Suitable Diet?

[PoppyDog]

We recently went to dinner with friends who have a Border Collie who is about 4 months younger than our CKCS X, Poppy.

Their dog, unlike our Poppy, is picky with his food and our friends have tried so many commercial foods but have finally decided to cook him food.

They mix cooked rice, meat, vegies and some gravy and also put in some premium dry food. Oh and a raw egg once a week.

The night we were there Poppy had this for dinner (as we stupidly forgot her food) and she loved it.

So I was thinking about making up a batch for her. She eats Supercoat puppy for breakfast at the moment and raw chicken carcass minced for dinner. TBH the raw chicken makes me want to hurl! ;) So I'm not keen to continue. We also can only buy it in large quatities so have to bag it up into portioned sizes and our freezer is then filled with 101 little plastic bags!

If I continued to feed supercoat puppy for breakfast and fed the cooked rice, meat, veg and some gravy with a raw egg once a week would this be a suitable diet for Poppy?

Thanks in advance!

[Guest Tess32]

No not really to be honest - rice is just a filler for dogs, and the only way they can digest vegetables is if they are are totally smushed up. Most dogs will find that meal yummy, but it's not doing much for them at all.

If I were you I'd change to a better quality dry food, and supplement with some raw bones like chicken wings/frames/lamb necks etc.

[poodlefan]

PD:

If I continued to feed supercoat puppy for breakfast and fed the cooked rice, meat, veg and some gravy with a raw egg once a week would this be a suitable diet for Poppy?

I'd say you'd run the risk of having a diet deficient in calcium. I agree with Tess - why not upgrade to a better quality kibble, and supplement with raw chicken wings (better for teeth and less likely to make you and other raw meaty bones)

Easy Peasy! ;)

[PoppyDog]

No not really to be honest - rice is just a filler for dogs, and the only way they can digest vegetables is if they are are totally smushed up. Most dogs will find that meal yummy, but it's not doing much for them at all.

If I were you I'd change to a better quality dry food, and supplement with some raw bones like chicken wings/frames/lamb necks etc.

Damn! But thanks for your honesty! We do give her chicken necks and meaty bones too. We have to freeze the chicken necks so she doesnt try to eat them whole and gag!

I'm happy to stick with our dry food (we just brought an 18kg bag!) and just keep going with the raw chicken mince.

Is that a better option?

[PoppyDog]

PD:

If I continued to feed supercoat puppy for breakfast and fed the cooked rice, meat, veg and some gravy with a raw egg once a week would this be a suitable diet for Poppy?

I'd say you'd run the risk of having a diet deficient in calcium. I agree with Tess - why not upgrade to a better quality kibble, and supplement with raw chicken wings (better for teeth and less likely to make you and other raw meaty bones)

Easy Peasy! ;)

Can you reccomend better quality kibbles that won't break the bank???

[Sandra777]

Just because a dog eats something with enthusiasm it doesn't mean it's good for them so don't take that as any recommendation ;)

Dry food that agrees with her and something she can chew would work for me. There's absolutely no harm in giving her an egg once or twice a week, some sardines, a few left overs but unless you're going to do raw food/home made properly IMO you should be basing her diet on a proper commercial food, at the very least until she is fully grown.

Edited August 5, 2010 by Sandra777

[Guest Tess32]

Yep I think your current diet was better than the potential change ;)

I would find it easier to cut out the mince really, and simply give a chicken wing or two at night, but depends on your situation.

If she tries to eat chicken necks whole, better to give her 'bigger' bones to work on, like chicken frames, drumsticks, lamb necks etc.

[PoppyDog]

Yep I think your current diet was better than the potential change ;)

I would find it easier to cut out the mince really, and simply give a chicken wing or two at night, but depends on your situation.

If she tries to eat chicken necks whole, better to give her 'bigger' bones to work on, like chicken frames, drumsticks, lamb necks etc.

I wouldn't give her a chicken frame each day though would I? Could I continue with the dry food Morning and Night with a raw egg once or twice a week and then give her a chicken frame X amount of times per week?

I think that would be a great thing to give her in the mornings before we go to work. We try and give her a bone the days we have to work to keep her occupied.

Is there such thing as too many bones per week? Are briskit bones considered meaty bones or not?

[poodlefan]

PD:

If I continued to feed supercoat puppy for breakfast and fed the cooked rice, meat, veg and some gravy with a raw egg once a week would this be a suitable diet for Poppy?

I'd say you'd run the risk of having a diet deficient in calcium. I agree with Tess - why not upgrade to a better quality kibble, and supplement with raw chicken wings (better for teeth and less likely to make you and other raw meaty bones)

Easy Peasy! ;)

Can you reccomend better quality kibbles that won't break the bank???

Advance would be my first recommendation. It's a premium (not a super premium) and my friends dogs do well on it.

Don't forget with the more expensive kibbles you actually tend to feed less (and pick up less in the back yard).

[Guest Tess32]

You can give bones daily. I don't know how much your dog weighs though so you'd have to work it out if you split dry and raw.

The chicken frames I get are meaty but some are small and mostly bone, so really depends on the ones you can get.

But she could easily have a wing or two per day at night, and dry in the morning.

[poodlefan]

You can give bones daily. I don't know how much your dog weighs though so you'd have to work it out if you split dry and raw.

The chicken frames I get are meaty but some are small and mostly bone, so really depends on the ones you can get.

But she could easily have a wing or two per day at night, and dry in the morning.

My 4.8kg poodle gets ONE chicken wing for a meal and that's her only meal for the day. I think PD's pup is probably no larger so one wing would be fine in conjuction with kibble. Once she's finished growing, don't let her become a porker - cut the food back.

Edited August 5, 2010 by poodlefan

[W Sibs]

If Poppy isn't lactose intolerant.. you can try giving her an egg milkshake.

Put some milk and an whole egg (shell and all) and put it in a blender. Then serve.

I give this to my 2 once a week... they love it! That subsitute their dry bikkies on a Sunday morning.

My mum use to give to Charlie every morning night, but she stopped it and he loves them. So I give it to both of them on Sunday morning.

[poodlefan]

If Poppy isn't lactose intolerant.. you can try giving her an egg milkshake.

Put some milk and an whole egg (shell and all) and put it in a blender. Then serve.

I give this to my 2 once a week... they love it! That subsitute their dry bikkies on a Sunday morning.

My mum use to give to Charlie every morning night, but she stopped it and he loves them. So I give it to both of them on Sunday morning.

My guys get goats milk every morning with an oil blend and Joint Guard.

They're not spoiled, really they aren't. ;)

[PoppyDog]

Poppy is 11kg now. ;)

I'm not sure if she is lactose intolerant. I know that the person we got her from suggested puppy milk but we thought it gave her the runs so we canned it.

Looking back the runs could of been a puppy settling in thing.

Maybe I will freeze 2 chicken wings and give her them in the morning to keep her busy while we go to work then give her dry food for dinner with an egg over it twice a week. She LOVES eggs and I usually just give her a whole one outside for her to crunch!

Is it the white or yolk your not supposed to give to them seperately? I was baking the other day and wondered.

[poodlefan]

Poppy is 11kg now. ;)

I'm not sure if she is lactose intolerant. I know that the person we got her from suggested puppy milk but we thought it gave her the runs so we canned it.

Looking back the runs could of been a puppy settling in thing.

Maybe I will freeze 2 chicken wings and give her them in the morning to keep her busy while we go to work then give her dry food for dinner with an egg over it twice a week. She LOVES eggs and I usually just give her a whole one outside for her to crunch!

Is it the white or yolk your not supposed to give to them seperately? I was baking the other day and wondered.

It's the whites... but you have to feed a hell of a lot of them on their own for it to have any effect.

11kg sounds pretty hefty - got a photo of Poppy?

[W Sibs]

If Poppy isn't lactose intolerant.. you can try giving her an egg milkshake.

Put some milk and an whole egg (shell and all) and put it in a blender. Then serve.

I give this to my 2 once a week... they love it! That subsitute their dry bikkies on a Sunday morning.

My mum use to give to Charlie every morning night, but she stopped it and he loves them. So I give it to both of them on Sunday morning.

My guys get goats milk every morning with an oil blend and Joint Guard.

They're not spoiled, really they aren't.

Oh.. definitely not spoilt at all...

I mean, coming from a person who feed her dog Magmum ice cream because her dog was sooo good after visiting the specialist

Poppy is 11kg now.

I'm not sure if she is lactose intolerant. I know that the person we got her from suggested puppy milk but we thought it gave her the runs so we canned it.

Looking back the runs could of been a puppy settling in thing.

Maybe I will freeze 2 chicken wings and give her them in the morning to keep her busy while we go to work then give her dry food for dinner with an egg over it twice a week. She LOVES eggs and I usually just give her a whole one outside for her to crunch!

Is it the white or yolk your not supposed to give to them seperately? I was baking the other day and wondered.

I don't know.. i give my 2 the whole egg ;)

[toshman]

Poppy is 11kg now.

Maybe I will freeze 2 chicken wings and give her them in the morning to keep her busy while we go to work then give her dry food for dinner with an egg over it twice a week. She LOVES eggs and I usually just give her a whole one outside for her to crunch!

Please think carefully about giving your dog bones of any kind when you're not there to keep an eye on things - please, please, please! Especially with things like chook necks/wings, they can get into trouble so quickly (I know, I speak from experience) and if you're not there to help........ ;)

[PoppyDog]

Poppy is 11kg now.

I'm not sure if she is lactose intolerant. I know that the person we got her from suggested puppy milk but we thought it gave her the runs so we canned it.

Looking back the runs could of been a puppy settling in thing.

Maybe I will freeze 2 chicken wings and give her them in the morning to keep her busy while we go to work then give her dry food for dinner with an egg over it twice a week. She LOVES eggs and I usually just give her a whole one outside for her to crunch!

Is it the white or yolk your not supposed to give to them seperately? I was baking the other day and wondered.

It's the whites... but you have to feed a hell of a lot of them on their own for it to have any effect.

11kg sounds pretty hefty - got a photo of Poppy?

Oh good, because I gave her 2 yolks. I was making pavlova so used the whites!

Are you calling my puppy FAT!!! ;) She is probably 10.something. I weighed her on Monday when I got some more Sentinal Spectrum for her.

Anyway, heres a recent photo of her in her new bed. She's not a fatty is she?

[PoppyDog]

Poppy is 11kg now.

Maybe I will freeze 2 chicken wings and give her them in the morning to keep her busy while we go to work then give her dry food for dinner with an egg over it twice a week. She LOVES eggs and I usually just give her a whole one outside for her to crunch!

Please think carefully about giving your dog bones of any kind when you're not there to keep an eye on things - please, please, please! Especially with things like chook necks/wings, they can get into trouble so quickly (I know, I speak from experience) and if you're not there to help........ ;)

Thanks. After typing that I thought I probably won't do the chicken neck/wing thing when we are not here because she is such a guts and has chocked on necks before. But I'm happy to give the big briskit ones.

[OSoSwift]

What is she crossed with? I know you have said Cav X Before.

I would go chicken frsmes - chop them in half if you want to give her less, and a beter dog food. Sometimes I make up cooked meat and a bit of rice - one of mine cannot tolerate raw meat - and they love it, but I figure I love chocolate but shouldn't eat it all the time ;)

I also give the odd can of sardines, odd egg, odd bit of dog roll etc.