What do you feed your dogs?

I bring this subject up because I am concerned about the lack of knowledge about the poor quality of ingredients in a lot of dog food. It is obvious to me that everyone on this forum loves their pets dearly and would do anything to get a few more good years in lengthening the lives of our beloved pets. I am convinced that high quality food will keep your pet living longer. I've always had dogs and cats, but, up until I got my Coopie, a Co*ker/King Charles Spaniel, I never thought much about the pet food I was giving them. Quality food will really make a difference in their health, therefore, their longevity, so I urge you to do the research.

Great topic Flyer. I hadn't had a dog for several years until about 4 months ago. We adopted a stray who was skin and bones. Started feeding her Beneful and she has really filled out well. Her coat is sleek and shiny, too. But, lately, she seems to be growing tired of the Beneful and I was considering changing brands. Am very interested in hearing others opinions on what they think is a good brand.

I have a friend who feeds her dog a mix of rice and fish, or rice, peas and a mix of a better quality dog food. He is very frisky for an old guy!

Oh boy.....this is my topic!!!
You are so right to be concerned about all the crap they put in dog/cat foods!! Especially kibble!! I did my share of research on ingredients and basically switched my pets to an organic raw food diet. Let me just say they have NEVER been more healthy and vibrant!! It does make sense since they ARE carnivors....
Many people won't consider the raw food diet for their pets. It may seem like it is much more expensive, but it's not. I feed my pets 'Nature's Variety' - Certified Organic Chicken. I'm not very kitchen savvy, nor do I even have the TIME if I were....so I just order my raw food online and it comes to my door frozen! It's perfect & all I have to do is thaw the portion I will be feeding that night and it's ready to go - already ground up and everything!
I had no idea how important it was for animals to eat bones and organs....never! But now I am so happy I educated myself.
Now, there are some pets that just won't eat raw food....well....they will if that's all there is to eat....but most owners don't want to train their pets.......SO, I have heard very good things about 'Newman's Own' brand of pet foods as well as "Inova', and 'California Natural'......
As well as feeding raw food, I supplement a little Cod Liver Oil too!! Gosh, my babies eat better than I do!! LOL :D

My dogs are lucky to get fed. Period. I'm gone 12 hours a day at work and on the road and these beasts have turned my life into a living hell since the fence fell down. Can anyone say "up to my eyeballs in pee and poop?" Not just from the dogs, but from the SATAN SPAWN cats from hell.

My shoes get taken down from the top shelf of the shoe rack and eaten. $80 shoes... my only good pair... has teeth marks all over them. The catfood gets eaten by the dogs no matter how high I put it. I've gone through ELEVEN rolls of paper towel in less than 7 days.

I am not happy. I've spent WELL over $1000 in animal CRAP in the last 2 months alone, vet bills, food, cleaning supplies, natures miracle, YOU NAME IT. The hell if I'm going to start worrying about whether or not they get the BEST food... they're lucky if they live to see tomorrow, let alone 15 years from now and the dang dogs can EAT the cats for all I care...

*is suffering from a majorly blown mental gasket at the moment* $4k to fix the freakin' fence my EYEBALL.

In fact, since I can't choose which animal I love or hate the most ~ love and hate them all equally ~ the call into the shelter to come rescue these from my WRATH will be for ALL of them. I'm done.

*steam rolls out of phossy's ears and sparks*

~phos

My dog eats IAMS Adult Lamb & Rice.

I have heard horror stories about dog food. But when i was a kid, my dog was fed canned food (gak) by my parents, and lived to be 17, with no health problems along the way. My ****er Spaniel i had after that was fed dry food (a high-quality brand), and lived to be 16, with no health problems.

I now have a Boxer/Bulldog...shes almost 6. She does have some stomach problems, but the vet said to give her the Lamb & Rice food, and 2 Tums a day :) So far its working.

I do draw the line on dog treats with dyes in them...NO. And no semi-soft food or treats. She eats very little table food...maybe a taste of toast or potato now and then...nothing rich.

Fos, i'm sorry about your problem. My dog is an indoor dog, but she does go out to pee and poop, thankfully. I dont like cats, so i could never live with the smell. I know changing the litter helps that (LOL), but i seem to always smell it, and sometimes they pee other places and it never goes away. I know, i've had a cat before! Good luck with your fence, and your pets.

My dogs are lucky to get fed. Period. I'm gone 12 hours a day at work and on the road and these beasts have turned my life into a living hell since the fence fell down. Can anyone say "up to my eyeballs in pee and poop?" Not just from the dogs, but from the SATAN SPAWN cats from hell.

My shoes get taken down from the top shelf of the shoe rack and eaten. $80 shoes... my only good pair... has teeth marks all over them. The catfood gets eaten by the dogs no matter how high I put it. I've gone through ELEVEN rolls of paper towel in less than 7 days.

I am not happy. I've spent WELL over $1000 in animal CRAP in the last 2 months alone, vet bills, food, cleaning supplies, natures miracle, YOU NAME IT. The hell if I'm going to start worrying about whether or not they get the BEST food... they're lucky if they live to see tomorrow, let alone 15 years from now and the dang dogs can EAT the cats for all I care...

*is suffering from a majorly blown mental gasket at the moment* $4k to fix the freakin' fence my EYEBALL.

In fact, since I can't choose which animal I love or hate the most ~ love and hate them all equally ~ the call into the shelter to come rescue these from my WRATH will be for ALL of them. I'm done.

*steam rolls out of phossy's ears and sparks*

~phos


WOW!! Somebody needs a spa day!!! :-)

Good luck with your critters there....sounds like a handfull.

On another note...I have heard some scary things about Iams, like how they test on animals and supposidly it's pretty disturbing. :eek:

Lamb shanks...raw...alternated with raw chicken wings and dried bikkies left out to nibble on.....lost of water and any scraps from the table....

all my dogs have been really healthy with this mix. I never ever feed them tinned food.....its just got too many preservatives etc in it and it doesn't make them use their teeth. Eating bones keeps their gums and teeth healthy, and it also keeps them occupied...I always feed mine as I'm going to work, so he has something happy to take his mind off my leaving.

Also , and this is just me putting human stuff onto animals, but I think mentally they love to rip it apart and then bury bones for later, to come back too.....I just think for dogs (I don't do cats)...its about eating flesh and burying remains......very primal.....

Very true FreeSpirit.....except I have cats, but it's the same thing. It's in their instincts to rip apart their foods and chomp away at bones and organs. People don't realize that with raw food the bones just crumble; it's the cooked bones that you gotta watch out for.
One of my cats is a Bengal, so she's got a lot of wild blood in her.....she LOVES it when I give her raw turkey or chicken necks, she'll eat the whole dang thing!! LOL It's great to watch....sometimes she will walk around the house with it in her mouth just to show off. :-)

And it isn't as grousome as it sounds.....I get my raw foods already prepared and ready to eat. It's not like I have a chicken koop in my backyard or anything. LOL
:D :D

mine does too...I've always had big dogs but now I have a shitzhu/cavalier king charles mix he is little and cute but i swear when he has a bone he thinks he has a whole animal in his mouth....he is so proud of his catch and kill ability LMAO...he is scared witless of birds tho...they chase him so i think he takes all his aggression out on the dead things he gets....

oh and Fos I took two cats to the shelter two years ago....same deal pissing and shitting everywhere...and aggro...bloody hell there wasn't a flyscreen intact on the house...they'd try to claw their way in...one even used to sit ouside where we were sitting and drag her nails down the glass......like chalk on a blackboard... oh no you don't.....so yep off to better places away from me.....the shelter said they went to old people who would understand them...ouch that hurt....

I feed my Coopie Newman's Own, just a couple of tablespoons of wet with Newman's Own dry food. It's all organic and he's doing great with this. In about 3 years when I retire I'm thinking about preparing his meals myself. Right now I don't have the time. I get the Whole Dog Journal each month which is great. Their January issue lists canned dog food that they think is top quality. They also have an excellent article on what to look for in a top quality dog food.

WhiteRose-- an excellent dog food that has its plant right there in Indiana is Eagle Pack Holistic Select. They have quite a selection. I used that for awhile, but then decided to feed my dog organic. I eat organic so I figured my dog should, too.

I feed my dog Iams Adult Lamb and Rice as well. She's seems to like it a lot.

Science Diet is a good kibble to. Plus, I keep a few cans of Science Diet I/D around and it really seems to help my dog's upset stomachs.

Stay away from anything with "by-product" as the first ingredient on the label. Ground up feet, hooves and beaks...YUCK!

*LOL* oh god phos!!


anyways ... walmart's lamb and rice. after years of nutro, they stepped down to sam's with no problem. but of course they suplement with lotsa good s*** that they can find in the yard ;)

I hear ya Phos....I sometimes wonder why it is that I have my dogs. They run my life - and it's making things miserable at home right now. I love them to bits, but I'm living in a VERY small cabin, my yard isn't fenced yet and there's no grass since I just started building here this fall. Add in the persistent rain we get here, and I have two very furry, perpetually wet dogs that are too big to come inside the house (it really is that small). Cleaning them is nearly pointless and frustrating. Also, my old girl has decided that she doesn't care anymore where she does her business although it seems that my other dogs' bed has become her favourite place to do it! So, it seems that I'm constantly washing smelly dog blankets. And I'm gone for 11.5 hours a day as well, which doesn't work well with my younger dogs' seperation anxiety! I cannot wait til I get this place finished and have a semblance of a normal home with a fenced yard.....just need the time to do it all!!!

Ok, now that I've got all that off my chest....I feed my dogs a mix of homecooked cod stew and dry fish and sweet potato food. My older dog had liver failure due to a tumour (she's a husky and is almost 15 ) last year and I started feeding her the home cooked cod with potatoes and veggies, and I swear that this is what brought her back to life. My other dog gets mostly dry with just a bit of the stew (he eats 6 cups of dry a day so I'd go nuts trying to cook that much food for him). I only cook it about twice a week and since I buy the ingredients in bulk, it's not that big of a deal.

Eukanuba

It is the best quality dog food on the market. Dogs I have had have done wonderfully on it and I would not consider anything else. I've been using it for maybe 20 years or more. It is probably the most expensive of the non-prescription foods, but if you can afford it, it's the best. (If you can't afford it, consider getting IAMS brand...made by the same company it is also a very good food although not quite the the ultimate nutrition as is Eukanuba). Final note on price. Although you will find that Eukanuba is more expensive per pound than other brands, some of the difference will be offset because you will find you probably need to feed less of it per day than your current food. The reason is that it is higher in nutrition than other foods, so dogs can eat less and still get excellent nutrition. The serving size is smaller than other foods. This fact also has other beneficial effects for your dog, but I won't go into that.

I also feed my dog a few tablespoons of yogurt (plain! dogs should not eat sugar)daily and an occasional egg. I keep people food to a minimum because the Eukanuba has the perfect nutritional mix and feeding too much of anything else just upsets that balance.

Food quality is extremely important for a dog (and any animal). A lot of the stuff on the market is garbage. People often buy the cheapest thing they can find not knowing that it is not only not nutritious, but sometimes it is even contaminated with toxins. A quality food will keep your dog healthier, prolong his life and make him happier. (not to mention save you money on vet bills)

There are many excellent wet and dry dog foods on the market. No one brand is right for every dog or cat. Which food is best for your animal depends on his/her particular health needs. Would anyone be interested in my posting what Whole Dog Food Journal whose philosophy is what does the research say is the best for your dog, and they've made it quite clear that one size does not fit all. It depends on the needs of your dog. TH, Eukanuba may be the most expensive in pet chain stores, but it is definitely not the most expensive when you get into human-grade organic pet food which is made by smaller contract manufacturers. If your dog is thriving on what you feed him or her, then, that's great. But, for those of you who would like to know what you should be looking for on the label, I would be happy to post the Journal's recommendations.

There is finally a 'Certified Organic' dog food out there....I'm sorry I don't recall the name .....but I remember seeing it in the window of my 'Leemos' pet store. They don't have one for cats yet, but they do for dogs!!! If a food is 'Certified Organic' that means it was certified by a 3rd party that all the ingredients are in FACT organic....they aren't just 'claiming' to be organic or all natural....you have to be careful with the terms they use. They are usually used 'loosely'. :eek:
The label you look for is a circle with the letters USDA inside...half of the circle is green. THAT is what you look for for quality! Otherwise you don't know what kind of animal (chicken etc..) was used in the food...what if the chicken was poorly fed and given steroids??? Then your pet is going to eat that???!!! See, they don't have to disclose that information to you, but if it's certified then your safe.

Peace :D

OK...EDIT! I feed my dog Eukanuba Lamb and Rice Dry food. Not Iams. Iams is like...in a green or yellow solid color bag. Eukanuba is like a brownish bag (light...almost a translucent brown) with pink lettering. The difference, if I remember why I switched her, a couple years ago now, is that the Eukanuba contains no by-product meal and the Iams does. I bought a 35 lb bag at Agway in upstate New York this weekend and it cost $42.00 and change with the tax. That will last the Soficles quite a while.

OK...EDIT! I feed my dog Eukanuba Lamb and Rice Dry food. Not Iams. Iams is like...in a green or yellow solid color bag. Eukanuba is like a brownish bag (light...almost a translucent brown) with pink lettering. The difference, if I remember why I switched her, a couple years ago now, is that the Eukanuba contains no by-product meal and the Iams does. I bought a 35 lb bag at Agway in upstate New York this weekend and it cost $42.00 and change with the tax. That will last the Soficles quite a while.

That is the best food you can buy. IAMS (the makers of Eukanuba) is the leader in dog food research. They have formulated a food which probably has more science behind it, and has been more thoroughly tested and documented than any other on the market. There are also lots of advantages to the Lamb & Rice formula...relating to alergies and digestion. My Vet does some consulting work for IAMS, and I can tell you that these guys are the real deal. They are dedicated to the craft of making the ideal food and take it very seriously. Excellent choice!

I have big doggers, so they eat a LOT! :)

There is finally a 'Certified Organic' dog food out there....I'm sorry I don't recall the name .....but I remember seeing it in the window of my 'Leemos' pet store. They don't have one for cats yet, but they do for dogs!!! If a food is 'Certified Organic' that means it was certified by a 3rd party that all the ingredients are in FACT organic....they aren't just 'claiming' to be organic or all natural....you have to be careful with the terms they use. They are usually used 'loosely'. :eek:
The label you look for is a circle with the letters USDA inside...half of the circle is green. THAT is what you look for for quality! Otherwise you don't know what kind of animal (chicken etc..) was used in the food...what if the chicken was poorly fed and given steroids??? Then your pet is going to eat that???!!! See, they don't have to disclose that information to you, but if it's certified then your safe.

Peace :D

BellaLove, The two certified organic dog foods on the Top Approved Wet Dog Foods list of Whole Dog Journal are Newman's Own Organics and Petguard Organic. Newman's Own wasn't certified last year, but they are now.

It's all a matter of opinion and what works for the dog, I think. I started out feeding Eukanuba with my big guy, but he always had itchy skin when on it. When I found out about the cod diet for dogs with compromised livers, I switched them both over to white fish and veggies/sweet potato. Wellness brand makes a good quality food IMO. Either I'm really lucky, or I'm doing something right, since my shepherd/husky cross is almost 15 and has no problems with arthritis or hip displasia (and she's an outside dog too). However, she is stone deaf and a bit blind.....and rather senile! :rolleyes:

I'm wary of all packaged dog foods though. Most of them include carcasses that are not fit for human consumption - ie. the cattle that have too much antibiotics or were sick/injured. I've done alot of research into dog foods and it's pretty horrifying what some companies put into their foods. I won't get into what's in the cheaper brands.

Oh, and I forgot to mention earlier that I also give my critters raw stew bones about once or twice a week - mostly to keep them occupied while I'm at work. They get a raw egg sometimes and I used to give yoghurt too (a spoonful is great as a "gravy" on dry food).

YES! I give my cats a spoonful of Organic, plain yogurt every day and theylove it!! PLUS, it's super good for them!
I am so glad that NEwman's Own is now certified! I use Organix by Castor and Pollux between my cats raw food meals....they love it! My tabby can't really digest the raw food very well....he is VERY domesticated and although he LOVES the raw stuff....he kinda gets runny stools. So I'm working on foxing that by using a combination of herbs and Cod Liver Oil. We will see what happens. :-)

Hey! Has anyone checked out www.iamscruelty.com
EEK!!! :eek: :eek:

Usually I feed them my cats, but when I can't catch one I feed them a squirrel or whatever I can get my hands on. My cats are certified organic BTW, so it's cool. Even Anna Nicole Smith would approve...and that is essential for me. I always seek out her wisdom and guidance to make sure she is OK with it before making any important decisions.

I have a 150lb great dane and have always fed her Eagle Pack Natural(which can only be found at feed stores). Great Danes seem to do quite well on the food and it has many healthy ingredients in it. Giant Breeds present their own set of health risks so food prep and choices need to be taken seriously. I feed her yogurt as well and use powdered enzymes. I played with the idea of an all natural diet at one time using raw foods but it is too labor intensive and frankly I think there are many good kibbles on the market now adays. At one time I fed her an all natural food recommended by her breeder that looked like dirt(really it did), but it was soooo expensive.

-Nibbles

I have a 150lb great dane and have always fed her Eagle Pack Natural(which can only be found at feed stores). Great Danes seem to do quite well on the food and it has many healthy ingredients in it. Giant Breeds present their own set of health risks so food prep and choices need to be taken seriously. I feed her yogurt as well and use powdered enzymes. I played with the idea of an all natural diet at one time using raw foods but it is too labor intensive and frankly I think there are many good kibbles on the market now adays. At one time I fed her an all natural food recommended by her breeder that looked like dirt(really it did), but it was soooo expensive.

-Nibbles

Looked like dirt, but wasn't dirt cheap? ;-)

TH-
Not cheap in any sense of the word! Quick wit I must say tho'....

I pay around $35 for a 40lb bag now and this boxed dirt was right around $70. They claimed you fed less but even looking at it made me question whether or not I wanted to feed it to her.

The food debate will go on forever and ever. I am still amazed they sell ol' roy in the store which means there are those that still buy it....of course I eat hotdogs so perhaps my opinion is somewhat hypocritical??

Now if I can just keep her from licking her butt.....whole nother story guys...

-Nibbles

Phos-

I sympathize with your situation with your dogs. I am a former board member for the Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue(but still a volunteer). This organization places over 100 danes a year in new homes. What kind of dogs do you have? Have you considered kenneling them? Some would consider it cruel, but for dogs who have separation anxiety when left alone are destructive it can be the best for all involved, as long as the kennel is big enough. Trust me I have heard many a phone call from dispairaged dane owners beloved is eating the molding and drywall in their homes and digging to kingdom come. My great dane got locked in the bathroom and tore up the linoleum and destroyed the molding on the doors. She just doesn't like to be locked up in small places. She is fine in the house alone.

Is there a rescue/shelter in the area that could help you? If you haven't a kennel you could maybe borrow one from a rescue? I wish you were closer I have 2.

Let me know what I can do to help.

-Nibbles