I used to feed my doggy poison. :D

[Soruc]

I feed my Great Dance mix, Sam, Natural Choice Dry Dog Food, Large Breed Adult, Lamb & Rice Meal.
Does anybody know about that stuff? I wanna make sure it's good for him, I love him to bits <3

It's not as bad as Alpo or Kibbles n' bits, but you'd be far better off with something like Acana or ToTW (Taste of the Wild).
It has some bad ingredients, but you're not feeding him poison.

I suggest you look at this for more information:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food- ... -food-dry/

[robyn]

I feed my Great Dance mix, Sam, Natural Choice Dry Dog Food, Large Breed Adult, Lamb & Rice Meal.
Does anybody know about that stuff? I wanna make sure it's good for him, I love him to bits <3

It's not as bad as Alpo or Kibbles n' bits, but you'd be far better off with something like Acana or ToTW (Taste of the Wild).
It has some bad ingredients, but you're not feeding him poison.

I suggest you look at this for more information:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food- ... -food-dry/

Thanks so much, I'll have to check it out.

[lightscales]

People seem to forget that dogs are carnivores, and we really need to stop trying to make them omnivores.

[renki]

Dogs are like wolves. Related to wolves, wolves eat some veggies and fruits in the wild. Just because omnivores means that species can eat both plants and animals means nothing. It falls upon a omnivores main diet, ours is mainly veggies but we need things from meat the veggies cant give us. Dogs mainly are meat eats but need veggies to help with things they cant get from meat

[Cardinal]

I feed my dog, Lily, a small-medium cockerspaniel mutt, currently, Beneful Healthy Weight, due to her old chubbiness issues. She lost quite a bit of weight, but hey! You seemed way more informed than me, so tell me. She is a healthy weight, with the nastiest teeth you have ever seen, my poor darling, and a decent small-medium size, with a dull, medium length coat that lacks shine and sleekness. So? What do you think she should be fed? What are her best options?

Hm. Sneaky food makers! They hide the ingredients! Can't seem to find them. But it says listed that there are mainly peas and rice. At least not wheat? (Hopeful glance around?)

Thanks for telling me and making me aware of my pup's health and what poisons I am giving to her.

*Shudder*

I feel terrible!

Got to go, for my sister has just placed a ferret on my head.

Nasty teeth? Raw meaty bones. The act of chewing the meat, grissle, bone, fat, tendons.. It actually cleans the teeth. Kibble does not clean teeth, thats like saying eating pretzels clean our teeth. Besides, even if it did clean teeth it would just be the very tips. I noticed a huge change in dental health throwing in raw feedings a couple times a week.

Diet foods are a gimmick. They throw in more carbs, while reducing the meat content. Proteins from meat boost muscle development, and minimize fat. Whereas startches tend to turn to sugar and more fat. ;D If your dog is getting chunky on a food its also -normally- the owners fault for over feeding... Unless theres a medical condition.

Try Taste of the Wild.. Wellness.. Blue Buffalo.. I feed TOTW Mainly due to price. Its the cheapest grainfree I can find, yet is high quality.

[Cardinal]

yes but when I cook I work with raw meat also. Sure you must have a attention to hygiene

Just letting people know . It's enough of an issue that hen a dog comes into my vet clinic who is on a raw food diet, they have warnings posted. It's different when cooking since heat kills the bacteria and I sure hope that you wash your hands between the time you cook and the time you eat!

"Salmonella infection can be acquired from pets through grooming, food preparation, scooping, cleaning bowls and litter boxes, or just petting." from http://dogtime.com/raw-food-diet-dangers-dogs-aaha.html

It's the owners choice to feed dog raw meat but they have to deal with the potential consequences to themselves and the dog. I think it is appropriate that people should know the benefits AND RISKS of feeding raw meat.

I don't think its a huge issue. A dogs gut is normally acidic enough to break down any nasties present. After that, their gut moves so fast its generally expelled before a risk is present to the dog.. and lets face it.. There are nastier things in feses than salmonella. xD Besides, a dogs saliva has lysozyme which is an antibiotic and destroys many nasties even before they reach the gut. I've been mistakenly bitten while raw feeding.. After she was halfway done (My fault for having my hand to close to the bone she was eat, she mistook my thumb as part of the food. x.x ) I had no issues. Also, she commonly licks me and my face ( ew ew ew) after eating raw.

http://rawfed.com/myths/bacteria.html

Not the best article out there, but atleast it links its sources. =)

[bloodredsheep]

this is before I read this thread this was a long time ago maybe 15 years ago
Not saying this happens only to chihuahuas and beagle a raw diet is always a good diet unless your animal has a sensitive stomach and cant handle it. I have had many chihuahua and beagle on raw diet. (cooked)

It is possible for some small breeds ( and maybe even big breeds i think it really depends on the animal) can't handle a raw food diet. I know from first hand experience that my tea cup wired hair chihuahua and a beagle mix acted so sick and would whine and curl in a ball. it gave them stomach pain. It was a long time ago so not sure I think she may have had diarrhea. I went to vet for both times when my dogs got sick and vet says it cause they have sensitive stomachs nothing to bad they weren't dehydrated just change diet.

So I switched to Evo I got 2 different flavor of Evo and mixed them together. chihuahua got over her tummy pains and had normal stool again. Also tried it with Blue buffalo for the beagle and still use it today for my cats and my dogs its great.

Not saying you have to buy the brands i mentioned just that my wolf/dog and my short hair chihuahua plus cats loves both brands.

Also all the brands and categorize are put up great this is a very good and well put together thread.

[Cardinal]

this is before I read this thread this was a long time ago maybe 5 or 6 years ago
Not saying this happens only to chihuahuas and beagle a raw diet is always a good diet unless your animal has a sensitive stomach and cant handle it. I have had many chihuahua and beagle on raw diet.

It is possible for some small breeds ( and maybe even big breeds i think it really depends on the animal) can't handle a raw food diet. I know from first hand experience that my tea cup wired hair chihuahua and a beagle mix acted so sick and would whine and curl in a ball. it gave her stomach pain. It was a long time ago so not sure I think she may have had diarrhea.

But I switched to Evo I got 2 different flavor of Evo and mixed them together. She got over her tummy pains and had normal stool again. Also tried Blue buffalo for my cats and my dogs its great.

Not saying you have to buy the brands i mentioned just that my wolf/dog and my short hair chihuahua plus cats loves both brands.

Also all the brands and categorize are put up great this is a very good and well put together thread.

I do not doubt a bit of upset tummy, however.. as terrible as it is.. It can be a good thing. It means the body is adapting. Raw food diets require a much more acidic gut to break it down fully. Our dogs, fed kibble, do not need this acidity because there food has already gone through a measure of being broken down by heat. =) Also, raw food and kibble should always be fed 10-14 hours apart as they break down at different rates and can cause digestive upset if fed together.

My friends dog's ALL threw up after their first meal and all had upset stomach the next morning..By the third or fourth meal the dogs could handle it and now they look forward to it. xD I've read it can take a full two weeks to transition dogs over from kibble or wet food.. :Shrugs.:

But, whatever works for your dogs. ^^

[renki]

why were you feeding kibble and raw at the same time?

[Cardinal]

why were you feeding kibble and raw at the same time?

Who? In m post I warned against it. xD