Food!

[Fuz]

Hello folks, it seems a lot of us just can't part with our adopted furry pack members so I was wondering. What do you feed them? For me this life is about living as I was intended to, as naturally as possible in nature. I myself want to eat less Burger King (Which will unfortunately be far too difficult. Junk food is just so good.) and more fruits and vegetables. Diet for my pets has been something I've thought about on many occasions in the years I've had them and if I'm willing to eat right for myself why not trying to do right by them eh? I guess what I'm asking here is, do any of you follow a more natural dietary plan for your pets? Such as the BARF diet for instance. I personally will be feeding my two cats a natural diet as much as possible. Of course without refrigeration I'm going to have to figure out a way to make the cooler last as long as possible. That or I'll just have to break down and buy and RV. Well with that I'll ask again, what do you feed your pets?

 

[sl1966]

Royal Canin, 30 pound bag (stored in air tight container), and lasts the beagle 4 months.<br /><br />

 

[fluffabear]

In my years as a vet tech I got to talk to a lot of food reps, vets and nutritionists about animal nutrition. The consensus is to stay the hell away from generic brands as they contain ingredients that are not ideal for your furry friends. <br /><br />That being said, I feed my dog a mixture of Purina Active Life and Beneful (50/50). Purina isn't the absolute top-of-the-line dog food, but it isn't a bad food, and it's the only kind my picky princess will eat. I often save pan drippings to add (just a little) as gravy.

 

[wildmountainhoney]

I like Wellness brand pet food. It is pretty expensive. However, I have a little dog and cat so it lasts awhile. It's a splurge but it really makes a difference for them. Science diet is another good food for pets.

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

two of mine eat raw the other iams small breed puppy, i don't know why but it's one of the only foods she'll eat....<br /><br />this will open your eyes about dog food<br /><a href=""></a>

 

[fluffabear]

Actually Science Diet is a terrible food. Hill's prescription dog foods are -okay- for therapeutic use, but most vets that I've worked for discourage their regular dog food in favor of Iams or Royal Canin.

 

[akrvbob]

If you read the labels of most dog foods, the first ingredient is corn--even some of the "premium" brands. Corn is not what dogs should be eating! Finding dog food without corn is fairly easy, but&nbsp; very expensive. The exception is the Kirkland brand which is Costco Wholesales house brand. Their corn-free dog food is $23 for a 40 lb bag. They also have high quality dog biscuits.&nbsp; That's what I feed my dog (they also make cat food). I have a Costco membership just to be able to buy their dog food and it is well worth it to me. But my dog is 80 lbs and very active so he eats a lot. <br /><br />I also give my dog 1/2 a can of wet dog food every day (I buy the Pedigree brand). I think it is really good for their coats. Bob

 

[wildmountainhoney]

The wellness line is grain free.&nbsp; I will compare it with the Kirkland brand, as it is more cost friendly, very cool. There is another&nbsp; brand called Solid Gold I think, and I've heard good things about it. I think that is all natural, but not sure if it is grain free.

 

[katelyn]

I feed my big pup Iams right now, but I have tried practically everything on the market.&nbsp; Avoid anything with Corn as a first ingredient!&nbsp; Like Bob said...Dogs don't eat corn! (my dog will but it has to be off the grill lol).&nbsp; <img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />

 

[twokniveskatie]

I feed Mutt "Nature's recipe grain free " he prefers the salmon And sweet potato flavor. Pricey, but he has a sensitive digestive system and tends to puke up most dog food. I don't know that it's "grain specific" because he eats brown rice without difficulty. When I can, I feed him protein and rice and veggies anyhow.

 

[SoulRaven]

Wait a sec, Ol' Zeke loves to gnaw on corn cobs... LOL... He gets Kirkland premium hard food which he thumbs his nose at, but its always out for him... His main meal is rice/macaroni with mixed veggies and a can of Pedigree wet food over that... He also shares my evening meal with me getting all the scraps, bones, and any left overs... He is a pup and plays hard, i really dont mind cooking for my best buddy...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br />&nbsp;<img src="http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j135/TooRisky/Zeke/ZekethenavigatorSierras2012.jpg" alt="" /></div>

 

[fluffabear]

I don't wanna stir the pot, but I would say 1/3 of the emergency surgeries that I assisted on involving dogs were from bone shard lacerations in the gut. The surgery itself costs about $2K, plus the office visit fee, meds and post-operative costs. <br /><br />I also realize gods love bones, but I recommend staying away from pork and chicken bones.

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

I agree that cooked bones can be very dry and brittle, but I have fed many dogs raw bones chicken and such and never had an issue.Dog food has come a long way over the years, it's more of a&nbsp;convince&nbsp;over having to prepare a fresh meal for them, which is a pain in the butt sometimes.

 

[She]

I also fed my dog chicken bones and such. Never had a problem with them. Animals eat bones and such in the wild I never heard of one choking on them. I&nbsp;started&nbsp;to feed my last pup raw because she couldn't eat dog food with out throwing up. But what a lovely smell she had. And her coat!!! It was always so healthy looking. There is one thing though if you feed a cat or dog raw. They need to eat the WHOLE animal to stay healthy.

 

[fluffabear]

I didn't say choking, I said gut lacerations. Remember, your dog can't say "I have a belly ache". Just because you don't happen to notice it, I assure you, the dog does. My previous comment was about meal scraps, which means the bones are cooked, right?

 

[She]

Fluffabear sorry I&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;read your posting. I just read Where the wind blows. I just got back from work and got lazy. Sorry!! I was just responding what she wrote. But I have to say also my dog Charlotte never got stomach pains at all. She lived to ripe old age.&nbsp;

 

[fluffabear]

Oh no worries, friend! To be honest, working as a vet tech made me a bit of a worry wort about my furry friends. I totally didn't mean to come off as a jerk, I promise!

 

[angeli]

I feed the navigators homemade.&nbsp; I was sort of forced into it when I stopped being able to afford to buy dog food.&nbsp; So I use my food stamps and buy meat for them, and I eat the beans!&nbsp; LOL!!<br /><br /><img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br />I give them 1/4 portion rice, 1/4 portion legume, 1/4 portion green veggies of some kind (no corn) and the last 1/4 portion of stewed chicken meat, deboned.&nbsp; If I don't have refridge, then I replace the meat with canned chicken or turkey which I can get at the dollar store for about $1 a can, and chicken boullion. They've been on this diet now for well over a year, and i've never seen them with such wonderful coats, lively eyes, and healthy energy.&nbsp; Of course in a jack russell that translates to "Oh my God, give that dog something to do!"<br /><br />Since these guys keep me from being committed, I figure they are worth the time and trouble.&nbsp; Plus, if I don't feed them, they get pissed.&nbsp; And they know where I sleep.....

 

[yesican]

Gee Angeli...my mommy didn't feed me that well...Can you be my mommy?<br />Rae

 

[angeli]

Nope.&nbsp; You don't know where I sleep.&nbsp; I'm not afraid of you...<br /><br />heh heh heh heh (maniacal laughter)<br /><img src="/images/boards/smilies/crazy.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />