What Diet Is Your Dog On?

[SkyesongTollrz]

I feed a raw food diet to my dogs (modified prey model). The last time I bought processed pet food was 19 years ago. I use a variety of meat cuts including chicken, beef, lamb, pork, roo, goat, rabbit and fish, depending on what is available (or on sale), plus offal. I only feed vegetables and rice/pastas as the occasional leftover from my plate (maybe 1-2 times per week). I usually add eggs and oils several times per week.

[arby]

both my boys are on BARF and dry food (as a snack)

[KateM]

I am very interested in this subject as I am currently doing a special study on canine diet for my canine physchology course. I have been doing lots of research into the Barf diet as the feeding of raw meaty bones is of particular interest to me. I feed my dog currently on a mixture of Royal Canin dry food combined with chicken wings, lamb bones, sometimes a vegetable pulp mix. I haven't had any problems feeding bones myself but have read some horror stories of bones ripping up intestines (raw bones not cooked) and causing pancreatitis due to the high fat content of bones. I have to admit that I am seriously considering stopping feeding the raw chicken wings after what I've read but I really hate just feeding my dog dry food - it seems so boring and I know how much my dog enjoys crunching those bones up and chewing on a raw lamb bone.

Has anyone ever experienced problems as the result of a natural, raw food/raw bone diet? I am so confused. I guess at the end of the day it is a personal choice but I want to get some kind of perspective on the horror stories. Any view appreciated.

[koolietas]

My boy is fed on Barf and has been since he was 5 months old. Before that, he was on a mixture of rmb and a premium dry food (EP) - which he didn't eat very often...

He's been fed a mixture of home made barf and the pre-made patties (Billinghurst) and has done great on both. Now the pre-packed patties aren't available in Tas, he is on home made barf and is probably in the best condition of his life. He does really well on barf which I'm very thankful for, as I personally believe it is the best diet for dogs - but I have heard that some dogs don't do well on barf - so I suppose it really comes down to what is best for your dog.

[Fastgals]

I feed our three greys and cat a raw diet - I call carnivore-style. The base of the diet is meaty-bones, meat and offal. I'm not a fanatic with their diet (with my own either), so they do get table scraps and treats, which are usually veges, fruit and biscuits - stuff like that. And, every now and then I'll give the dogs a meal of one of those good-quality pet rolls, or perhaps some left-over cooked meat (my other half eats meat). As our oldest grey, Girlie - nearly 14, has recently been diagnosed with a particularly nasty form of cancer, I'm limiting the amount of carboyhydrates and fruit sugars she gets even as treats - all the "cancer diets" seem to say no carbs and no sugars, because cancer feeds off them.

KateM, no problem here with feeding raw meaty bones. Our oldest grey gets less bone than the younger two - and because she only has a few teeth left, only gets the softer chicken bones. She doesn't seem to have any problem digesting them properly. The others eat any bone, except most beef bones, which are too hard for them to eat and there is a risk of tooth cracking or chipping. One thing I never give our dogs or cat is chicken necks. These tend to be swallowed whole by the dogs and I don't like spotting whole vertebrae in their poop (it's gotta be uncomfortable on the way out ). These vertebrae also caused Girlie quite a bit of discomfort once when it became a temporary anal obstruction...

Edited November 20, 2006 by Fastgals

[Benji's Mum]

My dogs love their dry food when it is mixed with kitchen scraps, as I said before. They particularly enjoy it mixed with leftover yoghurt and milk diluted, pasta, rice but they don't like bread (and my chooks will only eat brown bread - not white! fussy girls).

Please note for your dog's health that there are a few scraps that obviously can't be fed as they are toxic such as onions, citrus and potato peel - the chooks will eat potato peel but not onion and citrus which go in the compost.

[leopuppy04]

I have tried lots of different diets and am happiest with the one I am now on. I like to give my dog variety, but his staple diet is BARF. He usually gets bones etc in the morning and sometimes he gets raw chicken mince (I like this best coz it is the whole carcass minced through rather than just the meat) mixed with eggs, veggies and sometimes some pasta. He LOVES this. He also gets a variety of dry food from mid-range (supercoat) to premium (pro plan, nutrience, advance). I use the premium stuff sometimes for training, but also for stuffing treat balls, kongs etc. He occasionally gets tinned food as I use this to stuff the kongs at times also. So as I said - variety! My kitty gets raw mince, chicken necks and dry food (tinned food if I have forgotten to bring stuff out!). So there you have it!

[Flaves]

My 2 are fed Nutro. I cannot recommend it enough. Since they have been eating it, they have less poo, better coats, no farting, love the dry food.

I mix it with yoghurt, raw meat, sardines and they also get bones.

I have my cats on Nutro as well and am VERy happy with it.