What we all feed our dogs and why?

[delila]

Hi all,

I thought that seeing many people wonder what to feed their dogs, or what the best dog food is, or how much to feed their dogs - we could all share what we feed our dogs and why.

I do have one request though - please be honest because that is more helpful. And please do not criticize one another - everyone has their reasons for what they feed :)

I will start:

I feed my dogs a combination of Canidae, and raw foods. What I do is everyday I puree up 5 carrots, 2 apples, a handful of spinach, add some fish oil, Nupro (supplement). Then I cut up some Chicken, Beef, Fish, or Venison and add it to the mix.

I feed Odin (22 month old 120 lbs) - 10 ounces dry for breakfast with 1 ladel of the mix, 20 ounces dry for dinner with 1 ladel of mix.

Delila (14 month old female 95 lbs) - One ladel for breakfast, One ladel for lunch, 10 ounces dry with 1 ladel mix for dinner. This dog is on a diet.

Laika - (8 month old mix 50 lbs) 10 ounces dry for breakfast with 1 ladel dry, dinner 10 ounces dry with 3 ladels mix.

Onchu (3.5 month old female rottweiler 30 lbs)- 10 ounces dry for breakfast with 1 ladel mix, dinner 10 ounces dry with 1 ladel mix.

They also get raw meaty bones from the butcher at least once a week.

I feed Canidae because I feel that it is the best kibble money can buy. I feed some raw because I use to add moist dog food to their meals but I feel raw mix is more healthy.

I feed raw meaty bones at least once a week for their teeth (and they love them for a "treat" anyhow).

So thats my story - how about you?

[amya1234]

Canidae:)

[K-9Girl]

Canidae for my dogs too.....I feel that it is the best kibble that money can buy as well.....and my dogs love it! :D

[Deborah Reid]

Innova (because I feel it provides the very best ingredients in a kibbled dog food) and starting to introduce B.A.R.F. (because it is just common sence that natural, raw foods are better, and I want my girls to have the healthy benefits of this).

[Teena]

BARF, why because i KNOW what my dogs are eating & how much. I know each item they eat is FRESH and raw gives them all the vitamins from the foods. The healthiest part hasn't been cooked away.
Also, because my Lab (Rose) hated any kind of kibble. She ate very poorly. Axel never had firm stools on kibble. They were always mushy/soft.
They get more of a variety of different kinds of foods. So, over a period of time they will get everything they need for a balanced natural diet.
Even the very cheapest grocery store dog foods, says on the label complete balanced nutrition. Wonder who does the studies for them?
I don't think dogs were meant to eat cooked food or tons of grain, which is what processed dogfood is. A wild dog eats raw food & so do mine.
Notice in the zoos, how they feed the animals raw meats & things in their natural diet? I believe they do this because it is what is healthy for the animal.
So, that's why I feed BARF.

:D

[Soapie&Buddy'sMom]

Canidae kibble because my dogs seem to like it and it is a good food.
I mix it with canned food, anything from Neura to Mighty dog. The dogs LOOOOOOOOOOVE the mighty dog, probably partly because I can give each one a little can to lick out after every meal. :)

I at one time tried to feed Soapie (when it was just me and Soapie) according to a diet promoted in Dr. Pitcairn's book, Natural something for dogs and cats, but I didn't have the motivation to continue. There were a lot of supplements, etc. Someday I think I would like to try BARF, but still reasoning that one out.

[kritger]

EVOLVE....I THINK IT HAS THE BEST ING. YOU CAN BUY IN A DRY KIBBLE INCLUDING CARROTS,APPLES,SPINACH,SPLIT PEAS,TOMATOES,YOGURT, AND MANY OTHER HIGH QUALITY ING.

[DixieGrl113]

I feed BARF. 1/2 cup of veggie mix each. My veggie mix includes among other things...Kale, carrots, garlic, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini and other seasonal veggies. Also, for breakfast they get fruit. Bananas (all time fav), apples (minus seeds) blueberries and whatever other fruits i might have on hand. I ALWAYS keep bananas on hand though. They get 1 cup of yogurt or sometimes cottage cheese in addition to their fruits several times a week. (They have never had a problem with dairy and they LOVE it) They get whole chickens w/giblets but right now they are getting chicken quarters (legs&thighs) because they are on sale for $3.70 for 10 lbs. Sometimes they get turkey legs and wings instead. The amount for chicken is constantly adjusted depending on body condition. I mix in Pink salmon, Jack Mackeral or Tuna with their veggies. I really don't feel comfortable feeding them ground beef or ground anything because #1 they don't like it #2 I don't trust what might be getting ground in with the meat and not knowing is why I stopped feeding kibble. They also get beef leg bones or knuckles with meat and all other "yummies" attached, and if I can't make it to the butcher, i go to walmart and get a couple packs of their soup bones (basically sawed leg bones) I do NOT feed any kind of pork. I'm not comfortable with the parasite and parasite levels that might be in it. As far as parasites from chicken or beef, I've never had a problem. I attribute that to the Heartgard Plus they get every month year round. Between the Ivermectin and Pyrantel it wipes out just about any nasties that might try to suck my babies dry. That's about it. OH! I know what I forgot. Jeez. Pure pumpkin in a can. How can I forget that nose saver;) When they have gas or the runs or constipation or sometimes just for dessert they get pumpkin.

[moondog]

Do you guys want "sick dog diets" too? Luna wants to share! ;)

First I ought to tell you why I feed her what she eats......it's called a protein losing enteropathy. Translated it means her small intestine has a chronic inflammation severe enough that she loses blood protein through it. She also is unable to absorb any fat, which makes tasty food a challenge :)

Luna eats 8 rounds of chinese egg noodles, 6 scrambled eggs (only 2 with yolks), 1/2 package of firm tofu and 1/8 cup canned peas, divided into 2 or 3 meals depending on how she's feeling. She's supplemented with bone meal, Pet Tab vitamins and Glucosamine/Chondroitin (1/2 dose). She gets Milkbones for snacks and Gerber Chicken baby food with her pills.

This is a sick dog diet and she's jumping around like a puppy these days, so it must be working! :D

[Deborah Reid]

DixieGrl113 you said that you feed canned pumpkin to reduce gas, help with diarrhea and constipation?
And when you guys talk about feeding "whole chicken" do you mean you just give the dog a whole chicken?! or do you cut/grind it up for them and feed them some of it?
Ugh still waiting on my books :)
I am investing in a food grinder, as I am still too paranoid to feed whole poultry bones... worried about the possibility of a sharp piece being swollowed.
One other question for you barfers out there... I have been giving Kinseigh raw beef bones, but taking them away from her when she gets all the goodies off of it.. do you all let your dogs eat the whole bone, bone and all? or should I try (don't know if the grinder will be stout enough to grind a beef bone) to grind it up?
Thanks again! :)

[Barbara Surplus]

Originally posted by amya1234
Canidae:)

Amya, sooooo glad to see that you've switched from the Purina. ;)

I feed BARF as it gives me peace of mind that I'm not about to contribute to my darling dogs' demise after what happened to my first boy. There is, in my opinion, nothing to equal this diet. It is simply the best.
Barbara

[Teena]

Sometimes you will find whole chickens on sale at a much cheaper price than just wings. So, I buy the whole chicken that's on sale.
I don't like to feed my dogs the weight bearing bones. So, i cut off the legs & thighs and freeze them for the humans to eat. The organ meat (heart, liver, gizzard) i put in a bag by themselves. I save them up until i get enough for an organ meal. Others feed their dogs organ meat mixed with other things.
The rest of the of the chicken i chop up into pieces and put into single servings in freezer bags.
When i first started feeding barf, my dogs were not used to having to really chew their food. Plus, i was afraid they wouldn't chew the bones up enough. SO, i would take a meat tenderizer and really pulverize the bones. As time went on over a period of a few weeks, my dogs learned to chew up the chicken and I slowly decreased the amount I broke up the bones.
I don't have to do anything to the chicken now, they just chomp and eat the pieces by themselves.
I don't feed beef bones for raw meaty bones. They tend to be very hard. I mostly feed chickens and turkey necks. Both of these types of bones are real easy for the dogs to chew up.
However, i saw a sign for rabbits & ducks for sale.....

[DixieGrl113]

Hi Deborah! Yes I feed the WHOLE chicken. No grinding. When I first started, it was rough because i was scared they'd swallow with out chewing, so, I feed them by hand two at a time and had my fiance feed the other 2 at the same time. I started out with chicken wings and just held a wing in each hand and let them figure out what to do. (wings were very expensive but worth the peace of mind)My dogs are not food aggressive at all so this wasn't a big thing for me. Feeding lasted an hour in this fashion because we had to wait for the baby (Beau was 3 mos at the time) to finish up. As far as beef bones those are not the main part of the meal for us. They are my rawhide replacers and toothbrushes and great for initiating after meal play time. As far as pumpkin....miracle in a can:D Make sure its PURE pumpkin though not just pumpkin pie filling. It will say on the label.

[OurBoyKane]

I feed BARF mostly for the reasons already listed and I could not be happier with my boys condition.

Kane is 20mths and approximately 50-55kg (haven't weighed him for so long).

The amount fed at the moment varies between 750 grams and 1.25kg per day depending on how I see his condition - hes been on 1kg per day for probably the last month or two and is keeping a nice trim weight and starting to show signs of really muscling up.

I feed once a day at anytime - generally between 7 and 11 at night - but if I'm going to be away overnight he'll get fed before I leave, whether thats morning or afternoon.

The primary diet consists of Chicken - Frames, Wings, Necks, Mince or whole/ Lamb - Necks, Flap / Roo Tail / Brisket Bones / Whole Fish.

He also gets a fruit/veggie mix with yoghurt, yeast, egg, kelp, safflower/wheatgerm/cod liver oils, he gets this maybe 2 times a week. (I make this up 10kg at a time and freeze in 500 gram lots)

He gets marrow bones occasionally - usually just to give us some peace for a few hours. I throw them out once they go hard and brittle and hes lost interest in them - which could take anywhere from 3 days to a week or so, depending on whether he leaves it out in the sun or not!

He gets a lot of other things occassionally to, like sardines in spring water with no added salt, a rolled oats mix with cold extracted raw honey, yoghurt and prunes, plus, plus, plus... everything in moderation don't they say!


Evan

[Atti's Mom]

I feed Wellness Super5 Chicken with some BARF. :)

Atti has a lot of allergies, one of them being beef and he gets really bad skin if I am not careful. I switched after doing a lot of research and decided on the Wellness because I liked what it had in it...or better yet, what it didn't !!;) I also try to incorporate some BARF......because for one thing, he loves it, for another, I know how good it is for him and I like the results!;) :)