Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[Keriae]

Lot's of dog food brands are imperfect. Whatever brand you use probably has a bad source, faulty branding or a history of injuries or even casualties as a result of the food being consumed. Royal Canin, just like other brands, does a range of food and some, I admit, are better than others. Additionally, grains are not the only thing that dogs can be allergic too. Dogs can actually develop an allergy to food that they have been eating for years and some of the most common cases are: beef, dairy, wheat, egg, chicken, lamb, soy, pork, rabbit, and fish. They end up doing a variety of things (which is so common because almost every dog has an allergy to at least one of these things) such as chronic ear inflammation, gastrointestinal problems, and chronic diarrhea to chronic gas, licking their feet, or an itchy rear end.

Oh, I know that. But I've certainly heard of more grain allergies than anything else. The most common protein allergy in chicken, and that can be avoided by feeding other food. Allergies can also be avoided by rotating proteins and similar brands.`

Halogen has a good point. Kibble is essentially the same as fast food, especially the cheaper brands such as Pedigree and Purina (in the UK) or Kibble n' Bits and Gravy Train in the US. When we know that fresh food is better, why do vets (who, aren't nutritionists, and do a single module taught by the companies who own cheaper brands - Nestle and Mars) insist that we feed food that is full of fillers to bulk up the food, and creates obesity? We know good food helps weight loss and general health, and yet that is not the same for our animals, who we have a duty of care for.
It literally makes no sense.

Edit: dog food pulled!
http://wsbt.com/news/nation-world/dog-foods-pulled-from-shelves-nationwide-after-investigation-finds-euthanasia-drug

[cornspurrd.]

In what ways can I improve
my dogs food by adding things to
his kibble?

at the moment i'm using raw
chicken with rice, raw eggs
and sometimes veggies.

But am I doing it wrong?
what else should I do?

also stacked him yesterday

[.Middy.]

Harlow- Personally id skip the rice at the very least. It can be hard for them to digest. I’d skip the veggies too myself but if you want to feed them, I believe you have to purée them for them to be easier to digest?

I’d do some raw meaty bones instead for teeth health. Plus it’s a good mental stimulation!

Also I noticed your prong, I would suggest getting one with smaller links (the 2.25mm Herm Sprenger is my suggestion) and it should be fitted high and tight behind his ears.

[Keriae]

In what ways can I improve
my dogs food by adding things to
his kibble?

at the moment i'm using raw
chicken with rice, raw eggs
and sometimes veggies.

But am I doing it wrong?
what else should I do?

also stacked him yesterday

If you're offering him raw with his kibble and it's over 20% of his diet, you need to balance it. I'd definitely get rid of the rice and puree or steam the veg!
I'd definitely add raw meaty bones, like Middy said!

[taurus ;]

@appology

Never any recalls for Orijen in the US or Canada lol. Much better than Royal Canin anyways. Not really any way to justify feeding your dog low quality food.

[bloodredsheep]

In what ways can I improve
my dogs food by adding things to
his kibble?

at the moment i'm using raw
chicken with rice, raw eggs
and sometimes veggies.

But am I doing it wrong?
what else should I do?

some more good stuff that can be added to kibble
raw honey
plain yogurt
keifir
coconut oil
variety of berries (blueberries,blackberries, or raspberries)
canned sardines (in water)
chicken feet
and/or
raw meaty bones like middy said

[eff]

@appology

Never any recalls for Orijen in the US or Canada lol. Much better than Royal Canin anyways. Not really any way to justify feeding your dog low quality food.

Because Vets recommend low quality food, take a look at this list

[Marley.&.Me]

My vet recommends Science Diet.
They tried making me feed Oppie it
Yeah, Not happenening.
He does good on Freshpet/Iams
but I’m slowly getting him on Isms.

[Keriae]

@appology

Never any recalls for Orijen in the US or Canada lol. Much better than Royal Canin anyways. Not really any way to justify feeding your dog low quality food.

Because Vets recommend low quality food, take a look at this list

Can I ask where you got that image from?
No point using something and not linking to the source.

[Taiger Lilly]

Acana is still a much better food than Royal Canin so 😂😂😂 And I bet if they didn’t have all that research and studies and vets ‘recommending’ and pumping out their products, a lot less people would be feeding that crap to their pets.

Regardless of what anybody says on the subject of grains, why do you want to feed a bunch of fillers to your dog? And the only thing that could be brought up about Acana is the peas vs literal essays that can be written on why royal canin, hills is bad...lol nice.

I'd argue that the company that has developed multiple diets that have been proven effective at treating many diseases would qualifiy as the "better" one, from a nutrition knowledge standpoint. Sure, if you want "farm fresh" ingredients and your dog does well with a high protein diet then you might pick Acana over Royal Canin. But from a nutrition perspective I wouldn't make the blanket statement that one is "much better" than the other.

I mean, I think you might be missing the point here. Of course if they didn't have the research it wouldn't be popular. Vets wouldn't reccomend it if they had no proof, and you would have a much stronger argument for calling it crap. It wouldn't be the same food though, since those brands have been adapting and improving the recipes based on their research.

The term "filler" has a pretty negative connotation. Not all dogs do well on a high protein diet. While not required (The dog won't die without it) grains (fillers) provide fibre, protein, Linoleic Acid (An omega-6 fatty acid), and an easily available source of glucose (and probably other things). I really and honestly don't mind fillers in dog foods, I think they have a place when developing a recipe.

But I guess that there is just the difference in the way we form our opinions. I like peer reviewed studies and you prefer to base your opinion on how many essays were written about the topic by ... uh.. people ( A dentist? Sharon from accounting? The teenager working at your local PetSmart?) Sure, anecdotes can be useful and you don't have to have a degree to have a opinion. However, trying to push something as fact should require some kind of proof that accounts for other explainations and the scientific method is pretty darn good at that.

Kibble is not the same as fast food. Fast food is not complete and balanced and intended for everyday feeding. The research the companies pay for allows them to know what amounts of nutrients are unhealthy and limit the amount in the food. Sugar, fat, carbs, etc. aren't bad themselves, just when in excess (as occurs often in fast foods. )

I do agree that foods with dyes, frequent recalls, no quality control, and use only most inexpensive ingredients (without justification, ie: research) are unhealthy and likely cutting corners.