What do feed your dog?

[Kev]

My female co-worker recently got a new puppy. (Mastiff) She knows i belong to message boards (not this one) where one can ask questions, so she asked me if i would ask members,."What do you feed your dog?" If she hears responses like Purina or Puppy Chow shes going to scream. This young women is very cautious what she puts into her own body, that shes not going to give prepackaged dog food to her new puppy. If only Kev had such love. She would like recipes that one prepares just like in the old days before Purina and mass-marketing came along.

Anyone have ideas? Thanks --- Kev

 

[Jodie]

Wellness Super5 Dry Food by Old Mother Hubbard

It's really good stuff!


Wellness Dog and Cat Foods Rival Human Food in Ingredient Quality

Wellness represents a new generation of uniquely formulated, all-natural pet food which rivals human food in quality, nutrition and the cooking process. The primary protein source in the Wellness line is human grade deboned chicken, human grade Atlantic whitefish or hormone-free lamb, depending on the formula. In addition, these top-of-the-line dog and cat foods contain fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy grains, and vitamins and minerals. Another major differentiator is that unlike most commercial dog food manufacturers that rapidly extrude their food, Old Mother Hubbard slowly oven bakes its Wellness Super5Mix dog foods and treats to preserve and enrich the nutrients, and to enhance the aroma.

As rates of feline and canine allergies, cancers and diseases continue to rise, the link between pet nutrition and health is being examined more closely than ever. Healthy thoughtful ingredients in Wellness, like fresh fruits and vegetables, provide essential antioxidants that protect and strengthen your pet's immune system for a healthy, long life.

Wellness does not contain any rendered animal fats, meat by-products, wheat, corn or white rice and also does not contain any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives of any kind.

Wellness Dog Food:

Ranked a "Top Dry Dog Food" by Whole Dog Journal (WDJ)

 

[Jodie]

Oh, and if your friend lives in Vancouver, Three Dog Bakery (on W 4th) has their own line of dog foods which are excellent, albeit very expensive.

 

[lowdeville]

Stay away from the department store foods,all the dog does is crap up a storm.My rotties gets nothing but the best,and my yard is nearly 100% free of the typical"landmines".

 

[Dr.Nick]

Good Question. There is no such thing as "the best dog food". There are too many inherent variables in a dog's individual physiology that will allow for any particular food or ingredient to either agree or disagree with them. The best advice can be gathered by speaking with people who are experts on canine nutrition, your veterinarian. If your friend has a vet, then they are the one's best suited to prescribe an optimal diet for this particular puppy. If she doesn't have a vet yet then ask close friends, relatives who value their pet the way they do for a recommendation. Sure, not all vets are equally knowledgable on canine nutrition but with a little leg work you can find one who is and get the best advice from them. They can also furnish you with a number of balanced homemade diets, if you wish to cook for your pup.

PS; I am not a vet but my brother is.
PM meif you would like more info.

 

[HeMadeMeDoIt]

Feeding such a large breed fast growing puppy could be a challenge. If they dont get enough protein they dont develop properly and if they get too much they tend to grow too fast and this often leads to bone fatigue since they (bones) do not grow at the same rate as the rest of the body.

I would suggest a high grade large breed dog food like ROyal canine or Nutro. Most dog foods do not contain enough protein and i suggest she cook some rice with cow liver from the butcher and use it as a supplement.

 

[BC visitor]

Iams Eukanuba

I have always used Eukanuba. I have had no problems and (sorry about this) stool volume is not a problem. Also for me they are a local company. Even with P&G buying them they are still a local company.

I would recommend it with out hesitation.

 

[Kev]

Good Question. There is no such thing as "the best dog food". There are too many inherent variables in a dog's individual physiology that will allow for any particular food or ingredient to either agree or disagree with them. The best advice can be gathered by speaking with people who are experts on canine nutrition, your veterinarian. If your friend has a vet, then they are the one's best suited to prescribe an optimal diet for this particular puppy. If she doesn't have a vet yet then ask close friends, relatives who value their pet the way they do for a recommendation. Sure, not all vets are equally knowledgable on canine nutrition but with a little leg work you can find one who is and get the best advice from them. They can also furnish you with a number of balanced homemade diets, if you wish to cook for your pup.

PS; I am not a vet but my brother is.
PM meif you would like more info.

Good points Dr. Nick. Yes she has a VET. As a matter of fact because this particular breed of dog is prone to skin conditions my workmate has had to part with over $500 dollars in medical bills these last few weeks. These days shes trying to stay away from the VET. But your right the VET is really the best person to ask. The beauty about posting on PERB is there could be a number of VETS as members.

I tried to explain to my workmate that manufactures of dog food go to great lengths in assuring that their dog food meets the requirements for that particular breed/type of dog. IE. breed, puppy, big dog, little dog, dogs that lie around, to dogs that are wound up. (Like my brothers Jack Russel Terrior. This dog should be medicated......its totally wacked out.)

She is totally convinced that years ago before fast food for dogs, dog owners had to prepare the food themselves. Ya can't argue with that logic. Years ago the army supplied soldiers with cigarettes, because it didn't know any better. I mentioned to her that what we did years ago shouldn't really apply, because as we have gained more knowledge about nutrition and diet we have learned that is its not so cut and dry about what type of food is best for your particular dog. A dog is just not a dog. There are or at least should be different variables taken in to consideration that were not 50 years ago when trying to provide the best nutrition for you dog.

Thanx everyone for you input, and i'll mention some of the points to her brought up here. --- Kev

 

[LonelyGhost]

- there's a breeder I know who swears by the whole raw diet thing for dogs - can't say I know too much about it tho.

not a great idea ... dogs are by their nature 'domesticated' in part by the lower protein diet we feed them ... there is evidence that feeding dogs high protein, particularly the 'raw meat' diet increases their level of aggression!

dogs can eat many other foods, including grains and veggies with no ill effects ... even my kitties get a wholesome commercail cat food that is high protein but contains fruits and veggies.

stay away from organ meats, especially liver: the drugs that are given to most farm animals concentrate in their livers and can cause prolems in humans and animals.

 

[squid]

Dog food

My two cents, never feed yr dog table scaps, period ! Seems like common sense but when the dog comes begging at the table it's easy to give him something from yr plate. Big mistake !

 

[kanak]

dog fud

I have had working dogs for 30 years. The best food available today is probably Eukanuba. I put a lot of miles on my dogs and take good care of them and this seems to be the best. I do supplement with scrambled eggs and for a large dog like yours I recommend wetting the kibble first or they will toss the dry food after they drink a whole bunch of water. I have done the meat/chicken fresh food thing and although they like it, it results in gas and loose stool, not nice.

 

[Lurker 123]

My female co-worker recently got a new puppy. (Mastiff) She knows i belong to message boards (not this one) where one can ask questions, so she asked me if i would ask members,."What do you feed your dog?" .

Anyone have ideas? Thanks --- Kev

Hey Kev, are you sure you want information to feed her dogs or are you after somethings!!!??? Just curious!!!! Heheheheh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kev]

Hey Kev, are you sure you want information to feed her dogs or are you after somethings!!!??? Just curious!!!! Heheheheh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad to see your on top of things Lurker. This workmate of mine is a real sweet heart and if given the opportunity i would............well i wouldn't actually. Shes half my age and has a BF. I'm just trying to help her out. But if she was a working girl all i got to say is "Giddy Up."


Interesting how some swear by Eukanueba, and others label it as grocery dog food. I hate Wal-Mart so if i find products in Wal-mart and they're sold elsewhere i generally stay away from them. Its proven fact that products sold in Wal-Mart (for the most part) do not have the same quality as those sold elsewhere. To remain in Wal-Mart a company has to do something so they can provide the retailer with a cheap product. That generally means going overseas or short changing on the ingredients in the product, or something thats going to provide Wal-Mart with their low low prices. So i'll agree with BH and ask her to stay away. --- Kev

 

[vancouverman]

I cook chicken for mine ( past and present ) dog. I guess, it works for them as previous one did live till age of 21, and current is at the age of 15 and going strong.


as desert, I serve them crying kids

 

[Bueller]

Some vetrinarian offices offer vegetarian kibble.

 

[BlueBells]

WTF is this?

desert for Vanman's dog(s)

I know, I know I'm a smart ass ...

 

[Jodie]

Sorry to say, but cooking meals for your pet, while nice, is definitely not the best way to go. Home-cooked meals absolutely cannot compare to the nutritional balance of a high-quality, scientifically developed commercial formula. And unless you are planning to buy only the best and most expensive organic meats, vegetables, grains and supplements for your pet, you're probably pumping him/her full of growth hormones, preservatives, antibiotics and pesticides. We simply do not know enough about pet nutrition to provide our pets with an ideal diet. That is better left to the professionals, who spend lots of money on research and development.

 

[chuck1561]

Sorry to say, but cooking meals for your pet, while nice, is definitely not the best way to go. Home-cooked meals absolutely cannot compare to the nutritional balance of a high-quality, scientifically developed commercial formula. And unless you are planning to buy only the best and most expensive organic meats, vegetables, grains and supplements for your pet, you're probably pumping him/her full of growth hormones, preservatives, antibiotics and pesticides. We simply do not know enough about pet nutrition to provide our pets with an ideal diet. That is better left to the professionals, who spend lots of money on research and development.

You're turning me on Jodie..I'm getting this STRONG URGE to hump your leg or something

 

[BC visitor]

Don't buy Iams

I did a little more looking into it and I have to eat crow and say don't buy Iams dog food.

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2003/may2003_report_pet_01.html

http://www.iamskills.com/

So now I'm in the market for a new dog food.

 

[Verb]

Well...

I have actually done research on this before.

First thing is....NEVER feed the dog human food.

The food you might wanna suggest to your friend is the purina Beneful. This is the only dog food that has been researched for many years before it came public. You can read about it on the followin web page. Good Luck..


http://www.purina.ca/products/beneful/default.asp