I used to feed my doggy poison. :D

[.yuanfen]

For all of you here, do your dogs like eating grass like Angus cows grazing in a field?

Because if he was allowed to, I'm sure my dog would do that. He eats grass every chance he gets, and often it's covered with pesticides or fertilizers so we pull him away as soon as he starts chewing. Yesterday, we met a dog who, after saying hello to ours, went over to the nearest grassy area and started cropping up the stuff by the mouthful.

I've heard that sometimes they do it because they've eaten something bad and need to puke it up; yes, my dog has done that before, but very rarely. Other than that he just loves to eat grass, especially if it's very long or if it's just sprouted.

Anyone know of any benefits or any bad things that could result from this? I've urged my parents to just buy a pot of grass from the local PetSmart { they always have them next to checkout } and grow it at home, so that he isn't eating the ones outside with all the bad chemicals on them.

[Bluebird22]

For all of you here, do your dogs like eating grass like Angus cows grazing in a field?

Because if he was allowed to, I'm sure my dog would do that. He eats grass every chance he gets, and often it's covered with pesticides or fertilizers so we pull him away as soon as he starts chewing. Yesterday, we met a dog who, after saying hello to ours, went over to the nearest grassy area and started cropping up the stuff by the mouthful.

I've heard that sometimes they do it because they've eaten something bad and need to puke it up; yes, my dog has done that before, but very rarely. Other than that he just loves to eat grass, especially if it's very long or if it's just sprouted.

Anyone know of any benefits or any bad things that could result from this? I've urged my parents to just buy a pot of grass from the local PetSmart { they always have them next to checkout } and grow it at home, so that he isn't eating the ones outside with all the bad chemicals on them.

The only reason that I know to why dogs eat grass it for mild stomach pain or upsets. If there are pesticides on the grass do not let your dog eat it. It would mean a vet trip if eaten if mouthfuls. Here is a good link that will answer your questions I think http://www.petmd.com/dog/wellness/evr_d ... OYpmmt5mSM

[.yuanfen]

Thank you for your help and the article ^^ He just likes to nibble it, but he can do that for a long time. I suppose it would be the latter reason, then. I'll tell my parents to buy him a bit of grass...

[BoxedSprouts]

I know this states for dogs but I have a question for cats. c: I recently took in my Dad's cat, Jack, and he is overweight. He is 24 pounds I believe, and he is quite fat. He is a big cat as a whole, but his weight certainly is a problem. I started him on 'stair exercises' I have also given him smaller portions but a bit more frequently throughout the day. (I've heard this is better than two large portions because they are receiving less calories at a time.) Anyways, on topic, I have switched him over to 'Blue Buffalo Cat Weight control'. He doesn't like the taste, but I'm more stubborn than he is so he finally started eating it. That was a long and drawn out switch over. Do you recommend this, or is there a better brand (or different product from BB) that is better? c: My father used to let Jack stuff his face all day long and fed him 'Purina cat chow', which is why he is so overweight. <<

[Cardinal]

I know this states for dogs but I have a question for cats. c: I recently took in my Dad's cat, Jack, and he is overweight. He is 24 pounds I believe, and he is quite fat. He is a big cat as a whole, but his weight certainly is a problem. I started him on 'stair exercises' I have also given him smaller portions but a bit more frequently throughout the day. (I've heard this is better than two large portions because they are receiving less calories at a time.) Anyways, on topic, I have switched him over to 'Blue Buffalo Cat Weight control'. He doesn't like the taste, but I'm more stubborn than he is so he finally started eating it. That was a long and drawn out switch over. Do you recommend this, or is there a better brand (or different product from BB) that is better? c: My father used to let Jack stuff his face all day long and fed him 'Purina cat chow', which is why he is so overweight. <<

Ditch the weight loss food, they're a gimmick. Weight loss foods lower the protein and fat while adding in more carbs.. Thats the exact opposite of what you want. ;D High protein BURNS fat while the fat found in cat foods helps sustain the cat and give them more energy for longer amounts of time. Carbs are the devil to a strict carnivore and pretty much turn to sugar in the blood causing MORE fat to pack on and stress to the pancreas.. and other fun things like diabetes.. Err.

Blue Buffalo Weight Control:
Crude Protein 28.0% min
Crude Fat 9.0% min
Crude Fiber 8.5% max

Compared to just their normal Chicken from the Wilderness lines:
Crude Protein 40.0% min
Crude Fat 18.0% min
Crude Fiber 3.5% max

That looks a wee bit better.. xD Ideally you really want protein OVER 40%, fat around 20%, and carbs/fiber under 5% for your average cat. =)

If you have a picky cat, try 'out there' proteins. I have NEVER met a cat that didn't go gaga over duck. Duck is gamey, oilly, fatty.. Like cat crack. Rabbit is another really gamey meat and my cats go nuts over it as well.

Alssoo.. TREAT BALLS! Make kitty work for the food instead of ideally sitting around eating. Or they make puzzle toys for cats... Liikee

[BoxedSprouts]

Thank you so much :D! I was so excited to get him off Purina, I didn't research well in to the subject. x3 Yes, he can be quite picky when it comes to, well, everything. I will go tomorrow and see the selection they have in stock, I might end up ordering something offline. Again, thanks so much. <3


I haven't seen something like that puzzle toy before, I think he might really enjoy that. Luckily Jack is just as praise motivated as he is treat motivated, so training doesn't rely solely on food. Getting him interested in something like that which occupies his time shouldn't be too difficult.

I really appreciate your feedback. ;o

[Saracirce]

Quick q though: Whatever Clemmy eats, my mom's dog, Loli, is fed (though both dogs also frequently get table scraps, Loli more so then Clemmy). But, due to her aging, she's been getting a super sensitive tummy. Something we think is very mild can give her the runs. I want to start trying to get her used to TotW too but she is also a picky eater and will pick out what she likes best then starve herself waiting for more. Even worse then what Clemmy does. How should I go about introducing this new stuff to her? For reference, she just turned 12 years old and is near blind (we're honestly not sure how much sight she has left though we know she can at least see movement). I'm also worried this will upset her tummy, as she's only ever been on very poor quality foods.

Take it slow. Buy a tester bag (or find free samples ) and switch her slowly. Introduce a couple pieces at first, just maybe 5-10 pieces of the new stuff. See if she eats it. If she does, you can start putting 25% of her new food in with her old stuff and see how her stomach handles it.

What I did with Skoll was first I offered him a few pieces of the EVO as treats (helps that food is The Best Thing Ever). He eats 2 cups of food per meal, 2 meals a day. First meal was 1/4th cup EVO, the rest Science Diet. Waited a day, no runny poop, good. 1/2 cup EVO next day. No runny poop? Good, stick with 1/2 cup for another two days to see if his stomach freaks. Nothing? Good, 1 cup EVO next day. Repeat. 1 1/2 cup EVO. Repeat. And finally he's been on 100% EVO (plus a little rice and pumpkin just in case) for a few days since he had a small bout of runny poo. 100% solid poop today!

By the way, sorry Jazi. I would've done what you said starting today but my mom had her yesterday and, when she found out we had gotten the new food, she was all set to give Loli a bowl of Blue Wilderness. (I keep getting the name wrong xD) So, I was like 'Mom, no, this is gonna give her the runs. Let me fix a bowl up for her.' But I have her today and for the next couple days so I can keep an eye on her :3

[Jazi]

Er. Quick question on poop. Cardinal/Dakoni/Link/Lupen/anyone who switched recently and is doing well on the new food. Skoll is doing well, solid poop and itching less, but yesterday (3rd day on 100% new stuff) he... Well... It seemed almost like a purge? He did a big one, walked a couple blocks, did a slightly smaller one, then a small one every few blocks. Then at night he only had a small one. Smaller poop and less waste is normal on a high protien diet like EVO but is a purge like that after a switch normal?

He hasn't finished the bone part of his knuckle yet but he's getting there. Once he's done I'll go buy him another. Since its a couple pounds of meat the first day he gets it, I just have it replace one of his meals. I'll make a proper raw feeder out of him this summer

[Saracirce]

I GOT HER OTHER OWNER TO AGREE TO THE SWITCH! :'D He's one of those guys that likes to save a penny any way he can but I convinced him this food was better for them, we'd actually end up buying less because it has less fillers and both dogs like it! We gave Loli some in bowl with Beneful and she's trying to pick out the pieces xD (I only put in maybe 5 pieces because of her size). So yay! But, he's limited me to a month to make the switch. So let's hope their digestive tracts are cooperative.

Huzzah, thats awesome to hear! Can;t wait to see before and after pictures! :'D

A month should be PLENTY of time.

Poor Juniper got switched to Pure Beyond from Walmart and today was her second day of just that food pure.. and she had yellow mushy poo in my bf's car seat.. >_>; We picked up better food with the quickness. Made me laugh because she's a freaking 9ish week old puppy and not even rice agree'd with her..

Okay, good. I'm mainly worried it's going to take Loli a while cause she's so darn old xD She did have solid poop this morning (I should know since I had to pick it up from the hallway xp), 12-14 hours after picking out the pieces of Blue Wilderness from last night's bowl. Made her a new bowl this morning and she picked out the food again xD She even tried to raid Clemmy's bowl Oh! And I can now bait them with kibble instead of fatty, nasty cheapo treats! :'D Which is epic. Not sure if that's going to continue once they realize they're getting it regularly but let's hope.

Anyway, here are the before pics. Clicky for full size:

Loli (she doesn't do standing xD):

(No commenting on her weight, kthnx. I realize perfectly well she's overweight)

Clemmy:


I would've taken these outside (and gotten much more accurate pictures) but it's too cold right now, especially for Loli.

[IAmLink]

Jaz- sounds normal to me ;3

It's not uncommon for dogs with more sensitive tummies to "purge" like that when most recently switched over. I've never had this issue with Okami (what with her stomach o steel lol) but two fosters from the past had his issue (a pug and a dane) and it was pretty normal considering they came to us being on really crappy food and then switched to a real high quality kind, even a little while after having switched over completely.