Dog Food. Anyone have their's on a "Raw Diet"?

[L-Pink]

Anyone here have their dog on a raw diet? I've read enough to know I don't know anything. What do you guy's feed your best friends?

Thanks.

.

[Failed]

My poor old girl is 11 and in congestive heart failure She can only eat boiled hamburger with white rice mixed in. Apparently this mixture is healthy for the dog, enough to sustain her, and very easy on a dog's stomach. She use to have blood in her stool, that's gone now.

She was fed, along with my previous dogs who lived quite long, a raw egg, plain cooked fish, plain cooked chicken breast, and some red meat every now and again. I never bought dog food for any of my pets.

[Failed]

I should add the reason why I never buy dog food. My uncle works at what use to be Alpo, now Nestle/Purina. He's seen dog food made from random animal parts for over 20 years and won't buy it for his dogs even at their discounted rate. They throw everything into that stuff, maggots are rampant, rotten meat, etc.

[CyberHustler]

I feed my pit regular dog food... I just make sure the main ingredient is actually meat. It's cheap, helps keep their teeth clean and he's probably nutritionally better off than me.

[baddog]

Not sure how that would work, giving him nothing but raw chickens and steaks.

[BJ]

I give my dogs dog food like a normal person.

[CyberHustler]

I thought about giving these a try when I was fucking around at petco last week: http://freshpet.com/

Then I started thinking about other stuff...

[WarChild]

My dogs eat a fish and potato blend that's good for their coat and not too terribly expensive. Never had any health issues and my 10 year old Rottweiler still plays like a puppy.

Dogs have strong stomachs and can eat almost anything. I really think the whole "raw food" thing is a bit of a crazy and not really necessary.

Now if your dog develops allergies to specific proteins, and that's not uncommon either, it's a different story.

[L-Pink]

Originally Posted by WarChild

My dogs eat a fish and potato blend that's good for their coat and not too terribly expensive. Never had any health issues and my 10 year old Rottweiler still plays like a puppy.

Dogs have strong stomachs and can eat almost anything. I really think the whole "raw food" thing is a bit of a crazy and not really necessary.

Now if your dog develops allergies to specific proteins, and that's not uncommon either, it's a different story.

Do you ever give them raw meat?

.

[WarChild]

Originally Posted by L-Pink

Do you ever give them raw meat?

.

No I never have.

I mean don't get me wrong, it's not going to hurt them. If you feel like you want to go through the added expense and effort to feed your dogs a raw diet, by all means go for it. I can't see it doing any harm what-so-ever. If your dog is healthy and happy on its existing food, then there's probably no real reason to change it.

One thing you want to be on a look out for is allergies. Dogs of all ages can develop them. If your dog is scratching or biting at its self a lot, developing problems in its ears or has "hot spots", which are sores on the skin that weep liquid, then you need to re-evaluate its diet. You should note that these things can be symptoms of other things too, like fleas, but if you have a good flea control regimen that shouldn't be an issue.

[baddog]

Originally Posted by L-Pink

Do you ever give them raw meat?

.

I do give Buddy raw chicken legs and soup bones. He loves them




Birthday present.

[L-Pink]

Originally Posted by baddog

Not sure how that would work, giving him nothing but raw chickens and steaks.

I know. I tend to feed my dog the way my parents fed dogs when I was a kid. A good brand of dry with the occasional meat/fish/chicken scraps thrown in with it. But that doesn't mean it's right.

.

[Pseudonymous]

Evo is a great line of dog food. Like somebody said, as long as meats are the first ingredient in the dog food, it's decent.

The EVO bags I used to get were 80 bucks or so. A tad expensive but I think it's worth it to feed them a high quality food.

Raw diet is also very good. Ive seen dogs switched to the raw diet and their bodies change, for the better. You also find there is hardly as much waste (poop)

Edit--Ive heard good things about some type called Timberwolf or something also. Those two were highly touted and miles above the rest from what i recall

[GetSCORECash]

We tried for a while, when we juiced a lot. Our dog got all his fiber from our vegetable waste. It didn't last long and switch him to a diet of dry dog food and cooked meats.

I don't suggest a true raw diet for a dog.

[L-Pink]

Originally Posted by Failed

I should add the reason why I never buy dog food. My uncle works at what use to be Alpo, now Nestle/Purina. He's seen dog food made from random animal parts for over 20 years and won't buy it for his dogs even at their discounted rate. They throw everything into that stuff, maggots are rampant, rotten meat, etc.

I read a very similar article to what you just posted and it made me feel guilty and sort of selfish in that I am very conscious of what I myself eat. That's what prompted this thread.

.

[baddog]

Originally Posted by L-Pink

I know. I tend to feed my dog the way my parents fed dogs when I was a kid. A good brand of dry with the occasional meat/fish/chicken scraps thrown in with it. But that doesn't mean it's right.

.

I don't really give him too much in the way of cooked [people] food. I will let him do bones, but not if it has a weird sauce on it. He loves when I give him raw meats but has zero interest in fruits and veggies . . . although I seem to recall he did like my grilled zucchini. He goes to the vet regularly and they always commend his health and consistent weight.

Iams is his daily/usual food.

[WarChild]

Oh another thing I forgot to mention is that you can often tell when a dog is "itchy all over" as a result of food allergies is they will tend to not scratch all over, but instead they will lick their front paws constantly. That's because they're right in front of them. Silly but true.

[papill0n]

cooked chicken bones are very bad for dogs - they splinter and can piece bowels

dogs love meat - nothing wrong with giving your dog raw meat

chocolate is poison to dogs - it can kill them

i feed my dogs a good nutritional dry food every day and meat for a treat once a week

[L-Pink]

Originally Posted by WarChild

Oh another thing I forgot to mention is that you can often tell when a dog is "itchy all over" as a result of food allergies is they will tend to not scratch all over, but instead they will lick their front paws constantly. That's because they're right in front of them. Silly but true.

My dog's 15 and I'm just trying to do anything that will help her keep her health. What concerns me is her weight and how short and fragile her legs are. She's a 60 lb mutt/hound.

.

[papill0n]

[WarChild]

Originally Posted by L-Pink

My dog's 15 and I'm just trying to do anything that will help her keep her health. What concerns me is her weight and how short and fragile her legs are. She's a 60 lb mutt/hound.

.

Ask your Vet, but if she's overweight you can certainly switch her to a quality weight maintenance blend.

Weight problems are common, we all want to spoil our dogs. You should be able to feel a dogs spine, if you can't it's over weight. Not that this might pertain to you, but it's a good judge for others to start with.

[bronco67]

I give mine Bil Jac. Chicken based mostly. Actually on the bag it says "10 pounds of chicken in every 15 lb bag".

Just remember to stay away from Science Diet, Eukanuba or any of that Hill's crap. Grocery store dog food like Purina is a no brainer. Stay the hell away from it.

Generally, if you've seen an ad for a dog food brand on TV, stay away from it. The smaller companies have better ingredients, and aren't at the point of diluting their formula down to whatever can make them the most money.

That's just my theory, but it makes sense if you think about it. Hill's is like the Exxon of dog food. They're so big, there's no way they could possibly give a fuck.

My father-in-law just lost his 9 year old Bichon, who constantly had every dog ailment there was -- and the most unhealthy looking dumps I've ever seen from a dog. When I told him he should stop using Science Diet when he gets his next dog, he said "Toby did just fine on it".

I didn't say anything, but the Toby under-lived his projected lifespan by a few years.

[papill0n]

cool that your dog has lived to be 15 man - mines 8

imo you want to feed your dog anything that keeps it in good health. if your dog is older it doesnt need massive amounts of food or bones which could hinder dogestion and cause hassles for the dog

veges are good but dogs dont want em raw - cook veges like potatoe carrot and broc and mix it all up with rice. make in bulk. if you want you can put some lean mince in their too.

[L-Pink]

Originally Posted by papill0n

lol ...... I knew you would have a Mad Max dog Beautiful !

.

[Pseudonymous]

Originally Posted by Pseudonymous

Evo is a great line of dog food. Like somebody said, as long as meats are the first ingredient in the dog food, it's decent.

The EVO bags I used to get were 80 bucks or so. A tad expensive but I think it's worth it to feed them a high quality food.

Raw diet is also very good. Ive seen dogs switched to the raw diet and their bodies change, for the better. You also find there is hardly as much waste (poop)

Edit--Ive heard good things about some type called Timberwolf or something also. Those two were highly touted and miles above the rest from what i recall

Evo is what got my dog looking like this :D

haha

[L-Pink]

Originally Posted by bronco67

Just remember to stay away from Science Diet, Eukanuba or any of that Hill's crap. Grocery store dog food like Purina is a no brainer. Stay the hell away from it.

That's just my theory, but it makes sense if you think about it. Hill's is like the Exxon of dog food. They're so big, there's no way they could possibly give a fuck.

I've read some nasty things about Hills. Do you know if that also includes Hills Prescription food available from Vets only? This is why I'm starting to not trust my Vet.

.

[L-Pink]

Originally Posted by Pseudonymous

Evo is what got my dog looking like this :D

haha

Evo and a doggie weight bench. lol Wow!

.

[Paul Markham]

Mixture of meat and bones we buy from the butcher, boil them first. Packet dog food from the vet and tinned dog food. Plus scraps we leave.

He's putting on weight and power at an extreme rate, saw Reggie's video of me with him recently and the change in a few months is amazing.

The closer your dog is to the pure breed, a wolf, the stronger his gut is and ability to eat nearly anything. Old meat, maggots and other things that would make us sick or worse they will consume with little problem.

That's what a real dog is built for.

Toys dogs and extremely modified breeds of dogs have lost the ability to consume anything but refined food.

A few months ago.



A few days a go

[$5 submissions]

I'm a vegetarian so my chihuahuas get to eat lots of fruit. I still feed them regular dog food though to make sure they get a balanced nutritional profile.

[$5 submissions]

Originally Posted by Pseudonymous

Evo is what got my dog looking like this :D

haha

Great muscling and tone. Nice job!

[CurrentlySober]

I make mine eat its own poo...

I eat it too...

I like poo...

[CyberHustler]

Originally Posted by Pseudonymous

Evo is what got my dog looking like this :D

haha

lol, that looks more like proper exercise and great genes lol... beautiful dog

[dyna mo]

i'm surprised elli hasn't replied here, she's a walking encyclopedia on this stuff.

i feed my dog raw food. i use http://www.primalpetfoods.com and also raw turkey necks, chicken wings, etc. for treats he gets raw baby carrots.


dogs = wolves, not people, and have different nutritional requirements than us.

wolves eat raw food they just killed. the 1st thing they would eat is the organ meat so make sure that is a part of any raw food diet. next, the actual meat and 3rd are the bones/tendons, etc. which provide many of the nutrient s dogs need and also satiate their need to chew etc. dogs/wolves have never naturally eaten cooked rice (or any complex carbs such as rice, potatoes, etc.

[Failed]

Originally Posted by dyna mo

dogs/wolves have never naturally eaten cooked rice (or any complex carbs such as rice, potatoes, etc.

The vet put my dog on a mandatory diet of cooked hamburger meat and white rice. She was having stomach issues that caused bleeding. Now that's all been cleared up. It may not be natural, but worked for her. Apparently, it's very easy on the stomach and the digestion process.

Of course, it's probably not a good idea to feed this to a healthy dog as their main diet.

[dyna mo]

Originally Posted by Failed

The vet put my dog on a mandatory diet of cooked hamburger meat and white rice. She was having stomach issues that caused bleeding. Now that's all been cleared up. It may not be natural, but worked for her. Apparently, it's very easy on the stomach and the digestion process.

Of course, it's probably not a good idea to feed this to a healthy dog as their main diet.

sorry, wasn't my intent to challenge how you (or anyone) raise your dog. just my line of reasoning on what to feed mine. i'm glad this diet worked for you and your buddy!

[Failed]

Originally Posted by dyna mo

sorry, wasn't my intent to challenge how you (or anyone) raise your dog. just my line of reasoning on what to feed mine. i'm glad this diet worked for you and your buddy!

Oh, no need to apologize, I didn't think you were referring to me in your statement or challenge the way I raise my dog. My reply wasn't to challenge your statement, just adding to the conversation

[seeandsee]

my dogs are eating all left overs from our food, so they dont get raw food

[CyberHustler]

Originally Posted by seeandsee

my dogs are eating all left overs from our food, so they dont get raw food

That's not good.

[dyna mo]

Originally Posted by L-Pink

My dog's 15 and I'm just trying to do anything that will help her keep her health. What concerns me is her weight and how short and fragile her legs are. She's a 60 lb mutt/hound.

.

do you give your dog glucosamine/chondrotin? my guy has bad legs and i give him these as treats 2x a day and they do wonders. it takes a few weeks or so to kick in.

http://www.amazon.com/Osteo-Pet-Gluc...uct/B001QNC896

[PR_Glen]

You have to be careful if you are going that route with regards to raw.. Yes, it is natural for them to be digesting meats raw, obviously their ancestors weren't cooking up food by the fires 1000's of years ago.. However, if they haven't been eating raw food since birth it will take some time for them to build up immunities and it will take time for their stomaches to adjust to it. Basically anytime you change a dogs diet drastically it will cause problems so no matter what you are changing up ease into it.

My advice is to go with higher grade foods instead. You have to go to specialty stores to get them (pet smart doesn't have good foods usually) and they will cost a bit more, but the best part is they wont need to eat NEAR as much of it because it is so nutrient rich and calorie dense. If your dog has allergy problems most good names have options, as fish, or venison or chicken etc.. so you may have to get a few tester bags to find out for sure. About 2 and a half 3 cups a day keeps our Labs strong and fit, any more than that and they gain weight and look unhealthy so that is a good gauge right there.

Beware of the HUNGER FACE! Most dogs will eat themselves to near death, especially labs... Just because they look hungry doesn't mean the are so in a sense you have to train yourself for that ;)

Short list of good foods in the US here. remember to ease them in, mix it in with what you are feeding them now and increase if they don't have reactions to it.

Innova Evo, Orijen, Canine Caviar, Canidae



oh careful with the bones. dogs love them of course, but if you give them to them too often it wears away their teeth completely.. they need those for life remember so try to find alternatives for the day to day, we do rawhides instead, but even those only occasionally.

[WarChild]

Originally Posted by dyna mo

i'm surprised elli hasn't replied here, she's a walking encyclopedia on this stuff.

i feed my dog raw food. i use http://www.primalpetfoods.com and also raw turkey necks, chicken wings, etc. for treats he gets raw baby carrots.


dogs = wolves, not people, and have different nutritional requirements than us.

wolves eat raw food they just killed. the 1st thing they would eat is the organ meat so make sure that is a part of any raw food diet. next, the actual meat and 3rd are the bones/tendons, etc. which provide many of the nutrient s dogs need and also satiate their need to chew etc. dogs/wolves have never naturally eaten cooked rice (or any complex carbs such as rice, potatoes, etc.

Dog's evolved from wolves, yes, but because of people.

While nobody knows for absolute certain, the latest theory is that dogs evolved very quickly out of wolves when humans began living in permanent settlements. The wolves with the highest threshold of human tolerance were able to feed the easiest from the first human dump sites and very quickly evolved in to the more managable species we know as dogs today.

It would explain why ancient civilizations attached an almost magical value to the dog as a single generation of human may have seen dogs evolve out of wolves which would have seemed like pure magic to them.

It's actually a pretty interesting theory and implies that evolution in fact CAN happen at a very rapid rate, something that hasn't been thought to be true in the past.

[dyna mo]

Originally Posted by WarChild

Dog's evolved from wolves, yes, but because of people.

While nobody knows for absolute certain, the latest theory is that dogs evolved very quickly out of wolves when humans began living in permanent settlements. The wolves with the highest threshold of human tolerance were able to feed the easiest from the first human dump sites and very quickly evolved in to the more managable species we know as dogs today.

It's actually a pretty interesting theory and implies that evolution in fact CAN happen at a very rapid rate, something that hasn't been thought to be true in the past.

i was actually wondering about this. i think it's fair to say that dogs are in general, bottom feeders throughout their evolutionary history. they will eat wtf-ever they come across. some of the things my guy has eaten- eeesh. hell, they can eat rotten eggs.

[Grapesoda]

Originally Posted by Failed

They throw everything into that stuff, maggots are rampant, rotten meat, etc.

isn't that what dogs eat?

[dyna mo]

Originally Posted by bm bradley

isn't that what dogs eat?

not when it's from china

[RebelR]

Originally Posted by bronco67

I give mine Bil Jac. Chicken based mostly. Actually on the bag it says "10 pounds of chicken in every 15 lb bag".

Just remember to stay away from Science Diet, Eukanuba or any of that Hill's crap. Grocery store dog food like Purina is a no brainer. Stay the hell away from it.

Generally, if you've seen an ad for a dog food brand on TV, stay away from it. The smaller companies have better ingredients, and aren't at the point of diluting their formula down to whatever can make them the most money.

That's just my theory, but it makes sense if you think about it. Hill's is like the Exxon of dog food. They're so big, there's no way they could possibly give a fuck.

My father-in-law just lost his 9 year old Bichon, who constantly had every dog ailment there was -- and the most unhealthy looking dumps I've ever seen from a dog. When I told him he should stop using Science Diet when he gets his next dog, he said "Toby did just fine on it".

I didn't say anything, but the Toby under-lived his projected lifespan by a few years.

My Sister-in-law's Min Pin is Diabetic, and on Hills Food. I showed her this site http://dogfoodanalysis.com/ which shows that the first ingredient in her dog food is .. Sawdust. She struggled to maintain adequate blood sugar levels, and despite my best efforts to get her to switch to a more natural diet, she still continues to feed him this crap.

We have only ever fed our dogs HQ foods. Our Dobe used to get ground up kidney, tripe, lung etc from the local butcher. Our frenchie gets http://orijen.ca/products/adult_dog along with some Vegetables, meat scraps and fruit. Things like corn, and wheat arent natural to a dogs diet and are as such just fillers.

[CyberHustler]

Originally Posted by WarChild

Dog's evolved from wolves, yes, but because of people.

While nobody knows for absolute certain, the latest theory is that dogs evolved very quickly out of wolves when humans began living in permanent settlements. The wolves with the highest threshold of human tolerance were able to feed the easiest from the first human dump sites and very quickly evolved in to the more managable species we know as dogs today.

It would explain why ancient civilizations attached an almost magical value to the dog as a single generation of human may have seen dogs evolve out of wolves which would have seemed like pure magic to them.

It's actually a pretty interesting theory and implies that evolution in fact CAN happen at a very rapid rate, something that hasn't been thought to be true in the past.

It was proved with foxes... they rapidly starting turning into dog like things with colorful fur, barking and wagging their tails with selective breeding for good temperament towards people.

[bronco67]

Originally Posted by L-Pink

I've read some nasty things about Hills. Do you know if that also includes Hills Prescription food available from Vets only? This is why I'm starting to not trust my Vet.

.

I dropped a vet because their office would try to push Hill's dog food on me from the moment I stepped in the place, until the moment I left. It was pretty disgusting.

Most people will just listen to what their vet tells them about dog food nutrition, but they don't realize that nutrition is not a big part(or any part) of their schooling. Also, Hills runs Vet schools, or funds future Vets education, so they basically have a sales army out there, telling anyone not smart enough to do their own research that Hill's dog food is great.

Here's a good article on them..

http://www.ourdogsonline.com/content...edietscam.html

[PR_Glen]

Originally Posted by Dedi

It was proved with foxes... they rapidly starting turning into dog like things with colorful fur, barking and wagging their tails with selective breeding for good temperament towards people.

i wouldn't go so far as to say it was proved.. Considering they are almost an exact dna match for wolves (even chiauawa's) but their is definitely mixes with them at some point some breeds more than others i would say.


theres a few documentaries out there that talk about the original domestication of dogs, i don't recall the names off hand, speculating goes back to even 15 000 years ago for domestication--but it is mostly theoretical though.

[WarChild]

Originally Posted by PR_Glen

i wouldn't go so far as to say it was proved.. Considering they are almost an exact dna match for wolves (even chiauawa's) but their is definitely mixes with them at some point some breeds more than others i would say.


theres a few documentaries out there that talk about the original domestication of dogs, i don't recall the names off hand, speculating goes back to even 15 000 years ago for domestication--but it is mostly theoretical though.

No, he wasn't saying that foxes are part of the DNA mix. He was saying the same sorts of rapid evolutionary changes have been observed in foxes.

[RebelR]

Originally Posted by bronco67

I dropped a vet because their office would try to push Hill's dog food on me from the moment I stepped in the place, until the moment I left. It was pretty disgusting.

Most people will just listen to what their vet tells them about dog food nutrition, but they don't realize that nutrition is not a big part(or any part) of their schooling. Also, Hills runs Vet schools, or funds future Vets education, so they basically have a sales army out there, telling anyone not smart enough to do their own research that Hill's dog food is great.

Here's a good article on them..

http://www.ourdogsonline.com/content...edietscam.html

Here in Ontario, the premier school for veterinary Medecine is University of Guelph.. guess who is sponsoring the new wing of the Veterinary program.. Hills. A friend who is a vet is disgusted that they would allow it.