lefty's random dog thread.

[dfagdfsh]

she's between 5 and 10, probably in the latter half of that estimate. yea i think we might try some other foods, it just sucks throwing down $15-20 for a bag of food that she might not like. does anyone have any recommendations of brands at the level of blue buffalo wilderness? we're trying to avoid grains because she's already had a tumor removed and ive read some studies that grains can encourage tumor growth and recurrence.

my dad fed our dogs raw food, and they didn't seem to have any issues. it was mostly chicken necks, back, feet and hearts. i've considered it, but it's hard to get a steady supply of cheap parts where i live.

 

[LawrenceMD]



she's between 5 and 10, probably in the latter half of that estimate. yea i think we might try some other foods, it just sucks throwing down $15-20 for a bag of food that she might not like. does anyone have any recommendations of brands at the level of blue buffalo wilderness? we're trying to avoid grains because she's already had a tumor removed and ive read some studies that grains can encourage tumor growth and recurrence.
my dad fed our dogs raw food, and they didn't seem to have any issues. it was mostly chicken necks, back, feet and hearts. i've considered it, but it's hard to get a steady supply of cheap parts where i live.

^ i think the grains that really effect the dogs are corn and wheat. corn because of the decreased/inability for dogs to properly digest it, and wheat because of the higher incidence of allergies to wheat.

the raw food literature is really compelling.

this vet explains its virtues:

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

 

[lefty]

For what it's worth, I've never had an animal like Wellness.

Check her teeth. A serious rancid smell is worth further investigation. Some dogs allow scaling without putting them under so you may get lucky.

My feeling is, "There's your food. Don't want it? Too bad." But if you want to add a little flavour supplement: chicken broth, raw egg, cat feces; go for it. Not going to hurt.

This really comes down to your convenience.

lefty

 

[dfagdfsh]

we've tried adding chicken broth to her food, and she'll just lick the food until the chicken broth is gone. will smell her mouth tonight! i think we're gonna try some new food.

 

[lefty]

Ever get the feeling your dog is smarter than you are?

Let the food soak up the broth and pour off excess liquid.
Crack an egg directly on the dry food, shell and all.

lefty

 

[dfagdfsh]

hm will try the egg right now. we also started her on a multi-vitamin. the more time i have this dog, the more i realize that i adopted a child.

i mean.. worse comes to worse, i can just keep buying chicken breasts and cooking up rice. ill mix in the vegetables too. a little more expensive, but saves me a trip to petsmart.

anyone have any good dog food recommendations?

 

[IronRock]

I would be very surprised if any pet dog ever has died from starvation when food is readily available - That is not to say that there might not be something wrong with your girl. If she has refused food for more than 3 or 4 days take her down the vet, explain the problem and get her thoroughly checked out. Otherwise I'm in the same camp as Lefty. Giver her her food for a set amount of time every day, say half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening. If she hasn't eaten take the food (or remaining food) away. If there is nothing physically wrong with her then she will learn to eat during her allotted time pretty quickly.

Changing food all the time can be a disaster for some dogs with sensitive stomachs/bowels - stick to one of the big brand kibbles (they've been feeding dogs for about 100 years with no problems) and don't change. RAW/BARF diets are also good but can be expensive and difficult to maintain.

As far as I understand dogs can go a long time without food without any harm, keep the water there though!!

 

[Find Finn]



My feeling is, "There's your food. Don't want it? Too bad." But if you want to add a little flavour supplement: chicken broth, raw egg, cat feces; go for it. Not going to hurt.

The owner of the shop where I buy dog food said the same thing, the Vet wasn't so sure, as she knows him and knows he eats less than he should and has been on a fattening diet, due to being underweight.

Don't let your dog eat feces, as it can contain Norwalk disease and believe me, it's not a pretty sight to see a dog with Norwalk disease.


---------

My dog ended up eating Acana / Orijen (Barfs dry food), I bought a bunch of 400g trial packs, I think they were 10$ a pack, so I could see his reaction.

I quickly noticed that he did not like the smell of the Orijen Buffalo flavor, the smell is VERY STRONG and I could smell it trough a sealed bucket inside a closet, so if your dog has a frail stomach avoid that flavor.

He ended on Acana Pacifica (mixed fish) / apple and rabbit, which he goes back and forth between for every 4kg.

 

[fredrikkm]



my dad fed our dogs raw food, and they didn't seem to have any issues. it was mostly chicken necks, back, feet and hearts. i've considered it, but it's hard to get a steady supply of cheap parts where i live.

I don't know if it's available in the US, but I buy frozen raw food for my dog at the pet store. My dog absolutely loves it. It comes in large frozen blocks, and when I buy it I just take a hacksaw and split it up into portions, which I store in small disposable plastic bags in the freezer. If something similar is available near you you should try it. It made it a lot easier for me to get my dog to eat (he hates kibbles).

 

[Stazy]

I've been thinking about switching Jake to a raw diet. He ***** non-stop and raw food is supposed to reduce the number of bowel movements they have. It would be nice not having to take him out so often...

 

[saysomething]

Yoda's a 4 and change year old Great Pyrenees and has been eating Origin kibble since we got her - never a problem with any of the puppy or adult formulas except the Buffalo flavour Finn referred to in his post above - it did not agree with Yoda's stomach, so out it went. Expensive lesson learned, but education's never free. I also concur with the pungency of which Finn speaks; it's downright rancid.

About 6-8 mos ago I started adding frozen raw food (similar to Fredrik's description above) to her meals - stare eatted from a bunch of free samples given to me buy the local pet store owner and continued because Yoda really digs it. She eats half of a 3lb (?) portion every day mixed in with exactly half of the amount of kibble I used to feed her. I just have to remember to take a package out of the freezer every other day, or else I'm on the receiving end of a "I think you forgot something" look from Yoda.

 

[Thor]

Its good to mix up your dog's diet on occasion...

for the sake of selfish convenience I feed my dog a dry kibble...but supplement with lots of raw veggies (loves broccoli and carrots), raw marrow bones (great for teeth), bully sticks etc...and I also change the kibble very few years.

Some kibbles that I have experienced and believe are decent:

Great Life - a grain free buffalo based kibble that has a "raw" component (might just be a marketing ploy)

Orijen- supposedly very good sources- gave my dog the runs but my GFs dog does quite well on it.

Currently I feed my Tervuren- Nutrisca - a grain free salmon and chick pea blend that - judging from his stools- agrees with him very well-

I agree on the feeding method- put their food down- if its not gone on 30 minutes- take it away until the next feeding time...

I feed my dog twice a day...

 

[Find Finn]



Orijen- supposedly very good sources- gave my dog the runs but my GFs dog does quite well on it.

According to my dogs stomach, the "cheaper" Acana is not as hard on the stomach, it's a 70/30 mix, where Orijen is 80/20.

 

[schrag]

Here's our dog, Victor. We adopted him from a smaller regional shelter that did an adoption drive in the city - so he's a rescue but we're not sure what from. He came to us a thin-haired jelleybean and with some love and food has grown a surprisingly nice coat - though the butt and tail fuzz needs some trimming. He's about 10-11 pounds now, and will get no bigger.

According to the shelter he's a Havanese-Chihuahua cross, and while he doesn't match most photos of the cross breed, the fact that his withers are lower than his hips is apparently a Havenese trait. As is his great nature - he loves people and sticks close, even following you into the bathroom if you leave the door ajar.

We got him when we lived in a 750 square foot apt - and despite my preference for a bigger dog I've grown pretty attached to the little guy. Now we're in a house with a yard and we've thought about getting another dog.

Any input or experience on owning breeds of different sizes?

 

[Find Finn]



According to the shelter he's a Havanese-Chihuahua cross, and while he doesn't match most photos of the cross breed, the fact that his withers are lower than his hips is apparently a Havenese trait. As is his great nature - he loves people and sticks close, even following you into the bathroom if you leave the door ajar.

Sounds like my dog (pure breed Havanais)