Feeding our dogs. Now more than ever, it is mind-boggling just how much choice there is out there in terms of foods and diets that the task of feeding your dog has actually become quite scary. The options are many; traditional dry and wet, homemade/homecooked, freeze dried, prepared fresh foods and prepared raw foods. Most of us will fall into the category of owners who have their dog on a commercial diet i.e. kibble (dry food) or canned food. Commercial diets have worked for the masses for decades, however, dog owners are becoming more aware and more educated about the diet choices they make for their dog as well as more concerned about what goes into their dog’s food, us included. We at Heathside Miniature Pinschers believe in providing a nourishing, biologically appropriate diet for dogs. Until recently, budget has been the main factor in choosing our dog’s food and it’s likely the case for many dog owners too. We also had a lot of uncertainty around what our dog should be eating but after educating ourselves, we had decided to change Mikki’s diet for the better, see our blog for more.

The objective of this page is to make the reader aware of all the popular diet options available for our Min Pins, information about what goes into the foods, comparing lower range to premium range when it comes to some of the popular brands we find in our stores, their estimated prices and how much roughly it’d cost to feed each food per month. There is a lot of scaremongering concerning commercial pet foods that’s been going around in recent years but we try to provide a more objective viewpoint on the subject and educate the reader. Most of us will have to use these foods to feed our Min Pins at some point if alternative natural diets, such as raw feeding, are not suitable for whatever reason. We ourselves had Mikki on a diet of kibble for years before we decided to make the switch. We do offer some clarity on a rather confusing subject and by the time the reader has finished this page, we would love to think that he/she is more equipped to make the best decision about their Min Pin’s diet.

Dog Food And Diet Options🐾

As a dog owner, you probably feed (or intend on feeding) one of these readily available diet options;

• Dry food (kibble)
• Canned/tinned (wet)
• Fresh/home/handmade cooked
• Raw

Dry Food🐾

Also known as kibble, dry food is heavily processed and by far the most common diet option for dog’s owners. The reason probably being that kibble offers convenience for the owner. It’s really simple to serve, there’s no mess or cleaning up, simple to measure out by simply following the feeding guidelines given, doesn’t spoil if left out in hot temperatures, there’s little smell and is very shelf stable once open. Let’s start with some basic information. Kibble is most carbohydrate containing between 40%-60% cereals/grains equating to little water/moisture content. Kibble is also high in calories and most are labelled as complete meals, meaning nothing else needs to be added to the dog’s meal. Brands of kibble will now differ, sometimes greatly, in fat/protein/fibre/vitamin and mineral content as well as the sources they come from. The the biggest concern dog owners have with kibble is the meat content; how much meat the kibble recipe contains, the source and quality of the meat content and if and how its been processed. All this affects the price of the products and in 2021, there is a huge difference between kibble prices, from the cheapest to the most expensive. We like to sort kibble into tiers of quality and therefore, price, just as you would find in supermarkets and online stores; the bottom, medium and top tiers. The tiers correlate with ingredient composition and quality and it’s worth noting that almost all mainstream brands of kibble will fall into the lower and medium tier, with fewer brands offering top tier or premium options.

‘The First Five Ingredients’ And Quality

There is good kibble and bad kibble to put it bluntly. And kibble increases in quality the higher is it in fresh meat or animal protein content and the lower it is in carbohydrates. You might have heard of the first five ingredients in reference to kibble being thrown about. These primary ingredients are listed in order of weight i.e. the first ingredient having the highest content in the food. As a rule, the first three should be a protein source of meat content, the best being fresh meat/freshly prepared or simply naming the name of the animal e.g. ‘chicken’ and second best, meat meal, where the meat source is actually named e.g. ‘chicken meal’ followed by carbohydrate sources, some sources being more preferable than others. All top tier kibble will start their ingredient list like this or even better, which would be a higher content of fresh meat as the main ingredient-the higher the better. Meat by-product/meat by-product meal/meat and animal derivates are far less desirable primary protein sources and will typically be found in bottom tier kibble, which are the majority of popular brands from the large pet food companies. Medium tier kibble will obviously fall in between. This simple rule of thumb encourages owners to check the back of the bag before they purchase the food. Carbohydrate sources follow next in list of importance of which will again be reflected in quality of kibble. In a top tier kibble, expect to see rice/brown/germ/bran, oats, barley, millet, sweet potatoes, peas/pea flour/pea protein, potatoes, most named vegetables, wheat germ, lentils, chicory and corn/maize germ. Wheat, wheat feed, corn/maize and derivatives of vegetable origin are all generally found in bottom tier kibble. Low quality carbohydrates are used as cheap fillers in low quality dog foods. Here is a list of ingredients taken from the back of a bottom tier kibble vs a top tier kibble;

“Cereals, Meat and Animal Derivatives (18%, including 4% Beef in the Brown Kibbles) Oils and Fats (including 0.4% Sunflower Oil) Vegetable Protein Extracts Derivatives of Vegetable Origin (including 1% Dried Beet Pulp) Minerals Vegetables (4% Carrots in the Orange Kibbles, 4% Peas in the Green Kibbles)”

“42% Freshly Prepared: Chicken 31%, Duck 8%, Chicken Liver 3%, Sweet Potatoes 30%, Peas 6.5%, Lentils, Pea Protein, Flaxseeds, Eggs, Chicken Gravy, Calcium Carbonate, Salmon Oil, Fructooligosaccharides 2.5g/kg, Mannan Oligosaccharides 2.5g/kg, Apples, Vitamins & Chelated Minerals, Carrots, Spinach, Cranberries, Glucosamine 175mg/kg, Methylsulphonylmethane 175mg/kg, Chondroitin Sulphate 125mg/kg, Botanicals & Herbs: Alfalfa, Rosehips, Chickweed, Cleavers, Golden Rod, Nettles, Kelp, Celery Seeds, Milk Thistle, Dandelion Root, Burdock Root, Marigold Petals, Chicory Root”

As you can see, there is a massive disparity within these two ingredient lists as well as their percentages. When it comes to labelling, top tier kibble offers a lot more clarity on what goes into their food as these pet food companies are aware of what owners are wanting from a dog food brand these days which is transparency and quality-something the large, multinational-owned pet food companies do not provide. Generally, named ingredients whether it’d be a protein, carb or fat source, is what you should expect to find in a top tier kibble as opposed to ‘derivatives’ of either meat/vegetable origin. See here for a comprehensive list of most used ingredients found in kibble today, which includes both those that are desirable and those that should be avoided.

Considerations Relating To Kibble Quality And Health🐾

Firstly, as kibble has a very low moisture content, dogs are in a constant state of dehydration and will have to be given a great deal of water every day, as we had saw with Mikki for over 5 years. He needed his large bowl of water refilled sometimes once a day. The low moisture content in kibble can also put strain on their kidneys long-term and possibly lead to urinary tract problems. Kibble on the whole is mostly starchy carbohydrate, something that dogs, although omnivores, have not evolved to eat a high quantity of, making kibble biologically inappropriate and a poor nutritional source leading to all sorts of common health issues and diseases in pet dogs-a popular argument you’ll see dog owners having everywhere at the moment, especially with regards to raw feeding advocates (see below). Concerns over the bioavailability of kibble has been raised too, pertaining to the dog’s ability to absorb nutrients in the food. Because of the heavy processing of kibble and the poor quality ingredients most of the nutrients are not easily available or even there to begin with. Kibble has also been shown to correlate with the growing issue of pet obesity, since most dogs are fed kibble. The reasons being is that it is a highly calorie-dense food which is often fed inappropriately i.e. people tend to free feed kibble or keep their dog’s bowl constantly topped up, instead of feeding according to their dog’s weight and activity level. We can see the same with us humans-high carbohydrate diets inevitably lead to weight gain! Top tier kibble will often be comprised of a higher quality carbohydrate source, however, carbohydrate sources in dog food are not without their controversies as it can be argued that none of them have a place in a dog’s diet, as we see below.

Too much carbohydrate will also lead to nutrient deficiencies with your dog at some point because some carb sources can cancel out the bioavailability of the protein (meat) contained in the recipe. Bottom and medium tier kibble in particular contains a lot of cheap processed grains in place of ingredients that should be providing nourishment including those healthy oils/fats that go into maintaining a healthy coat, skin and general canine health. It should be noted that grains are not necessarily bad for dogs but its about the proportions found in many brands of kibble. Unlike bottom tier kibble where the carbohydrate ratio is high, top tier kibble will often have less grains, cheap fillers and will also not include the dyes/additives/other potentially harmful chemicals often found in bottom tier kibble. These poor and dangerous ingredients can cause a dog to develop health issues, amongst them allergies, which are an extremely common health issue in domestic dogs as well as intestinal issues and can even be attributed to behavioural issues.

Regarding quality, a top tier kibble will often have a higher meat to carbohydrate ratio which is what we want, however, the origins of the meat in kibble will also differ between the different tiers. The way the large pet food companies process meat for their kibble is blamed for the poor quality of kibble in general. Most cheap and more expensive kibble is produced this way and after the harsh cooking processes most of the nutrient value of the original product is lost, including the destruction of proteins and vitamin and mineral loss. Some brands do cold-pressed foods where the difference being that the food is cooked at lower temperatures, therefore retaining more nutrients. Some top tier kibble often boast that their products have gentler cooking methods to preserve nutrients and contain only ‘human grade’ meats with some recipes suitable for human consumption as well as a high percentage of fresh meat.

Kibble Choices And Costs🐾

Given the popularity of this diet choice, there are oodles of brands on the market, making it a minefield on which one to buy for your Min Pin. There has been an explosion of new pet food brands in the last few years with new ones popping up all the time but one thing they all have in common is the message that they are a healthy answer to conventional dog food, with a higher price tag. We all want the best for dogs and our Min Pin’s health is what should be driving our choice of brand-it is your priority. Although the majority of kibble is not the best choice, it is not to say that your Min Pin cannot live a healthy life on a lower quality food as overall health has many elements to it including exercise. But we do recommend that when you can that you get your Min Pin onto a high quality diet if you haven’t already. However, we all have different budgets to allocate to our precious pooches, which means some of us will at some point have to make do with the cheaper, lower quality foods. We recommend researching some different brands to suit your budget after you have read over our monthly feeding costs below.

Raw Food🐾

Today there are tens of thousands of dog owners feeding their dogs a raw diet and the numbers are growing. These dog owners range from all walks of life from pet nutritionists, to vets, to dog breeders and of course your average Joe Bloggs you see walking in his dog in the park. If you’ve ever spoken to a raw feeder you’ll often hear them boasting about the amazing things a raw diet has done for their dog’s health. They’ll say how their dog’s health has improved if they have suffered from digestive issues because their bodies didn’t agree with heavily processed commercial pet food such as kibble. Other very common things that raw feeders notice include a shiny coat and less grease, far less shedding, less ‘doggy’ smell, much less poo/ much smaller/less smell too, less water consumption (less peeing is something we’ve noticed with Mikki) skin allergies clearing up (as many are down to poor commercial diets), superior dental health/fresh breath and all round stronger immune system. These benefits are by and large anecdotal as large research companies haven’t invested much in studying the benefits of a raw diet, so there’s little in the way of hard scientific evidence to back up these claims, if we compare the amount that’s been invested into the commercial pet food industry, who have billions to spare for research. This is why many vets will still advise against feeding raw. Another reason being because vets are supported by these massive pet food companies whose products they push at their practices e.g. prescription diets. Vets are taught and conditioned at veterinary colleges that commercial diets are the only products to meet a dog’s needs and that anything else i.e. raw diets are harmful and unbalanced. This makes most vets biased towards feeding commercial diets because they are really none the wiser.

A Biologically Appropriate Diet And Why Raw Is Best

Dogs are not wolves. They are however carnivores and do have the same requirements for animal protein and the nutrients that are accessible only through animal sources, this fact can be supported by their physiology such as their dentition and their digestive system which is built to process mostly animal carcasses. Whether the best diet be raw or cooked, with or without a carbohydrate source, most will agree after some research into what our beloved dogs should be eating is an unprocessed diet, keeping as close as possible to nature’s example. But raw feeding is a diet that causes a lot of controversy and dissension, partly because of the misleading information from vets, large pet food companies but also because of the fear around cross contamination and the task of preparing balanced meals. That being said, there are ways to feed a totally balanced, nourishing raw diet in a safe way for your Min Pin that needn’t be complicated. You can join the rapidly growing communities of raw feeders where you’ll find plenty of support from others in the same boat, including us! We have recently put our Mikki on a raw food diet-more about that in our blog. Conflicting advice aside, we do believe that part of the raw feeding community has the wrongful idea that romanticises the notion that dogs are floppy-eared wolves in our homes, needing only 100% meat to survive. Dogs can and DO thrive on a solely meat diet but as we’ve said they can reap the benefits of vegetable sources. Dogs bodies have adapted through human interference over thousands of years to be able to process grain , although not to the level we can and this is what needs to be remembered. So although dogs are carnivores that can survive and derive nutrients from healthy carbohydrates, their bodies are designed to process and thrive on raw meat really well. A raw diet will pretty much give your Min Pin all he needs, even water, as his diet will be hydrating him pretty well as opposed to dry kibble. In raw feeding, the only source of carbohydrates will come strictly from fruits and vegetables but they are optional. The premise is the same as you would prepare meals for the fresh food diet, just uncooked, without the carbohydrate sources and you can substitute bone for the additional calcium in the meals, depending on your preference. Your Min Pin’s raw meals will need to be prepared using different combinations of meat that adhere to one of the models of raw feeding (see below) and as with fresh feeding you can the store batches in plastic containers in the freezer.

Vets often advise against raw feeding for many reasons than just not being taught about it during their training. Confusion rising from studies over ingredients in diets or lack of the right nutrients causing illnesses in dogs has put the raw diet in the firing line a fair few times. However the raw diet which is biologically appropriate for your Min Pin is the best diet you can provide him if it’s prepared properly. Proper preparation is something that some raw feeders get wrong which can result in their dogs visiting the vet leading some vets first experiences with the raw diet to be bad. To deal with this negative bias from your own vet, you can reassure him or her that you know what you’re doing

Mikki’s raw food is weighed using a small weighing scale-either a small postal or food scale. Get the weight of the bowl, add your Min Pin’s food and minus the bowl weight from the overall value. You can use this scale to measure any type of food

Below Mikki is relishing his wholly nourishing food! See our blog to read about his raw food experience

Your dog’s raw food will need freezer space so be sure to account for it before you buy. We buy just enough food for a month

Balance Over Time

To prepare raw meals at home there are agreed upon components of what should be included to achieve balance as well as percentages of those components. The two models of raw feeding below tell you more. See here and here for more about how to get started with balancing your Min Pin’s meals and how much to feed as per his weight. Balance in your dogs raw meals does not have to be achieved every single day because that becomes difficult and it’s also not ‘natural’. Wild carnivores do not have balanced meals every day rather they will get all they need over the course of a few weeks of meals. So over the course of a week, you should include different animal proteins and parts to achieve that balance to include all essential nutrients. There are two models of raw feeding;

• Prey model diet also called the ’80/10/10′ diet. Typically this involves feeding whole animal carcases or a mixture of them with no carbohydrate sources. The 80/10/10 refers to 80% muscle meat, 10% organ meat and 10% bone
• BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or Bones And Raw Food) model which is sometimes called the ’80/20′ diet. This includes home prepared diet of 80% muscle meat, organ meat, bones or an appropriate calcium substitute but also 20% nutritious carbohydrate sources i.e. fruits and vegetables. Sometimes supplements are added such as yoghurt, eggs and other fats. The BARF model is typically what most raw feeders follow, including premade raw food brands. For raw diet preparation, check out the videos below

Note that starchy carbohydrates found in lower quality homemade or fresh dog foods are not present in a raw diet. Some raw feeders prefer the prey model because they believe that dogs should solely eat meat, not believing that non-animal sources can provide them with any benefit. This is up to you to decide. The raw animal products you buy should always be naturally occurring with nothing else added e.g. no salt seasoning. You can source your Min Pin’s food from the supermarkets, butchers or choose from the many raw food brands that deliver to your door. Like the fresh dog food companies, there are companies that offer premade raw food which are a variety of complete and balanced recipes which save you time. This is what we’ve decided to try. We tried many premade raw brands out on our Mikki-see our blog for more. As shown above, we weigh his food using a small scale to find the correct amount per body weight (feeding guidelines given online).

See The Dog Nutritionist for more on good dog nutrition and dog food reviews

“Unlike us humans, a dog’s stomach has a low pH level which means that they have a very strong stomach acid. This not only gives their stomach the ability to efficiently breakdown a range of proteins fast but also the ability to kill harmful bacteria and pathogens that’s usually present on their raw food. It is basically the reason they can eat raw meat without falling ill. Therefore you shouldn’t be worried about giving raw meat to your Min Pin.”

Ingrid, Min Pin enthusiast

Keeping Good Hygiene With Raw Food

There is much fear that revolves around contamination because the meat is given to your dog uncooked, causing people to fear secondary bacterial transmission. To address the issue around hygiene, ensure that you wash your hands EACH time you handle any raw animal product, wash and sanitise the preparation areas afterwards and wash your dog’s bowl and any utensils used after each meal. Don’t allow your Min Pin to lick you straight after he’s had his meal! We also advise that meats are stored in their own freezer compartments away from your own foods and defrosted on the bottom shelf of the fridge so no leakage will get onto the other products. It’s all common sense. 

Dietary Supplements🐾

This is a popular area in dog health similar to food where there are plenty of conflicting opinions. Just like us, dogs should get all the nutrients they need from a healthy, balanced diet. A branded prepared raw diet like we feed Mikki will provide your Min Pin with all the nutrients he needs. If you’re doing a raw diet at home, your Min Pin may benefit from some additional supplements if the diet is lacking sometimes. You should check out the resources given above to find out how provide a balanced raw diet at home, as well as here for guidelines on providing the correct nutrients and ensuring that you are not over or under-dosing your Min Pin with supplements. Oftentimes, the high quality processed dog food brands may state that they provide essential nutrients when in actuality it’s in insufficient amounts (we won’t even bother to mention the giant brands) and this is where supplements can help as well as those owners not being able to provide all the components needed to balance a raw diet or aren’t able move their Min Pin onto a raw diet just yet. Here, we’ll list 4 of the most well-known supplements for dogs, also check out this link for more on supplements, when to and when not to feed them.

• Fish oil-is one of the most beneficial supplements and is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, namely EPA and DHA. These ingredients are responsible for promoting healthy skin and a soft shiny coat which is important to understand because Min Pin’s suffer from dry and sensitive skin. Fish oil provides support for cognitive health, heart and joints. See here for more.
• Salmon and krill oil is a popular choice for dogs. We add a few pumps of salmon oil to Mikki’s meals-read more about it in our blog.
• Cod liver oil-another essential fatty acid with similar benefits to fish oil which is also a great source of vitamin A and D.
• Glucosamine-is all about supporting the joints. Natural production of glucosamine is something that lacks as the body ages, however, even before dogs hit their senior years they can suffer from stiff hip and joints including conditions like arthritis. If your Min Pin is either older or very active e.g. participates in agility or runs and plays most of the day, this supplement can aid in helping with lubrication and cushioning between his joints.
• Probiotics-you would have often heard of the term probiotics in relation to live yoghurts. They are bacterial cultures that can benefit gut and digestive health. Probiotics tend to be used by owner’s of dogs with sensitive stomachs or digestive issues such as persistent diarrhoea or after a period of ill health. They can be a helpful supplement more generally though, to top up the beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Supplements come in 3 forms powder, tablet and liquids. We like to administer Mikki’s fish oil in a dispenser with a pump because it can be very easily mixed into food. Thoroughly research and speak to your vet as you should be aware of what health issues your Min Pin has before adding any supplements to his diet.

Treats And Chews🐾

We all like to feed our Min Pins treats. We just relish seeing that look of sheer delight on their faces when they know something tasty is coming to them! We feed treats but Mikki must work for them or rather, we take the opportunity to reinforce his training. We are careful not to feed too many treats for the sake of it. Just like dog foods, ingredients that go into treats are the same that go into meals. There are tons of offerings and every supermarket and pet store brand that make dog foods also has their own range of treats. Therefore, choosing treats for your Min Pin should be approached with the same level of discernment as you would his food i.e. you wouldn’t feed a high quality food and choose to give him poor quality treats would you? Since we switched Mikki to a raw diet, we have changed his treats and chews to match the quality of the new diet.

What Makes A Suitable Treat And What Does Not?

We never feed scraps from our own human foods and we recommend that you don’t either because they are often full of salt, sugars and other stuff that’s not good for dogs. Some bland meats such as plain cooked chicken and turkey make excellent healthy, tasty treats. Otherwise, there are many options out there that are specifically made for dogs with all dietary requirements. You have soft, hard, crunchy, long-lasting, processed, natural and the list goes on. If you intend on being a raw feeder or want some treat ideas suitable for that diet, you may want to try raw meaty bones or natural animal parts-both raw and dried. We feed both soft and long-lasting treats. What’s great about long-lasting treats is that they keep your Min Pin busy as he has fun getting his energy out on chewing and also gets his teeth cleaned at the same time. And providing your Min Pin likes them, we suggest you should absolutely buy them for the same reason.

There can be a lot of trial and error with treats marketed as long-lasting because some do not last very long at all! There are some fabulous all-natural, long-lasting chews e.g. deer antlers which are good for your Min Pin’s dental health, since they contain no nasty, cheap added ingredients. It’s worth us mentioning the facts behind these so called ‘dental treats’. Those well-known soft food treats shaped like a stick that you find in a supermarket, claiming to improve your dog’s dental health. In fact this claim is completely false and are in fact, actually very bad for a dog’s dental health. One brand Dentastix is very popular but they are aren’t what they claim to be, read more about this here. This is simply because these dental treats are made of the same cheap ingredients and compositions as the dog food these large pet food companies churn out. Feeding these dental treats does the same damage as regular kibble or canned food; they cause the same tartar build-up leading to poor dental hygiene and eventual gum disease. Don’t fall for the marketing. All it takes is some simple research. We completely advise against dental treats either from supermarket own brands or well-known pet-food companies. As said before, only brushing your Min Pin’s teeth daily will clean their teeth if you feed kibble and canned food (the cheaper quality the food, the worse for your little one’s teeth). Another very popular chew that should be avoided is generic rawhide. They are now known to contain artificial dyes/colours, flavourings and preservatives that are not healthy for your dog. It is worth knowing what goes into rawhide chews to understand that there could be health implications, as there is for dog foods. The good news is, there plenty of natural alternatives to rawhides that do the same job except as they are natural, they do not contain the same nasty ingredients.

Raw Meaty Bones And Dried Bones

Part of the reason we love to give our Mikki animal parts and natural bones is because are very good for cleaning your min pin’s teeth too. We opt for the dried ones such as bully sticks and pizzle sticks-see here for more. Other natural treats include dried animal parts e.g. pigs ears. For fresh options, treats such as chicken wings/turkey necks/duck necks/feet/heads/tails/marrowbones/beef trachea and ribs, which come under raw meaty bones are highly nutritious as well as an excellent natural way to clean your Min Pin’s teeth. Best of all these raw meaty bones can easily be bought with your weekly supermarket shop. But you can obtain raw meaty bones from a butcher or an online raw dog food brand. Just as with dog diets, the cost of buying treats can mount up so it’s worth trying different ones out to see which ones your Min Pin absolutely loves and sticking to those, that way you’ll be able to set a budget out for them. Below we share our recommended treats and long-lasting chews based on quality and price. These sites have only the healthiest, all-natural selection of treats both raw and dried and care products for your Min Pin;

• The Healthful Pets
• The Natural Pet Store
• Natural Cornish Pet
• All Natural Dog Products
• JR Pet Products
• Chomp And Chew
• Nutriment

Treats For A Reward And Training🐾

Treats come in all shape, sizes and types. Generally you’ll find them in the form of soft or moist and biscuit. If your a proponent of a healthy, high quality diet for your Min Pin, you probably don’t want to give him the popular offerings from the large pet food companies, since treat consumption can mount up especially during training. These means biscuit treats are a no-no because of the carbohydrates in them. Always read the ingredients on the back of the packaging as you would with your Min Pin’s main food. You will find high quality treats from pet stores and online but sometimes, though not often, supermarkets. Moist treats are a favourite with us for training as they are small and can administered quickly.

Crave Natural Protein Chunks-£2.49/55g

These soft, moist treats are very low in carbohydrates and so are grain-free. They are packed with quality meat products. Our Mikki loves them!

Natures Menu Real Meaty Dog Treats-£2.19/60g

Small soft, moist treats that are perfect to work on Mikki’s training with. High quality ingredients. 

Natures Menu Country Hunter Superfood Bars-£2.99/100g

100% Natural Long-Lasting Treats (Animal Parts And Natural Rawhide)🐾

Not only are these chews are excellent for entertaining your Min Pin but they are excellent for his health too. Packed full of protein, often low in fat and very good for dental health, as the chewing action will cause abrasion of the teeth, helping scrape off any tarter and plaque build-up. Our Mikki just loves pizzle sticks. He’ll keep quiet and busy for an hour sometimes with his pizzle stick, then he may leave it and come back to it. Being natural products, the pieces come in different sizes. Some of them do have an unpleasant fishy smell when chewed for a while but it’ll dissipate quickly.

Anco Naturals Bully Sticks-£2.89/100g

Pets At Home Paddywack-£6.49/500g

Pets At Home Tripe Sticks-£10.99/500g

Pets At Home Jerky Treats-£7.99/500g

Antos Antler Chew-£7.99-£17.99/Small-XL

Very solid, good chew, very long-lasting. No smells either.

Yackers Dog Chew-£2.49-£9.99/Small-Large

Dr Mercola Dental Bone-£1.35/Small

All the chews listed here act as amazing dental aids but this bone contains only a few ingredients making it gentle on your Min Pin’s health. A natural and healthy alternative to those poor supermarket offerings.

Whimzees Hedgehog Dental Dog Chew Large 6 Pack-£8.99/360g

Another all-natural dental chew are Whimzees. There are no animal ingredients whatsoever and they are made from vegetable matter but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it’s simply a dental chew you can give a couple of times a week i.e. there’s no need for them to be a source of protein. They are a winner with Mikki as he gobbles them down very quickly. They come in many cute shapes and they can also be bought individually.

Raw Feeding Resources🐾

Perfectly Rawsome

Raw Feeding Advice And Support

Raw Feeding Community

We’ve linked to these sites throughout this page because they’re excellent resources for raw feeders-both beginners and experienced-who want to make their dog’s food themselves and may be having issues with balance. These sites go into depth about food sources and nutrients and how to properly provide a raw diet as well as how to switch your dog safely to raw.

Healthy Min Pin, Happy You🐾

Deciding what to put into our Min Pin’s bodies (or any dog) is a key part of good pet-keeping and the choices made in here should not be made lightly. We believe if you cannot switch to a home cooked or a raw diet then just switching your brand of food to a high quality one can fix all the common diet-related ailments in dogs overnight, giving your Min Pin a far better quality of life. Poor-quality and over-processed ingredients, artificial colours and preservatives, hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals found in pet foods can contribute to overall ill-health and allergic sensitivity or even be the cause. It is reported that canine research is 20 years behind human research, the result being that advancements in vital areas like canine nutrition are lagging badly. However, we don’t believe it’s a simple matter of right or wrong when it comes to feeding your Min Pin because all of our circumstances are different but we do believe in owners making informed decisions. Remember to always speak to your vet if you are considering changing your Min Pin’s diet or anything regarding their health. However, we understand the difficulty of gaining a vet’s support on the fresh and raw diets and we advise that you make use of the growing online raw feeding communities-see Product Links And Resources For The Miniature Pinscher for a list of websites. We hope the information contained on this page has been useful to the reader. Also, please periodically check our blog page product reviews and health information. Happy Min Pin keeping.