What Do You Feed And Why

[trinabean]

I feed twice a day. A combination of chicken, roo, some vegies and fish oil. He gets plenty of meaty bones, especially chicken frames. So far this works best for him. He's not very interested in food and prone to being a bit skinny. Raw food is the only food that reliably tempts him to eat.

I'm trying him on Ziwipeak venison at the moment too, I'm hoping his allergies don't flare on it. I've yet to find a dry food that he does well on (or that he'll even eat). If this one works for him, it would be convenient for when he's boarded over Christmas. So far so good.

[Polgara's Shadow]

Vulcan's main diet is Nutro chicken & rice (kibbble) with some Vets All Natural Omega Oil added. He also gets beef bones, roo mince, eggs, chicken carcasses and leftover veggies.

Why? He's allergic to lamb, fish and pork. The Nutro is one of the only dry foods I can find which is readilly acessible to me and that has none of the 'bad' ingredients - plus he does really well on it. The VAN oil gives my allergy boy some skin boosting vitamins & minerals and the extra bones and things we use as treats and teeth cleaning.

We also feed twice a day here.

[mixeduppup]

I'd never get pet grad mince, I get everything from my butcher, which is just offcuts from human grade.

[Tara8430]

RAW by way of Barf patties, chicken carcasses whatever vegies are on offer as leftovers after dinner and now and then a lamb shank.

Why = she does best on it. her coat is so much nicer on a raw diet than a dry and the mystery contact allergy has lessened greatly since the total shift over.

I've switched my girl over to RAW 4 weeks ago and I'm seeing a huge improvement too, her skin allergies are lessening, her coat whre shes damaged it from itching and biting is coming back and she has so much more energy.

I do homemade RAW she gets 150g patty morning and night ( may have to increase to 200g next time I make them), she gets flax seed oil, vitamins E and zinc plus pro biotic. Looking at VANS skin and coat supplement once my current stock runs out. She can also now tolerate lamb which she couldn't when on kibble, so she gets lamb flaps and chicken frames as a treat if she's done a lot that day.

She was on pro plan and tried black hawk which is where her problems started.

Haven't tried the VANS skin and coat but was thinking of giving it a go.

Weird thing is I was feeding her identical food as her breeder was (she's only been with us since july 27th) so maybe it's the heat/humidity up here that makes it worse for her so an allergy she didn't have previously, comes out and plays havoc with her poor belly and sides.

Yeah i know what you mean my breeder said only kibble and 2 x 4" biscuits thats all they need, but all of a sudden its like her body just went NO and i had problems.

RAW is definitely winning our problems.

[HazyWal]

My greyhounds get VIP Grain Free kibble, Stan gets roo mince and Maddie gets chicken mince with spinach, preservative free from a local supplier. They also get chicken wings, lamp flaps, sardines, tuna, cottage cheese and scrambled egg.

[RiverStar-Aura]

My two are both fed on Royal Canin Sensible -- it can get expensive buying the two different weight ranges, however, they both thrive so I'm not concerned. I mix this up with mackerel or tuna in oil or human grade roo mince on occasion and Jalna fat free natural yoghurt. They love it and do very well on it!!

If I could teach the family how to feed raw without over-feeding I'd switch to all raw diet, however, having the dry makes it easier to maintain when I'm not home to feed them myself. Kirah's RC lasts forever as she only gets one tablespoon for breakfast and dinner.

[halfthewords]

Carl gets a chicken wing or drumstick in the morning, and then a handful of roo mince and kibble (Wellness) at night. Inc supplements.

Mischa is entering her twilight years and has always been difficult to feed, so it changes day to day. She generally has a couple spoonfuls of canned food (Nature's gift or nutro, or lasagne if we have any) and a small cup of kibble (Royal Canin or Wellness) and at night she either gets a dentastix and a greenie or a pegetable, or two chicken necks. During colder months she won't eat outside so she just eats whatever she wants. It's not unusual for me to sit around trying to handfeed her. She loses condition very easily.

Jag gets a chicken wing or drumstick AM and a bowl of Wellness kibble at night. Least fussy dog ever!

[Dame Aussie]

My two are both fed on Royal Canin Sensible -- it can get expensive buying the two different weight ranges, however, they both thrive so I'm not concerned. I mix this up with mackerel or tuna in oil or human grade roo mince on occasion and Jalna fat free natural yoghurt. They love it and do very well on it!!

If I could teach the family how to feed raw without over-feeding I'd switch to all raw diet, however, having the dry makes it easier to maintain when I'm not home to feed them myself. Kirah's RC lasts forever as she only gets one tablespoon for breakfast and dinner.

A tablespoon? What is she, a mouse? :laugh: She must be tiny! Although I'm used to my 45 kg boofer :laugh: I need to get me a little dog and save some cash!

[mixeduppup]

My two are both fed on Royal Canin Sensible -- it can get expensive buying the two different weight ranges, however, they both thrive so I'm not concerned. I mix this up with mackerel or tuna in oil or human grade roo mince on occasion and Jalna fat free natural yoghurt. They love it and do very well on it!!

If I could teach the family how to feed raw without over-feeding I'd switch to all raw diet, however, having the dry makes it easier to maintain when I'm not home to feed them myself. Kirah's RC lasts forever as she only gets one tablespoon for breakfast and dinner.

A tablespoon? What is she, a mouse? :laugh: She must be tiny! Although I'm used to my 45 kg boofer :laugh: I need to get me a little dog and save some cash!

I was just thinking that! Mine go through a 20kg bag in a week and half-two weeks.

[ann21]

Mine is on a half kibble half raw diet. Still considering whether or not to go full raw or to "hedge my bets" (as a previous poster said) and continue with half kibble. He's doing great on this diet, farts are much reduced (thank goodness!), good coat and smaller poos :)

Edit to add the kibble is Acana Lamb and Apple. I like to feed a non-chicken source for kibble as raw chicken is the main component of his raw diet. Plus lamb is crazy expensive here!

Edited December 7, 2012 by ann21

[AussieDog]

My Heeler is on RC Hyperallergenic for breakfast and lunch and she gets the same for dinner but with Hills ZD wet food and Lactose Free Yoghurt.

My other Heeler X is currently on Wellness dry food with either Natures Gift or some other wet dog food mixed in. He also gets yoghurt.

Why? One dog has irritable bowel and the other gets whatever premium dog food is on sale. I also have half a huge bag of Vets all natural which I may start to use again.

I go through stages of raw vs dry. I get lazy sometimes.

No treats anymore because of problem dog.

[Guest donatella]

I would prefer to feed roo meat with the VANS ,but its $5 for an 800g roll, whereas chicken mince is $1 a kg.

Just out of interest to those who feed human grade meat, why? surely its more "messed" with than pet grade.?

Most of the pet mince has a fair bit of fat..

Zig seems to have a bad reaction to a fatty diet, so he gets roo and beef - both lean and less fatty than the pet mince.

That and I can't stand the smell of pet mince

This

Ever since Lucy had her bout of gastroenteritis I stick away from fat as I believe that was the trigger.

I just

[dotdashdot]

I feed Earthborn Holistic and barf patties. Won't say no to other brands, but this is my preference.

I've had training by reps of some brands that I'll never touch though, I just refuse to give Cleo food with wheat as a major ingredient (excluding rare treats of course)

Why? Im a fan of grain free, and after looking at all the ingredients on all the major brands, I just prefer earthborn over the rest. They have nice packaging too :D

[WExtremeG]

100% Raw - can not tolerate commercial pet foods- got terrible skin allergies probably from all the additives, grains and fillers. Have fed raw for over a year and she's looks fantastic. :)

[disintegratus]

At the moment (and for the past 2 years or so) ours have been on the costco food, kirkland signature. I tried to find some reviews etc on it at first, but I haven't been able to find anything, so I thought I'd give it a shot and have been very happy so far. They are all shiny and healthy and look forward to dinner times (though they'd probably still look forward to it if I was feeding them rocks, so that's not a fair representation of the quality of the food :laugh: ). They also get leftovers of various forms, they luck out when I clean out my boyfriend's fridge (they had steak and bacon the other day!)

Recently Zehra's developed hayfever, so I thought I'd try switching her over to Black hawk (which the pup Bones is on, also very happy with that), just to see if it made a difference. So far no appreciable difference, but it's only been a week or so.

[Guest Labradork]

A combination of cooked chicken thigh fillets with steamed carrots, peas, sweet potatoes and spinach, and flaxseed oil. Chicken wings and lamb bones (shanks when theyre on special). Tuna and yoghurt. Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed Puppy. Supplements: Cranberry (Poppy), Echinacea ACE Plus Zinc, Acidophilus. Why? Because I was a vegetarian for many years and I dont like handling raw meat. And Poppy sometimes gets diarrhea from eating raw chicken. And they love their chicken and vegies. And Oscar is recovering from cancer and needs a wholesome diet. And Holistic Select is the best quality IMO. And I like to take care of them.

[Tara8430]

1354893090[/url]' post='6045558']

A combination of cooked chicken thigh fillets with steamed carrots, peas, sweet potatoes and spinach, and flaxseed oil. Chicken wings and lamb bones (shanks when theyre on special). Tuna and yoghurt. Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed Puppy. Supplements: Cranberry (Poppy), Echinacea ACE Plus Zinc, Acidophilus. Why? Because I was a vegetarian for many years and I dont like handling raw meat. And Poppy sometimes gets diarrhea from eating raw chicken. And they love their chicken and vegies. And Oscar is recovering from cancer and needs a wholesome diet. And Holistic Select is the best quality IMO. And I like to take care of them.

How you say poppy gets the runs from raw chicken, when I had my lab pup on puppy kibble and I gave chicken frames she would get the runs too, now since removing kibble completely she is fine on chicken frames, red meat and lamb flaps which all would have previously gave her the runs. She's is now on 100% raw diet.

[Staffyluv]

A combination of cooked chicken thigh fillets with steamed carrots, peas, sweet potatoes and spinach, and flaxseed oil. Chicken wings and lamb bones (shanks when theyre on special). Tuna and yoghurt. Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed Puppy. Supplements: Cranberry (Poppy), Echinacea ACE Plus Zinc, Acidophilus. Why? Because I was a vegetarian for many years and I dont like handling raw meat. And Poppy sometimes gets diarrhea from eating raw chicken. And they love their chicken and vegies. And Oscar is recovering from cancer and needs a wholesome diet. And Holistic Select is the best quality IMO. And I like to take care of them.

Anti cancer diets for dogs are best if you eliminate all grains..

There are also a lot of veg that are really high in carb levels that are not suitable for an anti cancer diet..

My old boy was on an anti cancer diet for over 6 years (he was given 12-18 months by the oncologist).. Diet and supplements is what kept him alive and mostly well IMO..

[RiverStar-Aura]

My two are both fed on Royal Canin Sensible -- it can get expensive buying the two different weight ranges, however, they both thrive so I'm not concerned. I mix this up with mackerel or tuna in oil or human grade roo mince on occasion and Jalna fat free natural yoghurt. They love it and do very well on it!!

If I could teach the family how to feed raw without over-feeding I'd switch to all raw diet, however, having the dry makes it easier to maintain when I'm not home to feed them myself. Kirah's RC lasts forever as she only gets one tablespoon for breakfast and dinner.

A tablespoon? What is she, a mouse? :laugh: She must be tiny! Although I'm used to my 45 kg boofer :laugh: I need to get me a little dog and save some cash!

I was just thinking that! Mine go through a 20kg bag in a week and half-two weeks.

:laugh: No, she's not a mouse; she weighs in at 6.6 kilos. I've tried giving her more than a tablespoon, but then she seems to pack on weight -- this seems to be a good amount.

She also doesn't just get the RC either -- there are plenty of treats during the day and a chicken wing every second day. I've actually had a lot of trouble with Kirah's weight since she stopped growing as a puppy -- it was hard for me to keep her at her ideal weight. Now I've figured out the balance!

Zeus only gets 1/2 a cup of RC daily too and according to the pack, being as highly active as he is, he should be on close to 2 cups daily. He'd most certainly be a porker if I followed this guide and I can't help wondering if this is part of the reason there are so many overweight dogs around. I've found it's a matter of balance and a lot of time spent making sure you find the suitable amount for each individual dog. Plus it helps having a dog like Zeus -- he does nothing but motor around all day. He has two speeds: zooming and OMG MAKE WAY I'M TEARING THROUGH!! :laugh:

[Greylvr]

At the moment (and for the past 2 years or so) ours have been on the costco food, kirkland signature. I tried to find some reviews etc on it at first, but I haven't been able to find anything, so I thought I'd give it a shot and have been very happy so far. They are all shiny and healthy and look forward to dinner times (though they'd probably still look forward to it if I was feeding them rocks, so that's not a fair representation of the quality of the food :laugh: ). They also get leftovers of various forms, they luck out when I clean out my boyfriend's fridge (they had steak and bacon the other day!)

Recently Zehra's developed hayfever, so I thought I'd try switching her over to Black hawk (which the pup Bones is on, also very happy with that), just to see if it made a difference. So far no appreciable difference, but it's only been a week or so.

Thats actually a decent food and usually very well priced. I know a lot of the show people would feed it and their dogs looked great