View Full Version : What food do you feed your dog?
I was just curious as to the types of food that people feed their dogs. For some time now, I have been looking into the BARF diet and have read several books on the subject including the book by Dr Ian Billingshurst 'Give your dog a bone'. Whilst the theory behind it seems to be logical and easy (ish) to understand, it's implementing it which seems to be the sticky point.
So, really, I was wondering, in general what people feed theirs and if there are any who feed Barf on here if they could pass on any tips.
demac-artist
12-Jul-11, 17:14
Hi
I feed my dog on Omega which is biscuits with the odd tin every now and then to mix up the flavour he has been on this for the last couple of years now and he isn't overweight or have any stomach issues which he had when we first got him this agrees with him totally
Einstein 4yrs Border Collie family pet
Deanne
BARF is great if you have the time and the resources. Nothing beats it.
Failing that I recommend Burn's Pet Nutrition. Been feeding my dogs on it for many years and they are great on it. Have also recommended it to clients and have seen dogs health and behaviour improve on it.
I would love to feed BARF but at the moment it is not possible.
My greyhounds are fed Burgess Supadog Greyhound and Lurcher, with Butchers tripe mixed in for a bit of flavour.
craigsin1993
12-Jul-11, 19:41
i feed my little jack russell the ceser pouches :) shes get 3 aday :D x
linda.borgie
12-Jul-11, 20:00
I am a contract shepherd and I feed the cheapest dog food I can find, normally Wagg or Dr John and it is hilly rough ground I work and my dogs are always looking healthy and fit as is my jack russel who gets the same.
Ian
KEEP_ON_TRUCKIN
12-Jul-11, 20:22
Ours get Kildrummie Crunch and scraps - but I have to say in the shop we can get most dog food and the most popular without a shadow of a doubt is Burns Pet Nutrition - wet and dry -that's what I mostly keep in shop now - rest just deliver to order as we are having to take weekly orders from Burns now sometimes twice a week to satisfy demand - most people seem to believe in the wholesomeness of it and once they try it tend not to look back!
Ours get Kildrummie Crunch and scraps
We do too. It's got the meaty biscuits, veggie biscuits, charcoal biscuits and even has dried chicken in it. It's one of the few dried food that don't send my dogs loopy.
We try to BARF as much as possible but with 4 dogs now it's difficult. We usually manage one or two days...
One thing to remember is that BARF speeds up the digestive system and dried food slows it down - the two shouldn't be fed on the same day or you risk stomach upsets.
A BARF diet is great but it is important to remember that dogs, unlike cats, do need some cereals and veggies - BARF does not stand for 'bones and raw food' like some quote, it stands for 'biological appropriate raw food' and includes veggies and cereals in it :)
We are going to be back on full BARF soon when we get Matilda the pig 'done' - all of her is going to be used. Right down to her bristly hair being offered to anyone who wants to make natural paint brushes.
dragonfly
12-Jul-11, 21:18
3 large dogs means lots of poo's so we feed Burns, no added cereals that are just bulk so less comes out other end. know a few owners down south who feed barf, but wouldn't be for me, too much bother, I just want to scoop and pour into a bowl
essex boy
12-Jul-11, 21:26
When I owned a pet shop and paid trade prices I feed my terrier James Wellbeloved dry food which is great but rather pricey! Really good for dogs with bad skin or coats. But now I give my 2 terriers and a rather overweight lurcher Omega Tasty
crustyroll
13-Jul-11, 00:43
totally raw fed with table scraps, ie, left over crusts, veggies etc but the amount is very small. Best decision I ever made to change over to BARF and it isn't difficult to get supplies as there are a group of us in Caithness that order from Fife Animal Feeds and split the cost of delivery. Also the local butchers are excellent in supplying some of the raw food you'd need to feed to cover all aspects of a BARF diet.
There's even less waste on a BARF diet than on Burns.
porshiepoo
13-Jul-11, 07:56
I seriously considered the BARF diet and had I still been living in Boston I definitely would have made the change over. However up here I just couldn't find the resources to supply 5 big dogs all they would need at a price half manageable. There are many places that do the meats etc but none deliver anywhere near to here. The solution being to share delivery costs but at the time I didn't know of anyone else interested.
As for complete food, I've tried most - or rather the dogs have - Royal canin, Pedigree (normal stuff from shops plus the professional), Science Plan & Arden Grange among others. Now though they are on Wagg complete and have as many scraps as we can give them plus raw bones from the Butchers when we can get hold of them.
I have to say that they are as fit and healthy on cheap wagg as they ever were on those expensive foods.
One food that I would like to get hold of up here though is called Autarky. It's not particularly expensive but I found it to be one of the best foods I'd fed them. Sadly can't get it up here though.
my dogs will eat anything that is given to them, just now they are eating the big bags of complete biscuits from lidl and no complaints. both dogs are fit and healthy and absolutely fine eating anything, no stomach or health probs.
A BARF diet is great but it is important to remember that dogs, unlike cats, do need some cereals and veggies - BARF does not stand for 'bones and raw food' like some quote, it stands for 'biological appropriate raw food' and includes veggies and cereals in it :)
Leanne, neither dogs or cats can digest raw cereals and can use very little of any vegetables they eat. They do not have a long enough intestinal tract to do so. At most, from processed/cooked cereals and vegetables they can use the sugar that has come from the breakdown of the starches in them. So cereals ( rice, oats, barley, rye, wheat) and vegetables (with few exceptions) are basically undigestable to dogs ( and cats), especially if raw.
Alot of people use BARF diets as an excuse to feed their dogs things like chewable bone. Chewable bone ( basically any bird, rabbit or sheep bones, most Pork bones, especially factory farmed pork, where pigs are killed at a young age, and the finer bones in cattle such as ribs, sternum, shoulder plate, etc) can kill a dog. It can kill a 50kg Serra de Estrela dog (Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A3o_da_Serra_da_Estrela ) it can kill a cocker spaniel, it can kill a dog who is constantly fed this kind of diet and it can kill a dog who is never fed this diet, but got into the garbage once. And when these dogs turn up at the vets crying to have their dogs saved, they always say that they have always fed their dogs this way and nothing ever happened before. I don't like BARF diets, because too many short cuts are taken with them. It is very easy to source chicken trim waste ( oh- they never put in the splintering long bones, only the keel, back bones and wing tips [which also splinter, by the way]) and because too often BARF feeders know absolute truths like feeding raw cereal to dogs or that bones do no harm and yet this is not backed up by evidence. Too often people who feed BARF diets will only believe what they see in their own dogs, and if they have never had a negative experience, then that is proof of perfection.
Another reason I am not keen on BARF is because it introduces raw animal protein into a family environment. Yes, dogs saliva is anti-bacterial, but will it kill the stuff that gets caught on his fur, around his mouth? Will my child then go play with said dog, who has perhaps just eaten green tripe. The gut is where e-coli lives and green tripe has a very basic washing done to it. It is a risk that I would not take.
BARF-dieters, I spoke in general and not about any one specifically. I am telling you what MY experience of BARF and similair diets has been, when they are not properly done.
I am seriously disinterested in the politics of BARF or whatever.
I've been feeding the dog on Burns dry stuff. You can heap it up and he never overeats. Maybe it doesn't taste very good!
crustyroll
13-Jul-11, 16:11
3 large dogs means lots of poo's so we feed Burns, no added cereals that are just bulk so less comes out other end. With BARF there's even less poo but I know it's not for everyone and at the start it can seem very off putting and a lot of work. The amount of folk that feed BARF now and never think about it as it's easy peesy once you get your head round it.
crustyroll
13-Jul-11, 16:14
However up here I just couldn't find the resources to supply 5 big dogs all they would need at a price half manageable. There are many places that do the meats etc but none deliver anywhere near to here. The solution being to share delivery costs but at the time I didn't know of anyone else interested.
There are a group of us now that order every 1 to 2 months from Fife Animal Feeds and he comes up on a Sunday to my house. I accept the delivery and everyone then comes to me to pick their food up. It works quite well and as more people come on board the cheaper the cost of the delivery charge as its spread over however many have ordered that month. If you're interested I can send you details?
crustyroll
13-Jul-11, 16:26
Alot of people use BARF diets as an excuse to feed their dogs things like chewable bone. If you do more research on BARF you will find that without feeding bones the dogs are not getting the correct diet or ratio of vitamins and minerals. Animals in the wild do not eat just the meat and leave the bones. They instinctively know which bones to eat and which to leave. I would never feed a BARF diet without bone and my dogs get all types of bone to eat. You must also remember smaller bones are not stripped of their flesh, they crunch the meat and the bone together so by the time the meat has digested the bone has already softened and gets passed through usually with no problems. There are risk with everything, and a lot of dogs have died from bloat which does tend to happen more in dry feed dogs. There should also be no shortcuts taken with BARF, why would you do that?
Raw animal protein already exists in your household, it's just sealed and packaged from the supermarket. A dog that has just eaten usually goes off and grooms itself and then has a sleep, so a child shouldn't really be bothering it anyway. Tripe is so stinky I don't think anyone would want to go near the dog for a good few hours..lol.
If you do more research on BARF you will find that without feeding bones the dogs are not getting the correct diet or ratio of vitamins and minerals.
If any research needs to be done, it should be done into the miraculous vitamin containing bones that BARF have discovered. :roll: (Clue: bones have no vitamin content. Meat is a poor vitamin source, limited to vit B's and vit K, and even then these are most significant in Liver and not meat per se) And yes, bones do contain minerals: mostly calcium and phosphate. The ratio in the bone is approximately 2:1 (Calcium:Phosphate). This is not the necessary dietary ratio for dogs, which should be approximately 1:1. So if the diet is bone rich ( as I have often seen in BARF diets, where it is so bone rich that the the feaces are impacted), then the dietary ratio of calcium/phosphate is wrong. So, in my opinion, the BARF "facts" you are quoting are wrong, so how reliable is the rest of it?
If any research needs to be done, it should be done into the miraculous vitamin containing bones that BARF have discovered. :roll: (Clue: bones have no vitamin content. Meat is a poor vitamin source, limited to vit B's and vit K, and even then these are most significant in Liver and not meat per se) And yes, bones do contain minerals: mostly calcium and phosphate. The ratio in the bone is approximately 2:1 (Calcium:Phosphate). This is not the necessary dietary ratio for dogs, which should be approximately 1:1. So if the diet is bone rich ( as I have often seen in BARF diets, where it is so bone rich that the the feaces are impacted), then the dietary ratio of calcium/phosphate is wrong. So, in my opinion, the BARF "facts" you are quoting are wrong, so how reliable is the rest of it?
Julie - BARF isn't just about feeding bones and meat, it is also about feeding offal, veggies and some cereals too. The bones do contain vitamins and minerals other than calcium and phosphate - just in the marrow, rather than the bone itself. That is why, marrow rich bones are a better. In addition to this, if whole foods are given i.e. chicken wings without the skin stripped off, vitamin E should be supplemented as high fat content screws this up. I'm sure you knew this though :)
Edit - like us hoomans, the diet needs to be balanced.
crustyroll
14-Jul-11, 19:36
The ratio in the bone is approximately 2:1 (Calcium:Phosphate). This is not the necessary dietary ratio for dogs, which should be approximately 1:1. So if the diet is bone rich ( as I have often seen in BARF diets, where it is so bone rich that the the feaces are impacted), then the dietary ratio of calcium/phosphate is wrong.
Who tells us that the ratio is incorrect for dogs?? I bet if you dig deep enough you'll find it's the pet food manufacturers that are quoting these figures as they have the funds to carry out the so called 'research' into it. Can you tell me what we fed dogs before Pedigree Chum and Burns existed? Do you think a dog in teh wild would go, um, no sorry there's too much bone in that meal, oops I'll have impacted feaces! They don't eat bone all the time, there must be meat as well and anyone that is feeding BARF correctly don't feed bone every day and this is how impacted feaces can result.
Ours get Kildrummie Crunch and scraps - but I have to say in the shop we can get most dog food and the most popular without a shadow of a doubt is Burns Pet Nutrition - wet and dry -that's what I mostly keep in shop now - rest just deliver to order as we are having to take weekly orders from Burns now sometimes twice a week to satisfy demand - most people seem to believe in the wholesomeness of it and once they try it tend not to look back!
What is Kildrummie Crunch? I have never heard of it before.
What is Kildrummie Crunch? I have never heard of it before.
It's a dry food I love - well not me personally. It has has your usual biscuits but also has charcoal nuggets (for smelly bums) and dried chicken pieces. My dogs go nuts for it :) It's only about £13 for 20kg too :)
I was very interested in reading about dog foods.
Maybe you can help me. I am looking for food which will fatten my dog. I feed him 4 tiuns of peigree chum or winalot casserole, and biscuits a day, and chicken , but he is rapidly loosing weight and his bones are sticking out. Vets cant find whats wrong with him.
linnie612
15-Jul-11, 02:26
I fully intended to read this thread with interest until I realised it was about something called a BARF diet?! As far as I am aware, to 'barf' means 'to vomit'. Taken in this context, some of the posts are quite humourous, but my favourite has to be:-
[QUOTE We try to BARF as much as possible but with 4 dogs now it's difficult. We usually manage one or two days...We are going to be back on full BARF soon [/QUOTE]:D
Aaldtimer
15-Jul-11, 03:17
I was very interested in reading about dog foods.
Maybe you can help me. I am looking for food which will fatten my dog. I feed him 4 tiuns of peigree chum or winalot casserole, and biscuits a day, and chicken , but he is rapidly loosing weight and his bones are sticking out. Vets cant find whats wrong with him.
My goodness Fran, 4 tins of dog food and extras per day, and the dog is still thin?
There must be something seriously wrong with the poor dog, and the Vets don't have a clue?:confused
KEEP_ON_TRUCKIN
15-Jul-11, 06:04
It's a dry food I love - well not me personally. It has has your usual biscuits but also has charcoal nuggets (for smelly bums) and dried chicken pieces. My dogs go nuts for it :) It's only about £13 for 20kg too :)
Hey Leanne- not sure what crunch you have but the bags of Kildrummie Country Crunch I sell and the bag i'm looking at right now doesn't match up to your description - is that the mix you're talking about? - the crunch is £11 a bag at Hilltop Horse in Country in Wick and has doesn't have charcoal nuggets. It's a bog standard cheap dog food made in Nairn - from past experience Geddes sell it too ?
Hey Leanne- not sure what crunch you have but the bags of Kildrummie Country Crunch I sell and the bag i'm looking at right now doesn't match up to your description - is that the mix you're talking about? - the crunch is £11 a bag at Hilltop Horse in Country in Wick and has doesn't have charcoal nuggets. It's a bog standard cheap dog food made in Nairn - from past experience Geddes sell it too ?
I feed the one that they sell at Gillocks - nowhere else seems to sell it. It's in a see through bag so you can see all the different bits.
porshiepoo
15-Jul-11, 09:00
I was very interested in reading about dog foods.
Maybe you can help me. I am looking for food which will fatten my dog. I feed him 4 tiuns of peigree chum or winalot casserole, and biscuits a day, and chicken , but he is rapidly loosing weight and his bones are sticking out. Vets cant find whats wrong with him.
Personally I would get him off the tinned food. It has nothing in it to sustain a dog as far as I'm concerned and when we used to feed it we had skinny dogs that had diarrhea constantly. Tinned food is simply rubbish and biscuit will have nothing in it either!
Try your dog on a complete food such as Pedigree and see how he goes. You can still give him the Chicken and treats if you want but I would try a complete food aimed at putting a bit of weight on then once he's put the weight on you can gradually change him over to something that will sustain him.
Just my opinion mind!
Just wondering what type of dog you have? I have a Dane that is notoriously difficult to put weight on in the winter. He drops off so easily and never looks as covered as I would like. I think this is down to him being so thin coated and any protein in his food first and foremost is used by his system as heat to keep warm, there's nothing left for fat. I have to put loads of coats on him in the winter for artificial heat just to get a bit of meat on his bones. He's much better in the summer but still a tad thin because he is so active - he's on the land most of the day haring round.
Also neutering is good at putting weight on them, in fact we have to be careful of our neutered dogs - male or female - as they tend to gain too much weight.
Who tells us that the ratio is incorrect for dogs?? I bet if you dig deep enough you'll find it's the pet food manufacturers that are quoting these figures as they have the funds to carry out the so called 'research' into it. Can you tell me what we fed dogs before Pedigree Chum and Burns existed? Do you think a dog in teh wild would go, um, no sorry there's too much bone in that meal, oops I'll have impacted feaces! They don't eat bone all the time, there must be meat as well and anyone that is feeding BARF correctly don't feed bone every day and this is how impacted feaces can result.
Dogs are domestic animals. Not wild animals. They have lost alot of the instinct that would have regulated their eating habits (just as we have) because we conditioned them over millenium. What I do know is that I have seen many BARF diets go wrong. And where you see that happen is in the vets consulting room with a moribund dog and owners wringing their hands. It is something that happens regulary, and not once in a blue moon. I really hope it never happens to your animals, so that you can go on believing BARF does no harm. I would not be so anti-BARF if it were not for the bone content, to tell you the truth. There is nothing wrong with raw liver, muscle or other offal ( though I still consider green offal is hazardous to the dogs family). But not the bone.
PS: Physiology gives us the optimum ratios of phosphorus in the diet. If a diet has too much phosphurus in comparison to Calcium, then there is Calcium depletion and the body starts taking calcium from the bone to use elsewhere. Happens in lots of mammals with lots of different diets. I put more credence in the science of physiology than the faith of BARF feeding.
porshiepoo
15-Jul-11, 09:21
[QUOTE=BARF does not stand for 'bones and raw food' like some quote, it stands for 'biological appropriate raw food' and includes veggies and cereals in it :)
[/QUOTE]
Think you'll find it means either, depending on what resource you are deriving the information from.
My main concern about this diet was always the doubt that we, as humans, could never fully understand the way a wild dog would eat or why they eat certain foods and avoid others.
The BARF diet is a human concept adapted to include what we believe a dog needs based on research of wild dogs. However a wild dog is adapted to a completely different environment than a pet dog and to assume that what is good for the goose is good for the gander seems a tad ignorant to me.
I was very close to feeding BARF but there were a few things that never sat right for me in the concept of it. It sounds like a good idea but I wonder how many people who feed BARF actually read up on the sites that are against it and their reasoning behind it? Or the research that shows it's not actually ideal for the dog and could be harmful?
crustyroll
15-Jul-11, 10:20
Dogs are domestic animals. Not wild animals. They have lost alot of the instinct that would have regulated their eating habits (just as we have) because we conditioned them over millenium.
They weren't always domestic and I don't believe they have lost their instincts, we just think they have and treat them that way. I raise all my pups on the BARF diet and you can very easily see that they know what to do and how to rip something apart to eat it. I don't have to teach them, mum doesn't, so where does that come from, instinct?? They also say that dogs have lost the instinct to mate, no they haven't, its humans interfering far too much. A perfect example was my bitch being mated with a top class winner, she wanted to rip him to shreds and we didn't mate her. The stud dog owners said she wasn't ready, yes she was, and we took the other top dog out and she stood perfectly for him. Now why did she want the other dog? Something was telling her he was the one... do dogs fancy other dogs, well we won't ever know that, but they do know what they are doing and we often don't listen.
Until something goes wrong I will continue to feed BARF, just as I would with dry food, ie, I'd worry more about bloat from dry food. I believe I must be doing it pretty well as I've never had a problem in all the years I have been feeding. The vets can't find anything wrong with my dogs and I've never had to take them apart from more serious matters which weren't related to diet. There has never been problems with feaces or refusing a bit of meat, which I often got with a bowl of dried kibble.
Everyone must do what they feel is right but I do believe that in all walks of life we are moving away from some of the old ideas and loosing valuable information and knowledge in the long term.
Still does not adress the fact that while you have been fortunate enough not to see something wrong happen that it does not happen. And frequently. And it is a vet who ends up having to repair the damage.
I worked exclusively in a small animal veterinary practice for 6 years, during which time there was one boxer with bloat (whose last meal had not been dry, but rice mixed with vegetables and chicken (boneless) and one rotweiller that I know of ( because it belonged to my sister living in Holland) who bloated on dry food (In the vet practice where I worked however only one dog with bloat in 6 and a bit years- and a breed with propensity to it: the gastric ligament in deep chested dogs is often too long, which allows the stomach to rotate on itself when playing energetically on a full stomach. When playing energetically the stomach content tends to continue its movement due to inertia, and sometimes that results in the stomach twisting if the stomach ligaments are long enough). Where as there were several cases a year of impacted feaces and/or peritonitis due to diets that contained bone. I still remember a very handsome Serra de Estrela dog ( they are massive animals!), whose owner was giving him what he called a natural diet (perhaps BARF had not yet been coined, as it was 15 years ago or more already). This "natural diet" included vegetables, cereals ( mostly rice- both cooked oddly enough) and the trim waste of chicken and turkey. Not the long bones as the owner energetically explained: he would never give dangerous long bird bones to his dog as these could splinter. That poor animal's x-rays showed not only huge impactation of the chewed bones up the colon, but also peritonitis. It had to be put to sleep after 3-4 days of treatment because of the pain it was in. So even statistically you have more reason to worry about the bones you are including in your dogs diet than causing bloat. And even on a BARF diet an animal can bloat. This is what I know about bones in the diet.
Dogs have actually lost touch with some of the very instincts you describe. In a pack of wild dogs, only the strongest healthiest animals will mate instinctively. Weaker animals are naturally weeded out by nature and by the breeding instincts and behaviours. Males will fight so only the superior male in a pack will mate. And the female will tend to accept only the male that has shown his worth. We take animals that would have little or no hope of surviving in the wild, with serious genetical defects ( for example animals with shortened snouts that make their breathing at rest a chore) and make them mate in a way so as to perpetuate or even accentuate the defect). A male or female with such a defect would not survive puppy-hood, never mind mate if it did.
I have an idea that you seem to think that the two choices are BARF or kibble and that all kibble is created equal. Well, it is not. By all means feed your dog raw meat/offal along with the creal and vegetables you want. But remove the bone, except for bones which cannot be chewed and swallowed ( ex: cow leg bones). If you feed your dog cereals and/or vegetables, be aware that if they are raw, they are bulking agents and the dog will get little or no nutrition from them. Even if they are cooked, they are limited in what they give a dog. If you choose a kibble, choose a good quality one. Price is generally mirrors the quality of a kibble. If it is as cheap as dirt, then it will be made from the dregs of (low digestibility) animal protein and lots of bulking agents and additives to make it palatable and preserve it ( if the poo looks just like the food, only slightly wetter and reshaped, then nothing much happened to it during digestion). I would stay away from cans and pouches (unless special diets medically prescribed). They have lots of additives and after the heat treatment they receive on production, I don’t believe they can have any vitamins left in them.
I was very interested in reading about dog foods.
Maybe you can help me. I am looking for food which will fatten my dog. I feed him 4 tiuns of peigree chum or winalot casserole, and biscuits a day, and chicken , but he is rapidly loosing weight and his bones are sticking out. Vets cant find whats wrong with him.
I would recommend you try Bobby on Naturediet. It's a fantastic moist food and I'm sure they have a digestive enzyme which might help as it sounds like he isn't absorbing the food for some reason?
What are his poos like? Does he ever get windy?
I'm just wondering whether he has IBS or some kind of digestive problem in which case the food you are giving him might not be helping.
I would give you some Naturediet to try but Benjy is on the one for losing weight! :)
Have a look at their website. www.naturediet.co.uk (http://www.naturediet.co.uk)
Actually having looked through some factsheets, on the Naturediet website, if you suspect that Bobby may have gastro-intestinal problems then the food I give to Benjy would be best.
They also recommend probiotics.
I give Benjy a probiotic/digestive enzyme blend which I get from America via Ebay. :)
You could try making him fat balls?
Think raw burgers full of cals....cheap minced meat ( the cheaper ones have a higher fat content), raw eggs to bind, oats (for a bit of bulk and to soak up the oil) and veg oil (extra cals).
Roll into balls and feed as well as his food to try to help him gain weight.
You can always cook them as well, but you lose a lot of the fat you put in them!
Oh... trust you guys to turn the question for which dog food people feed into a heated discussion....lol.
Fran, personally I would not feed tinned food, I know what goes in it before it's turned into nice looking and smelling chunks, my neighbour used to work in a cat food factory as a line manager !!!! Dog food is made the same way, the chunks are just made larger.
It will also not be too useful to put weight on a dog that is struggling to gain weight.
My choice would be Burn's for active dogs. Very high protein and oil content, which will help your dog to gain weight.
http://burnspet.co.uk/products/burns-for-dogs/dog-food-for-active-dogs.html
Oh... trust you guys to turn the question for which dog food people feed into a heated discussion....lol.
Fran, personally I would not feed tinned food, I know what goes in it before it's turned into nice looking and smelling chunks, my neighbour used to work in a cat food factory as a line manager !!!! Dog food is made the same way, the chunks are just made larger.
It will also not be too useful to put weight on a dog that is struggling to gain weight.
Your are right about cans. Dreadful things. About heated discussions I am not so sure about, unless disagreeing equals heated discussion.
teenybash
15-Jul-11, 17:08
Here's my tu'pence worth....Mainly I use Wilsons made in Dundee with cooked mince, pasta, veg and whatever else. I add cod liver oil and find this disappears from doggy dishes very quickly. I find my pooches just don't like the complete biscuit dog food and I don't either [not that I eat it] because I don't know whats in it. My doggies are happy and thriving, which is what it's all about.
Back in the year dot when my mother was growing up, her dogs were fed on mashed potato buttermilk and whatever scraps were about and if a beast had been killed, which wasn't often...bones were also given. Often she would talk, with pride about the long trouble free lives they had. Back then there was not the on call vets we have now and the pricey promoted dog food that profits the now huge pet food industry.
I think it is a case of each to their own and whatever works for our dogs, is good. xx
Proof of the pudding is in the eating shall we say. If the dog is healthy, the teeth are free from tartar, they are neither too fat nor too thin and the coat looks glossy, without scurf then the diet is appropriate for the dog. If the opposite is true then no matter how much the owner argues their diet is better, it isn't :P
Proof of the pudding is in the eating shall we say. If the dog is healthy, the teeth are free from tartar, they are neither too fat nor too thin and the coat looks glossy, without scurf then the diet is appropriate for the dog. If the opposite is true then no matter how much the owner argues their diet is better, it isn't :P
Yes. the proof is in the pudding, when the moribund dog who is fed bones is taken to the vet. I have no smiley to add to this, sorry.
where do you get Kildrummie Crunch? I live in Halkirk. thanks.
I have a greyhound, and he gets three handful dry complete food and 2 tbsp tin food in the morning and evening. every other evening I replace the tin food with a tin of sardines or mackerel; sometimes I also add cottage cheese. Around mid day he gets knuckle bones I get for free from the butcher. before I go to bed I give him a special treat: I fill a real bone of about 5 inches with some small treats, seal the ends with peanut butter and put it in the freezer - this is a real winner!
He's been a rescue dog and his coat looked rough, dry and wasn't shiny at all - now, a year and two coat changes later, it's all smooth and shiny!
One food that I would like to get hold of up here though is called Autarky. It's not particularly expensive but I found it to be one of the best foods I'd fed them. Sadly can't get it up here though.
You can get it delivered from here http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/autarky_v_4570.html?vi=List&ps=11&gclid=CNKs5cOmiKoCFUFC4QodtihH0A :)
KEEP_ON_TRUCKIN
07-Dec-11, 20:40
Hey just noticed this but you're probably sorted - From Hilltop Horse & COuntry in Wick - it can be delivered if you need!
I started feeding my dog a Raw diet 10 months ago, i got bones and meat from the local butchers and also fed him chicken etc. from the supermarkets, I personally found that my dogs faeces was either extremely dry or very runny. I felt he was struggling to gain weight on this diet and i was beginning to be able to see his rib bones, yes his teeth were gorgeous, coat was shiny etc. but it definitely was not the diet for him.
I have since been giving him a mix of complete biscuits and dog meat (not from tins though), he is a perfect weight for his size now and has maintained this for months, his teeth are still healthy as is his coat etc. and is faeces are well formed and not dry at all.
I personally believe that it is the owners choice to feed their dog what they like, wether that be a raw diet or dog food from the supermarket, aslong as your dog is happy and healthy and has no problems it's fine. It's really a case of trial and error and only YOU can decide was is best for you and your animal.
wildcat69
19-Dec-11, 15:02
I have 4 dogs, all of which are fed on sneyds wonder dog.
The large dog ( sensitive tummy ) is fed on the premium variety with a mixture of either fresh chicken or fresh fish, the other 3 are fed the sneyds gold and are also supplemented with fresh fish.
i have tried a lot of complete foods and find this one creates less waste.
Obviously the higher priced brands ie: burns, wellbeloved etc etc will be better but not everybody can afford them so you have to search around for a food in your price range and possibly supplement with fresh meat and fish.
My 2 greyhounds and Lurcher pup are all few on Burns. Lamb and rice at the moment, next time we are getting fish and rice. They have half a tin of Butchers moist food mixed in with a bit of flavour.
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.