What did your dog(s) eat today?

[dragondawg]

im confused i have always heard that feeding your dog "human food" was bad for them. one of my closest friends dog got stomach cancer for that. i have always heard from vets that ekanuba and iams was the best for them.

"Human food" is not harmful. My critters expect the last mouth full of what ever I'm eating. The agreement is that if they leave me alone while I'm eating I'll share that last tidbit at the end. Tonight they got left over steak trimmings - after receiving their normal dog food 1 hr before.

Probably the stomach cancer occured because it was destined to occur.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding ekanuba, or iams, or any other other high quality dog food. I feed my 2-3 yr olds Large Puppy Propet formula (27% protein/15% fat). My previous dog got the same brand for 11 years in the performance and maintenance formula. The result has been dogs free of allergies, metabolic diseases, arthritis, gastro-intestinal disturbances, with high energy and over all good health. They usually will consume their food within 30-60 seconds after it is placed in the bowl, day after day, year after year. So much for the evils of commercial dog food.

Pick a premium dog food, and stick with it. A dog does best when its diet is constant. Anything else is just religion.

[bckrazy]

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding ekanuba, or iams, or any other other high quality dog food."

So, it's cool if we fed my little brother Cap'n Crunch for the rest of his life? Sw33t, I will consider it. He loves it, he would eat it every day, he would probably survive on it and have loads of hyper energy... sounds ok to me.

Keep in mind that variety is gooood. Just because dogs survive on kibbles does not mean there isn't plenty of room for improvement, there IS! I don't know why you're encouraging an owner who *does* question the ethics/information behind the massive, corporate, "popular", filler-packed brands to not look into improving her dogs diet. That is what this thread is about! Looking around and considering other ways instead of sticking to what is conventional/easy/familiar. People *should* know what they're putting into their pet's bodies, and they *should* inform themselves rather than listening to every word a conventional vet tells them.

[Kfamr]

You're right, there's nothing wrong with feeding high quality dog food, however Iams and Eukanuba do not fit in that catagory.

[dragondawg]

I don't know why you're encouraging an owner who *does* question the ethics/information behind the massive, corporate, "popular", filler-packed brands to not look into improving her dogs diet.

I was actually responding to someone who questioned whether or not "human food" was good for dogs.

As stated I have fed and continue to feed my dogs Propet dog food. Since Propet dog food is a subsidiary of Carnation, and Carnation is a subsidiary of Nestle would you not agree the brand of dog food could qualify as coming from a massive corporation? It's quite unclear what filler means? But let's just assume that Propet has this nasty filler. Let's also assume that it's popular - although it probably isn't. So having met all of your criteria, once again here's the status of my two dogs...

Palatability of the food. Do the dogs like eating the Propet food? Well if I ask them around feeding time: Are you hungry? Clover immediately lets out a sound of "woo woo woo", and runs to the kitchen, while Barney starts jumping up and down turning in circles, and races down the stairs to the kitchen. Again food hits bowl and it's gone in 30-60 seconds. Could it be possible they like their food? Now what should be mixed in it to get them to jump through glass windows on the way to their feeding bowls?

No allergies, food skin or otherwise. No digestive problems- outside of when Barney decides to go "raw diet" on a deer bone. High energy levels. No metabolic problems. No arthritis. Exactly how can I improve the health of dogs which are in perfect health by altering diet?

Since you don't seem to believe in conventional Vets, do you believe in the points made in this link given in another thread?

Raw vs Kibble

Every major point or category is easily refuted. How does one inform themselves using non-scientific articles?

[dragondawg]

You're right, there's nothing wrong with feeding high quality dog food, however Iams and Eukanuba do not fit in that catagory.

My criteria was a brand with at least as high protein/fat as the so called name brands. And of course I wanted something the puppy dog would enjoy eating. Of course I eliminated Purina, Ole Roy as a matter of course. When I found Propet it was before Carnation bought it, and the brand name was Big Red. Ok not too much class to that name, but the ingrediants were in the right order, 30.15% Protein/Fat for the Performance formula, they guaranteed money back if the dog didn't like it, and it cost 1/2 the price of Science Diet, Eukanuba and the other more popular brands. It was a good fit, and any of the neighbor's dogs that I puppy sat also gobbled it down without complaint. So I've never really researched the pluses or negatives of Iams or Eukanuba. Never had the need to.

I'm just astonished by some of these posts.

[.sarah]

Well getting back on track here ...

Everyone had a lamb shank today.

[Roxyluvsme13]

dragondawg-Just to make a point, liking the food doesn't matter.. My dogs like their kibble, but it's certainly not the best for them..

[dragondawg]

dragondawg-Just to make a point, liking the food doesn't matter.. My dogs like their kibble, but it's certainly not the best for them..

Well, if one has dogs in perfect health on the current diet of "kibble" then how does one judge it's not best for them? Any criteria or metrics that can be measured? Any scientific studies published in the major Vet journals which measured these criteria? If not then it comes down to personal opinion and something that borders on religion.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Well, if one has dogs in perfect health on the current diet of "kibble" then how does one judge it's not best for them? Any criteria or metrics that can be measured? Any scientific studies published in the major Vet journals which measured these criteria? If not then it comes down to personal opinion and something that borders on religion.

Eh, true I suppose. I'd still much rather feed Raw.. and you really just made me realize that even though Roxy's on one of the lowest quality kibble's out there, she's perfectly healthy..

[Kfamr]

I agree Vela. Just because they seem to be healthy on the outside does not mean they are on the inside.


I mean.. lets think for a moment. McDonalds is the equivalent to Kibble N Bits. If you ate McDonalds everyday would you be healthy? NO.

[Vela]

Well, if one has dogs in perfect health on the current diet of "kibble" then how does one judge it's not best for them? Any criteria or metrics that can be measured? Any scientific studies published in the major Vet journals which measured these criteria? If not then it comes down to personal opinion and something that borders on religion.

How do you judge perfect health though, becuse they don't look like they are dying on the outside? That does not mean a dog is in perfect health. Yes dogs CAN survive on low quality food, but that does not mean they are in perfect health, and that is not something you can judge just by looking at them. People can survive on junk food too, in fact many teenagers look perfectly healthy and live on sodas and candy and junk, doesn't mean they are pefectly healthy.

[dragondawg]

Yes dogs CAN survive on low quality food, but that does not mean they are in perfect health, and that is not something you can judge just by looking at them.

Vela,

Since one can not judge perfect health by looking, what is your criteria for judging whether your dog is in perfect health? How do you determine this? What are your specific metrics and diagnostics?

K9soul,

I have no idea whether the Propet dog food I feed my dogs is considered sub-par kibble or not. But in answer to the comment in your link:

No research has been done to determine the long-term effects of feeding kibble, nor to determine if it is actually healthy for your dog (it is just assumed healthy because it has passed a 6 month feeding trial, and then manufacturers falsely advertise their product as healthy.).

I believe my previous dog which lived till 11 yrs of age, and the current two at 3 years of age far surpasses a 6 month feeding trial. I have no idea as to what the latest health claims Propet may be making for their product. What I do know is that my dogs flourish on the food. Mine have never had seborrheic cysts, bladder crystals, or persistent infections. They have never had a raw diet either. Now how do we explain the absence of these problems on a commercial dog food diet?

You do realize that Collies are genetically prone to skin disorders, not to mention Progressive Retinal Atrophy, and Collie Eye Anomaly a syndrome that involves one or more of the following: retinal degeneration, cataract, and retinal detachment? That's genetics not food. In another words you could have gave them a steak every night for their 13 yrs, but that would not have changed the genetic make up of the dogs.

P.S. Yes my previous dog enjoyed frosty paws- almost as much as a bowl of ice cream.

[wolf_Q]

Nebo had his first "raw" meal last friday. Not meals like you guys feed, I'm a chicken, I bought the pre-made stuff. It wasn't cheap but he sure loved it and so far no digestive upsets that I know of. I got the Nature's Variety Venison frozen raw. I bought two 3 lb bags I'm going to feed it every few days for now and see how he does...he'll get it again tomorrow.

The store I bought it from wasn't exactly close and it's very convenient for me to just buy dog food at my work (not to mention my 20% discount..) but I'm considering buying the dry dog food of the same brand (eventually feeding it/raw every other day). I'm just wondering if it's THAT much better to make it worth the extra expense? I know basic dog food stuff but I'm no expert so any imput is appreciated...

Ingredient list/info on Nature's Variety venison formula
Ingredient list/info on Natural Balance venison formula (currently feeding)

p.s. What is millet? Isn't that something you give to birds?

[.sarah]

Amy, I think supplementing with raw every now and then is better than no raw at all. If you have the finances then I'd continue doing it.

Millets are seeds, I think.


Nova had beef heart and beef brisket this morning.

[lv4dogs]

For both meals yesterday & this mornings breakfast my goys all split a huge deer leg. (don't worry I took it away this morning once they got all the meat off of it).