"wet" Dog Food For Dogs

[Danois]

Had to laugh at your post - you don't want to feed a cheapo dog roll yet you feed supercoat dry!!

I would buy the tuckertime rolls.

What is wrong with Supercoat? My vet said it was fine to feed them. Is it just not as high end as science diet ect

There is nothing wrong with supercoat. I used to feed it to my lot, and they loved it, grew well and became champions!!! When i wanted to upgrade to something a bit more high market, with less fillers and more of the better ingredients it was a nightmare. I tried EVERYTHING. We went through thousands of dollars through every brand Pro Plan, Advance, Science Diet, Eukanuba, etc, etc, and they all went on hunger strikes at different stages, and licked the canned food off it, to the point that one of the boys lost 2 kgs. We now feed Black Hawk and they like it, but last week when we were running low we mixed it up with some Supercoat and they gobbled it up like it was a last supper.

I try and feed my dogs the highest premium dog food i can afford and at this time it's Black Hawk, and i will try everything i can to keep them on such a great food, but if my circumstances change, I will have to go back to the Supercoat. I dislike people being snobby about what other people feed thier dogs. 20 years ago there were no premium foods, and EVERYTHING had fillers such as soy, wheat, etc in them and breeders and owners had to had thier own substitues to them if they so pleased. Thier dogs survived. Although I believe a high premium food with all the benefits and fantastic ingredients Black Hawk includes in it is right for my dogs, and my situation it may not suit everyone and i will never look down or judge anyone for what they feed thier dogs. After all I know all of my dogs bluntly refused to eat some of the higher premium brands but would not get laughed at for trying them. Plus Supercoat does include a variety of additives that make it probably one of the better options for around $20 a bag.

To the OP, find the one that your dogs like, or even better love. I know I'm about to be laughed at, I feed my Black Hawk with a small amount of the No Name Canned Dog Food (I jokingly call it 'crap in a can' - if it's chicken flavoured, then its 'chicken crap in a can' etc etc) I use just enough to entice the dogs to finish eating all the dry food because I know that's were all the nutrients are. I have found no evidence of worse farts and after all before that I had tried human grade mince (expensive but good), roast chicken (too expensive to continue but the dogs loved it, but they would eat the chicken and then leave half the dry food) various roo and other pet minces (found small pieces of bones in a variety of brands, plus the dogs did as they did with the chicken) other canned foods (dogs turned thier noses up at, especially the puppies, who would eat one flavour for a couple of nights and then refused to eat) and then every dog roll that Coles, Pet Barn, etc sold and they would eat it only without the dry AGAIN, so when I tried the No Name varieties I was sceptical, but I found that it coated the dry food better than anything else (probably because of the gelatin) and made them eat more dry food than they did with anything else.

So, just try and find one your dogs like to eat. Supercoat does have additives to it (such as Vitamins, Omega 3, etc) so if you can get them to eat something that encourages them to eat thier dry food, good on you. Good Luck with it, and don't worry, each person's dogs are different and what other's enjoy other's may not!!!!

Geez - overreaction much :rolleyes:

My point was that they are concerned about feeding an el cheapo dog roll when they are already fed Supercoat which is not exactly a quality dry food.

Edited January 7, 2012 by Danois

[Gayle.]

A dog that vomits back a big pile of raw food ten minutes after dinner is getting no nutrition from it at all.

[huski]

Cherry vomits up most raw food too, the only food she can really digest is a fish based dried food, at the moment we have her on Pro Plan and she's doing really well on it. Even a bit of cooked chicken will make her vomit and if she eats it often enough she'll get a terrible rash.

My other dogs are fed on a raw diet though because that is what they do best on.

[BoStoNmAdNeSs]

That's one of the best posts I've read on this forum.

[Nekhbet]

A dog that vomits back a big pile of raw food ten minutes after dinner is getting no nutrition from it at all.

I would be investigating why my dogs digestion is so poor instead of putting it on a highly processed food.

As for pieces of bone in pet minces, they are meant to. It's chicken carcass minced apart. This just means it has to be stored carefully and used quite quickly so it doesnt go off like any minced product. Human grade mince for a dog is actually rubbish, it's pure protein, water and unbalanced.

[Weasels]

A dog that vomits back a big pile of raw food ten minutes after dinner is getting no nutrition from it at all.

Exactly. Individual dogs and breeds have very different responses to food. I give mine a bit of everything over the course of a week - some dry food, some tinned food, some RMBs, some harder bones, some people food, some raw meat offcuts and some whole fish with yoghurt. They're quite happy with all of it, and on only a vaguely consistent time schedule.

I know there are many people out there who need to be much more consistent with their feeding and gradually introduce new foods. I know there are some breeds that are prone to sensitive stomachs or allergies (I know of a few boxers like this in particular). Researching ingredients etc. is great, but I think at some point is just comes down to trial and error with your own dogs.

Edited January 7, 2012 by Weasels

[Guest Augustine Approved]

Nehkbet I agree. I am a raw food advocate but if I had to I would sear or cook meat rather than feed Augustine dry or tinned food.

One of the most common reasons that dogs vomit on raw or meat majority diets is because they are not balanced and far too rich. It does not mean a raw or fresh diet is not suitable for them.

[poochmad]

The decision to feed your dog raw or processed foods goes hand in hand with differing opinions, ideas, recommendations, suggestions etc on what type of collar you should use, what type of bed you should use, etc the list is endless. This discussion of raw verses the other has come up numerous times, with neither side changing their minds.

For me, I am happy with what my dogs are being fed.

Edited January 7, 2012 by poochmad

[Gayle.]

The dog in question had a raw diet until she was over 2 years of age. As balanced as I could make it, with various sources of protein, various vegetables and other whole foods etc and suddenly developed the hurls. Nothing came of an investigation, according to the vet some dogs just develop a sensitivity to some foods just like some people do.

She can still have small amounts of raw and so they all get a raw meaty bone to start the day, but once I'd established she was fine, it was easier to switch them all to kibble and they've never looked better.

[Guest Augustine Approved]

That is what I love about forums; they give us an avenue to exchange ideas and let everyone decide for themselves rather than to force people into do something. I presented some facts about the negatives of dry and canned food and those who wish to take them onboard are welcome to.

The negative experiences some members are referring to have very rational reasons and simple solutions. If anyone is interested enough to find out why exactly these problems occurred, please feel free to private message me.

Thanks for sharing your experiences, I will take them into account when writing the FAQ section of our website.

[Mason_Gibbs]

A dog that vomits back a big pile of raw food ten minutes after dinner is getting no nutrition from it at all.

Sometimes their stomach acids need to change the ph level, this happens with my dogs if I don't feed bones for awhile and then feed bones they will both vomit

Edited January 7, 2012 by Mason_Gibbs

[Gayle.]

A dog that vomits back a big pile of raw food ten minutes after dinner is getting no nutrition from it at all.

Sometimes their stomach acids need to change the ph level, this happens with my dogs if I don't feed bones for awhile and then feed bones they will both vomit

No, this was after being fed raw for over two years. No break, no change in diet, just started to vomit it all back up again. I have since tried again, as a change from raw occasionally, same result. She can tolerate a chicken drumstick for breakfast, she can't tolerate a larger meal. But all is OK, she loves her kibble and she has the best coat she's ever had.

[flame ryder]

It's not really rocket science is it. I try to just feed everything in moderation. Just as I do myself...some junk food (tinned or cheap crappo kibble) once in a while is ok. Mine get expensive kibble from the vets, some cheapo kibble, raw chicken mince from the butchers, chicken necks, raw beef and lamb bones, vegetables, pasta, rice, eggs (raw),even cake and biscuits...and tonight they will share some of my spaghetti bog, I made it with no onions especially so they can have some too

[Guest donatella]

I've always been worried about the raw egg thing for my dog so have been frying her an egg but is raw better? There is no way she could break one in the shell though

[flame ryder]

My GS used to break into the chook yard...no not to get at the chooks, but to pinch the eggs.

By the way...as a result of the stuff I've read on here about the cheap dry food/kibble and canned stuff I rarely feed it anymore the benefits are there is a lot less poo output and the poo that does come out breaks down and vanishes into the soil pretty quickly . It still has it's place when there is nothing else though.

That's why I love these forums...you learn so much that I wouldn't have otherwise learnt.

[korbin13]

I've always been worried about the raw egg thing for my dog so have been frying her an egg but is raw better? There is no way she could break one in the shell though

I'm not sure what the 'raw egg thing' is! I feed my dogs a raw egg about once a week, two have the shell as well (I break it up with the egg) but one doesn't.

[Guest donatella]

I might try her on a raw egg sans shell (she usually gets a fried one once a week - runny yolk) its certainly easier then cooking one

[noisymina]

If I remember correctly, it has something to do with the way they treat/handle raw eggs in America. They are prone to a poison entering the shell.

This does not happen in Australia.

I fed my dog raw eggs too quite frequently. In fact, a a kid, I was fed raw eggs in Egg Nogs myself.

My dog did chuck Kangaroo meat so I had to discontinue feeding that. And sardines were a bit dubious too, so I avoided them. She also took to trying to swallow the Turkey necks whole and chucking them back. :rolleyes:

For the most part, tho she did well on raw and her teeth were excellent.

[huski]

I feed raw egg all the time

[LizT]

I haven't feed any canned foods to my dogs in over 30 years. I used to feed canned food and some supermarket brand kibble but couldn't make the four hour drive to my ex's family's beach house without having to wind down the windows to stop me turning green. "Chum...farts so chunky you could carve 'em!"

I switched to a better quality kibble and raw. They get either diced beef, chicken wings or necks and I have tried and liked, Hills, Advance, Royal Canin and currently very happy with Black Hawk.

Interestingly Supercoat is probably the best supermarket brand of dry food you can get. When we adopted a rescue who had been on a diet of milk and scraps and had lots off teeth missing we found he got diarrhoea on the richer foods and settled well on Supercoat lite (he is old).