What do you feed your dog?

[supermanlives]

i feed them like 2 to 3 days in a row then give them a day off in the wild dogs would go days between feeds trust it keeps them in tip top condition

are these dogs getting daily excersize? i dont see any weight lifters or athletes skipping a meal. just curious. your theory might be right . has there been any research into this theory. most people would call it neglect. i have no real opinion

 

[alwaystoned_1]

course my dogs are getting daily exercise there not working dogs but get walked about 5 miles daily humans are different to dogs. Are bodies work differently il post a couple of pics of my dogs you tell me if they look neglected

 

[alwaystoned_1]

two of my dogs

 

[chefro420]

Careful with the grain free high protein diets with older dogs .As they age their kidneys lose function , and these diets put extra stress on them My old dog was getting light seizures , until I switched his diet and tried some alternative therapies

 

[supermanlives]

course my dogs are getting daily exercise there not working dogs but get walked about 5 miles daily humans are different to dogs. Are bodies work differently il post a couple of pics of my dogs you tell me if they look neglected

nope those look perfect. i aint critisizing just curious. whatever your doing is working great . happy looking dogs

 

[supermanlives]

but i wouldnt be telling anyone that when getting your pup as humane society would have a problem with that i am sure, as would most breeders probably. what you say makes total sense tho. and ya dogs aint like humans. thanks for your input

 

[pearlemae]

I'm feeding Nutro Venison and potatos grain free, the dogs love it. I've tried just about every high quality food on the market and the Nutro is what they like best. I also use a Natural Balance lamb meat stick grated over each bowl.
The Poodle is 90 Lbs and the Dane is 140 or so.

 

[ladydog]

after reading about the kinds of things in most dog food , and the high prices of good quality dog food, i started making all my dogs' food myself with food that is safe for human consumption. i usually make him chicken, potatoes, green beans, with some oil and egg shells for calcium. when its all cooked it gets mixed in a bowl, without the bones of course, and i feed him a few cups a day.

 

[ProfGerbik]

i feed my pets used bandage scraps.

 

[nattynattygurrl]

"Natty you seem to be pretty knowledgeable about the good dog foods - familiar with Timberwolf organics at all? I've heard that it's good stuff and it's pretty available to me, what do you think?" -VADO

Hi VADO,
I'm definitely no expert and I am a little rusty since I've been without pups for a while; however, after looking at their website, I think Timberwolf looks like an excellent choice. I was unable to find the amount% of proteins, but it looks like their various formulas contain different amounts of proteins to fats and are all sourced from high quality proteins; as always, it is more important that the protein is quality, rather than quantity.

Ingredients listed in Timberwolf: "high levels of meats, essential fatty acids, kelp and other seaweeds, greens, seeds, fruits and nuts, the addition of taurine and sulfur-containing amino acids, and only the finest of ingredients in our formulas"…all sound really good. (Taurine is a really important amino acid for both dogs and cats, however some dogs foods don't contain taurine that was once believed dogs could produce enough on their own.)

Things to avoid:
artificial flavors and dyes; chemicals; hormones; antibiotics; sugars/sweeteners (ie: sucrose, corn syrup, or glycyrrhizin); 'rendered animal fats', meat and bone 'meal', "by-products"; salts and other preservatives (ie: BHT and BHA: which they do no require to be listed), instead, look for tocopherols and citric acid: (vitamins C and E), which are often used instead, to preserve food. Even some of the "premium" brands of dog food have been found to contain dead, diseased, dying or disabled animals, "meal" or "rendered" fats; moldy grains; pet grade ingredients: (ie: not fit for human consumption); even the drug Pentobarbital, used to euthanasia, has been found in pet foods. Additions to the 'do not feed' list: walnuts and macadamia nuts.

Grains:
It's important to try to stay away from grain proteins, (ie: wheat and corn glutens; and soy protein.)
If you decide to do grain, make sure it is a healthy whole grain:, like rolled oats, barley, millet, or brown rice; (rather than corn meal, corn syrup, corn glutens or wheat glutens.) Additionally, wheat gluten was found to be the source of the melamine contamination that caused illness and deaths, back in 2007.
"As carnivores, wheat or gluten is not a natural substance found in the diets of wild dog and cat. Dogs and cats systems are not equip to process plant proteins like glutens. Wheat and gluten ingestion has been linked to allergies and other health concerns."

Things you want to find: Taurine, L-Carnitine and probiotics; and if your dog is older, Glucosamine and Chondroitin for their joints.
Ideally, pick a food with high quality, digestible meats; ideally one that includes the term "human grade", which means it has gone through tests with the AAFC, and should be hormone and anti-biotic free. The food should include Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids: (from fish oil, flax seed, pumpkin seeds or soybeans, as well as sunflower oil, safflower oil, black currant seed oils and a few others.) Look for organic carrots, broccoli, green beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apples, blue berries, watermelon and cantaloupe. Fruits and veggies contain enzymes which assist in digestion and absorption of nutrients.


Hi Chefro,
I did a quick search after reading your comment, Re: high protein diets causing kidney failure....
In short, from what little reading I did, it seems that the quality of the protein seems to be the key, rather than the quantity: high quality proteins are more digestible, therefore there is less waste to be filtered by the kidneys, which means less stress on that organ…"Old wives tales about dry dog foods high in protein causing kidney disease run rampant both on and off the internet and many people deprive their dogs of what they crave most for fear of damaging their health."
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=protein_myth

"Does high protein cause kidney disease? 
No. This myth probably started because, in the past, patients with kidney disease were commonly placed on low-protein (and thus low-nitrogen) diets. Today, we often put them on a diet that is not necessarily very low in protein, but instead contains protein that is more digestible (therefore producing fewer nitrogen by-products). These diet changes are made merely because damaged kidneys may not be able to handle the excess nitrogen efficiently. In pets with existing kidney problems, nitrogen can become too high in the bloodstream which can harm other tissues. Unless your veterinarian has told you your pet has a kidney problem that is severe enough to adjust the protein intake, you can feed your pet a normal amount of protein without worrying about "damaging" or "stressing" your pet's kidneys. Also, keep in mind the fact that you are not "saving" your pet's kidneys by feeding a low-protein diet."
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?dept_id=0&siteid=12&acatid=284&aid=459#answer_7


Please, give all of your pups an extra treat and pet for me! I'm missing my girls a lot today...Enjoy those fur-babies!!

 

[whateverman]

A friend put his german shepard on the BARF diet, and his well-being improved.


http://www.barfworld.com/


Expensive as shit though. *I don't know a lot about this* but I will say that I watched a fifteen minute youtube lecture of a veterinarian advocate of a raw food diet for dogs. As a biology major with no expertise in animal health, I was able to count I think seventeen patently incorrect biological assertions she made, all of which were non-trivial. She says a bunch of completely retarded things about E-coli risk in particular.


Kinda scared me away from it until I do more research.

 

[whateverman]

i feed them like 2 to 3 days in a row then give them a day off in the wild dogs would go days between feeds trust it keeps them in tip top condition

That's interesting. Dogs have been domesticated for a long time though man. I mean, our ancestors used to go days without food too.

I'm not saying I disagree with you or have any knowledge on this. Just thought I'd mention it.

 

[alwaystoned_1]

they may have been domesticated a long time ago but that doesn't mean there needs have changed as i said in my first post i used to feed my dogs dry biscuits and when i switched to this diet i noticed a massive improvement in my dogs health and fitness there overall happier dogs

 

[chefro420]

Hi VADO,

Hi Chefro,
I did a quick search after reading your comment, Re: high protein diets causing kidney failure....
In short, from what little reading I did, it seems that the quality of the protein seems to be the key, rather than the quantity: high quality proteins are more digestible, therefore there is less waste to be filtered by the kidneys, which means less stress on that organ…"Old wives tales about dry dog foods high in protein causing kidney disease run rampant both on and off the internet and many people deprive their dogs of what they crave most for fear of damaging their health."
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=protein_myth

"Does high protein cause kidney disease? 
No. This myth probably started because, in the past, patients with kidney disease were commonly placed on low-protein (and thus low-nitrogen) diets. Today, we often put them on a diet that is not necessarily very low in protein, but instead contains protein that is more digestible (therefore producing fewer nitrogen by-products). These diet changes are made merely because damaged kidneys may not be able to handle the excess nitrogen efficiently. In pets with existing kidney problems, nitrogen can become too high in the bloodstream which can harm other tissues. Unless your veterinarian has told you your pet has a kidney problem that is severe enough to adjust the protein intake, you can feed your pet a normal amount of protein without worrying about "damaging" or "stressing" your pet's kidneys. Also, keep in mind the fact that you are not "saving" your pet's kidneys by feeding a low-protein diet."
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?dept_id=0&siteid=12&acatid=284&aid=459#answer_7

ALso please quote me correctly , I didn't say this

I did a quick search after reading your comment, "Re: high protein diets causing kidney failure...."


I was feeding my senior dog high quality , no grain foods . He was fine till he got older . The high protein , no grain food was causing his health problems . This isn't something , I dug off wiki or a business that sells dog products . . This is first hand with MY dog .His blood test for kidney function were still way above those for severe kidney failure , yet he still had issues . I went through this over a year with 2 different vets.

ALso it's phosphorus and the extra protein that really taxes the kidneys , not nitrogen . Like i said previously , as your dogs age , watch the high protein/no grain diets . I feed mine a prepared renal diet now and also home pre-pared food and has had 200% improvement, and no more seizures , and 100x more energy .

 

[Headbandf1]

I have 4 primitive breed dogs and we feed then every other day, ORIJEN - Buffalo recipe.

Then on the other days we feed them Raw food to include yams, DE (food grade), and either raw beef, veal, lama, goat, hourse, chicken, fish - what every less desirable scrapes ar available.

But my dogs also feed themselves, they will take down and consume, Rabbits, ground sqruirrls tree squirrals, beaver, otter, crayfish, Catfish, stripper, sturgons , possium, raccoon, Rats, Moles, Phesants, Quail, doves, - acctually you name it if it runs or flys my dogs will chase catch kill and consume damb near everything on my property. - they do kill but wont eat skunks.

 

[nattynattygurrl]

My apologies, Chefro; I was only trying to frame my search w/ the bold text; I'm awfully sorry if it came across as if I was "quoting" you. It didn't even occur to me that it might be misconstrued as a direct quote; sorry about that.
As I said, I am not a vet, or and 'expert', just an animal lover.
Your experience concerned me since Mesa's pup is currently "grain free", due to allergies. (My girls were doing whole grains: brown rice and oats.)
As I very clumsily attempted to clarify in my last post, it's grain proteins to watch out for; whole grains are great.
After reading your post, I did a quick search and just posted what I found; I by no means thought of it as the definitive word, (hence the "shrug" smiley: my inadequate attempt to convey that.)

I am so sorry your pup went through that; it must have been horrible...Loosing my girls was the hardest thing I've ever been through.

Please accept my sincere condolences and apologies, Chefro. I did not intend to come across as though I was attacking or doubting you, or your vet; I just wanted to find out more...But I realize I could have worded things a lot better.

 

[Bobby Stainless]

children.

 

[chefro420]

My apologies, Chefro; I was only trying to frame my search w/ the bold text; I'm awfully sorry if it came across as if I was "quoting" you. It didn't even occur to me that it might be misconstrued as a direct quote; sorry about that.
As I said, I am not a vet, or and 'expert', just an animal lover.
Your experience concerned me since Mesa's pup is currently "grain free", due to allergies. (My girls were doing whole grains: brown rice and oats.)
As I very clumsily attempted to clarify in my last post, it's grain proteins to watch out for; whole grains are great.
After reading your post, I did a quick search and just posted what I found; I by no means thought of it as the definitive word, (hence the "shrug" smiley: my inadequate attempt to convey that.)

I am so sorry your pup went through that; it must have been horrible...Loosing my girls was the hardest thing I've ever been through.

Please accept my sincere condolences and apologies, Chefro. I did not intend to come across as though I was attacking or doubting you, or your vet; I just wanted to find out more...But I realize I could have worded things a lot better.

No worries or needs for an apology bro . I just wanted to share my experience Ive had with my senior dog . I will admit Iam touchy about the old bastard too!

 

[nattynattygurrl]

"I will admit Iam touchy about the old bastard too!" -Chefro.

Hey, so am I; it just shows that you care a lot about your pooch!
...A most admirable quality in my book!!

Thank you for being so understanding, Chefro; I felt bad about it all afternoon. lol.

Have you give any thought to getting another pup?
It's been a year since Joney passed, and almost 3 since the Bella; I'm still not sure I'm ready.
I sure do miss having a pup-pal to "run" with; maybe when my hip is a little better...

 

[chefro420]

Don't feel bad ! He's not dead yet!! He is right her panting from his walk !

Im sorry you don't have you dog with you any longer. When your ready go to the shelter and give a dog a good life.