Hamilton's diet....

One of the 'never-fails' questions when out with a Dane or a Dane puppy......

"How much does he eat?"  or "I bet he eats a ton, doesn't he?"

Well, no.

This is Hamilton's daily diet, give or take a little depending on his activity level and what we do that day:

I make my own chicken stock every week- purchase the chicken from the local market (leg quarters, thighs) and then boil with the carrots, celery and some mushrooms.  I remove the chicken from the stock when it's cooked and falling off the bone, and keep the celery and carrots- discarding the mushrooms as they are just for flavor.

I put the veggies and shredded chicken in little Ziplock bowls by portion so each meal = 1 bowl.  I pour the chicken stock when cooled, into jars and refrigerate. The fats go to the surface and solidify, which I then spoon out and discard, leaving the stock in either a liquid or gelatin form.

To this veggie + stock + kibble + chicken mix, I add rice; either brown or white, or a mixture of both.  I steam the rice 1x per week in a 5 cup steamer, and portion out in the Ziploc bowls as well so that each bowl is a complete portion/serving of veggies, chicken, and rice.  

I also re-warm the stock each time, and pour over the other ingredients, and Hamilton is usually bouncing around and spinning on the floor as he knows what's coming is GOOD.

I feed him 2-3x per day depending on his activity level.  Sometimes the 'middle' meal is just kibble with a little chicken stock if we're not having an active day, or if I have to give him anything from the vet- as keeping it simple is better on his stomach if he's taking Vit C or a prescribed med.

He supplements with Iams bones in the Lamb & Rice, and Adult formulas, with his Kong ball and for obedience treats.

All in all, he does not eat much more than a puppy of any other large breed (Lab, Shepherd, etc.) and as an adult he'll probably only do 2 meals per day of 2-3 c of kibble with a mix of rice, veggies and stock.