Oso, a black Lab, was literally dropped off at my front door in April of 2005. A little six-year old boy was walking down our street trying to find a home for him because the boy’s Mom had thought that her landlord’s No Pets policy might not apply to them. It did. Since I had, after recently moving into my own home, decided I wanted to adopt a black Lab pup to keep me company only weeks before, this puppy appearing on my doorstep was heaven sent! I agreed to adopt him immediately.
Right away I made an appointment to have Oso checked out by the Vet as at the tender age of 8 weeks, his skin seemed to be very scaly and peeling for no good reason. The Vet put him on EFAs and quite quickly, the capsules worked and Oso’s coat became as shiny as velvet and his skin no longer flaked. The Vet also recommended I use a premium “over the counter” food rather than one of the cheaper store brands his prior owners had fed him. I started Oso on a premium food readily available at most grocery stores, but did not feel good about the ingredients in this mainstream food, so I began to research other alternatives. We quickly settled one of the well known natural dry and wet foods as our food of choice, mostly because the description of each product sounded so yummy to me.
Oso, not being a “vacuum eater” often was left with nothing in his bowl when having doggie friends over for a visit as his buddies liked his kibble quite a bit. But Oso really didn’t seem to care or be overly excited about any of the foods I gave him. In addition, he had started licking his paws all the time. Research on that symptom came up with, among other causes, “food allergies, particularly corn”. I wanted a kibble that I could feed Oso that would not require the additional EFA capsules which are quite expensive but would give him all the necessary dietary ingredients to help his skin (and possible food) allergies. So, I continued to research the “best” food for my boy.
While reading a dog “care” book in anticipation of adopting a second dog, I came across a reference to Flint River dog foods. I immediately looked up the website and, upon reading the healthy ingredient list, ordered a 20 pound bag. We’ve never needed to try another food since that first bag. Oso no longer needs EFA supplements; his fur is glossy and his skin is smooth. He does not constantly lick his paws. Plus, the best part: he loves this kibble and never seems to tire of it. |
