I noticed the site gets a lot of visitors who have searched for “what can shiba inus eat” and “feeding a shiba,” so I decided it was time to post about what I feed my Shiba, Snickers, and how it came about.
I’ve spent a LOT of time formulating the right diet for Snickers so I think I should share what I’ve learned about feeding a Shiba Inu. I posted his diet once a few months ago, but it has changed again since then.
Recipe and Serving Instructions
This recipe will feed Snick for 3 to 4 days, depending on his current level of exercise and number of treats received.
- Put 1 1/2 cups of water on high heat.
- Add 4 1/2 scoops of Dr. Harvey’s Canine Health while waiting for water to boil.
- Bring to boil then lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring to avoid burning.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Add the following:
- 6 to 8 ozs of protein (tuna, salmon, chicken, turkey, or lamb*)
- 3 tsp of oil (canola, black currant, safflower, borage, hemp or soy)
- Mix well.
- Sprinkle 1 oz of shredded cheddar cheese on top.
- Refrigerate.
Serving Instructions for Snickers’ Food
- Do not feed warm. (Always cook it with time to refrigerate before feeding.)
- Snick eats twice a day. Approx 7:00 AM and 7:30 PM.
- Use about 1/8 of the total amount per meal
- Immediately before feeding, add the following:
- 1/2 teaspoon of Prozyme enzymes
- 1/2 teaspoon of Quaker Quick Oats (100% Natural Oats)
- 2 squirts of Grizzly Salmon Oil
- Periodically, also add 1/2 contents of probiotic capsule
*Snick receives lamb jerky treats on a regular basis. This is why the protein ratio on his food seems low and also why lamb is the last protein choice for his meals.
Some Random Things I Learned Along the Way
- If you add dry Quaker Quick Oats immediately before feeding, it slows digestion and the dog gets more nutrients from his food.
- Itchy butt, feet, and ears are an indication of food allergies and/or yeast infections.
- Fish oil has a natural anti-inflammatory in it.
- Adding enzymes and probiotics aids in digestion and keeps the yeast population in check.
- Shiba Inu have been eating diets high in fish for thousands of years.
- Eggs, olive oil, yellow corn, white potato, beet pulp, beef, horse meat, avocado, and citrus products are not good for Shibas.
- Fresh food should be fed cold as warm food promotes bacterial growth in the tummy.
- Wild Pink Alaskan Salmon is lower in mercury than other salmon.
- The smaller a tuna is, the less mercury it has absorbed, so you can buy low mercury tuna.
- Iodine and Sea Kelp are good for dogs, but Snickers is allergic to something in Solid Gold Seameal. 🙁
- Pork products give Snick the runs.
If that doesn’t satisfy the curiosity of anyone searching for diet info, I don’t know what will! 🙂
I’m not positive, but I think Snick eats better than I do. :o)
Wow… what a nice dog Mom you are! We’ve always just fed our dogs a “premium” kibble, mostly because of the expense of feeding all our pets. I feel guilty about it though, because the parrots have their meals made fresh daily, and now the cats are all on a high-quality canned diet, yet the dogs still languish in the land of kibble.
Ironically, today was the first day I tried to feed our two small dogs a premium canned dog food. It’s the first day of a month-long experiment. We have to be careful with their diets because one of the dogs has allergies and bladder crystals, so we’re constantly checking ingredient lists and ph levels and such. I’m hoping the canned food will perk them up a bit without causing any auxiliary problems, and I’m also crossing my fingers that they’ll “poop less”. They’ve been eating Innova Senior kibble and I swear that stuff goes in one end, multiplies, and then comes out the other.
As for the large dogs, they’ll unfortunately probably remain on their Canidae Platinum kibble. At 100 lbs. each, feeding them a good quality canned or homemade diet would cost about $20 per day. They’ve both stayed healthy and in good condition, with no dental issues, so I hope it ultimately won’t have been too much of a compromise.
Your dog definitely eats better than I do!
I’m stopping by to say hello and I look forward to meeting you at TequilaCon this Saturday.
Hi! *waves*
Your dog eats better than 75% of the adult population. The only thing I have in common with Snickers (aside for a love of his namesake), is that we both eat shredded cheese every day. A dog after my own heart…
Also looking forward to this Saturday!
Snickers eats better than **I** do! (Just don’t ask my daughter how often I cook for her or myself.)
Snicks looks adorable. ADORABLE.
Looking forward to meeting you at Tequilacon and swapping dog stories.
My dogs get Spot’s Stew by Halo, which is as close to home cooked as I can get without cooking. Had an allergic dog who ate, over a period of years, ostrich, kangaroo, elk, and alligator mixed with quinoa and I don’t even remember what other grains. He’d become allergic to new foods in a couple months. Poor little guy.
Anyway, I’m burned out on cooking but commend you from the bottom of my heart.
See you Saturday!