What do you feed your dogs?

[BorderlineCrazy(:]

What do you feed your dog(s)? Just curious.

I feed a combination of Blue Buffalo and raw, although it's mostly raw at this point.

Also, to those of you who feed raw, where do you get decently priced meat?

 

[rushdoggie]

Feed 70% raw, the rest appropriate human leftovers and high quality kibble or canned.

 

I buy my meat from several places, including my regular grocery store when priced right (and my regular grocery stores meat guy orders me chicken and turkey necks in big boxes and uses his saw to cut the giant frozen blocks into smaller blocks): .89/lb for necks, .99 for beef and chicken heart, whole chickens when they go one sale for .69 or .79/lb.

 

I also buy giant family packs from the warehouse-type grocery store, along with food items such as canned fish, cottage cheese, yogurt, eggs and beef bones. I buy green tripe and other specialty products from the all natural pet store or from food co-ops. The pet food store is more expensive but its also much more convenient.

 

I cut up and divvy the meat products into 3 day supplies in square freezer containers and thaw as needed (this works for me as I feed 1 small Border Collie and 2 toy sized dogs).

[Liz P]

Red Paw PowerEdge 32K, and I am very pleased with it. Supplemented with real bones and American made rawhide for chewing. Just picked up another 500lbs last week. I can't find it stores nearbye so those of us who do feed it share an order directly from the manufacturer.

[geonni banner]

I feed Wellness Super5Mix Complete Health Lamb, Barley and Salmon Meal Recipe in the morning. About 1/2 to 3/4 a cup, depending on whether it's a dog-walker day or not.

 

The same kibble (1/2 cup) and a pound or so of raw beef or a big chicken back in the evening.

 

She also gets a large Greenie every other day and 4 small Milk Bones every evening before bedtime. She gets the odd scrap from the table nearly every day - usually a half of a piece of toast, some milk from my cereal bowl when I'm done or some salad. She LOVES lettuce, cabbage and all kinds of fruit. And she always "cleans" my Brown Cow cream-top yogurt cartons for me.

 

As to where I get her food. The kibble is delivered UPS from Smart-Pak, and the meat & produce I get at the same corner store (which has a nice butcher counter) where I buy my food. (I don't have a car and my anxiety disorder keeps me off public transportation.)

[PSmitty]

Taste of the Wild kibble. They get yogurt and pumpkin daily, and chicken/turkey necks semi-regularly for their teeth (but not often enough, I suspect).

[Laurae]

I feed raw. I feed lots of wild game, sheep, poultry, fish, some beef, offal. I get much of my meat from a wholesaler, which is quite affordable, as well as friends who raise sheep, butchers, ethnic markets, and other sources.

[skiba]

I feed Acana, just because I don't know where to start with raw and am content with kibble. When I got him he was on Eukanuba puppy kibble and his coat was dry and dull. Now he's all sorts of shiny!

[Rave]

All kibble all the time here.... Nutrisource, Blue & Canidae right now, but I switch it up every so often. Different foods for hot weather vs. cold weather and of course not all the dogs have the same nutritional needs, hence the many different kinds.

[KrisK]

Taste of the Wild only because I can't purchase Orijen in my area. It would be my preference but they seem to do very well on Taste of the Wild.

[BorderlineCrazy(:]

I feed raw. I feed lots of wild game, sheep, poultry, fish, some beef, offal. I get much of my meat from a wholesaler, which is quite affordable, as well as friends who raise sheep, butchers, ethnic markets, and other sources.

 

Ahh, I have no idea where to even start looking! ): I'll probably have to have my mom help me...She buys the meat, I cut/freeze/bag it.

 

This is probably a really stupid question, but how does a wholesaler work?

I'm only 16, don't know about that kind of stuff...

[gcv-border]

Currently, I feed my 40 lb BC about 1/2 cup grain-free kibble supplemented with about 1/4 cup of The Honest Kitchen slurry. (I call it a slurry because THK is a dried food which you mix with water - resulting in a pea soup texture.) I feed this twice per day. I change up the kibble (always grain-free) based on the advice of the Whole Dog Journal. I have used TOTW, Canidae, Blue Buffalo and Wellness and Solid Gold, and the dogs (one Sheltie-mix dog in addition to the BC) like them all. Once a week I give them a raw pork neck bone for their teeth (I just started doing this), and daily training treats are usually grain-free treats or cheese or leftover chicken/meat from our dinner.

 

Jovi

[MrSnappy]

I feed raw, and have for years. Some of my dogs, like Dexter, have eaten nothing else their whole lives. I buy my raw from a variety of butchers (my local one specializes in raw meat for dogs) and suppliers. I'd save more if I bought in larger bulk than I do, but I lack the freezer space so I can't

 

I'm not fanatical about it though. The cats eat both raw and grain-free kibble. People donate open bags of high end kibble to the shelter I work at, and we don't feed open bag food, so I often take it home. So they eat Orijen, Evo, Acana and Legacy - whatever was donated

 

I always have a pocket full of cat and dog kibble, cat and dog treats etc for rewarding good behaviour, and sometimes I use cheese or hotdogs, or I make liver brownies. I generally feed the fosters raw as well, but sometimes they stay on kibble when the rescue has some donated.

 

RDM

[AW1688]

I rotate between high end kibbles, usually also using at least one decent quality but not totally grain free for cost control (such as Diamond naturals or Kirkland). I always mix together at least two brands from different manufacturers so I have a balance of quality and reasonable price as well as in case of recalls. That way I have at least one she's used to that I can fall back on if there's a recall. So far I've fed TOTW, Blue Wilderness, Blue Buffalo, Petcurean Go Grain Free Endurance (which I really like), Diamond Naturals, and Kirkland (Costco brand). I'd like to feed raw bones for teeth cleaning, but I'm not entirely sure the best way to go about it.

[BorderlineCrazy(:]

I'd like to feed raw bones for teeth cleaning, but I'm not entirely sure the best way to go about it.

 

Just get some raw meaty bones from the store and give one each evening, I'd say. That's how I started off with Nelly...what part of the process are you unsure about?

[arf2184]

I feed raw. I was feeding mostly sheep, with some turkey, beef, pork, and chicken for variety.

 

I had a lady that sold me grass fed ewes for $50 a head. She saved me three culls every fall (ones that couldn't raise lambs on their own or older ewes that they would have normally hauled to auction). Best deal ever and the dogs did great on them, especially in the winter. Can't get a hold of her this year though.

 

And my dad's bosses usually buy a whole cow every year. I get anything they don't want (guts mostly). This year one of their big freezers broke so I got a lot of free beef from them.

 

The other meats I've been buying at grocery stores for more than I'd like to spend for the quality of meat I get. Looking for better sources, but haven't found any yet.

 

Dad juices fruits and veggies daily and the dogs get the pulp (and some of the juice) for breakfast. They love it.

[Maralynn]

Currently I feed 50% The Honest Kitchen, 50% raw. My life is hectic right now so this mix keeps the nutritional bases covered since I'm not giving them a lot of variety with the raw. I get meat from local grocery stores mainly - watch for deals then buy. In the past month I've gotten chicken gizzards for $0.39/#, leg quarters and thighs for $0.49-$0.69/#. My freezer is very full right now. I also get pet grade beef from a local farm that raises grass fed beef. At $2/# it's not as cheap as the chicken, but cheaper than most grocery store beef and higher quality too. I get a box of that every other month or so.

 

In the past I've fed Diamond Naturals, TOTW, Canidae, and the like and I'd have no issue going back to one of those if money was tight. I just prefer to do raw when I am able to.

[AW1688]

Just get some raw meaty bones from the store and give one each evening, I'd say. That's how I started off with Nelly...what part of the process are you unsure about?

 

Mostly where to go around here to get the appropriate bones for not overly expensive. Also, where to give them to her as I don't really want her gnawing raw bones and making a mess inside if possible lol. I could take her bed out of her crate during bone time and give them to her in there I suppose.

[mbc1963]

I feed Taste of the Wild (prairie formula with bison). Twice a week or so, instead of dinner I give the dog a frozen chicken thigh, to help with this teeth. I was also leery of the disgusting mess in my house, but I just toss the chicken thigh out into the yard and Buddy happily grinds it up out there.

 

I would probably go raw, but honestly, I find it disgusting handling raw meat.

 

Mary

[Pam Wolf]

Hey Liz when I get back I need to order! Too bad you aren't here to split a pallet. Talk to ya when I get back.

 

Red Paw perform 32 and Power Edge 32 really good it seems so far, dogs keep weight (which has been a problem) high palatibility, good stools, great condition. Raising pups on it now.

[Demon Puppy]

Raw meaty bones - there is a buying coop here that helps us buy in quantity. The coop buys from restaurant suppliers and wholesalers. I occasionally cook for them to get them some odd bits of vegetable or feed them people food, for variety.

 

(edited to add, I feed them outside. When traveling, I find a secluded corner of the hotel parking lot and feed them there. It is gross. I don't cook people food with meat anymore, but they have their own freezer and food processing area. I get the big 'ole box of icky, thaw it enough to pry apart into little baggies of daily serving of icky, freeze those and thaw the daily ration each day.)

[phej]

I feed raw diet, and I am doing my best to find it locally so I know where the food comes from. Just by chatting with people at the farmer's market, I found a wonderful farmer who sells me chicken offal and turkey feet for about $.50/lb. Several of us in rescue order together and have a local farmer come up to our 'meat ups' to sell knuckle bones, organs and other goodies - the dogs know the difference between grass fed animals and the stuff you buy in a store. The rest of the stuff (fish, tripe etc.), we do a group order from Oma's.

 

I would recommend that you search the pet forums and craigslist in your area, chances are there are groups that order together and you can jump in. Good luck and kudos to you for caring about this stuff and doing your research at 16!!! It's very impressive.

[alligande]

I feed a decent kibble, at the moment it is Blue Buffalo. Our challenge has been to find a kibble that works for Brodys guts. We used to feed taste of the wild, but since Brodys mystery illness he has had a very sensitive stomach, and his stomach picked blue buffalo! They get raw bones for dentistry.

[border_collie_crazy]

raw and kibble..exept Ladybug who eats Acana Senior.

 

kibbles I rotate, currently Electra has First Mate Ocean Fish, and the rest of my dogs have Halo Spots Stew...before that I had Addiction via le venison for all(Electra is allergic to grain, hence the seperate food this rotation) I also rotate dehydrated raws into the mix. I feed fresh raw whenever possable though.

[waffles]

I feed Taste of the Wild right now and a raw bone once a week or so. For those who have never fed their dog a raw bone be careful and start off slow. I let my guy eat quite a bit of a bone with marrow in it and he had the runs for 2 days. It was awful. So a week later I gave him the small bit that was left and he was fine. The next time I fed him a turkey neck and he got sick again. For now I am cutting turkey necks into thirds and he is doing fine with that amount. Maybe he just has a sensitive stomach but I would still recommend starting off with a small piece.

[brady's mom]

I started out on raw and then switched to orijen puppy when I had to move back to vancouver (my parents don't believe in raw feeding ). We just switched to Orijen Regional Red and so far it's worth the the 54 dollars--I can't wait to get back to raw feeding though.