What do you feed your dogs???(ot)

[stemikger]

I have to say little Bo is on Beneful. He dosen't eat table food, he dosen't even know how to beg for it. However, he wants a treat after each walk. I give him something called Canine Carry Outs. He loves them.

When he was on Purina Pro Plan and Purina One his breath was horrible, but he only ate every other day. Since he is on Beneful (which is a cheaper food), he eats once a day, has no bad breath and so far he never has gas.

I'm amazed how his breath dosen't smell at all. The Beneful I use is Healthy Radiance (which is dry) and the Cannine Carry Outs is a moist meaty treat.

Every once in a while I feed him small pieces of carrots which he enjoys.

I'm very happy with the results of Benefu and would reccomend it to everyone. I think Bo is a pickey eater so if it works I'm sticking with it.

 

[janey99]

We used to feed our two dogs BARF (a pitbull and a boxer) and I can tell you that canned salmon is INCREDIBLY rich - your dog's stomach probably couldn't handle it. When we did BARF we did chicken backs/wings, goat and tuna or mackerel - on fish days, we would cut the portions almost in half from the meat days. Don't forget, fish is pure protein, unlike bony chicken or goat (or whatever your non-fish meat is) - It's a lot for the stomach to handle.

Funny aside - a previous dog of ours also ate BARF, and at one point had to be X-rayed. Our vet said the radiologist almost had a stroke when he lit up her films - he thought he had discovered some type of mutant dog with extra skeleton! Our vet had to explain, no, no she eats CHOOK BONES! (and I don't even have to tell you what palaver THAT started with the BARF-uninitiated radiologist!)

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

We used to feed our two dogs BARF (a pitbull and a boxer) and I can tell you that canned salmon is INCREDIBLY rich - your dog's stomach probably couldn't handle it. When we did BARF we did chicken backs/wings, goat and tuna or mackerel - on fish days, we would cut the portions almost in half from the meat days. Don't forget, fish is pure protein, unlike bony chicken or goat (or whatever your non-fish meat is) - It's a lot for the stomach to handle.

Oooo, I meant mackerel! As I was typing that, it wasn't "sounding" right. Now I know why!

Maybe when I try it again, I'll just use fish oil. There is so much to learn...

Funny aside - a previous dog of ours also ate BARF, and at one point had to be X-rayed. Our vet said the radiologist almost had a stroke when he lit up her films - he thought he had discovered some type of mutant dog with extra skeleton! Our vet had to explain, no, no she eats CHOOK BONES! (and I don't even have to tell you what palaver THAT started with the BARF-uninitiated radiologist!)

To be honest, my vet didn't have a clue and that's just the way I wanted him. He was constantly pushing SD on me and I knew I'd get the lecture of a lifetime if he knew what I was feeding her. I had a fear of having to take her in for something and having to admit it to him.

When I start again, I'm switching to another vet here in Houston that other BARFers use. She's educated on it and approves of it.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Okay... I am going to try and do this in a way as to not get flamed...


Good luck in your search for a great food for your dog... and remember everyone has their own preferences!

I don't think you said anything that would warrant any flaming...you were informative and didn't put anyone else down so I send you and the doggies

 

[debbi801]

A question for those who use the BARF or a raw diet....

Where do you feed your pooch (inside/outside)? Are you concerned with raw food contaminating surfaces in your kitchen? How do you keep his/her food contained?

At some point, I'd love to switch my samoyed puppy over to one of these, but with her being a very messy eater (there is always Nutro kibble all over the kitchen floor) and little kids in the house, the fear of food poisoning stops me.

Thanks!

 

[Todd&Copper]

Ol roy and he's 15 years old and still going@@@

We tried that with one of our collies, and he got such bad trots that we HAD to discontinue feeding it to him! DH and I were poor students then and were trying to save money. With Nutro, the big bag that costs $24 feeds both of our dogs for about a month, so it is not really that expensive. And no trots or smelly messes on his butt-hair!

 

[MissMichelle]

Wellness by Old Mother Hubbard

A natural ingredients with real lamb (no by products).

Only the best for Tucker!

Wellness feeder here also. I am highly active with Boxer Rescue and we suggest a high quality kibble for all of our rescues.

I actually eat MUCH worse then my dogs! Maybe that is why i am always sick and they aren't EVER sick...My female boxer is coming up on 15---almost unheard of! I must be doing something right

 

[SRUAlmn]

Hi! We got a new puppy recently and I started this thread about growth. In it I received a LOT of GREAT information about food. Much of it is information you have already received in this thread, but I thought I'd give you the link in case you wanted some other info

There is also a 'warning' for those of you who use Diamond brand dog food in post #37.

Good luck with your little darling



http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1147025

 

[Jynohn]

but the truth is, Science Diet, Eukanuba,and Iams are now no better quality than ol' Roy you buy in Walmart. That's my big problem with those brands, they cost a FORTUNE,and they're not worth it! It's like people are paying too much for lower quality,and it makes me mad...

I think this is what gets me the most too. Almost everyone owner I know has the best interests of their dogs at heart. They would never intentionally feed them an inferior food, but the marketing companies have led them to believe that because they're spending a ton of money, it means it's a quality food.

Everyone has their own opinion obviously, and it's ultimately a personal decision, I just wish that more pet owners were informed of what is in most commercial foods. Seriously, read the labels. "Meat" by-products? Just what kind of meat? How about road kill? Euthanized pets? I wish I were kidding. You want to see "chicken" or "beef" or "lamb" etc. on the label, not "meat"

 

[Newfie2000]

I don't think you said anything that would warrant any flaming...you were informative and didn't put anyone else down so I send you and the doggies

Thank you LuvChefMic! I am fairly new to this and after reading some of the threads and posts one gets a little afraid to voice their opinion! Thanks for making me feel so welcome! I love the little pawprints!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

A question for those who use the BARF or a raw diet....

Where do you feed your pooch (inside/outside)? Are you concerned with raw food contaminating surfaces in your kitchen? How do you keep his/her food contained?

At some point, I'd love to switch my samoyed puppy over to one of these, but with her being a very messy eater (there is always Nutro kibble all over the kitchen floor) and little kids in the house, the fear of food poisoning stops me.

Thanks!

I fed Chloe indoors in her regular dog bowl. She vary rarely wondered off with the food in her mouth and if she did, out she went until she was done.

I found that sprinkling her chicken with a little bit of garlic powder, or (very) quickly searing it (I'm talking seconds on each side, to get the flavors out), would get her to eat it without toying around.

When I dealt with the raw meat, I wore plastic disposable gloves and the meat never touched my counters. I kept it in trays and placed the amounts I wanted into individual baggies that someone else, who was also wearing gloves, was holding open for me.

 

[SRUAlmn]

I think this is what gets me the most too. Almost everyone owner I know has the best interests of their dogs at heart. They would never intentionally feed them an inferior food, but the marketing companies have led them to believe that because they're spending a ton of money, it means it's a quality food.

Everyone has their own opinion obviously, and it's ultimately a personal decision, I just wish that more pet owners were informed of what is in most commercial foods. Seriously, read the labels. "Meat" by-products? Just what kind of meat? How about road kill? Euthanized pets? I wish I were kidding. You want to see "chicken" or "beef" or "lamb" etc. on the label, not "meat"

We feed our puppy Iams Smart Puppy and 'Chicken' is the first ingredient. Is that still bad???

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We feed our dogs Nutro Natural, but always give them some human food too. We have two dogs: one is 13 1/2, the second is 14, and we just lost our third dog this past weekend (She was 13 1/2 - pretty old for a scent hound) She was pretty healthy, but the last year of her life she started having seizures. I don't know if it had anything to do with her diet or not. When she was a puppy, her first owners gave her Purina Chow. When our other dogs were younger, we used several other foods, but always high quality stuff. Sometimes I give them the free samples of Beneful, and high quality cookies. The dog who passed away used to love the marow bone cookies, and freeze-dried pure meat treats.

We used to give them about half human food, but we've cut back. We always give them meat or eggs mixed with meat juices, and sometimes mix in rice, whole grains, veggies. (They love broccoli) One of our dogs will only eat if human food is mixed in - so we sometimes (rarely) cut corners and give her a fast food burger. I know it's not the best, but it's better than her not eating, and making herself sick form not eating. Now that they are older, they aren't as big on the veggies. They used to love carrots, green beans, etc. Usually, they get what we eat.

My thinking is that the dog food keeps them regular (vets have always advised against changing the diet too much), but the human food is pure, and they enjoy the variety. The variety also helps to give balanced nutrition - just as variety helps humans. We trained our dogs not to beg, but they are willing to get whatever hits the floor. (We have an understanding )

 

[SRUAlmn]

Thought some might like to see this too

http://www.acreaturecomfort.com/toxic.htm

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Thought some might like to see this too

http://www.acreaturecomfort.com/toxic.htm

Thanks for posting that. I knew a lot of them, but I was shocked by avacado!

When Chloe was a puppy, I trained her to get into our pool by using grapes! Lots of 'em!

ETA: If your puppy isn't one of the cutest ones I've ever seen, I don't know what is! Adoreable!!!

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Thanks for posting that. I knew a lot of them, but I was shocked by avacado!

Me too! I find it hard to believe that avacado is that toxic to pets because there is a brand of dog food that uses avacado as a base to aid in allergies and skin conditions. We've actually used it in the past and our dog experienced no complications at all.

 

[SRUAlmn]

ETA: If your puppy isn't one of the cutest ones I've ever seen, I don't know what is! Adoreable!!!

Aw, thanks! So is yours. I love the look on her face. 'Come on mom, just let me eat the goldfish!!'

 

[Teresa Pitman]

In terms of preparation, I treat the raw food just like I do in preparing raw meats for cooking for my family.

My dogs eat in a "mud room" which is between our kitchen and the back yard. It has a cement floor so is easily cleaned. The dogs have metal dog food bowls and I wash them fairly often (although not daily) with a little bleach added to the water.

I have another friend who feeds "BARF" and always feeds her dog outside in her yard.

Teresa

 

[Jynohn]

We feed our puppy Iams Smart Puppy and 'Chicken' is the first ingredient. Is that still bad???

I would have to see the rest of the label to give you an honest answer, but the fact that chicken is the first ingredient is a good sign. Does it actually say chicken or does it say "chicken by-products" or "chicken digest"?

Your puppy IS adorable, BTW!

 

[SRUAlmn]

I would have to see the rest of the label to give you an honest answer, but the fact that chicken is the first ingredient is a good sign. Does it actually say chicken or does it say "chicken by-products" or "chicken digest"?

Your puppy IS adorable, BTW!

Aw, thanks!

It does say chicken. The first 4 ingredients are:
1. Chicken
2. Corn Meal
3. Chicken by Product Meal
4. Ground Whole Grain