To People With Long-lived Dogs

[spottychick]

Dalmatian, lived till nearly 19 and then was still going strong and only passed away due to choking on something. She ate raw meat and veggies, some eggs and cottage cheese, glucosamine and flax with occassionally some EP holistic - for the last 9 years of her life.

[Nic oh lah]

Very interesting reading. Makes me wonder if I'm wasting my money on the premium dry foods.

LOL - I was just thinking the same thing!!!! Just imagining being able to feed Sophie cheap as Supermarket Food - haha. But we feed her Uncle Albers which is really reasonably prices, 22kg for $35 - can't beat that. Chase gets Eukanuba Puppy Medium Breed - bloody expensive.

My mum and dad's X-breed mutt from a pet store gets dog roll from coles and some Pal kibble, plus the occasional bone. She looks like Ridgie X GSD and is 11 this year and the healthiest bloody dog i've ever met. Other than puppy vacc's she's never been to the vet.

Dogs when I was growing up on the farm always got supermarket dog roll and some dry kibble (Pal) and when we left New Zealand one was 8 (terrier X) and not rehomeable so PTS and the other (GSD X Huntaway) was 6 and healthy as anything - she lived till 16 and kibble and dog roll was all she ever got.

Hmm.

[chuckandsteve]

I can also state against good teeth. 19 year old pom.... no teeth. Gum diease got them. Maybe it was more the fact she thought she was a person that made her live so long because on all accounts she shouldn't have. lol

[sas]

Maybe all the preservatives in the tinned foods was what kept them all going so long!

[murraydebbie]

I believe that it is: 50% environment - A dog will not live to a ripe old age in a lethal enviroment unless owners are very lucky. Pig hunting dogs gettting torn apart, or animals living where they can roam freely in the neighbourhood.

40% genes - years ago people were using stud dogs that were in fashion at the time, causing many genetic issues in many breeds today. There is that saying that "Crossbreeds are healthier than pure breds".

10% food - you can give an animal the best food but if it has the wrong environment or genetics nothing will get them to an old age.

[sandgrubber]

I've been scratching my head as I read these posts, wondering if we've all been deceived by the so-called 'premium' dog food lines.

I don't think we know enough to answer. The stories in this thread raise questions . . . .but it would be useful to know about all the dogs that were raised on cheap biscuits and scraps that didn't live to a ripe old age before coming to conclusions. I'd guess, on average, the long lived dogs discussed in this thread were born 20 or more years ago. At that time I'd guess there were a lot fewer options for dogfood, a lot less hype to buy the expensive stuff, and a lot fewer people pushing natural/wholistic diet for dogs. So the stories don't tell us much about which diet is healthier.

[Souff]

I've been scratching my head as I read these posts, wondering if we've all been deceived by the so-called 'premium' dog food lines.

I don't think we know enough to answer. The stories in this thread raise questions . . . .but it would be useful to know about all the dogs that were raised on cheap biscuits and scraps that didn't live to a ripe old age before coming to conclusions. I'd guess, on average, the long lived dogs discussed in this thread were born 20 or more years ago. At that time I'd guess there were a lot fewer options for dogfood, a lot less hype to buy the expensive stuff, and a lot fewer people pushing natural/wholistic diet for dogs. So the stories don't tell us much about which diet is healthier.

Same here.

I also don't think we can necessarily compare with 20 years ago either. Back then, and earlier, many people had a different mindset about the value of their dog. If the dog got sick, the cost of the vet bill was quite often the defining factor as to whether or not they had a problem fixed. If they could not affort to pay the vet bill, then the dog either did not get treated, or it got put down. So some dogs did not live long because they were PTS, and others probably had shortened lives because the health problems were not treated and the dog was put down when things got totally out of hand.

Check out how many vet surgeries were in business 20 years ago, and then count the number of them today.

You will find a mighty increase, yet the dog population probably has not grown to the same extent.

Today, more dog owners are aware of the importance of good health and good veterinary care, and are more able to afford it.

Souff

[kirst_goldens]

my boy is a JRTX possibly westie or scottie

he is 15 atm and is going strong

he was my Poppy's dog and we inherited him when he passed away... he was on my dog and other supermarket foods with them and got a chocolate frog every morning from the milkbar when he went to get the paper.

When he came to us he was on dodgy supermarket brads until i got me some knowledge then he was swapped onto 4 legs and royal canin and has in the last 2 months swapped onto BARF and some suppliments due to some light arthiritis in the rear legs since being on the raw he has come along in leaps and bounds and is like a puppy again so i think he has along way to go...

He wasnt in bad condition on the crappy food but i have no doubt that the raw will mean he lives longer.. he was not looking great before the raw/premium dry, the vert didnt want to put him under to get his teeth cleaned thinking he wouldnt wake up but now has no probs doing it as he is healthy as a horse. He got his first vet visit when i started working at the boarding kennels 2 yrs ago.

My old cat dies about 4 yrs ago at about 13 yrs... he was feed snappy tom and whiskas and died of kidney failure... vet attributed it to the food alone and i trust this vet like no one else with my babies so i dont touch that crap anymore and my Maine Coon kitten is on raw meat and royal canin dry

ETA:

he has been an outside dog all his life and gets the occasional visit inside but i find the cat harrases him lol and he also acts liek he is about to get his head ripped off - i think due to being yelled at for being in the house by poppy he was also never vaccinated other then the 4 puppy vaccs the pet shop payed for and other then his gross teeth he has never been to the vet and out lived his microchip hahaha i took him recently to get him vaccinated as i work in a kennels and was worried i might give something to him - silly i know but im a worrier lol so he has been vaccs now and re microchiped.

Edited April 20, 2010 by kirst_goldens

[ish]

Our family's Golden Retriever turned 15 last month. For the first 5 years of her life, I'm sure she was fed Pal dry food and pet mince, I can remember the different coloured biscuits like peas and carrots She used to be a bit porky so for the last 10 years she's been on Supercoat light and mature, with some pet mince. When the pet mince supply became unreliable we switched her onto Ecopet loaf.

She suffered from ear infections when she was younger and has a bit of stiffness now that is mostly controlled by Sasha's Blend and occasionally half a Rimadyl if she's having a bad day - but she's generally healthy and happy for an old girl

[perryamstaffs]

just reading some of these diets i dont know if you could condone it but she loves it and my old man just wont get the hint about his dog, the vet gets up him all the time as well as me and my brothers and anyone else that knows better (the majority of the population) i will give you a typical days food intake for my dads best mate

Weekdays

AM before 7.30- gets scraps off the table from brekky usually bacon eggs and toast and tooo much has been cooked again

AM before work - gets two doggie biscuits (supermarket style what ever is cheapest that week)

AM as leaving for work - get a bone to eat (which is usally eaten every month by someone elses dogs when they find it cause she is full and hides it)

PM 5pm on the dot or she will bark at you or the neighbours till she is fed - get her dinner 1 cup of dried food usually no name brand and 1/4 of a deboned BBQ chook from the supermarket

PM after dinner of humans- gets the scraps not eaten from dinner plates

PM when my dads wife is in bed because he would get his you know whats chopped off- dad goes to the kitchen and get him and his little girl a bowl of icecream

and on weekends it is usually more cause he is around more but just more crappy doggie biscuits (8-10)

now this dog is a bitsa everything and she is at the ripe old age of 18 and still going have given you a picture so you can see she would still be pretty ugly without gut , he did try this when she was young so he told everyone ( i reakon he was smarter at hiding it) and her guts were not much different

but i can tell you she is loved and spoilt like no other dog i know, she sleeps on the bed with them, if she cant get up they help if its raining she goes to work if its hot she stays inside with aircon if it too cold (under zero is common in winter) she goes to work so she wont be cold if dad is too busy at work she stays home with the heater. I think it the way they are treated more then diet, but you wont catch me doing this (ps she is the height of a tallish) staffy) ;) ;) :p :p

[Scarlet]

I've been scratching my head as I read these posts, wondering if we've all been deceived by the so-called 'premium' dog food lines.

I don't think we know enough to answer. The stories in this thread raise questions . . . .but it would be useful to know about all the dogs that were raised on cheap biscuits and scraps that didn't live to a ripe old age before coming to conclusions. I'd guess, on average, the long lived dogs discussed in this thread were born 20 or more years ago. At that time I'd guess there were a lot fewer options for dogfood, a lot less hype to buy the expensive stuff, and a lot fewer people pushing natural/wholistic diet for dogs. So the stories don't tell us much about which diet is healthier.

Same here.

I also don't think we can necessarily compare with 20 years ago either. Back then, and earlier, many people had a different mindset about the value of their dog. If the dog got sick, the cost of the vet bill was quite often the defining factor as to whether or not they had a problem fixed. If they could not affort to pay the vet bill, then the dog either did not get treated, or it got put down. So some dogs did not live long because they were PTS, and others probably had shortened lives because the health problems were not treated and the dog was put down when things got totally out of hand.

Check out how many vet surgeries were in business 20 years ago, and then count the number of them today.

You will find a mighty increase, yet the dog population probably has not grown to the same extent.

Today, more dog owners are aware of the importance of good health and good veterinary care, and are more able to afford it.

Souff

I agree with both these points.

I mentioned one of my dogs earlier. He lived on pal, cheap dry food (don't think there was much else) but quite a bit of fresh meat. Fresh dog meat was nearly free from butchers so IMO a lot of dogs ate fresh. Can and dry was convenient.

Kurie was born 35 yrs ago and was nearly 17 when he died.

When he was treated for a broken leg people couldn't believe we would "waste" money on his treatment. There wasn't the vet care available then that there is now.

[Danelady]

My ol girl Zoe the great Great Dane lived till a ripe old old age of 19 and 2 months She was fed dry food, middle of the row kind and chicken frames. She was put to sleep after a massive stroke but was pretty good until then.

[~Anne~]

My ol girl Zoe the great Great Dane lived till a ripe old old age of 19 and 2 months She was fed dry food, middle of the row kind and chicken frames. She was put to sleep after a massive stroke but was pretty good until then.

Wow, would they be a record?? I don't know much about Gt Danes but I would think that the 'general' rule of larger breed, shorter life span applies and so 19 would be a huge milestone wouldn't it?

[sas]

My ol girl Zoe the great Great Dane lived till a ripe old old age of 19 and 2 months She was fed dry food, middle of the row kind and chicken frames. She was put to sleep after a massive stroke but was pretty good until then.

Wow, would they be a record?? I don't know much about Gt Danes but I would think that the 'general' rule of larger breed, shorter life span applies and so 19 would be a huge milestone wouldn't it?

I don't where Zoe was from, although Hildaydane Great Danes recently had 2 White bitches go to 20 and they were in pet homes. Hilde from Hilydane Great Danes has been breeding for about 40 odd years and she believes longevity is in the lines.

These days we're lucky to dodge Bloat and Cancer and have our Danes make it to double digits.

Edited April 20, 2010 by sas

[Bubitty]

DeepImpact that is umm quite a diet your dad’s dog is on! ;)

Sounds like she has a lovely life though!

[Baileys mum]

My 13 yo Aussie terrier x Jessie was fed all her life on the supermarket can dog food "My dog" & Supercoat dry food up until a couple of years ago.

When I first joined DoL, I did alot of reading & soon learnt that this diet was not very ideal, so I changed her over to raw food with Eagle pack holistic dry.

I don't really think the new diet has made much of a difference to her health,other than less poo & wind, she still seemed pretty healthy on the other food, but it does make me feel better to know that I am now feeding her a better diet, & I do hope to have her around for many years to come.

Edited April 21, 2010 by Baileys mum

[OSoSwift]

Our 16 yo Kelpie was fed the same as we ate, including onion, from the day she was grought home until the day she was euthed with a tumour in her dinuses.

She very rarely got mnay bones, probably half were cooked and she never ate dog food.

To the point that when she had to have surgery for a broken back leg (then 6 days later a pyo surgery) the vet was worried as she wouldn't eat. Mum asked what they were feeding her. It was of course dog food. Mum said go to the supermarket and buy her a lasagne. They did, she ate well. She also had roast meat and vegies while there as well.

I think she had three or maybe four vaccines in her life, had two litters, slept on my bed and was a very healthy non smelly dog. Her coat was always beautiful and she had no skin issues. Her only health issues in her life were the broken leg, an open Pyo and her tumour at the end.

[di_dee1]

I replied before but am adding the dogs and ages.

Dickie, Australian terrier age 18 pal meaty bites, pal wet and table scraps. The odd meaty bone.

Tara, GSD, about 18 as well, again same diet.

Blackie, BC cross, same diet, definitely age 18.

Shadow..ACD blue heeler, same..age 15

Father in laws's 2 kelpies are age 14 and still going though in retirement.

My 3 ACDs, heelers get supercoat, Raw each day, some raw egg, sardines, yoghurt. Only 18 months and 5 1/2 months yet.

They are on a farm. I too believe environment plays its part.

All previous dogs Bar Dickie (who was rehomed to my mother) have been on the farm.

Tara, the GSD only spent the last 5 years of her life with me.

[jacqui835]

My current dog is still very young (just over a year), but prior to that we had what we were told by the pet shop was a pure mini foxie. Well I think he was actually a jack russel whippet type cross, he is still the fastest dog I've seen to date. We got him when I was like 5 so I don't entirely recall, but he was fed mostly food we wouldn't eat (the gross stuff in the fridge) and cheap dog food in the beginning. Later in life he got My Dog because we thought, given the price, it was the good stuff.

He lived to be 17, had a heart murmur his whole life, no vaccs, never desexed. Up until about 3 weeks before he died, he still ran around and chased rabbits and birds etc.

After that, the family bought a very expensive rottie from a breeder who had tested for all the usual things. She was fed premium dry dog food and fresh raw meats and bones. She died at 6

I think it's genes.

[pip1981]

My childhood dog Jelly (Blue Heeler/Kelpie/Border Collie X born in '87) lived until she was 16.

She lived outdoors her entire life with no canine company, did not get anywhere near enough exercise, and was fed by a neighbour when we went away.

She visited a vet twice in her life, once to be spayed as a pup, and once for a minor skin condition. She had no vaccinations, and was only wormed when she showed signs of having worms.

She was fed on cheap dry supermarket dog food and table scraps only, including everything except lettuce and tomato, which she would leave (not a salad lover apparently), and she frequently ate cooked leftover bones

I couldn't bear to treat a pet this way ever again, but I guess my parents didn't know better or value animals the same as I do now, and to be honest, Jelly didn't know better either, and she always seemed a healthy happy girl.