Before & After Review: Follow Alex’s dog Sylvia through 60 days on Maev
“After two months on Maev, we’re able to rest assured that she’s properly well-fed every day.”
Hi, I’m Alex! I’m an advertising creative from New York City. In 2018, I adopted my then puppy Sylvia and wanted to make sure she had the best nutrition possible.
After two years on newer brands of kibble that weren’t her (or her stomach’s) favorite, we knew we needed to find a dog food that could grow and support her changing needs in the right way.
And that’s what brought us to Maev.
Before we dive in, a little bit about Sylvia:
Age: She’ll be three in December.
Breed: Funny story, we were told she was a black lab mix when we adopted her. She’s actually none of that. My sister gifted us a DNA test last year, and we discovered she’s a rottweiler, Chinese shar-pei, American terrier, and chow chow mix.
As a puppy, we gave Sylvia a new-age kibble that wasn’t very compatible with her nutritional needs.
To start, she’d always wait and only eat the kibble when she was hungry. Sylvia has a really strong nose, and I just know she could tell that it wasn’t real human-grade food.
If we made even the slightest tweaks to her diet—like a slightly different portion of food or adding new treats—she’d almost always have a lot of diarrhea or vomiting, refuse to eat after, and it was a whole cycle. We had to regularly supplement her kibble with homemade chicken, pumpkin, and rice just to offset the digestive issues.
She was also growing really fast—she gained almost 50 pounds in the first year and half! The vet always said she was healthy for her weight, and she’s biologically just a larger dog. But we wanted to give her food that would help make her stronger, build her muscles more.
Between her digestive issues, weight gain, and pickiness with kibble, we decided it was time to search for better alternatives.
I kept reading how non-kibble foods are just better for big dogs. Especially because they’re more prone to having joint or more physical issues one day. So when I was introduced to Maev, I knew it was more aligned with how I’d like to feed her as she gets older.
Around two months ago, we introduced her to Maev’s Weight & Digestion Raw Food.
She immediately picked out the Maev first. We even did this fun test where we put out side-by-side bowls of her old kibble and Maev. She completely preferred Maev. It makes sense, Maev’s human-grade food is real food, more like what her ancestors would have eaten back in the day.
The biggest surprise was that Sylvia’s digestive issues cleared up almost completely.
We knew from reading that it’s normal to see some loose stool during dietary transition, as their stomach is adjusting. We were nervous since Sylvia already had a sensitive stomach, so we started really slow—just 1/4 cup of Maev with her normal kibble.
But she didn’t have any diarrhea or vomiting at all. In fact, most of her digestive issues very quickly cleared up. I actually kept texting my friend who introduced me to Maev like, “are you sure we’re doing this right?”
Her bathroom breaks became more regulated and healthy—we’re down to two a day (at most) and the constant diarrhea has stopped.
We also give Sylvia and Anxiety & Mental Health Vitamin Bar everyday.
Before Maev, Sylvia would get a little cranky on certain days when she wouldn’t finish her whole breakfast because she wasn’t crazy about her kibble. She’s also always been a little anxious, and definitely does not like change. It made her nervous to meet new dogs or places.
We started giving her a daily Vitamin Bar to help counteract the anxiety and regulate her moods more—and they’ve definitely helped. She’s more calm and comfortable when we’re introducing new stimulus now, and her energy levels are a lot more manageable. In part because she’s no longer a puppy, but I know the Vitamin Bars help too.
Because she genuinely likes her food now, we can also rest assured that she’s well-fed every day.
On Maev, I can always count on her eating her food within the first five minutes it’s given to her. I can’t tell you how much that’s helped with keeping our daily schedules on track. Now I can actually make sure she gets to daycare and I get to work on time.
It makes us happy being assured that she’s properly well-fed every day, no matter who she’s with. Sylvia just spent a weekend with my dad, and he was really surprised at what a long way dog nutrition has come. Being able to reassure him that Sylvia would finish her food without worry made him feel more confident that he was doing a good job.
Plus, there’s something so nice about seeing your pet enjoy what you’re giving them. Sylvia looks more like a healthy, athletic, young dog now, which makes my partner and I so happy.
