What I Feed My Dogs

[gossco57]

I don't give my dogs raw meat or raw vegetables ... raw veggies is harder for them to digest and they get more value out of cooked .. I boil chicken legs and thighs I buy a I throw in some carrots scrubbed maybe a potato ot two , some corn kernels ( No cob as they can choke on that and it blocks their intestines ) add a cup of instant rice in the chicken juice I have defatted and cook the instant rice in the microwave .... I add it to the chopped deboned chicken and i freeze it in meal size bags. I give a good dry kibble it is completely balanced and has antioxidants in it I get science diet dry canine small small puppy bites .. I give them every evening canned food mixed with the dry kibble chicken/Turkey to each of their little bowl .. I sometimes buy cheap round steak or whatever is on sale and boil that up also for a change from the chicken /Turkey. I cook the turkeys the same way as the chicken and cook instant rice and add tothe cooked chopped up beboned turkey and bag in meal size bags . and freeze .. Mine love raw red peeled apple just a little treat some like a little banana some don't and all love a little watermelon .. and they all love a bit of mango .. I sometimes add some our green beans or green peas to their little dish or corn kernels orcanned if we are having that and also cooked mashed sweet potato ,or buy canned green beans or peas and only buy the cans with NO SALT and if i open a can of veggies for us i also give them some in their little bowls with their food ..They like a little scrambled egg when i happen to have thatfor breakfast or abit of bacon cooked crumbled over the eggs i put it on a big bowl for breakfast for them First come first served in the morning ..

I never feed GARLIC ONIONS THEY LOWER THE RED BLOOD COUNT AND DON'T FEED RAISINS OR CHOCOLATE IT CAN CAUSE raw meat like wild canids eat .

Theyare not wild they are domesticated dogs and they have a different gut system .... Ialso don't feed raw or cooked offal like brains tripe or liver it makes them get the runs .. if there is a little chicken liver in the chicken i am cooking them that little bit in the whole chicken when its chopped is okay but not just a meal out of just liver .. .. mine get a varied diet but basically dry with canned mixed with it and their o goodies added to it i only put about two tablespoons to a bowl of the cooked meat with their canned dry mixture .. I sometimes zap a 1/2 a kilo of ground meat in a bowl in the microwave with a little water and cover and cook to add to their meal at night

[Staff'n'Toller]

Good for you...???

I couldn't eat canned Vegies myself....my nan tried to feed me tinned potatoes once...they had no flavour whatsoever, and were full of salt, they all have salt added it's the main preservative.

Organic vegies are so much better for you...and for the dogs I'm sure.

Mel.

Edited August 21, 2005 by StaffordsRule

[Guest Pandii]

And the point of that is??????????????????????????

[KitKat]

Ialso don't feed raw or cooked offal like brains tripe or liver it makes them get the runs .. if there is a little chicken liver in the chicken i am cooking them that little bit in the whole chicken when its chopped is okay but not just a meal out of just liver

The likely reason for them getting the runs from having largish amounts of the organ meat is because it is very rich...and if the dogs aren't used to such it's going to go straight thru them. But it would never be a good idea to give a meal of Just liver or brains for example.

But as for the runs...it would be like giving a lamb roast to a dog that's never eaten lamb before..very rich and rather fatty...it will go straight thru them.

[Anna H]

I boil chicken legs and thighs

Am I the only one worried about the fact that this dog gets cooked bones? or is it not a risk when boiled?

[KitKat]

Cooked bones are always a risk..but the OP states that they debone the cooked chicken pieces...

[Anna H]

[gossco57]

I don't give my dogs raw meat or raw vegetables ... raw veggies is harder for them to digest and they get more value out of cooked .. I boil chicken legs and thighs I buy a I throw in some carrots scrubbed maybe a potato ot two , some corn kernels

I dont give them any cooked bones

I do give them fresh fruit and vegtables (tin as well salt reduced)

I do give them cooked meat

Edited August 21, 2005 by gossco57

[Staranais]

Each to their own.

My dog loves his breakfasts of chicken carcasses, brisket bones, raw egg and lamb hearts, and they certainly don't seem to do him any harm.

Edited August 21, 2005 by Amhailte

[tianakaesha]

nevermind

Edited August 21, 2005 by TianaKaeSha

[fifi]

gossco, you have two seperate threads on the same theme in this forum, remember before you assume that we are all numnuts, that some of us have been around dogs a long time, studied nutrition, and many have science degrees ect...

so please approach this subject without the need to preach to the uneducated or ignorant.

great that you want to discuss the subject, and we can all learn more, but how about agknowledging the wealth of experience that already exists here too!

fifi

Edited August 21, 2005 by fifi

[gossco57]

I agree with you again it is an ongoing process in life to learn from each other. I think through the thread most strongly did not agree but I did not at any time say that is what I suggest all dogs to eat it was what I suggested for Cresties to eat.

Cant imagine a Rottie eating a lump of watermelon

But once again it everybodies choice what they feed there cresties.

Still

There is one thing in common we all love our dogs we all do our best and give our best to them we all believe we are doing what is right for them.

by the way I have always admired Irish Wolfhounds since I met my first one working at the Vets

Edited August 21, 2005 by gossco57

[arawnhaus]

My Dogs all get a large variety of fruit,

Though a male Rotty who has just arrived ,is still turning his nose up, he was fed cow hind legs and kibble!

The puppies all love Apple, pear, mango, banana,

they get corn cobs occasionally, but these are removed within a day, so they do not get broken off..........

[gossco57]

There you go every one is different !!!!!!!!

[Prydenjoy]

What is the point of this? You are not aking for any help, nor are you even open to anyones opinions on your diet, so why are you telling us what your dogs eat? It is one thing to say "Hey, this is what I feed my dogs, am I missing anything?" but to give a list of what you feed as though it is gods will, well why would you do it?

My dogs all THRIVE on a BARF diet, occasionally I will ask for suggestions on what else I could be adding, but I don't come on here, state a long list of what I feed, and then not be open to any suggestions to how I could change their diet to make it healthier.

Not having a shot at you, but I'm having a difficult time trying to understand the reasoning behind your posts?

[gossco57]

Jennie I am always open to new ideas why do you think the barf diet is good.

I only wanted people to put across there point of view.

Is that not the right thing to do. Get everybody thinking.

By the way love your Pappilions look nice and healthy obviously the Barf Diet works well for you and your dogs

Edited August 22, 2005 by gossco57

[Celinou]

hmm me dogs eat pretty much everything.

like there is a meat shoop next to my house and my dogs gets most of the left overs. they eat everything from the liver, to the chicken feet, raw or cooked they seem to like it and it doesn't seem to do them any harm.

they are healthy and happy dogs, so i dunno what about all the fuss giving dogs deboned meat or cooked bones..

hmm i guess if your god is used to it then yeh..

[Staranais]

Cooked bones = bad, because they are much more likely than raw bones to splinter and hurt your dog.

[Nadia]

I agree with you again it is an ongoing process in life to learn from each other. I think through the thread most strongly did not agree but I did not at any time say that is what I suggest all dogs to eat it was what I suggested for Cresties to eat.

Cant imagine a Rottie eating a lump of watermelon

But once again it everybodies choice what they feed there cresties.

I am in interested here in why, from your post, it appears that Cresties should be fed differently than other breeds. I was told once that they should only eat soft foods. Some people were horrified when I told them mine ate bones, they have teeth why shouldn't they use them?

All my dogs enjoy fruit and vegies, just as they all enjoy chowing down on their bones and bits an pieces.

I have a 35kg dog who begs for peices of carrot or for banana right alongside the small folk.

I don't feed the little people any differently apart from the size of their meals and the size of the bones etc that they get.

My choice is to feed a wide variety of foods and that includes raw and bones.

I have never had a problem in the 30 years I have fed this way, and I have seen first hand the change in animals that have gone from a strictly tinned and dry food diet to a diet including raw meat and bones.

The improvement in overall health and the fresh clean breath after a few weeks, says heaps to me.

Working with Vets and Grooming you see lots of disgusting mouths in small dogs, and the difference in them if the owners start to include raw meaty bones is very noticable.

Many little dogs are never given the opportunity to chew and tear at foods like their mouths are designed to do, and as a result their teeth suffer.

I know many advocate cleaning of dogs teeth with toothbrushes and doggy toothpaste etc, but for me raw meaty bones works at treat.

I have studied small animal nutrition, been to nutrition workshops, and find nothing that convinces me to change the way I feed.

I do not agree that feeding bones is any riskier than any other forms of food.

I have seen a dog that choked on a lump of sausage and died.

I have seen a dog that choked on its dry food.

There are risks with anything in life, people choke whilst eating, unfortunately sometimes it happens.

I can honestly say that apart from a case of constipation caused by a little piggy, I have had no problems at all with feeding the way I do.

So I guess we have to simply say each to his own and if it aint broke, don't fix it.

[Prydenjoy]

Well that's OK then

I just got from your post that you were saying "this is how I do it and how it should be done", but if you were just after a discussion on food then why didn't you just ask! We're always ready for a food discussion

Well, as you can see, the reason why I think BARF is great is because it WORKS for my dogs, they are all incredibly healthy, NO doggy odour - even if they don't get bathed for months, no skin infections, dandruff, digestive upsets (except for the Boxers burping and farting, but you give me one Boxer that doesn't burp and fart all the time and you name the price, I'll pay it! ), lovely, thick, shiny coats, everyone who touches them comments on how soft they are, clear eyes, no trips to the vet, no allergy's, never embarrassed about sloppy poos because they just don't do them! So many reasons why I like it and think it is great

But do I reccommend it to everybody? Well... yes, I reccomend it, but I also acknowledge that for certain individual dogs something else might work better, all dogs have different needs and there have been some pretty awful story's related to the BARF method of feeding, keeping in mind there have been awful story's with EVERY other method of feeding also, you've got to be in touch with your dog and take all the necessary precautions eg I don't feed my larger dogs ox tail as I have heard of dogs their size choking on them. Research research research, everything in life has it's risk and for my lot it seems the benefits FAR outweigh the risks, I'd rather feed them how I do now with the comparitively small amount of risks (compared to other methods of feeding, and I'm not going to starve my dogs either because I'm too worried about the dangers feeding them could have! ;) ) and see the outstanding benefits, than feed them kibble and still risk them choking or getting one or several a range of chronic health problems that have been associated with feeding commercial foods.