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

[Laurajean1014]

I just gave Tucker some watermelon and he loves it.... sitting here drooling over my plate.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

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.

Yikes! I guess some dogs have a higher tolerance to these things. I mean, I think I fed Chloe a whole bag of grapes in one sitting, trying to get her in the pool and she's still kicking!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

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

Biologically, canines can't process grains well. When you think about it, their teeth aren't "made" to chew grains, like a cow's for instance, are. Processed foods that contain grain as a top ingredient aren't the best thing for our friends.

Canine's have sharp teeth, to cut through meat. This is the basis behind the BARF diet. It's bringing animals back to what they're meant to eat, not what humans have decided they should eat, out of convenience.

And I don't mean that sentence in a snotty way - I'm currently feeding Chloe processed food, but I did a lot of research to find one that was meat based and has very little grains. Sometimes you gotta do, what you gotta do.

No doubt about it - BARF takes time and patience to get it right. I don't think I ever fully got there before I had to give it up.

There was a certain amount of satisfaction knowing I was doing the absolute best thing for my dog, but there is no denying that buying a bag of food is the ultimate in convenience. I've just found that those that are sold in grocery stores are usually the worst ingredient-wise, followed by those sold in pet stores and vet's offices.

 

[SRUAlmn]

And I don't mean that sentence in a snotty way -

Didn't sound that way to me I appreciate the advice. I'm new to this whole puppy mommy stuff!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Didn't sound that way to me I appreciate the advice. I'm new to this whole puppy mommy stuff!

Ooooo, methinks there are others on here who know far more than I do when it comes to canine nutrition!

Especially those who are BARFing. It takes soooo much knowledge to do it right. Those who do it, get kudos from me!

I mean, I'm the woman who places goldfish on her dog's nose - and lets her eat them!

 

[Luvchefmic]

I mean, I'm the woman who places goldfish on her dog's nose - and lets her eat them!

So that's what that is I've seen many of your posts and all the time I was thinking poor thing must have some kindof problem.... I'm too polite to have ever asked Glad your fur-kid is ok


Ruthie

 

[Luvchefmic]

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!

Oh don't ever feel that way, post away, be kind and honest and if someone can't take what you say poof,
spread pixie dust and move on...Thanks for your words though oh you'll find the paw prints under the more link under Dis board smilies to your right when you post

Ruthie

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

So that's what that is I've seen many of your posts and all the time I was thinking poor thing must have some kindof problem.... I'm too polite to have ever asked Glad your fur-kid is ok


Ruthie

She has many problems, trust me. She's quite the nut.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I feel so stupid...I always thought your pup had either mustard or cheese globs on her face!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

You know, I was going to question that list a little too. Numerous dog foods contain onion. I also know the poison in potato affects humans too. That's why we don't eat raw potato, but it doesn't stop us from eating potato entirely. I also notice the fox in our yard has no trouble eating up strawberries, blackberries, but hasn' t touched tomatoes. My dog, on the other hand LOVES pizza, lasagna. Again, not something I give her very often, but she's always handles it well.
Dogs are scavengers. They've been living off human scraps for thousands of years (In Pompeii, they found houses with signs that read "Cave Canem" (sp?) - Beware of the dog India still has wild dogs that live off of human scraps. I won't say it's the best diet for a dog, but they are pretty resiliant animals. While dog food Purina Chow has been around for a while, commercial dog food's only been really mainstream for what, about 25 years or so? I'm not suggesting that ignoring everything on the list is prudent either, I just wouldn't panic if your dog nabs a slice of pizza from the trash can. It's been my experience that dogs usually throw up when they can't tolerate something - before it really affects them very much. Then they avoid it.
One notable exception is anti-freeze.

 

[kayeandjim00]

We feed Fromm's Farm a local organic food that has served us very well. We fed it both to our cats and dogs. the cats liked it so much now one is considerably overweight. They are now on Purina Overweight/Maintenance and I cringe at the ingredients but the truth is it's healthier for him to get to a good weight then to continue to gain. The dogs are doing great on the Fromm's and we are very happy with it. I will say my BIL feeds Beneful and has been happy with the results as well so I think it depends on personal preference. I personally wouldn't feed my dog Science Diet but I think everyone has to make those decisions for themselves as to what's best.

 

[GSDRescuer]

Fromm Family Salmon a la Veg and add supplements of Cosamin DS and wild canned salmon.

 

[somcgregor]

My almost two year old Corgi eats Nutro mini-chunks. He's been on Nutro since we got him.

MarcyinPA,
IF you don't mind me asking how do you like your Corig? My husband and I have two one is 2 and the other is 6 months. They are both great and we love them.

Also both of my dogs are on Science Diet, one is a a vet RX to ensure his weight stays where it is suppose it, it is more filling and does not seem to have all the fillers, the other is on the puppy as recommed by my vet.

Enjoy

 

[hsmamato2]

here's a link full of info on this..haven't read it all the way myself yet...
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

 

[powellrj]

I copied this from Yorkietalk. I thought it was interesting.
How To Grade Your Dog's Food

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I got this on another group....pretty interesting to see.....
How to grade your dog's food:
Some brands are done at the very bottom]

Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of "by-product"1) For every listing

2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat,
meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points

3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source,subtract
5 points

5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first
five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewerâ?Ts rice", "rice
flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points

6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than
2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3points

9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 morepoints

10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil,subtract
2 points

11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is
allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points

12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt
allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt
allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point



Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points

2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or
nutritionist, add 5 points

3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3
points

7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2
points

8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points

9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2
points

10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than

the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one
protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1
point

13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are
pesticide-free, add 1 point



94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F

Here are some foods that have already been scored. If you don't
see your dog's food here, ask and someone will score it for you.

Dog Food scores:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 D
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Benful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Yeah!!! The Kirkland Signature made it onto the list as an A+...that definitely makes me feel better about feeding it to my schnauzer. Of course, we give her the Lamb/Rice (not the Chicken/Rice) so I'm hoping the grade is the same.

 

[jeankeri]

Thanks for posting the dog food 'grades'. I'll have to look closer at what I'm feeding my girls .

 

[kismet1003]

I feed my dog an all natural dog food from a feed store near me. I never realized until I just got a Basset pup in November the dangers in commercial dog food. I started off feeding him Iams b/c it's what the breeder was using and swore by. Than the vet explained to use natural or organic, just saying it was healthier. When I went to the feed store he really explained in great detail what ingredients to look for. My parents had dogs all my life and the last 3 of their dogs died of cancer at a young age, which really makes me wonder if there is more to this commercial pet food than most people are told.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[StephMK]

Our golden is 12+ & has eaten Purina basic dog chow and switched to Beneful & he likes that as well too. Actually, I think he just loves to eat & will probably eat anything. We also have a beagle mix that loves people food & has not enjoyed the Beneful Healthy Weight I just purchased. It's been very interesting to read all the info & reviews. We go to Costco & I usually get the Beneful there. After seeing the grades, I may try & switch them to Kirkland & see how it goes.

On a different note, for those w/2 dogs, how do you keep one from eating the other's food? Cheyenne, the beagle, is more of a grazer & I have a hard time keeping Mickey from eating both meals if they sit out. He keeps gaining & I know it's a combo of stealing my son's PB&J & eating a second helping of a "borrowed" dinner.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Here's another Joisey mom weighing in for Hund N Flockn Holistic Blend!

Where do you buy yours? When we moved from abroad, we could only find 2 places in the whole northern half of the state that carry it!

Cheers -

Jane

We get ours delievered from The Hungry Puppy (you can go to their store too), and Dills Feed Store. Dills is in Freehold NJ. The Hungry Puppy is in Monmouth County, this is their web site http://thehungrypuppy.com/. We are in Manalapan, were are you located in NJ? Go to Solidgoldhealth.com, and it should let you know where you can get their products. My dogs love theirs.

When dh got laid off way back when, the first thing we did was switch dogs and cats to a cheaper food. I don't remember what we were feeding them back then. Wow did we notice a difference. Our long hair cat was getting all these knots in her coat. We switched them back to a high grade diet, and thier coats got so much better. She hasn't had a knot since. Diet is as important to our pets as it is to us. Just because your animal likes it and eats it and you seem to think they are fine, doesn't mean it is really good for them. McDonald's is yummy, but see what happens when you eat it every day, day in and day out. Not good!!