Dog Food Rant-

[BorderColliez]

BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH, BASH!!!
Eeeeesh guys, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and I agree with Borzoimom. What triggered you to make this thread though? What happened??

Like buttercup said, some people need to calm down and grow up, ok?

IF YOU DONT HAVE SOMETHING NICE TO SAY DON'T SAY IT AT ALL!!

Guys stop fighting!
Lady's human grow up and stop bashing Bmom in every thread she makes.
Bmom I think you need to just calm down a little. I know your frusterated with alot so maybe log off PT for the night and cool off. Some of the stuff your saying isn't even making sense.

D*** I couldn't agree more!!

[borzoimom]

actually some of that was rather useful....I'll have to let my mom know...she feeds her mutt commercial feed, but Deedee also has a heart murmur...maybe feeding raw will help the poor old girl...

My uncle feeds his dobes raw...one of them recently past away but lived a longer life than most larger dogs...11 or 12 years I think.

And it does make sense to look into what you are feeding any of your animals...My animal nutrition classes last year partially shocked the heck out of me...I learned some useful things though.

Though I do have a question...there are some formulated feeds that are pretty good for the dog right? I heard chicken soup for the dog lovers soul is good, as well as a few others (cant remember the name though.)

If you want the address of the lab to send your food in- do not tell them what brand- they will run a series of tests on it- from chemicals to meat quality. I have tested at this point over 45 foods! At 35 dollars a pop, now 75 dollars a pop..

[IRescue452]

Had you asked for one, I'd have given you an amen at the end of the first post. I'm so glad I educated myself and switched to raw. We still don't expect Autumn to live past 10, but when she was younger I estimated 7. She's still got her mystery limp, but good food isn't going to fix it if its a nerve problem. Table scraps are better than commercial food, assuming the humans eat decent and not microwavable food every night. In fact, back when dogs were living long hard working lives, many got table scraps to live off of. They got a better variety of nutrients than commercial food offers.

[borzoimom]

Had you asked for one, I'd have given you an amen at the end of the first post. I'm so glad I educated myself and switched to raw. We still don't expect Autumn to live past 10, but when she was younger I estimated 7. She's still got her mystery limp, but good food isn't going to fix it if its a nerve problem. Table scraps are better than commercial food, assuming the humans eat decent and not microwavable food every night. In fact, back when dogs were living long hard working lives, many got table scraps to live off of. They got a better variety of nutrients than commercial food offers.

Please keep this in mind IRescue= THEY told me when Hottie was 2 he would not make 5! He just turned 9. And he has his days, but even vet says that his longer life span is directly related to receiving equal balence of calcium and phosophrus-. These are bonding "agents" with each other- and if not the same in the food, it will make calcium deposits, or weaker bones etc. None of the foods at this point have equal amounts of both in the mix- except raw..
How much longer does Hottie have? I do not know- but as I learned last year- DO NOT count the old man out. With his condition the vet said he is the same as a 15 year old dog. I wish I could go back in time when he was injured- been there, and taken him to a specialist.. But I cant change time or events- just how I deal with it since I got him.
Here is a video take last night of Hottie coming up the outside stairs- not bad at all Hottie Doodles.. View My Video

[Catlady711]

Table scraps are better than commercial food, assuming the humans eat decent and not microwavable food every night.

Of the dogs/cats that come in to our hospital with diabetes and pancreatitis 99% of them are fed table scraps. Just ask our 2 most recent clients who lost their dogs to pancreatitis from feeding table scraps just ONE TIME! Type of food and fequency does make a serious difference.

[DrKym]

Chicken meal is a by product of chickens.....................
there are a few other things in there I would be uncomfortable with but it is my opinion, not a fact. I wouldn't be entirely comfortable with the sorghum, and honestly the beet pulp. Again just my op. As I said I feed RAW so other than the foster dogs that are adopted out I don't use the products (some fosters stay on RAW and some new owners prefer kibble).

[wolfsoul]

Though I do have a question...there are some formulated feeds that are pretty good for the dog right? I heard chicken soup for the dog lovers soul is good, as well as a few others (cant remember the name though.)

There are plenty of high quality kibbles out there. Chicken Soup is a good one (though many dog owners find it too rich for their dogs!). As well there is Innova, Nature's Variety, Solid Gold, Canidae, Timberwolf Organics, NAtural Balance, California Natural, Go Natural, Foundations, Summit, etc. Lots of good ones to choose from. Every dog is different though! Some dogs can't digest the high quality feeds as well as the low quality feeds, so some people choose to either go with lower quality dog foods, or feed digestive enzymes.

I feed raw. Tried high quality foods, low quality foods -- never found anything that I felt suited my dogs quite right. Haven't been happier since making the switch. It's been over a year now and my dogs have none of the common problems we see in the dogs that come into the shop I work at, and when there are flea/lice breakouts and the other shop dogs get them, mine never do. It isn't to say a dog fed kibble can't live a long healthy life -- I just prefer a certain lifestyle when it comes to diet -- both myself and my dog. To each their own. I do think people should atleast do their research in order to make choices they are comfortable with.

[lizbud]

- WE IN THE US DO NOT EAT DOGS- I HATE TO SAY THIS BUT- IF WE ATE DOGS- THEY WOULD EAT BETTER AS they can not eat the chemicals we give in dog food...

Huh?

[dogzr#1]

I didn't get that part either. I can't say anything else about the post though as I don't know much about dog food. I just know my dogs are healthy and happy right now.

[Ceph]

Just because I am curious though...what happened to spark this?

I think what she meant to say with that statement was that the quality of the feed would be better (or there would be less chemicals in the food) if we bred edible pooches...which may or may not be true...the feedlots tend not to feed to much bad things to their animals...but they are also trying to come to a ratio of price vs. gain. So you would probably loose alot of the chemicals but the quality of the food fed might not actually change....lol, though most of the animals I study are herbavores...they get fed med quality forages typically.

[areias]

Huh?

She means that with all the chemicals in dog food, if we were into eating dogs here, it would probably be banned by the FDA because they are harmful to us.

I understand what your saying michelle.

I wish to he*l I didn't have to wake up to what I did- BUT I DID.. I cant bring my dogs back- but I CAN MAKE SURE- the ones I have live a longer, healthier, safer, happier life without being ill..

Now this is my question...what do you mean by that?

[borzoimom]

Huh?

Meaning- as if you studied dog food like I have - most of the chemicals and the grade of ingredients is not even remotely considered safe for humans.
If we ate dogs- they would require dogs to be fed safer- like they do our cows, sheep, chickens etc. They can NOT have cancer causing things in their diet to spread to the meat in our eating.. Simple way of putting it- but its a horrid fact!

[NicoleLJ]

When it comes to dog food and peoples choices I have this opinion. If the dog is healthy and happy then it is NONE OF MY BUSINESS what they feed. I am happy with what I feed my dogs. They have been eating Innova Large Breed for 3 months now and are doing great. I used to feed them Purina Pro Plan and guess what. They did great on that too. I only switched because it was hard to get. That is ht eonly reason I switched. But when I did switched this site helped me a great deal in finding a great food:

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

What is great for one dog and person may not be great for another. Just because people do not agree on th efoods they feed does not mean they love their dogs any less. Each to their own I always say.
Nicole

[dukedogsmom]

I have a question. I've been feeding Dasher Pro Plan Senior. Is that good? This is after spending a long time looking at all the different dog foods at Petco.

[borzoimom]

I have a question. I've been feeding Dasher Pro Plan Senior. Is that good? This is after spending a long time looking at all the different dog foods at Petco.

Pro Plan is one of those foods- if the chemistry of the food, and digestion works for your dog- it does so very well. The problems reported with pro plan are allergies- something a dog can get from any food that the mixture doesnt work for them. They use to use high levels of ethoxyquin and BHA, however- that has changed.
If the food is working for her- I would stick with it- especially with a senior dog.