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Posts: 12210
Apr 2 08 3:13 PM
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Apr 2 08 3:15 PM
Hunter Princess wrote: I do not have time for your ridiculous passive aggressiveness. Off my thread, please.
Posts: 780
Apr 2 08 3:16 PM
Maybe try Van Patten's "Natural Balance" brand Limited Ingredients Diet.
My mini poodle was a tub-o-lard and having problems with ear infections. I'd been feeding her Pedigree for years. I'd heard that the ingredients and fillers in many popular dog foods can cause problems like obesity, ill health, allergies, and whatnot. So, as an experiment, I put her on this (she gets 1/3 c. twice daily) Van Patten's L.I.D., Venison and Sweet Potato. She's been getting it since last fall.
She's now a normal weight, her coat is beautiful, and her ear is much, much better. I'll warn you it's stupidly expensive- $40 schmackers for one 20 lb bag. But you have a little bitty dog, so it will go a long way. If that doesn't work, maybe try feeding less. Or you could have him tested for thyroid issues.
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Apr 2 08 3:29 PM
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Apr 2 08 3:51 PM
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Apr 2 08 4:56 PM
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Apr 2 08 4:57 PM
Apr 2 08 5:05 PM
thedens wrote: I've had great results with Canidae dog food. It's a little hard to find, but my dogs look awesome and it doesn't set off my Aussie's gas problem like a lot of other premium foods do. With the exercise, does he play fetch? My dogs get better exercise (in any weather) chasing a flippy flopper across the screened porch or living room off and on all day than a walk with slow ol' me gives them.
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Apr 2 08 8:32 PM
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Apr 3 08 5:49 AM
Anyjackie, A topic close to my heart! Oh, I can really go on about this one! My Kuvasz male had problems with dog foods, and after I did some research (and was shocked!) I started my own pet treat (and foods) business. Now I do a combo of homemade and store bought foods. 1st: Science Diet sucks!!!! Try Origen, Evo (both of which are high protein, less grains), Van Patten's Natural Balance, some of the Eagle Pack, Wellness (lots others). Nutro not that great. Eukanuba used to be good, as well as Iams, but now they are owned by a company that produces for Walmart (and other large bulk stores). Walmart (whose policy is to buy the product for a few % lower each year) thereby forceing manufacturers to cut corners to keep the contract, often sacrificing quality of ingredients.
2nd: Dogs are actually Omnivores (not carnivores), living with man has changed them somewhat. However they do have a simpler digestive system (than us), meaning they need simpler energy sources to digest. These simple sources are found in meat, many plants take more energy and tiem to digest (think cows and cud). Link to my website if you are interested (ie: bored): Evolution of Domesticated Dog 3rd: not sure how it is in US, but in Canada, if you want quality pet food, go to a pet store. They will also have the knowledge to help you. My local farm supply stores have crappy dog food. And for me, if I find a food in my supermarket, Walmart, etc... this is my signal to stop buying it!!! Big supermarkets are all about the profit margin, if the manufacturer is making it so cheap it can be sold in a Walmart, I don't want it! Some tips to help chose a processed dry dog food (sorry another link, but too long to type on here and hog the thread). Another tip is to compare the recommended feedings. Choose the one that has the lowest. My boy is 120lbs. If I try to feed Iams, they recommend, to get all necessary nutrients from the food, that he eat 8 cups a day (holy he.ll!). I'd do nothing BUT pick up dog poop! But I feed Natural Balance, which recommends 4 cups a day. He's picky - I can get him to eat 3-4 in winter but only about 2-3 in summer. So my choice is NB! LOT less poop too! It is better ingredients, so he gets more NRG from less food (also in the end pay less $). 4th: Table scraps are not actually a bad thing. ON THE CONDITION that they are good food. This is a myth. What do you think dogs eat for the last few thousand years, before the manufacturers came along?! And if dog food manufacturers say that human quality food isn't good for dogs, what the he.ll are they putting in my dog's food?! By scraps I'm not talking about buttery stuff or fatty chunks of meat. But the last of the chicken or steak I just could eat, are OK. The leftover mashed potatoes, or unbuttered peas or green beans. One of my dogs' favorite treat is an egg beaten into goat milk and microwaved for a minute (esp on a cold day). Goat's milk is more digestible to them than cow's milk. Eggs (cooked!) are good for skin and coat. But rule of thumb for table scraps; if you wouldn't eat it why the hell are you giving it to your dog? If you do give scraps or treats, be sure to reduce the processed food by a little bit. It is not a treat (OK, well it is) but it is a replacement for the boring processed food. OK, I'll shut up now...
Posts: 3581
Apr 3 08 6:40 AM
I have done a lot of research into dog foods, tried the raw thing and learned about dry foods.. etc etc.
I love raw, but it is very difficult to get the right 'balance' of ingredients for your dog.. plus it is time consuming and can get expensive. OH.. and I've found that you have to have a good place to feed it (my dog liked to eat off of the floor, so it was an 'outside' activity).
I highly recommend Canidae dog foods. They are very high quality and are produced by a small company (read: quality control) who believes in using the best ingredients. Their basic belief is in an "all stages of life" type of nutrition - so no 'puppy' food or 'fat dog' food, etc.
The stuff is so high quality that you feed less, and your dog thrives. Like with horses, you can see the result of good nutrition in dog 'poo'. With the raw diet, ideally the 'poo' will resemble that of wild dog species, devoid of anything of value and truly a waste product. In my experience (that of someone who has to pick up her dog's poo) Canidae does a pretty good job of providing nutrients that the body absorbs and doesn't waste.
A good food will allow your dog to get the most out of it, remain highly active, and lean.
check them out at www.canidae.com They are not in every pet store, but it is worth the drive to get the food. Once you become a 'canidae person', you kind of become part of an elite crowd Seriously though, people ALWAYS stop me and comment on my dog (I actually have people slow their cars down and shout out "Nice Dog" out of their windows when we are on a run or walk). They often ask me what I feed him and I tell them. About one in ten people will say "I knew it! I feed Canidae too!". It's weird, I know, but makes you feel like you are doing your dog a service.
On a side note, and I don't mean to start some kind of a flame war here, but after working (part-time) in a number of vet's offices I don't think I'll ever do science diet. Firstly, as a kid I cleaned up that science diet poop. Secondly, the vets who sold it wouldn't use it for their own dogs. Thirdly, the vets who didn't sell it refused to on principles of nutrition. As far as signing up for a promo food, they would only go with the best that was available, Royal Cannin. Canidae is too small of a company to provide food for veterinary offices. RC is another good choice (but more expensive) if you can't do Canidae.
Somewhere on the internet there is a non biased listing of the ingredients found in a number of dog foods... I can't remember where I found it, but Canidae was the top, with things like Wellness, Eagle Pack, and RC very close.
Sorry if this was rambling, but I had to stop a million times for the phone, work, etc.. I hope the important ideas were conveyed though.
Apr 3 08 7:06 AM
It is often wrongly conveyed that your best friend is an omnivore. The main "myth" used to support this is "wolves eat the stomach contents of their pray" inferring that the stomach contents are usually vegetable/plant matter, so the wolf must be an omnivore.......
WRONG! Wolves DO NOT eat the stomach contents of their pray. This "myth" is repeated over and over as false evidence that wolves, and therefore dogs, are omnivores. It is not supported by the evidence available to us, and is therefore false!
Wolves eat the actual stomach, not the contents. The only times a wolf would eat stomach contents would be:
The wolf has survived by being an adaptable creature. He will survive by eating what can be found in times of shortage. This does not mean that he is an omnivore, it simply means that he is a survivor. Just like if you were hungry and the only food available was not your "normal" diet, it wouldn't take too long before you would eat what was available in order to survive. This might not be the best for your health, but it would certainly help you survive.
Re: Raw Diet. Raw diet is actually cheaper to feed than a high quality pet food when you buy in bulk. I only pay about half as much as I did for top of the line commercial foods. Plus, I didn't have a choice with one of my dogs and two of my cats because they could not digest commercial foods. Pets that have an allergy to a protein source will usually NOT have an allergy to that protein source in raw form. Cats and dogs are meant to digest raw meat, cooked meat doesn't have the same enzymes that aid in digestion. Just like lactose intolerant individuals. Humans are the only species that continues to consume dairy after weaning and many are unable to digest lactose. Once you get the hang of things its not hard to balance it at all. You just need to provide enough variety. The basic "recipe" is 80% RMB and 20% offal. In the beginning you can weigh it out but once you are doing it for a while you get an eye for it. In addition, a raw diet is much more flexible than commercial diets. As hunters and scavengers it is not unusual to gorge and then fast while searching for more food. Everywhere I go I am complimented on my dogs skin, coat, teeth, and breath. All the health problems that I was previously paying out the ass at the vet to figure out what was wrong disappeared with raw diet. In fact I almost lost Piper, she was near death from Iams food. My vet had recommended it, I do not see that vet any longer. What you spend on raw or a high quality diet is quickly made back by avoidance of vet visits! My ex-stepdads cat needed a $500 surgery as a result of purina cat kibble.
Apr 3 08 10:14 AM
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