What do you feed your dogs?

[juliepoudrier]

Decide what works for your budget, morals, time, family, etc and start there. Of course, your dog is the final, and most important, factor. If they don't do well on one feeding plan, switch. Give a new program time, though, so you can really tell if it works (obviously, discontinue if your dog is sick, super allergic, etc). If raw doesn't fit with your lifestyle, and high-end kibble is out of your budget, then a middle-of-the-road kibble will be fine. Your dog is the best gauge. If he/she is healthy, active, at good weight, etc, then what you're feeding is fine.

^^This bears repeating. All the proselytizing in the world doesn't take your INDVIDUAL dog into account. Figure out what works for you and your dog and don't worry about what anyone else thinks or does.

 

Kibble diets have their problems, and so do raw diets. No diet is perfect for all dogs (and their humans), no matter what proponents of one type or another say to the contrary.

 

Like Ben, I feed some raw, if I've raised it or someone I know killed it (wild animals). That's the only way to know what went in to what you're feeding yourself or your animals, but unfortunately most of us don't have the means to grow everything we feed ourselves and our dogs, so we make compromises. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

J.

[Maralynn]

IMO, Dog Aware has the best comprehensive information on dog diets - from kibble, to homemade, to mixes, to raw. It's a really great resource.

 

When it comes right down to it, dogs have survived pretty darn well on a huge variety of foods. So just do your research and figure out what you are comfortable with and find what work well for your dog. There is no one size fits all solution.

[geonni banner]

I have had dogs - decades ago - that did splendidly on Purina Dog Chow, and 20 years ago that did well on Science Diet. But these foods have changed over the years, and not always for the best. Meanwhile, there are a great variety of new kibbles that seem to work well for many dogs.

 

I feed a combination of raw and a kibble that my dog does well on. As others have said, you strike a balance between what you can afford and what works best for you, ethically, and your dog nutritionally.

[Crawford Dogs]

I feed my adult female with lower energy needs Proplan Adult Lamb & Rice while my young male with high metabolism eats Pro Plan Performance. Performances has 560 kcal/cup and keeps me from having to feed 4 plus cups/day. I don't feed my dogs raw but if I did I'd buy it from the local community college's agricultural program. Most schools have an ag program and sell the meat at a low price.

[NorthfieldNick]

Sorry to be off-topic a bit, but IMHO, I would not breed a dog with known food allergies. (Note: I do not, and never have, bred a litter of dogs.) I can not imagine why anyone would want to do down that path.

 

Jovi

 

After having a dog with multiple, severe food allergies, I might think twice about breeding to a dog with similar sensitivities. But all other things being equal, a minor allergy wouldn't put me off. Like my Nick, who can't have fish (never mind that I live on an island where fish is plentiful and cheap)- that wouldn't stop me from breeding him, if I thought he was breeding-quality in terms of working ability. Never mind that he's castrated... Minor allergies are manageable.

[MyTDogs]

Allergies are a dysfunction of the immune system & the tendency to have them is heritable. I learned the lesson the hard way & I too have an allergic dog (atopy & flea allergy). Now that I work with a veterinary dermatologist I will always do my homework with regard to allergies on dog I purchase or plan to breed to.

 

Puppy buyers should avoid pups from parents with allergic tendencies, even if they are easily controlled.

[cmsgyay]

We feed rotations of Orijen and Acana grain free formulas here. I love Champion pet foods!

 

I fed raw for a while, it didn't work out that well for us since Nia kept refusing to eat it and starving and losing massive amounts of weight. So we're back on a good quality kibble.

[Tuxedodog]

This is such a timely post. I have been feeding Kirkland for the past couple of years, the dogs had great coats. I have noticed over the course of the past 2 bags that the dogs coats and skin have gotten quite dry. I started giving brewers yeast since I was unable to find the biotin supplement I used to feed years ago. The woman who runs the Tech School animal care program (the dogs were in today for a bath, $12 each) suggested Taste of the Wild, I am going to start mixing it in as soon as I can make a run to the feed store since it seems to have a following here also.

[Carson Crazies]

Right now everyone is eating Nature's Variety Prairie (chicken for everyone but Nick, who gets Beef). 75% of the year I feed Diamond Naturals and I try to rotate to something else periodically. Right now it's NV because it was majorly on sale at a local store($8 off per 30# bag!!!). They periodically get RMBs, raw eggs, fish, cottage cheese, canned food, and I occasionally crock pot for them. Plus Small Dog gets 1/3 of his dinner as honest kitchen every night. I do what I can.

[gcv-border]

With reference to allergies in canines and feeding a unique protein source to reduce allergy symptoms, I just saw an ad for a dog food that uses ostrich as its main protein source, but I can not remember the name of the food.

 

Jovi