More food questions (hey, I'm new at this!) lol
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| I would suggest stick to your guns so to speak. If you want to get him off the canned food, perhaps try mixing less and less into his food each day so he still eats, but gets used to less canned. |
Canned food is a whole lot better for your dog than kibble. If you can afford to feed canned food then I would continue doing so. With my dogs I feed a variety of dog foods, raw, cooked etc. I mix the food up all the time. For instance I rotate between Innova, Solid Gold, Wellness, Eagle Pack and California Naturals...all these foods are high quality and are made with organic food souces, the fish used doesnt have preservatives in it like the other fish used for dog food...so its human grade not dog food grade 
Canned food does not require preservatives like kibble does. Canned food also can contain more meat, its impossible to use a lot of meat in Kibble as it will mess up the extruder the kibble is processed in. If I could afford it I would take my dogs completely off kibble foods. For me I rotate different brands of food ever 3-4 months. I feed kibble mixed with canned (half and half) in the morning then a raw or cooked meal in the evening. A high quality canned food will make for less waste as well. The biggest difference I found in smaller waste was when I switched my dogs to a complete raw diet. With some kibbles they can produce more waste as they have so many fillers in them. |
| I have also heard many believe canned food is better, but they have to eat so much of it to get the same nutrition, it seems impossible to do or the dog would be doing nothing but filling itself all the time.... even the highest quality canned foods require a dog this size to be fed 5 or 6 large cans a day to provide complete nutrition... |
| I don't know why people insist on "human" grade when there is no such definition. It's just a marketing gimmick. The correct term is fit or unfit for human consumption although when it enters the pet food plant it's then feed grade. |
| I know for us using doggie gravey works awesome.My collie who is picky and can loose weight very quickly,loves it.I feed them Nutro lamb and rice for large breeds,and then I mix in about 1tablespoon of Iams gravey.Not only is it cheaper BUT they are eating their kibble,and your not having to pick up huge poopies in your yard.I know some ppl dont like the gravey cuz of its smell,but for my boys love it,and they eat every last kibble.Theres Iams and Vita gravey they both are about the same in cost.Its worth giving it a try to see if it works for your fur baby. |
| Well, I went to Southern Ag today and bought some Nutro MAX for large breeds. Duncan seems to like it, he ate it without being mixed with any canned. We'll see how it goes.
I had tried some of the Iams sauce, and he didn't seem to care for it. Is that the same as the Iams gravy that was mentioned? |
Quote: I don't know why people insist on "human" grade when there is no such definition. It's just a marketing gimmick. The correct term is fit or unfit for human consumption although when it enters the pet food plant it's then feed grade.
There is a big differene between human grade and animal consumption grade. When fish are harvested from fishermen if just being used for animal feed they add a harmful preservative to the fish to keep it. This additive is dangerous and I want to ensure that my dog food does not have this in its ingredients. Also, meat used for human grade is a higher quality. If I am buying dog food and they list chicken by products; well, that can be just about any thing from feet, beaks, feathers etc. I like to know that the cuts of meat being used in my dog food would be good enough for me to eat. Yes, dog food does go through quite a bit when being processed, this is one reason why I like canned over kibble. |
| Hi all,
Question? If so many of you are feeding soft foods to your dogs what are you doing to clean their teeth? Zach |
| I was wondering about that too. About them having nothing 'crunchy' in their diet when they eat canned food. That's why I thought it would be better to put Duncan on dry food. He hasn't shown much interest in chew bones/toys, so I think he needs something to keep his teeth and gums clean and healthy. |
| My Bearded Collie/Briard mix was the same way with dry food. I rescued her and she was already severely underweight but, boy, would she not eat dry food. I mixed it was canned and she would suck the canned food off the dry and kindly deposit the uneaten kibble in the middle of the living room. It became such a mess that I finally just gave in and gave her canned food. I supplement that with a few milkbones a day. She is 70 pounds, and according to the vet, exactly the size that she should be. She likes to chew bones on occasion but it's not an everyday thing.
Now, she's coming up on 9 years old. When I took her to the vet a few weeks ago for her arthritis, the vet told me that if she had just looked in Lucy's mouth and was asked to estimate her age, her teeth are so good, she would have guess the dog to be between one and two years old. They're gleaming white and not a single one has any problems. She's had a professional brushing once every 2 years. I'm not sure everyone would be so lucky, but I always pipe up when it comes to the canned food and teeth thing! |
| Actually, on a cat forum there was a post about canned being better for cats than kibble,now widely accepted by most vets and scientists, and there was conclusive evidence that kibble made teeth dirtier not cleaner than canned food. Kibble leave crumbs and chunks stuck in the teeth, wet food gets washed away when the animal drinks. |
| The pervailing wisdom of my vet, for whatever it's worth was that the dry food wasn't scraping foor away, but it was the fact that the animal needed to drink after it ate, which would wash the food out of the mouth.
If either of those two things were accurate, why would people have to brush their teeth, instead of just rinsing with some water? hmmmm. I think the answer is going to be pretty simple -- brush their teeth at least daily. I'll let you know when we start doing that. Don't hold your breath. |
| LOL.... true....
I never brush my dogs teeth, never have, and have never had a problem. My big old boy Winston (cat) is going to need his done soon though I think. I will not take him in to have it done, but I will start doing more to help him maintain his dental health. He never needed it before, but as they get up in years there is a need for it. |
| When Dougal arrived as a pup he was on dried food after a month he would not touch it would not eat. so we gave him canned food with mixer, no problems now, he also has mackeral and sardines, loves sunday lunch roast beef potatoes veg yorkshire pudding and gravy. He eats a varied diet is fit well and content. luv pepe |
| Hi again,
Thanks for all of the wisdon and knowledge. Now I'm totally confused lols. Neat info Willowsprite, I'll have to check more into that. Ron had my answer to brushing. I'm rollin on the floor! Zach |
| I have found that dry food does not help clean teeth. My dogs get raw bones to clean your teeth. You can usually get them from a butcher for cheap. However, I do recommend feeding them outside or in a space with easily cleaned flooring because they're pretty messy. Unless my girls have any visible "dirt" on them from the bones, I don't have any need to wipe them off.[/b] |
| I find that as long as Remy likes it she can have it. I feed her dry dog food, and then the next day she might dry/mixed with canned. Somedays I fool her with just pouring boiled water over the dog food to make it softer.
For her teeth I do an ocassional brushing. Then she gets bones to chew on, or denta bones. Whatever you chose make sure the food is By-Product free, and that they list actual meat in the ingredients. I've read some pretty scary dog food info...plants using road kill/euthanized animals/BSE victims/feathers/saw dust soaked in blood after the butchering/ and the list goes on and on. What does seem to hold true is the more Holistic the food the better, and that seems to be more expensive as well. But it would be better to see whole meats, and whole grains going into the diet then the left over garbage. I have just switched Remy to Nutro, and I'm sure in time I will switch again. I don't believe one dog food for the rest of their lives, I think they need a change too. She really likes this one dry. |
| Actually, I could be wrong on this, but I had heard that only humans and cats can get disease from a BSE infected cow. *scratching head* I might be wrong, and it may have been just rumor. Not that anyone would want a BSE infected animal fed to anything,.... but it just triggered my memory.... of something.... lol..... though it is not working too well these days anyway.... |
| Aha! Looked it up, I was partly right...lol...
Eating a BSE infected animal affects cattle, sheep, humans, monkeys and cats. I wonder why not pigs? Or dogs? Seems odd.... |
| I'll try and copy the info, I know after the whole scare that went through AB, you can't be too careful. The dog food process should kill all bacteria, but knowing that they dispose of disease animals and give it to our dog just grosses me out.
However I can't switch to a homeade diet, or Barf diet, so I am settling with the best we can afford. If and when I can afford even better I will keep switching. |
| "Pet Food: Healthy Choice or Deadly Mistake
Every year the pet food industry makes millions of dollars selling their products that claim they are a "Complete and Balanced Diet," but commercial pet foods are unfit for animal consumption. The American Veterinary Medical Association confirms that pets on a routine basis are rendered after they die in shelters or are disposed of by animal control and health officials, frequent find their way into pet foods. Each year in the United States, 286 rendering plants dispose of 12.5 million tons of road kill, dead pets, animal fat, and meat wastes. Large vats that are used to grind and filter animal tissue prior to deep frying, holds a mixture of body parts ranging from dead and euthanised dogs and cats with their flea collars still attached, deer, raccoons, and snakes to plastic wrap the animals were sent in. The mixture is then fed in a machine called an expander and steam or water is added. The mixture is subjected to steam, pressure, and heat until temperatures reach 305ºF. After that the mixture is put through dies that determine the final size of the food. Then it is cooked at high temperatures and high pressure. Finally the Food is allowed to dry for 30-45 minutes. The final product contains pharmaceuticals that lead from antibiotics from livestock, euthanasia (a drug that stops the heart), and heavy metals that accumulate from a variety of sources: pet I.D. tags, surgical pins, needles and collars. Unsold meats, chicken, and fish that arrive in plastic wrap and Styrofoam even end up in the mixture. Transmittable spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) more commonly known as "Mad Cow Disease" can be found in commercial pet foods. The risk of exposure to TSE is three times more likely than eating hamburgers. BHA and BHT, known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction can be found in dry dog foods. Propylene glycol and emdash found in many semi-moist pet foods, is a first cousin to anti-freeze, destroys red blood cells. Lead also frequently shows up in pet foods, even the ones made from livestock. A diet of commercial pet foods contributes to cancer, skin problems, allergies, hypertension, kidney and liver failure, heart disease and dental problems. If your dog suffers from any of this, take him of dog food for a few weeks and try a holistic diet. (You can buy a book on it ~ Keep Your Dog Healthy The Natural Way) Keep Your Dog Healthy the Natural Way, by Pat Lazarus Sources: Polluted Pet Food and API Report"  This is one source I came across...I wish I could remember the website. |
| http://www.api4animals.org/79.htm
This is the other website...it's a long read but very informative. |
| Here are Links to books discussed in the API4Animals.org articles.
Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, by Richard H. Pitcairn, Susan Hubble Pitcairn Barker's Grub, by RUDY EDALATI The Holistic Animal Handbook: A Guidebook to Nutrition, Health, and Communication, by Kate Solisti-Mattelon, Patrice Mattelon Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets: the Healthful Alternative, by Donald R. Strombeck Natural Cat Care: A Complete Guide to Holistic Health Care for Cats, by Celeste Yarnall Natural Dog Care: A Complete Guide to Holistic Health Care for Dogs, by Celeste Yarnall |
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