Dog Owners and What You Feed

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cellardoorv
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So. We got our boy Dante just under a week ago, and we're deliberating on what food we should give him. He was on Verus with his foster parents, but we want to switch him to a higher protein food. He's a bit underweight. I was going to opt for Canidae, but after reading reviews and seeing how the company switched formulas about a year ago, I've heard nothing but huge issues. My current selection is now with Taste of the Wild, but I'm still looking for alternatives. I like having options.

Any suggestions on what you guys feed your dogs, and how they've done on them?


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Bmore-coupe
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In summer, you will want to feed the neighborhood kids to him....I promise

rootS13
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To be honest with you, Ive never even heard of those brands. I feed my dogs Kirkland. If theres a Costco around you, its their brand of dog food. It was recommended to me by a trainer and my dogs love it. Its very high in protein as well.

More info: http://dogfoodchat.com/kirklan...table/

Its not the best out there, but as I said, all three of my dogs love this. Plus, you cant beat the price. Its about 13 bucks for a 20 or 25 pound bag.

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http://www.barfworld.com/



My brothers Rott.http://edelhausrottweilers.com...pos=3

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ThatGuyRoger
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i got my dog on a special diet dog food, shes a little fatty

cellardoorv
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I thought about BARF. My old boss used to feed her Bernese BARF, but stopped for some reason or another. Switched to Wellness CORE, I think.

dogfoodanalysis.com is pretty much my Bible. Ryan and I are looking for affordability and availability, but quality as well. I wouldn't mind spending 40-50 bucks for a 30-40 pound bag... if it lasts a month.

With higher quality food, they poop less. More food retention, and you feed less of the food because it keeps them fuller longer. And you're feeding good stuff, instead of twice as much as the crap stuff.

krimsonviper
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BARF is definately expensive and my brother goes through a slaughter house to get his. I don't know how much he goes through with just one dog because he house 6 rotts.

My house dog is also on the BARF diet, and she goes through a bag a week. $20 a bag. My dad doesn't go through a slaughter house.

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intermilanrox
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I feed my Shiba Inu a mix between Artemis http://www.artemiscompany.com/ and Wellness.

Canidae is alright, but it doesn't compare tot he two above.

Good Luck with the new pup.

cellardoorv
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Trying to gather info on a raw diet.

I just want a simple "feed this in the morning and feed this at night".

Nothing is ever simple =(

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Jesda
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Two very good mass market brands:--Eukanuba (sp)--Blue

My dog eats the Costco brand. I gave him the fancy stuff when he was a puppy since he was dealing with stomach sensitivity issues.

Eventually, after examining the way his feces look, noticing how he seems to feel, and seeing how receptive he is to eating it, you'll find the right product.

krimsonviper
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cellardoorv wrote:Trying to gather info on a raw diet.

I just want a simple "feed this in the morning and feed this at night".

Nothing is ever simple =(
Dudette, BARF is simple. Feed once a day, after you get home. Make sure not to give water 2 hours before you go to bed, and let the dog out RIGHT before you go to bed, and you're golden!

cellardoorv
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I'm looking into the raw diet (moreso the "prey" method; meat, bones, & organs) because I noticed BARF includes fruits and vegetables. Which I think is pretty silly.

It seems like a good way to go. What did people feed their dogs before dog food was invented, about 60 years ago? Must've been scraps of last night's pig slaughter.

cellardoorv
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Ack! Jesda! Eukanuba? Really? It has a bunch of corn, fillers, and hardly any meat products.

krimsonviper
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We skip the fruits and veggies...

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Jesda
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cellardoorv wrote:Ack! Jesda! Eukanuba? Really? It has a bunch of corn, fillers, and hardly any meat products.
They almost ALL have that, even the fancy organic brands. Some have more or less than others.

Remember that in the end, your dog is a dog. An animal. Take care of him, give him routine and thorough medical care, but don't treat him like he's fragile. Unless he has a weight management goal or a stomach ailment, going balls-out on dog food is completely unnecessary.

Its like those people who go crazy over motor oil. They blow their wad on specialty lubricants and gain very, very little. In economics, there's a concept called the Law of Diminishing Returns. At some point, every additional dollar you spend produces less, if any, results.

So, buy the "good" dog food but don't waste your resources on super-elite-ultra-premium BS. Spend your money on blood tests and have them kept on file with your veterinarian. Spend it on occasional dental work. Get him chipped. Spend it on flea and tick prevention. Spend extra on higher quality shampoos to prevent shedding (unless you have a high-end vacuum cleaner).

Don't fixate on bags of kibble.

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vocationalzero
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i just always used purina green bags

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flohtingPoint
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I feed my dog whatever food I pick up from the grocery store. I always make sure she gets plenty of exercise though as she was a bit of a tubby when she was younger.

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numbnuts240
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my dog eats ~2 bowls of iams a day. the big bag (40lb?) lasts me a month @ around $35. once in a while he gets the last couple of bites of whatever meal i'm eating, a cow bone here and there, rawhide, milk bones, dental treats, and beer. you've seen how happy and healthy he is.

cellardoorv
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I know they all have that, Jesda, which what worries me. All these fillers and crap... this is why the raw stuff intrigues me. I was chopping up some chicken for dinner and tossed him a few scraps. He was wagging his tail and I swore it was going to fly off.

He's so iffy about the food I just bought him a week ago which, come to find out, is one of the highest rated premium food. http://www.bluebuff.com/produc...shtml We'll give him a bowl, he'll sniff it, and walk away. Won't touch it until we hand feed him, and even then, he won't eat a lot of it. But at 30 bucks for an 11 pound bag.... that can get pricey. I think the largest bag they carry is 30 pounds, and that's 55 bucks.

The raw diet intrigues me. It's pure meat. No fillers, etc. Just the stuff they would get if roaming out in the wild. Agreed, a dog is a domesticated animal, but their digestive systems are akin to wolves, even still.

KV, any idea on what the Rottie gets? What kind of meats/cuts/bones?

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numbnuts240
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i had a friend whose german shepard was on a ground beef and oats diet. this dog was really, really lean. healthy, but too skinny for my likings. also, he was eating almost a pound of meat per meal (i think it was twice a day). if money is part of your decision, that's going to get pricey really fast.

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breadbox
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Dry food is Beneful usually.

My dogs get a spoonful of cottage cheese in the morning and get some wet food around 3-5pm.

Wet food is caeser bistro, beneful, or those huge sausage meat things they have at farm fresh in the petfood aisle but in the minifridge. My dogs love that shizz.

cellardoorv
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True. It can. I was researching it all night. Most people who feed raw spend about the same amount they would if feeding commercial dog food per month. *shrug* I wouldn't mind spending 60 a month on his premium food, but he doesn't even touch it.

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breadbox
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Also dogs like to keep strict schedules in my experience.

If you feed him once a day, then thats his schedule.

My dogs like lots of fruits, veggies and nuts as well.

Sometimes we get lean meat, wheat rice and some canned veggies and make our own dog food.

cellardoorv
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We kept with the schedule that he was on with his foster parents. 2 cups at 6-7am, and 2 cups at 6:30 pm.

Still doesn't want much to do with it. We even mixed his old food in with his new food, to transition it better, but doesn't care.

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numbnuts240
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my dog hates fruits and veggies. he'll pick them up, taste it, drop it, lick it, then walk away. i usually make him some white rice if he gets mud butt from eating something he wasn't supposed to. he likes it and it settle his stomach pretty much right away.

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numbnuts240
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cellardoorv wrote:Still doesn't want much to do with it. We even mixed his old food in with his new food, to transition it better, but doesn't care.
try adding some gravy, then little by little, ween him off of it.

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breadbox
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maybe leave food out if he isn't killing it every meal and see when he eats. my dogs kinda set their own schedules and effectively mine as well.

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numbnuts240
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that too. it might also be uneasiness from the new environment thing. he may not be totally comfortable just yet. even as a puppy, it took a few days for my dog to get up to a regular schedule, and even now, there are days when he doesn't eat his food in the morning and waits until after i'm home from work to eat.

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Jesda
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cellardoorv wrote:The raw diet intrigues me. It's pure meat. No fillers, etc. Just the stuff they would get if roaming out in the wild. Agreed, a dog is a domesticated animal, but their digestive systems are akin to wolves, even still.
If a domestic American dog was roaming around, it would likely vomit half the stuff it ate. In Asia you'll see feral dogs, genetically the same as our pets, roaming the streets -- they're like squirrels. They don't live very long lives, either. Domestication and standardized commercial food has allowed dogs to live longer, healthier, happier.

Although there are genetic similarities that allow us to trace our loving pets to wolves and nomadic creatures, there's no point in making comparisons. They're just not the same, not tuned to the same sensitivities and not exposed to the same environments. Compared to dogs, wolves are pretty gross, laden with parasites and other problems found in nature.

This is an interesting read with mixed opinions:http://www.vetinfo.com/drawmeat.html

rootS13
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cellardoorv wrote:We even mixed his old food in with his new food, to transition it better, but doesn't care.
Try mixing other stuff with the food. Examples: yogurt (plain), Cottage cheese, white rice, canned pumpkin (they go nuts over this), deli meats.

You can also try and mix some Caesars wet food with the kibble or even some cat food. My dogs love both for some reason. Maybe the high fat content.


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