Hey, all. I've got some questions about feeding pet dogs. Our first pet dog was always fed on dog food -- mostly dry, with a can of wet food for special occasions or when she was sick and needed to be coaxed into eating. She passed away last month, just a week shy of 13 years old.
I've recently heard a lot from animal shows on television and dog sites online about the bad effects of a lifetime diet of pet food. They seem to be advocating feeding your pet human-grade foods.
If I get another dog, I'd like to feed it a good diet without any packaged pet food, but I'm not sure what things are good for a dog. Dogs like meat, of course, but it sounds like a 100% meat diet isn't healthy... my neighbors in Japan fed their dog steamed cabbage and rice (I doubt I could get a dog to eat that!)
Does anyone out there feed their dog home-made food? What combination of things do you use, and how do you cook them? Any advice is appreciated. ^_^ Thanks.
Stick to dog food. I have 3 dogs and they are fed a 'dry' working dog 'kibble' (comes in pellets).
Human food is often full of sugars, fats and other tasty stuff - not what your dog needs. If you must feed human food to a dog then you should be looking at fresh meat and rice type mixes..
What brand of kibble is it?
| quex wrote: |
| What brand of kibble is it? |
We use a proprietary mix made by a local dog-food maker in Cheshire - specially formulated for working dogs (our dogs all compete every week in agility trials around the country).O.o WOW. I should very much like to see your dogs in action... got pics or videos anywhere that you'd be willing to share?
Sure,
Max - 12 yr old Welsh collie cross (Veteran)
Minnie - 4 yr old Schipperke (level 5 agility and Crufts 2nd in Class this year)
Maddie - 2 yr old border collie (level 3 agility)
Thanks! Wow, they are beautiful. I especially like Maddie. And Max is still coursing at 12 years? That's pretty damned good for a dog his age.
I think maybe if we get another dog, I'll take her to some play agility courses. Not a lot of folks do it out here, though. ;_; (I really ought to just up and move to the UK, eh?)
| quex wrote: |
Thanks! Wow, they are beautiful. I especially like Maddie. And Max is still coursing at 12 years? That's pretty damned good for a dog his age.
I think maybe if we get another dog, I'll take her to some play agility courses. Not a lot of folks do it out here, though. ;_; (I really ought to just up and move to the UK, eh?) |
LOL...yes, agility is very popular here.
Maddie has the makings of a champion (she is *very* fast) but she is very nervous (like many border collies) and easily distracted.
Minnie is the 'devil dog' - all black (even her eyes and gums are black) - she simply sits and stares at people until they freak-out and give her some food. She is the 'boss' of the pack, despite her small size 
We took Max from the RSPCA nearly 7 years ago - he had been there for over a year and previously been very badly abused. It took a lot of work to 'normalise' him (he wouldn't be stroked or touched for months) - nowadays he is a big cuddle-monster | Bikerman wrote: |
We took Max from the RSPCA nearly 7 years ago - he had been there for over a year and previously been very badly abused. It took a lot of work to 'normalise' him (he wouldn't be stroked or touched for months) - nowadays he is a big cuddle-monster :-) |
Poor baby. ;_; I'm happy to hear you were able to bring him around again. The world needs more cuddle-monsters.
There are so many abused dogs around here... they can't even keep them in a shelter for a year. Many dogs get only three weeks, then they're put down. I'm keeping my eyes open for any schnauzers in the shelter, but almost all of them are pitbulls or rotweilers. We can't handle a dog that big.My cocker spaniel eats practically everything although i don't recommend that you feed you dog all variants of human food. She likes to eat raw veggies too, especailly fruits. I've also read about those pet food news, some says that these companies uses rejected grade food to make pet food, meaning you are actually feeding your pets rejected grade food not fit for human consumption.
Chicken seems to be bad for dogs as it makes them itch. Chocolate is a definite no as it contains some enzyme that can react and kill your dog. We usually give a mix of human grade food with dry dog food. Else it'll be dry dog food mixed with milk.
| quex wrote: |
... my neighbors in Japan fed their dog steamed cabbage and rice (I doubt I could get a dog to eat that!)
. |
I couldn't stand constant K9 Kimshi farts
My 85# yellow Lab gets a cup of dry dog food twice a day.
Any more than that and she gets really fat.
I get 50# bags of Purina Dog Chow at Sam's Club.
Millions of dogs have got along just fine on Purina Dog Chow.
Human food can harm dogs.
My lab started having some very bad seizures.
We quit giving her any kind of bread like pizza crusts.
The siezures stopped. It was either the bread or preservatives. | jwellsy wrote: |
I get 50# bags of Purina Dog Chow at Sam's Club.
Millions of dogs have got along just fine on Purina Dog Chow. |
They make Purina right out here where I live.. either it's the headquarters, or just one of their main factories, I'm not sure. Either way, it's the biggest brand around. I suppose the quality of dog food has improved since the early years, when it was just a way for slaughterhouses to use their offal. But still, even here in Purinatown, both our family vet and the medical staff at the APA shelter have told me to feed a house pet regular, homecooked food if we can afford it. They say kibble is akin to feeding your dog McDonald's all the time.
APA staff said steamed rice was good for dogs, but they agreed with you on the cabbage. ^^; Not a good idea for the overall smelliness of the dog. They suggested a good combination of foods for a smaller dog would be a cooked egg, rice, and small bits of cooked poultry or pork. Apple bits without the skin and carrots make good snacks, too, but never any grapes, berries, or fruit with a pit in it, even if the pit is removed. (Not sure why.) Who knew dogs would eat vegetables? o.o?
| Quote: |
Human food can harm dogs.
My lab started having some very bad seizures.
We quit giving her any kind of bread like pizza crusts.
The siezures stopped. It was either the bread or preservatives. |
O.O I hope that really was the cause... seizures are bad news.I have a little maltese shiztu cross,
every day we feed him homemade meals, usualy it is rice with peas mixed in, along with a mixture of home cooked beef, chicken, or turkey. He always has lots of energy....most of the time too much. But we also give him some special vitamins daily to keep him healthy.
He always loves his meals. Nutritious and delicious. lol
canassassin, what kind of vitamins do you give your dog, and where do you find them? o.o?
| Kelvin wrote: |
| Chocolate is a definite no as it contains some enzyme that can react and kill your dog. |
The list of things to never feed your dog:
1) Chocolate. Baker's chocolate, dark chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa, or cocoa powder are the real killers. You shouldn't give your dog chocolate anyway, since it's fattening and sugary, but you do NOT need to rush to the vet's office if your dog gets a bite of two of milk chocolate. White chocolate, which does not contain any cocoa, is also harmless insofar as it does not contain theobromine, the compound that is harmful to dogs.
2) Grapes/raisins.
3) Green onions, onions, and garlic.
4) Walnuts.It is called: The missing Link.
When feeding your dog as a puppy it should be getting around 28% protein from the dry dog food and make sure that the first ingrediants of the dog food is either chicken, lamb, or fish. Not anything like lamb meal or something similar just straight Lamb, Chicken, and fish. I would reccomend Purina one as it has been working great for my dog.
What kind of dog, dragoncurse? I heard recently on an animal show something similar to what you are saying, but they qualified the advice for "bigger dogs."
