Honest Kitchen

Can you share your experiences with Honest Kitchen?

Calvin has always had allergies and sensitivities to grains, as well as having very sensitive anal glands that fill up due to seasonal environmental allergies. Pumpkin does not address this issue though he loves it.
Angus needs protein for muscle maintenance and growth and lower fat/calories to keep him lean (for his back). He has a tendency to get very dirty ears and I am on a maintenance plan with them, and they are clearing nicely, but my vet mentioned that some dogs just have very dirty ears and create a lot of "goo" for lack of a better term--that it might be diet related. Angus is not fungal or yeasty, just yucky/dirty/goopy.

What do you all think about going with Honest Kitchen to address all of these concerns?

I am really into cooking for them and would be willing to make their food if I thought it would be best for them.

I'm looking into Preference (and adding my own fish or chicken for proteins), Zeal, and Force.

I love Honest Kitchen. Although I don't actually eat it myself, I could.

Baby Girl is my problem child with her back, UTI, allergies, etc. If I were you I would start with Force and Preference (you can add your own protein). Zeal is new and we haven't tried it. It has activity as high though.

I order one box of each of Embark, Keen, Force, and Thrive. Lola can have grains so she gets those. We tried Verve, but neither of them liked it.

For the easiest route, I would go with Force or Embark.

For the priciest route, I would go with Zeal.... no joke Kim, it is $108 per box!! Even too much for me.

For the route with the most flexibility, I would go with Preference. You have to add your own meat, so you'll need to make sure you balance the protein correctly. I think someone on here, Becky?, does preference, and she mixes in the Wellness 95% salmon.

Personally, I love HK. I have been happy with it since day one. My pugs go NUTS for the stuff, and they are healthy as can be. Right now they are on Keen, but I'm thinking of switching to Force or Embark. I asked them if they have plans for any alternative protein sources besides poultry, and they told me they were working on a bison recipe. I will be excited for that one to come out, since the Zeal is much to expensive for me.

We tried Verve, but the pugs weren't much impressed.

Thanks guys. I just ordered samples of Force and Preference. I think I like the idea of Pref better so I can adjust the protein for each dog.
And $108??? Holy cow. I don't think that's doable.

Zoe's been on Force for just one week now. I sometimes add green beans and raw carrots. She loves it! I think she's even lost a little bit of weight. only one problem, she loves it so much she barks the entire time it's hydrating?

Mel wrote:Zoe's been on Force for just one week now. I sometimes add green beans and raw carrots. She loves it! I think she's even lost a little bit of weight. only one problem, she loves it so much she barks the entire time it's hydrating?

I'll be sneaky
Wonder how long that will work??

it won't work because they can smell it. lol

We use Embark and Force, the grain free ones. Mine love it, and I have seen them get shinier coats and their overall energy levels went up. We had to experiment a bit on the amounts to make sure they maintained their weight, but now we got it down and they look great.

The only thing I am concerned with is the amounts I'll be feeding, but as Saira said, I guess I'll figure that out as we go.

And Calvin, especially, will figure out that the smell is his dog food. He'll bark his head off LOL I give myself one bark-free day.

We use Embark and it seems to be really good for the pugs, especially Gidget. She is the reason why we tried it. Her coat is shinier and her skin issues have decreased tremendously. Mr B has done well on it too.

When we were trying to figure out the one to order I emailed Honest Kitchen and they lead me to Embark. We needed to go grain-free and my two aren't the most active pugs in the world. Embark is less calories than some of the others they have.

I have found it cheaper to order from other companies online. I google search Honest Kitchen coupon when I need to order more and I sometimes find great deals.

monkeypigs4eva wrote:
And Calvin, especially, will figure out that the smell is his dog food. He'll bark his head off LOL I give myself one bark-free day.

funny you mention that. I just figured out what I'm going to do to cut down on the barking, at least at dinner time. I usually take Zoe out to potty when I get home so I'll just start her dinner first and while we're out it'll hydrate. voila!

LuLu & Mac eat Keen because the grains don't bother them.
Renee is correct-Tyson eats Preference and I add Wellness canned 95% salmon and it has worked great for him. I too was astounded at the price of Zeal, however, when I sat down and figured out how much the 7 lb box of Preference costs/how long it lasts, plus the price of the canned food, and compared it to the cost of Zeal, it was actually about $5 less for the Zeal. Now, I couldn't feed it to all 3 dogs, that would be astronomical, but in a couple months when I finish up the current box of Preference, my plan is to switch Tyson to it.
For reference on amounts, Tyson weighs about 21 lbs, and he gets a rounded 1/4 cup of Preference with about 1/2 cup water, mixed with 1/4 of the can of salmon.
I usually order from heartypet.com with the coupon code FOOD1 for 10% off, or from doggiefood.com-they have good prices but I feel like their shipping takes a little longer and I'm not always good at ordering with enough lead time. Otherwise, check to see if there's local retailers-but it still might be cheaper to order online.
As for the barking while it's rehydrating, good luck with that. I get a combination of barking, whining, tip-toe prancing, twirling around and scratching at the cabinets. Very pleasant at 6 am in the morning.

Thank you so much Becky. That really helps me with the amounts. Angus weighs 23 lbs and the vet wants to see him down to about 21 lbs. I think this food will help me control his calories but I bet both doggies will be pleased with the flavor.
And canned salmon?? I didn't even know dogs could eat salmon. My old vet told me it can be poisonous and should be avoided. Live and learn!

Yes, Tyson has horrible allergies and gets really yeasty ears if we give him too much chicken/beef/etc... The 95% canned salmon has been awesome for him.

I'm going to revive this old thread because I've decided to try the boys on Honest Kitchen. Basically I'm a bad mom and accidentally ran out of food. It was time to do the week of prescription food that Jax needs every couple of months anyway, so he was OK, but I didn't have anything for Sammy. I had just found the samples from the Chicago pug convention last weekend, so I pulled them out and pressed them into service the past couple of days for him.

My biggest question: how much do you feed? The 1 oz sample bags seemed about a decent serving size to me, but I have no frame of reference as to if that was a huge amount or if I was starving the poor kid. And what does a dry oz of HK mean in terms of volume? My guys are used to 1/3 - 1/2 cup Natural Balance Small Bites kibble, twice a day. I can vary it as needed once I have a starting point, but what's a good starting point? 1/4 cup dry?

Also, doesn't someone (Renee maybe?) make it in advance the day before? Does that work OK? Does it need to be refrigerated once rehydrated, or just covered? If you refrigerate it, do you nuke it, or are your pugs OK with it being cold?

GingerSnap wrote:I'm going to revive this old thread because I've decided to try the boys on Honest Kitchen. Basically I'm a bad mom and accidentally ran out of food. It was time to do the week of prescription food that Jax needs every couple of months anyway, so he was OK, but I didn't have anything for Sammy. I had just found the samples from the Chicago pug convention last weekend, so I pulled them out and pressed them into service the past couple of days for him.

My biggest question: how much do you feed? The 1 oz sample bags seemed about a decent serving size to me, but I have no frame of reference as to if that was a huge amount or if I was starving the poor kid. And what does a dry oz of HK mean in terms of volume? My guys are used to 1/3 - 1/2 cup Natural Balance Small Bites kibble, twice a day. I can vary it as needed once I have a starting point, but what's a good starting point? 1/4 cup dry?

Also, doesn't someone (Renee maybe?) make it in advance the day before? Does that work OK? Does it need to be refrigerated once rehydrated, or just covered? If you refrigerate it, do you nuke it, or are your pugs OK with it being cold?

My 3 are various weights: Sophie is 14 lbs, Indy is 16 lbs, and Hooli is 22 lbs. The "default" for me is 1/3 c. dry-Sophie gets a bit less, and Hooli gets a bit more. You can add more water too to help with the volume, or add in green beans. But that amount works for mine.

LuLu & Mac each get 1/3 cup dry of Keen, plus a little more than 2/3 cup water added (they both weigh about 16 lbs). Tyson (21 lbs) gets the same amount of dry Preference, but I also add canned Wellness salmon. They all get a scoop of pumpkin and L & M get Missing Link, and Tyson gets green beans in his dinner.
As far as making it ahead of time, I would think you would need to refrigerate it, and my guess is my pugs are nuts enough for it they would eat it cold or nuked.

My pugs get 1/3 cup dry. We are on Thrive right now, but we usually do Keen. My next box will be Zeal. My pugs all weigh in the 22-24 range. Ichiro gets a little more, because he has a higher metabolism than the other two. I always add a healthy scoop of pumpkin, and sometimes greek yogurt, green beans, carrots, or raw ground turkey. After feeding for a while, you will figure out if someone needs more or less. My Ichiro lost a lot of weight at first, and so I upped how much he was getting so he could gain a little weight back.

I do not make it ahead. But, you can make it ahead and just refrigerate it. If you made it ahead, you would probably rehydrate it in the morning with a little hot water or nuke it. The pugs would probably eat it frozen (they LOVE it), but I would feel bad giving them such a cold breakfast.

The 1 oz sample servings are about 1/3 cup, so a good try for one meal.

Seriously - if you switch, I don't think you'll regret it. If there is a reseller in your area, you should be able to get more samples from them before you commit to buying a large box.

I'm also having a bit of trouble figuring out the right amounts.

Angus weighs 21lbs and gets a little less than a 1/3c. Force with green beans, chicken or salmon, and yogurt; Calvin (beagle!) weighs a bit more (25lbs) and gets a little more than a 1/3c. Force with green beans, sweet potato or pumpkin, yogurt, chicken or salmon. Calvin seems like he is starving ALL the time, which isn't exactly unusual, but I think he's lost a little weight so I'm bumping his up a bit. Angus' looks like he is trimming down a tiny bit (he'd lost a few ounces at the vet last weekend) so his is staying the same for now, since the vet would like to see him at <20lbs.

My question is this: how long should a 4lb box last?? I feel like I went through the last one VERY quickly, and at these prices, it was sort of shocking.

monkeypigs4eva wrote:I'm also having a bit of trouble figuring out the right amounts.

Angus weighs 21lbs and gets a little less than a 1/3c. Force with green beans, chicken or salmon, and yogurt; Calvin (beagle!) weighs a bit more (25lbs) and gets a little more than a 1/3c. Force with green beans, sweet potato or pumpkin, yogurt, chicken or salmon. Calvin seems like he is starving ALL the time, which isn't exactly unusual, but I think he's lost a little weight so I'm bumping his up a bit. Angus' looks like he is trimming down a tiny bit (he'd lost a few ounces at the vet last weekend) so his is staying the same for now, since the vet would like to see him at <20lbs.

My question is this: how long should a 4lb box last?? I feel like I went through the last one VERY quickly, and at these prices, it was sort of shocking.

Kim - buy the 10lb box. It will last longer, and the price is better. And yes, it can take a while to figure out the correct portion for feeding.

I think I get a new box every 6 weeks or so. But, I don't feed HK at every single meal. We do raw meat / raw meaty bones for some meals.

What is a good price for a 10lb box?? I only have two places to get it locally and one is out until they switch suppliers (?) and the other only carries small 4lb boxes. The shipping cost for online ordering is absurd!

monkeypigs4eva wrote:What is a good price for a 10lb box?? I only have two places to get it locally and one is out until they switch suppliers (?) and the other only carries small 4lb boxes. The shipping cost for online ordering is absurd!

I have never ordered it online. We have a local store that sells it (thank DOG)! I paid $58 for a box of Thrive, $47 for a box of Keen. The Zeal is priced at $96.

I don't know what I would do if I could not get it locally. Imagine shipping to freaking Alaska!

Renee wrote:

monkeypigs4eva wrote:What is a good price for a 10lb box?? I only have two places to get it locally and one is out until they switch suppliers (?) and the other only carries small 4lb boxes. The shipping cost for online ordering is absurd!

I have never ordered it online. We have a local store that sells it (thank DOG)! I paid $58 for a box of Thrive, $47 for a box of Keen. The Zeal is priced at $96.

I don't know what I would do if I could not get it locally. Imagine shipping to freaking Alaska!

I order it online because there isn't anything close to me, and I don't have time to drive around town, but I usually wait for coupons and then order the double box. HK sends out coupons pretty regularly for either free shipping, $5 off, etc. But yes, it's expensive!

I order it online too. I don't like the people at the store that carries it locally and it is on the other side of town from me anyway. I pay for convienence (and shipping)! LOL! Don't forget to save your bar codes to redeem for free stuff, like shipping.

I order Keen from www.heartypet.com and usually pay a little more than $50. I think the grain free formulas are a little more expensive. I always use coupon code FOOD1 for 10% off. If you sign up for their emails they usually have sales often. Otherwise check www.doggiefood.com, shipping took a while for me, but maybe it's closer to you and would be less.
A 10lb box-feeding only 2 of my 3-lasts me slightly over 3 weeks.