My mom jokes that Artemis takes after me—namely, that we are both picky eaters, though I think Artemis’ standards are questionable. Every morning, I mix in a fresh soft-boiled egg (a tip I learned from fashion icon Linda Rodin) into her breakfast bowl, and she will attempt to avoid the egg whites. She won’t eat pasture-raised egg whites unless you trick her, but she has a knack for finding cold French fries on the sidewalk. She used to frighten me by starving herself for up to three days before eating her prepared food.
We’ve talked to the vet about this. She has no health problems, maintains a healthy weight and high puppy-like energy, and has glistening fur that I lovingly condition with Kiehl’s Cuddly-Coat Conditioning Rinse. You wouldn’t know that she turns up her nose at commercial dog foods. The main problem, the vet explained, is that if she ever became hospitalized and had to stay overnight at the animal hospital, she could risk further illness by refusing to eat dog food. “I don’t want her to have the palate of a French sommelier,” he said.
Currently, Artemis is eating her meals begrudgingly and resentfully, if not enthusiastically. We’ve tried a lot of different brands and formulas of varying budgets and flavors. I strongly believe that, like humans, every dog has different nutritional and health requirements, and that there is no one-size-fits-all for dogs. This is what she eats every day:
- ¾ can of Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free Roasted Bison & Venison Stew
- 1 Well & Good Adult Stage Daily Soft Chews Dog Vitamin
- 2 pumps of Pure Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil
- 1 pasture-raised soft-boiled egg (we recently received a dozen from Stony Creek Farmstead—the yolks are bright orange, which is how they should be!)
- 1 teaspoon of Bragg Nutritional Yeast Seasoning
- a few pieces of boiled wakame (seaweed)
- a few chopped pieces of roasted, unseasoned vegetables set aside from my meals
As suggested by our vet, I try to avoid giving her treats so that she’s hungry by mealtime. There are days, I suspect, when she eats healthier than me, and I do think I sometimes put more thought into Artemis’ nutrition than my own!
What do you feed your dog, and what would they rather eat? I know Artemis would rather have my tacos.
Photography by Sylvie Rosokoff