In the Kitchen with Mayhem + CANIDAE (for Moxie!)

But what are we going to feed her?!?!

I didn’t spend a lot of time considering what we’d feed Moxie, prior to bringing her home. I knew there would be options, but until I perused the dog food aisles at the local pet store, I didn’t have any idea just how many options. Holy macaroni!

I was instantly overwhelmed, but decided to put on my “food allergy parent” hat and start reading labels. It’s standard protocol around here. Read ALL the labels. Then I left the store, shaking my head, and decided to spend some time online doing a little more research.

Keith and I chatted about it at home. I confided that I had this fear that Mayhem could have an allergic reaction to Moxie’s food. Either from being licked or that she would get brave one day and decide to try a bit of Moxie’s food. Which would turn into a trip to the ER triggered by a reaction to soy (or one of her other allergens). He didn’t think it was completely out of the question either, so we decided to narrow down the foods to make sure we were also avoiding ALL of Mayhem’s allergens. Which narrowed down the list of potential foods significantly.

Then Keith suggested that we simply apply the same standards we have for feeding Mayhem to selecting a food for Moxie. And those standards were pretty simple: short list of ingredients (that we could both recognize and pronounce) and giving priority to businesses where you can find WHO is behind the products. You know, names and stories. People who are making food because they’re committed to quality and willing to stand behind their products.

And those standards are how we found CANIDAE – pet food made by pet people. Launched out of a Southern California feed store in 1996, CANIDAE is independent and family owned. Their list of key ingredients is super short and simple. And I can pronounce all of them 😉

But there was still one more person I needed to consult. Our veterinarian. Who happens to be a long time friend as well. She’s all kids of awesome and knows firsthand, the crazy that is Mayhem + Moxie. So she laughed in agreement when I presented her with my fear of Mayhem eating dog food, triggering an allergic reaction, prompting an ER visit. And our desire to feed Moxie food that we can pronounce. Dr. B gave us the thumbs up and Moxie has been happily eating CANIDAE Grain Free PURE Foundations Puppy Formula ever since.

Moxie is healthy, she’s happy, she’s got endless energy, I’m jealous of her hair, AND she excels at karaoke:

She’s eating chicken, potatoes, lentils, egg, flaxseed, and alfalfa, PLUS getting the vitamins she needs, daily. I’m not going to lie, I think Moxie is probably eating a healthier diet than we are …

It’s also no secret that Mayhem enjoys being in the kitchen, but when she found out that she could actually spend time making treats for Moxie, her little mind was blown and she couldn’t wait to get started. CANIDAE provided the super simple 5-ingredient recipe, and Mayhem provided the entertainment. So without further ado, Mayhem + Moxie in the kitchen:

It’s true. Moxie LOVED the treats and Mayhem loved making them.

Massive thanks to the Pet People making our Pet Food over at CANIDAE – not only for partnering with us to make this fun video, but for making food formulated in the best interests of ALL of our pets’ health. We honestly couldn’t feel better about providing our littlest family member with such solid nutrition. And we’d love for you to find out for yourselves, so CANIDAE is happy to offer an $8 off coupon to each of you as well.