have done great on it and even switching to it was so easy, no upset tummies*. My Meggie ate Honest Kitchen exclusively the last couple years of her life and loved it. I feel so good about feeding it and the dogs obviously love it. I never had any trouble getting them to eat it. I sometimes add things to Force and Keen, but not always. With Preference I add boiled chicken breasts or occasionally salmon.


Oh, now that's good to hear! I was thinking that since it's so different from kibble, the transition might be difficult.
Do you alternate between THK and Wellness, or mix them together?



Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> I use The Honest Kitchen as a topper to their food. If cost weren't a concern, I'd use it exclusively. I LOVE it... and the dogs go nuts for it. I've ordered directly from them but now also order from doggiefood.com They have some great discounts. I alternate their formulas.... Force, Embark and Thrive. I also used the beef one ( can't remember the name) when Cody was ill and he LOVED it.


Yeah, it's not exactly inexpensive! If we were feeding more than one dog, I might have to think twice about it. But with just Riley, it shouldn't be too bad.
I ordered a couple sample packages to see if he likes it. 
Good to know that there's another place to order it, too. There's one shop here in our area that carries it, but they keep a very limited stock, so I wouldn't want to rely on them. At least it doesn't weigh much, so the shipping shouldn't be bad.


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## Kirby'sMom (Feb 26, 2007)

As far as keeping his teeth clean, my dogs' clean got very clean and white when we were feeding them raw. I've had to go back to kibble because of funds over this past winter and I can see that their teeth aren't as clean with the kibble as they were with raw. We had fed chicken quarters and beefy bones. I was thinking of Honest Kitchen, too, but the cost was kinda high.


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## Retrieverlover (Feb 8, 2010)

I tried my Lab on Thrive and he was doing fantastic but its not affordable for me. I am beyond happy with his diet right now and wouldn't change anything


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## Meggie'sMom (Dec 24, 2007)

> Do you alternate between THK and Wellness, or mix them together?


Sometimes I mix them together and sometimes I feed the Wellness kibble while waiting for THK to hydrate. They seem happy either way. When my son's dog is home for holidays or weekends I also add THK to his food and he has no tummy troubles from eating it occasionally. If anything I think THK helps regulate with all the good veggies in it. 

I would feed it exclusively too, but with 2 dogs it is costly.


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

My guys get The Honest Kitchen Embark for dinner. It's so expensive for 3 dogs so they just get 1 cup a day. They absolutely go CRAZY for it. When they hear the microwave timer got off they know it's ready and start spinning and barking. For their other meals they get Fromm GF Beef Frittata mixed with canned.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Charlie06 said:


> My guys get The Honest Kitchen Embark for dinner. It's so expensive for 3 dogs so they just get 1 cup a day. They absolutely go CRAZY for it. When they hear the microwave timer got off they know it's ready and start spinning and barking. For their other meals they get Fromm GF Beef Frittata mixed with canned.


Be careful if you are nuking their THK. They suggest using only tepid/ warm water since getting it too warm is killing off alot of the enzymes and probiotics.


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## Sophie_Mom (Jan 21, 2009)

Sophie and Sawyer get THK as a "treat" or topper with their Fromm 4 Star foods. They absolutely love it and have done wonderfully on this combination.


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> Be careful if you are nuking their THK. They suggest using only tepid/ warm water since getting it too warm is killing off alot of the enzymes and probiotics.


No, I am just using the microwave for the timer on it. I use filtered water & just warm the water up a little in the microwave


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

I posted a coupon the THK's Force formula. You'll find it in the nutrition section a little farther down. It's good until the end of January 2011. 

We've used it in kongs, but have not fed it exclusively. It's something that interests me, but right now kibble is easier.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

CarolinaCasey said:


> I posted a coupon the THK's Force formula. You'll find it in the nutrition section a little farther down. It's good until the end of January 2011.


I saw that - thank you! His little sample packages have shipped, so we should be able to try it out and still have time to place an order before the end of the month if I think it might be an option.

I hope their feeding guidelines are on the package?? I looked on their website and couldn't find anything.

I was a little surprised when I figured out the price per pound. If we order the 10lb box (which is supposed to make 43 lbs of food) it's just about the same price per pound as the 30lb bag of Wellness. So depending on how many cups a day he would need, it might not be as expensive as I thought.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

Ike loves THK. If it were less expensive I'd feed it more often. I use it as an occasional special meal. I've also made cookie treats by mixing it up with less water, about a cookie dough texture, place heaping tablespoons on a cookie sheet and let them dry in a warm oven for a few hours. They never quite dry out, they're like chewy oatmeal cookies. Ike LOVES them.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

LifeOfRiley said:


> I saw that - thank you! His little sample packages have shipped, so we should be able to try it out and still have time to place an order before the end of the month if I think it might be an option.
> 
> I hope their feeding guidelines are on the package?? I looked on their website and couldn't find anything.
> 
> I was a little surprised when I figured out the price per pound. If we order the 10lb box (which is supposed to make 43 lbs of food) it's just about the same price per pound as the 30lb bag of Wellness. So depending on how many cups a day he would need, it might not be as expensive as I thought.


 
Their website contains a page of comparisons which list calorie counts. Just figure out his calorie consumption now and then you can figure how much to feed. I never trust feeding charts since dogs are so different in their needs.


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

LifeOfRiley said:


> I
> I was a little surprised when I figured out the price per pound. If we order the 10lb box (which is supposed to make 43 lbs of food) it's just about the same price per pound as the 30lb bag of Wellness. So depending on how many cups a day he would need, it might not be as expensive as I thought.


A 10 lb box has aproximately 40-43 cups of dry food. I give each of my guys 1 cup for their dinner meal, so unfortunately it doesn't last very long.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> Their website contains a page of comparisons which list calorie counts. Just figure out his calorie consumption now and then you can figure how much to feed. I never trust feeding charts since dogs are so different in their needs.


Wow. I went back to their site to figure it out that way. Riley seems to do well on about 1200 calories/day. According to their chart for the Force formula, he'd need 5 1/3 cups per day?! Yikes!




paula bedard said:


> Ike loves THK. If it were less expensive I'd feed it more often. I use it as an occasional special meal. I've also made cookie treats by mixing it up with less water, about a cookie dough texture, place heaping tablespoons on a cookie sheet and let them dry in a warm oven for a few hours. They never quite dry out, they're like chewy oatmeal cookies. Ike LOVES them.


That's a neat idea! I bet Riley would go crazy for those. 



Charlie06 said:


> A 10 lb box has aproximately 40-43 cups of dry food. I give each of my guys 1 cup for their dinner meal, so unfortunately it doesn't last very long.


Yeah, if I end up feeding it exclusively, it doesn't sound like it would last very long. Especially if he'd need like, 5 cups a day! Holy $%&$ 
I'm not figuring it right, though. Or, I'm not getting how _they're_ figuring it. My mathematically-challenged brain isn't grasping how they get 43lbs of food out of a 10lb box, if there are only about 40-ish (8oz) cups of dry per box.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

LifeOfRiley said:


> Wow. I went back to their site to figure it out that way. Riley seems to do well on about 1200 calories/day. According to their chart for the Force formula, he'd need 5 1/3 cups per day?! Yikes!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> I think you're mistaken. Here is a chart taken from their site. Force has 446 cals per (dry) cup. 5 cups would = 2,230 cals.
> 
> For 1200 cals, he'd need a little more than 2.5 cups.


 
This is the chart I was looking at, on their site. (I hope the link works.)

http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/res/pdf/force-flyerv2.pdf

Force is supposed to have 446 calories per cup, as received -- but only 223 as served/hydrated.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

LifeOfRiley said:


> This is the chart I was looking at, on their site. (I hope the link works.)
> 
> http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/res/pdf/force-flyerv2.pdf
> 
> Force is supposed to have 446 calories per cup, as received -- but only 223 as served/hydrated.


 
True but you're measuring the dry. Occasionally my crew will get a whole meal of THK and, once hydrated, I don't think the volume is very different from the volume of the kibble they would eat at a meal. I would def be guaging the cals from the dry since the amount of water used (dilution rate) can differ a bit by the consistency you desire.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> True but you're measuring the dry. Occasionally my crew will get a whole meal of THK and, once hydrated, I don't think the volume is very different from the volume of the kibble they would eat at a meal. I would def be guaging the cals from the dry since the amount of water used (dilution rate) can differ a bit by the consistency you desire.


Okay, so they're saying that the volume basically doubles when rehydrated, so instead of having one cup of dry at 446 calories, you now have two cups at 223 each??

I'm so not used to this. I'm used to simple kibble, where 223 calories per cup is 223 calories per cup! :doh:


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

I go for months at a time where I feed Honest Kitchen Thrive (IMO the best of the formulas) for the dinner meal to my dogs.

For Bentley, my senior at 70 lbs., I measure 1 cup of the dry HK and mix with 1 2/3 cup warm water and let sit for 7-10 min. Typically I don't add anything else, but once in a while back off the dry amount a little if I add a scrambled egg or a little cooked turkey.

Bentley seems intolerant of a lot of grains; so the quinoa in the HK Thrive formula works well. I also like its guaranteed analysis: protein 26%, fat 18% and no potato or flax.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Once I know the cals in the dry I've measured out, I never give thought to the rehydrated cals.... they are the same even though now diluted. You'll find the finished product is somewhat like oatmeal ( at least that's how my kids like it).


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

MyBentley said:


> I go for months at a time where I feed Honest Kitchen Thrive (IMO the best of the formulas) for the dinner meal to my dogs.


Now, what do you feed for their morning meal when they get HK for dinner? 
I was thinking about doing maybe HK for one meal and Wellness for the other, but I don't know if that would agree with his system. I've heard some raw-feeders say that they don't like to mix kibble with raw, since they're digested at such different rates.  

I'm still trying to decide between the Force, Thrive and Zeal. All of them look pretty good. The samples I ordered were Force, but I might get a few packages of the others, too. See if Riley has a preference.


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

I feed my guys Fromm kibble mixed with canned for breakfat & Lunch and then they get THK for dinner. I emailed THK asking about concerns mixing it with kibble and they said it was OK to do. In fact they suggested mixing it in slowly in the beginning. We got a sample of Zeal and I just gave a little to Charlie for the first time & he vomited all over my sofa.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

LifeOfRiley said:


> *Now, what do you feed for their morning meal when they get HK for dinner? *
> I was thinking about doing maybe HK for one meal and Wellness for the other, but I don't know if that would agree with his system. I've heard some raw-feeders say that they don't like to mix kibble with raw, since they're digested at such different rates.
> 
> I'm still trying to decide between the Force, Thrive and Zeal. All of them look pretty good. The samples I ordered were Force, but I might get a few packages of the others, too. See if Riley has a preference.


For breakfast, I would feed one of several kibbles I use in rotation: Fromm Surf & Turf; Go Natural Grain Free Endurance; Acana Wild Prairie, etc.

When I first introduced HK, I added a bit at dinner to the kibble they were eating. If a dog has never had dehydrated food, it usually takes a bit of transition. As soon as I felt they were handling HK well, I fed only the HK at dinner and only kibble at breakfast. I think it's fine to feed both at separate times of the day. I wouldn't care to mix kibble and HK at one meal on a regular basis.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Charlie06 said:


> I feed my guys Fromm kibble mixed with canned for breakfat & Lunch and then they get THK for dinner. I emailed THK asking about concerns mixing it with kibble and they said it was OK to do. In fact they suggested mixing it in slowly in the beginning. We got a sample of Zeal and I just gave a little to Charlie for the first time & he vomited all over my sofa.


Oh no - that's always fun to clean!




MyBentley said:


> For breakfast, I would feed one of several kibbles I use in rotation: Fromm Surf & Turf; Go Natural Grain Free Endurance; Acana Wild Prairie, etc.
> 
> When I first introduced HK, I added a bit at dinner to the kibble they were eating. If a dog has never had dehydrated food, it usually takes a bit of transition. As soon as I felt they were handling HK well, I fed only the HK at dinner and only kibble at breakfast. I think it's fine to feed both at separate times of the day. I wouldn't care to mix kibble and HK at one meal on a regular basis.


Yeah, he's never had dehydrated food, so I'll take it _real _slow. It's going to be a while before I try to introduce it, though. We're transitioning from the Eukanuba back to Wellness right now, so I want to give him some time to adjust to that, before I throw anything else at him.

I did pick him up a box of THK's "Smooches" treats yesterday. One of the little shops we go to carries THK (real limited stock, though.) If his reaction to the treats is any indication, he'll love the food! I gave him one of the treats and boy, did his little eyes light up! He was jumping up and pawing at me for another one, and he normally doesn't do that.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

THK time here is like circling sharks. Except for Cody. He sits right in front of his bowl on the counter and roo-roos, cries and generally tries to woo it off the counter for the entire 10 minutes while it rehydrates. Hilarious.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> THK time here is like circling sharks. Except for Cody. He sits right in front of his bowl on the counter and roo-roos, cries and generally tries to woo it off the counter for the entire 10 minutes while it rehydrates. Hilarious.


LOL. 
Riley usually waits patiently while I get his food ready. He stands behind me drooling all over the floor, giving me the "but I'm STARVING" eyes... but he's usually patient. The only time he got a little crazy was when we were trying EVO Red. I had about two seconds to get that food in the bowl before he'd start barking. He really loved that food, but it was way too rich for him.


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## Garfield (Apr 7, 2009)

LifeOfRiley said:


> Okay, so they're saying that the volume basically doubles when rehydrated, so instead of having one cup of dry at 446 calories, you now have two cups at 223 each??:doh:


Precisely. Whether kibble, canned, dehydrated, etc, always use (and when necessary, deduct moisture content to determine) the dry matter basis, the true measure of protein/other content in food. 

FWIW, like MyBentley, THK Thrive formula is my first choice.


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## Garfield (Apr 7, 2009)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> THK time here is like circling sharks. Except for Cody. He sits right in front of his bowl on the counter and roo-roos, cries and generally tries to woo it off the counter for the entire 10 minutes while it rehydrates. Hilarious.


That is SO funny! Telekinesis in Golden form!


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Garfield said:


> Precisely. Whether kibble, canned, dehydrated, etc, always use (and when necessary, deduct moisture content to determine) the dry matter basis, the true measure of protein/other content in food.
> 
> FWIW, like MyBentley, THK Thrive formula is my first choice.


I do like the Thrive formula. At first glance, I think I like the protein level better. I kind of like that Force is grain-free, though. However, I'm not crazy about that formula having bananas in it. That's probably the one thing on the planet that Riley _doesn't_ like. If he tastes banana, I'm afraid he won't eat it. So I don't know.

I'm really anxious to try the samples we got, but with two big food changes in less than two months, I want to wait a while. His system is still a little off-kilter, so I think he might need a break before I throw something else at him. Especially something so different from anything he's had before.


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