Dog Food

[LittleMiss]

Yeah I give mine a large bowl of kibble for them to eat when they get hungry during the day, but a bowl usually lasts a couple of days because they mainly eat raw bones, chicken necks throughout the day - also; what type of breed is your dog?

Mine is a Siberian Husky so I try to give her a bit of fish each week as well since there are essential oils that are great for Husky coats. Maybe your breed has something particular that is good for it too?>

[Lab_Rat]

Why does it seem to be so difficult to get feeding your dog right?

Sorry ncarter, I dont want to steal your thread but "dog food" has just started to become an issue for me!

In my ridgie girls short life, shes just 12 months old, she has had two bouts of colitis (nasty diarrhoea, with blood) and Im now beginning to wonder if she has an intolerance to some of the things Im feeding her.

Any input, suggestions, guidance would be greatly appreciated!

I feed Royal Canin dry (which she has been on since solids were introduced), roo meat, chicken wings, cooked veges - carrots, sweet popato, cauliflower, broccoli, natures gift tinned, occasional sardines/oily fish, rice sometimes, and have just recently started feeding a mix of minced beef/chicken wings. They dont get all of this all the time but rather a mix of meat, veges and dry.

I stopped feeding the roo meat about two weeks ago, as I thought it may be too rich for, causing loose stools.

But Im totally baffled now coz this mornings poo wasnt all that great, could it be that she has developed a sensitive gut over time?

Are things like acidopholous and bifidus capsules beneficial?

Should I go right back to basics and see what she can and cant tolerate?

I should mention that our kelpie seems to hav a cast iron gut, as have all our previous dogs, so its a bit of a learning curve for me!

I will check out a few websites I have bookmarked, but I would much prefer to hear first hand experiences and get "real"suggestions.

Thanks for letting me crap on!

RG

[bloss344]

Ridgygirl: Try feeding the RC for a week and then add in one food in a tiny amount for a few days and see what reaction you get. No reaction then increase the amount. Then try another addition. If your dog tolerates the RC ok this would be the easiest way.

Dog's digestive systems are all so individual, some need less fibre, some more, some tolerate large amounts of fats, others can't tolerate much fat at all. It tends to be trial and error and time.

There are some other possibilities too like chronic low grade bacteria or parasites in the bowel, might be worthwhile having your vet check a sample of poo to eliminate these. No change of diet will fix it if that is the problem.

[shmoo]

To help select the best commercial foods look for these:

• No generic fats or proteins - look for named sources such as beef fat, chicken fat or lamb meal

• Human grade ingredients - look for companies that use human grade meats (not meats that were rejected by the human food industry)

• Avoid foods that use corn gluten meal - a cheap source of poor-quality protein used only by the lower-quality foods

• No meat by-products - both whole meats and meals are considered acceptable as long as they are identified and not generic

• No artificial preservatives, no artificial colors, no sugars and sweeteners, no propylene glycol

• Added taurine

• As few grains as possible - watch for splitting, such as listing ground yellow corn and corn gluten meal as separate ingredients which together might add up to more than the first ingredient.

What brands have all these good things?

Don't know to be honest. I feed a BARF diet.

I would start looking at Eagle Pack and ZiwiPeak. They would be my first bet.

[Poodle wrangler]

Why does it seem to be so difficult to get feeding your dog right?

Sorry ncarter, I dont want to steal your thread but "dog food" has just started to become an issue for me!

In my ridgie girls short life, shes just 12 months old, she has had two bouts of colitis (nasty diarrhoea, with blood) and Im now beginning to wonder if she has an intolerance to some of the things Im feeding her.

Any input, suggestions, guidance would be greatly appreciated!

I feed Royal Canin dry (which she has been on since solids were introduced), roo meat, chicken wings, cooked veges - carrots, sweet popato, cauliflower, broccoli, natures gift tinned, occasional sardines/oily fish, rice sometimes, and have just recently started feeding a mix of minced beef/chicken wings. They dont get all of this all the time but rather a mix of meat, veges and dry.

I stopped feeding the roo meat about two weeks ago, as I thought it may be too rich for, causing loose stools.

But Im totally baffled now coz this mornings poo wasnt all that great, could it be that she has developed a sensitive gut over time?

Are things like acidopholous and bifidus capsules beneficial?

Should I go right back to basics and see what she can and cant tolerate?

I should mention that our kelpie seems to hav a cast iron gut, as have all our previous dogs, so its a bit of a learning curve for me!

I will check out a few websites I have bookmarked, but I would much prefer to hear first hand experiences and get "real"suggestions.

Thanks for letting me crap on!

RG

Try starting a 'New Topic', then more people will see your questions and be able to reply ... I'm sure I've read a few posts about colitis and food intolerances b4. Here's some:

http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?...&hl=colitis

http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?...c=57151&hl=

http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?...c=45188&hl=

Sensible advice you've got already. With the variety, you wouldn't know what was causing trouble, so back to basics is a good place to start.

Lovely-looking dog (avatar), too .

Edited July 6, 2007 by Poodle wrangler

[Lowchenlove]

Sigh. I remember the days when I didn`t even think about dog diet - just gave a tin of chum. Now I spend more time planning the dogs meals than I do my kids.

I use a mixture of everything - depending on where I am shopping and how much time I haveto prepare meals.

I try to not buy anything with preservatives/colouring/salt/filler etc but WILL use canned food a couple of times a week.

Natures gift makes one of my dogs throw up and supercoat makes them all poo more.

I do give raw bones a couple of days and fresh meat a couple of days and then also give them fresh veggies.

There is so much advise that it can get very confusing and I would appreciate advise on chicken necks/wings (sorry to hijack the thread) Do you feed them raw and what about bones - I thought chicken bones were dangerous - do the necks etc not have bones in them?

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

Lowchenlove, bones should be fed raw, if they are cooked then they can easily splinter.

[Lowchenlove]

Yep I know that - I never give any cooked bones. My question really was related to the chicken wings/frames/necks - I was brought up believing that you should never give ANY chicken bones because like cooked bones they splinter - also had a work colleague who accidentally swallowed a small chicken bone (admittedly it was cooked) and nearly died.

Think I may have written a bit confusingly - basically is it okay to give raw chicken wings etc It obviously is but how come - do the bones not splinter?

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

The bones fed raw are not brittle as when cooked, we feed raw chicken wings.

[Guest Clover]

I am feeding mainly RAW at the moment, with about 20% of their meals in kibble. I have been having trouble keeping weight on my Border Collie boy so have been giving him extra meals of working dog kibble.

Feed what works for you and your dog/s .

[stormie]

My 3 dogs have lived off Pedigree meaty bites their whole lives. Like people, dogs are all different and some can tolerate some foods better than others. Yes, some foods out there have more 'fillers' than others, but at the end of the day, would still provide the adequate nutritional requirements, so long as you follow the feeding instructions.

My girls are all about 13-14 years old, and their insides are perfectly healthy (their joints arent so good, but thats just old age!). In saying this, though, I will most probably feed my next pup on Eagle Pack.

Best thing is to find a food that suits your dog and suits your budget. If you chose to feed raw, just make sure you have all the vitamins and minerals in there that you need and in the correct ratio's.

As for the grain thing, i'm not a huge fan of the amounts of grains used in todays food, but they are just another protein source. Corn is not digestible in its whole form, but when ground down, is significantly more digestible. Its the outer husky layer of the kernel which inhibits digestion, but when ground, is much more digestible. Dogs are, in text books, classed as omnivores.

[Dogsfevr]

We never feed beef it is well known for causing the runs,skin issues ,pancretitis & in some breeds too much contributes to bladder stones & it often over heats the dogs so hot spots aswell.

we avoid rice & pasta aswell as there just cheap fillers that often have ingredients not ideal for dogs.

many RR seem prone to pancreatitis aswell.

Pumpkin is great for loose tummies,colitis we have found giving our old girl who has suffered from it for 14 yrs apples to be the best maintance.

"Are things like acidopholous and bifidus capsules beneficial?" We use them alot,yes you can use yoghurt but not all dogs can tolerate dairy so the tablets are super.

We dont cook any meats & we dont give vegies.