Dog Food Questions Again I Know, But I need help!!!

[LokiDog]

Thanks All,

That's some really good ideas.

I did not know the Petsmart started taking competitors coupons again, haven't been there in a long time.

I have not bought food at Costco, I have always been a little leery about those types of foods because of their allergies. But Diamond is supposed to be a very good brand. I'll look into it.

I do like the Natures Recipe, They like it too and it does not upset their stomach. I have applied for and asked for every coupon that exists, but with over 350 lbs of dog to feed it doesn't go very far. But every little bit helps.

As for cooking for them I usually stick with chicken and beef, boiled with oatmeal, rice or barley.

Does anyone know if beans are good for them (Aside from the obvious gas factor)?

[Catlady711]

Does anyone know if beans are good for them (Aside from the obvious gas factor)?

Quite a number of our clients feed their dogs green beans (fresh, cooked, and believe it or not still frozen) as treats. Many dogs also enjoy carrots.

[Seravieve]

I know what you mean about trying to find coupons.. I'd go check out Petsmart and see if they have any $3/1 coupons on their bags. There's a current $5/$30 Petco coupon on Fatwallet.com (search for it on the upper right). Could wait till they run a petperks sale on it and stock up.. you can use more than one petco/mart coupon per transaction, as long as the dollar value is high enough... 2 bags 35.99 each, could use 2 $5/$30 coupons.. etc. Also, you can always look on eBay for people with Nature's Recipe coupons.. I know they're few and far between... but maybe with these $3/1 coupons out, someone might have some. Could always take a few extra if you do go up there and they have them. =) Can you tell I coupon.. a lot?!

[Karen]

Does anyone know if beans are good for them (Aside from the obvious gas factor)?

Dogs have a different digestive system than humans - so gas is not necessarily going to happen. Raw green beans, yes, are doggie safe! Not Karen safe - I'm allergic to them, but I would try a few first, to see how they react.

[LokiDog]

OK, Thanks to ALL!!!

1- Seravieve, Thanks for the info. I found and printed the coupons last night. Their daddy is going there tonight. The coupons are expired (12/31/09) but maybe they will take them anyway. He can be pretty persuasive/pleading when he wants to be. I will let you know if he can grab any of the peely coupons.

2- Karen and Catlady711, I do give them green beans all the time. As well as carrots, peas, potatoes… everything really except corn. I was wondering about things like kidney beans, navy beans, lentils, that sort of thing. I would like to add them as a source of fiber-protein, in addition to the meat of coarse.

Again to all, Thanks for all the info so far. Does anyone else have a suggestion for a good “filler” for their home cooked food? I am using oatmeal, brown rice, barley and fresh, frozen and canned veggies. Sometimes I use pasta, not too often though. Is that a good filler?

Any and all advise is greatly appreciated.

[Seravieve]

If they didnt accept those, there should be some that expire on 1/31/10 on Fatwallet.com... =) Sorry I'm no help with the other questions.. I know my dogs would eat them! I dunno if they should though.

[LokiDog]

Thanks Seravieve,

I just went back to the Fat Wallet site and found some 5/30 off coupons that are good until 3/31/10 they are good for 2+ months!!!
Here is the link straight to the PDF with a copy of 4 of them on the same page. I just sent it to the hubby so he could use them tonight and I tested it and it went through.

http://www.fatwallet.com/attachments...30petco_1_.pdf

I did test it in the preview window and it worked so...
I don’t know if it will work directly as a link, but you can always cut and paste into a new browser window and that definitely works.



Thanks Everybody!!!!

[IRescue452]

Some beans are ok, but don't feed legume-beans. They may reduce a dog's ability to process Vitamin A.

If you are going to cook for your dogs you should read up on the Pottenger Cat study to see how cooked food's lack in nutrients affected cats in a lba study. Yes cats are different from dogs and have more nutritional needs, but it can be an eye opener on how cooking food takes out nutrients.

Why on earth do people like Diamond dog foods? It's ingredients are all made in China and it has one of the lowest ratings ever. Here is Diamond Maintenence: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_f...oduct=87&cat=7

Absolute Garbage!!!! Dollar Tree dog food is better than Diamond.

[MonicanHonda]

I beg to differ that diamond is worse than dollar tree brand. You're right, it's not a good brand considering ALL the recalls they have had, but it's cheaper and better than Alpo, Ol' Roy, Purina... She asked for a cheap dog food. Cooking for your cat is still better than kibble. Kibble is cooked to so they must both be lacking in nutrients. Taurine is a big one for cats. To make up for it, kibble just overloads its food in it and hopes that it has enough to sustain cats. So they could essentially be getting an overload of it. Cats also shouldn't be on an all fish diet... it's not good for them even though many think it is.

[IRescue452]

Purina is actually better than Diamond believe it or not. Regular Purina dog chow outranks Diamond in all reviews I've seen. I'm not saying Purina is good, but its better.

I never recommend fish at all in a cat's diet, I'm just giving an example of how a diet based entirely on cooked meat is not the best. This is a very extreme example, but it sometimes takes extremes to get people to take notice and do more research into their pet's food.

There's more to foods than their ingredients tell you. In one of the worst foods I've researched (for ferrets), I found that some of the listed bacteria to aid digestion were actually by-product bacteria from the pharmaceutical industry. More specifically, they were what was left over after culturing and harvesting bacteria to treat yeast infections. Bacteria normally found in certain areas of the human body that don't make for an appealing food additive.

[Bea]

Hi, everybody, I am new here and was reading all your posts.
Have you ever thought that you are comparing commercial dog food with commercial dog food. Instead of comparing commercial dog food and a natural diet? There is absolutely no comparison which is healthier and cheaper!
I own 4 Golden Retrievers, I used to breed them. I feed all of them a biologically appropriate diet. Called BARF. It is a lot cheaper! Twice! Once on your wallet by paying a fraction for dog food. Second by not having dogs sick. So I am saving on the vet bills too, well into old age.
Consider it, specially with big dogs like Rottweiler, just perfect.

I am a professional dog groomer, ex breeder, dog trainer, and teach people how to feed their dog correctly. The one thing that ALL the dog brands have in common is 3rd grade ingredients and they are all cooked. There is no anti-oxidants in them. The cooking processed makes food rancid for dogs. So you are actually slowly poisoning your dogs. As the cooking process kills most nutrients that dogs need and is only available from raw and fresh foods!
The Vets know about this too! But they stay silent, as they like to earn money of your sick pets! Plus the average Vet had about 4 hours of training in food! and that by Pal!
I live in Australia, so Im not advertising here, OK? But, I do have a website set up for my clients, to unravel the mystery of feeding your dog better. If you like have a look, maybe it will help you to feed your dogs healthier and cheaper. www.pet-affair.com.au
Got any more question write to me or buy the book "Give your dog a bone, by Ian Billinghurst, he will open your eyes to what is going on in the commercial dog food industry! All I can say, YUK!!

[Catlady711]

OK, Thanks to ALL!!!

1- Seravieve, Thanks for the info. I found and printed the coupons last night. Their daddy is going there tonight. The coupons are expired (12/31/09) but maybe they will take them anyway. He can be pretty persuasive/pleading when he wants to be. I will let you know if he can grab any of the peely coupons.

2- Karen and Catlady711, I do give them green beans all the time. As well as carrots, peas, potatoes… everything really except corn. I was wondering about things like kidney beans, navy beans, lentils, that sort of thing. I would like to add them as a source of fiber-protein, in addition to the meat of coarse.

Again to all, Thanks for all the info so far. Does anyone else have a suggestion for a good “filler” for their home cooked food? I am using oatmeal, brown rice, barley and fresh, frozen and canned veggies. Sometimes I use pasta, not too often though. Is that a good filler?

Any and all advise is greatly appreciated.

http://www.petdiets.com/default.asp?...Name=/main.asp

That website has alot of good information on it by an accredited veterinary nutritionist. For a fee they will do a custom home cooked diet for you to use based on your pet's personal needs, in this case no corn.

[LokiDog]

I just want to say thank you to everybody who took the time to look at and reply to this post. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate the time, effort, and the research you all did.

I think for now that we will be OK with the Natures Recipe since they do well on it. And with the great info on the coupons that you gave me the price is very manageable for the time being.

I will continue to look around for alternatives and cook for them on a regular basis. Maybe I'll just start my own dog food company and sell it to everyone at cost.

Anyway - Big Thanks to all of you.

[Seravieve]

Glad to help! Was at Petco tonight.. and noticed they have the $3/1 coupons on their bags as well.. Might want to stock up on coupons.. Since theyre good through October. I know I did. =)