What do you feed your dog?

JJScorpio said:

My dog got very sick for quite a few days. The ones from China, which is what most stores carry, are treated with arsenic, nickel and other bad things. My vet told me many dogs die from them and he recommends never giving dogs rawhide bones. Even if they are treated properly they can block up the dogs intestines if they are prone to swallowing large objects. They can die without surgery to remove the blockage......

If the dog vomits bile you can assume the rawhide was treated with arsenic....

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Trichgnomes said:

I agree with most your points, however, I feed my dog yogurt every day. Yogurt, is indeed a dairy product, however a dairy product is not necessarily yogurt, dig? yogurt and kefir are both very good for dogs, because they are loaded with beneficial bacteria and yeasts, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, B. bifidum, etc. SCOBYs (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast) often have as many as 15 different species living in the consortium.
The reason for feeding any mammal a food that has been cultured is to try to bring to a balance the ratios of naturally occurring microbes. I guess that one could still say it is "cleaning out" but it is a bit more complex than that. Plants (those grown without human interference, that is, or with the help of humans using biological methods) need microbial assistance to "digest" complex mineral compounds; it is not all that different for humans/dogs/horses/ etc.
And the few times I have fed milk, it has been raw, i.e. not pasteurized or homogenized, which naturally contains probiotics when the conditions are ideal/optimal.

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Not true. Commercial dairy is toxic in many ways- growth hormones, antibiotics, pasteurization and homogenization destroy the good things that are in raw milk, but the fact is milk is NOT a part of their "NATURAL" diet. And that's what I meant by natural.

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After 3 months of country living, eating fresh meat (& some offal), good quality kibbles, & fresh warm goats' milk, he is now down to his fighting weight, has a beautiful shiny coat, no itches, & best of all - his sore knee has healed itself!

I chalk it up to the probiotics in the fresh goats' milk... Awesome stuff!

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The Great Milk Debate

Should dogs and cats eat dairy products? Some pet nutritionists say milk and dairy products are perfect foods, while others blame them for every canine and feline disorder from ear infections to cancer.
The truth lies somewhere in between. Raw, unpasteurized, unhomogenized milk straight from healthy, organically raised, grass-fed cows or goats is an excellent food for dogs and cats. Unfortunately, America's supermarkets stopped selling raw, whole milk long ago. Some states allow raw milk to be sold for pet use, and some allow consumers to buy raw milk directly from dairy farms. Health food stores can sometimes recommend suppliers, as can A Campaign for Real Milk.
The most familiar cultured dairy products in North America are yogurt and kefir, which are sold in health food stores and supermarkets. However, most commercially prepared yogurt and kefir contain questionable ingredients, such as nonfat dry milk powder, and their beneficial bacteria decline during shipment and storage. Freshly prepared yogurt and kefir provide both beneficial bacteria and the lactic acid they thrive on, protecting the system against pathogens and infection while improving digestion.
Yogurt requires carefully controlled heat for its fermentation, but thanks to the many electric yogurt makers sold in kitchen supply and department stores, it is easy to make at home. For dogs and cats, freshly prepared yogurt that has fermented for 24 hours is most digestible, for prolonged fermentation is needed to break down the lactose in milk.20 Kefir ferments at room temperature and requires no special equipment. Starters for both yogurt and kefir are widely available. Once fermented, a small amount of yogurt or kefir from a previous batch is added to fresh milk, and the bacteria grow.
Centuries ago, Scandinavian farmers discovered that milk clabbered faster when their cows ate butterwort, a European herb. Piima culture from Finland is derived from the milk of butterwort-fed cows; it contains five strains of beneficial bacteria and is easy for pets to digest. Piima starter can be used to make piima milk, cream, butter, buttermilk, cream cheese, and whey, any of which can be added to a pet's dinner. When introducing dairy products, feed them once a week to be sure your dog or cat tolerates them well; then use as often as desired.

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last week i woke up and hopped out of bed to and saw my pit looking up at me with these big proud eyes.. He was chomping on a full deer head in my bedroom! hair, ears, eyeballs the whole deal.. man pitbulls and dog doors are just a trouble waiting to happen!

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dwarfganja said:

I was thinking the same thing!

Natural as a "supplement" to Raw feeding would be:
Feed other organs: Heart,liver etc.
Also fish....the whole Fish great for dogs!

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schwagg said:

i really wish i could find the article i read but it was about pacific northwest salmon. there was something in it that can kill dogs.

other than that, my pit gets handfed chunks of raw meat twice a day. i leave kibble out but he never touches it. i love the raw diets but man, the marrow bones make the pup rip ass!

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