What Is Best Food For Canines

[helenscott08]

Hi: A couple of neighbors of mine recently lost their beloved pug dog and were so lonely without her that they immediately went out and thankfully found another pug...not same color..but small dog which is what they need.

This is a couple in their early 80's and although they have always had dogs I don't think they are keeping up with the changes regarding proper diets for dogs. For instance, I stopped in to say hello to them the other day and they were having a dish with corn. They gave the dog a small plate of the corn and when I said I didn't think that was a good thing to do, feeding corn, I mean, they were quite surprised to hear there was anything wrong with it.

So, I would like to hear from you about the proper diets for small pug type dogs. It would be most appreciated. I will pass the info on to the Couple for their consideration.

PLEASE REPLY PUBLICLY since I feel sure any responses will be of help to others with small dogs.

helen s

[Janisis]

Let's ask Guppy. What's the skinny on good nutrition for dogs? Is it a lot different for small dogs than big dogs? Geeze, I've never heard about corn being bad for dogs. I just fed my dogs some leftover from dinner. I hope it won't make them sick. While we are on the topic. What about raw food for dogs? Personally, I just can't see feeding my dogs raw meats. We boil chicken and add some grated raw carrots and raw peas. Is it bad to feed dogs watermelon? My dogs love it. What about pitted cherries, they love them too! Are we urban humans just out of control with our dog's diets? My grandmother's dogs got the kitchen scraps. Far as I know that's all they ever got. They always seemed to be in very fine condition and were undoubtedly well loved. What do others think?

[HomeSweetHome]

I feed a biologically appropriate raw diet as that is what canines evolved on for millions of years without the benefit of a kibble tree <g> My guys are healthy as horses, rarely go to the vet, and never have problems with digesting raw meat and bones....because that is what they are supposed to do. Corn is the number one allergen for dogs and although I wouldn't say a little fresh corn every once in awhile will hurt since they are scavengers, corn in the kibble day in and day out is harmful.

I would LOVE to hear how many hours/days vets learn about nutrition in vet school! In raw circles there is a particular number floating around but I dunno if it is true or if it just serves their purpose when a vet bad mouths raw feeding.



Let's ask Guppy. What's the skinny on good nutrition for dogs? Is it a lot different for small dogs than big dogs? Geeze, I've never heard about corn being bad for dogs. I just fed my dogs some leftover from dinner. I hope it won't make them sick. While we are on the topic. What about raw food for dogs? Personally, I just can't see feeding my dogs raw meats. We boil chicken and add some grated raw carrots and raw peas. Is it bad to feed dogs watermelon? My dogs love it. What about pitted cherries, they love them too! Are we urban humans just out of control with our dog's diets? My grandmother's dogs got the kitchen scraps. Far as I know that's all they ever got. They always seemed to be in very fine condition and were undoubtedly well loved. What do others think?

[Faethdragon]

Personaly I would call Pug rescue or a REPUTABLE Breeder of Pugs. All breeds of man made dogs are different. They are not quite like their ancesters the Wolf who are hunters. Their digestive systems are ALL different when it comes to what the Breed in question Should/Can eat. Personal opion only of course. :)
I feed a biologically appropriate raw diet as that is what canines evolved on for millions of years without the benefit of a kibble tree <g> My guys are healthy as horses, rarely go to the vet, and never have problems with digesting raw meat and bones....because that is what they are supposed to do. Corn is the number one allergen for dogs and although I wouldn't say a little fresh corn every once in awhile will hurt since they are scavengers, corn in the kibble day in and day out is harmful.

I would LOVE to hear how many hours/days vets learn about nutrition in vet school! In raw circles there is a particular number floating around but I dunno if it is true or if it just serves their purpose when a vet bad mouths raw feeding.

[HomeSweetHome]

Believe me, plenty of pugs eat raw and if you ask rescues and breeders they will all tell you something different :) Since kibble was invented by the military about 50 years ago to easily feed their dogs, no breed has evolved in just 50 years to be able to truly thrive on corn and all the gross stuff they put in there to keep it cheap. JMO of course :)



Personaly I would call Pug rescue or a REPUTABLE Breeder of Pugs. All breeds of man made dogs are different. They are not quite like their ancesters the Wolf who are hunters. Their digestive systems are ALL different when it comes to what the Breed in question Should/Can eat. Personal opion only of course. :)

[Moon]

If you occasionally must feed ready-made, Wysong is the top in that category for both dogs and cats. There's also, for those very few of us who don't brush the cats'/dogs' teeth every day, a Science Diet product called "Tartar Control," which my vet says actually does control tartar buildup. But raw rules! I put my cat sisters (aged 6 and 12) on a mostly-raw diet, and in two weeks they were frisking around like kittens. I make a cat food of four parts (one lb.) raw ground turkey, one part carrot pulp from the juicer, two parts oat bran and three parts tofu. Then i add Feline Missing Link, kelp powder, brewer's yeast flakes, lecithin and a little canned tuna for flavor.


Personaly I would call Pug rescue or a REPUTABLE Breeder of Pugs. All breeds of man made dogs are different. They are not quite like their ancesters the Wolf who are hunters. Their digestive systems are ALL different when it comes to what the Breed in question Should/Can eat. Personal opion only of course. :)

[Vet-To-Pet]

Believe it or not, they actually spend quite a lot of time teaching vet students about proper nutrition for various species of domestic animals. There is a LOT of individual variation, as far as which animals tolerate and/or thrive on certain diets. What's fine for one dog (or cat, horse, goat, etc) might not be right for another, due to different digestive tract health, endocrine systems, hypersensitivities ("allergies"), age, etc.

I would suggest that the 'new pug' couple choose a quality food that has been certified by AAFCO (it will state this on every bag, can, box of pet food sold in this country), which means that food has been thoroughly tested to contain ingredients that qualify it to be considered "a source of complete nutition" for that species of animal. Their pet might prefer one over another, but as long as it has the AAFCO certification, then the diet is complete. There are companies that do a great deal of (excellent) research to make sure these foods are balanced diets.

There's nothing wrong with feeding certain raw foods to your pets, but you need to know what you're doing to be sure the diet is 'complete'. Dogs are omnivores (cats are more carnivorous)---when they kill their prey, they tend to go right for the stomach contents, which is often vegetation since their prey are usually herbivores---ruminants & such. So an all-meat diet wouldn't be adequate. As for bones, there's a dog in our clinic right now with BIG problems due to bone fragmants/"shrapnel" getting lodged in different locations in his digestive tract, from a sliver of sharp bone stuck in his laryngeal region (back of throat) to some larger pieces blocking the stomach sphinctures. So feeding all meat-all bones is a big risk for any size dog (the dog in the clinic is about 75 #).

I used to work at the Bronx Zoo (vet hospital), and they have someone who only studies (zoo)animal nutrition. That's her job, period. The zoo feeds MANY dry foods to several of their animals, from "Monkey Chow' to "Rat Chow" to many other "Chows". Guess who produces those diets? Purina. Purina makes animal foods, and they make some damn good ones. They study animal nutrition & make foods that are suitable for many different species of animals, not just dogs & cats. I trust their products, because they've been studying & creating animal diets for a LONG time. That doesn't mean all dogs will like or thrive on one particular Purina diet, and you need to account for different dietary needs for age, health conditions (kidney disease, heart disease, enzymatic difficiencies, etc), pregnancy/nursing, and so forth, but they make so many diets that their dog should be happy (and healthy) on one or another.

I've never heard that corn is 'harmful' to a dog, but it's not a 'complete' diet, and it's also not well-digested; it often "comes out the same as it went in", so there's not a lot (any?) benefit to feeding it, except as "filler", to add bulk to their meals. It's actually easy on the GI tract & is often included in diets that are considered "bland", used to give an irritated GI tract something simple to digest/pass through.

Hope that helps~
Guppy

Hi: A couple of neighbors of mine recently lost their beloved pug dog and were so lonely without her that they immediately went out and thankfully found another pug...not same color..but small dog which is what they need.

This is a couple in their early 80's and although they have always had dogs I don't think they are keeping up with the changes regarding proper diets for dogs. For instance, I stopped in to say hello to them the other day and they were having a dish with corn. They gave the dog a small plate of the corn and when I said I didn't think that was a good thing to do, feeding corn, I mean, they were quite surprised to hear there was anything wrong with it.

So, I would like to hear from you about the proper diets for small pug type dogs. It would be most appreciated. I will pass the info on to the Couple for their consideration.

PLEASE REPLY PUBLICLY since I feel sure any responses will be of help to others with small dogs.

helen s

[HomeSweetHome]

Believe it or not, they actually spend quite a lot of time teaching vet students about proper nutrition for various species of domestic animals. Guppy

I have wondered about this because some raw people say vet students only get a couple of hours of nutrition education and that is provided by the pet food companies themselves but of course I dunno where they get this "info" or even how old it is. Were the bones cooked or maybe dense, weight bearing bones like leg bones?

I have an aquaintance whose husband used to work at a pet food rendering plant. She has told me awful stories of the things they put in those vats like LIVE baby chicks when he poultry farms hatch too many, euthanized pets, etc and said the smell was so bad her 3 year old daughter would cry when they had to pick him up from work. Of course all non-human grade meat is covered in charcoal to make sure it is not sold for human consumption, not that people are going to want to eat beaks, feathers, skin, etc.

Personally, I think people feed kibble for one of three reasons: 1. they don't know any better because it is a billion dollar industry and corporations spend lots of $$$ to advertise and sell it to them. 2. It is convient to toss some kibble in a bowl. 3. They love their pets are told or believe they couldn't possibly do their own diet because it would be unbalanced. While the last one could be a problem if the novice were uneducated and continued for some time, I personally don't eat a perfectly balanced diet every day because our bodies do not need the same things every single day, nor do our pets. The goal of raw is balance over time with lots of variety :) If you have ever seen an old, sick animal that came back to life after switching to raw you would never feed kibble again :) There are quite a few vets in our area who advocate raw diets, Dr. Pesch in Sebastopol is one of them just off the top of my head.

Can ya tell I have strong feelings about this?! :Biggrin:

[DaveKlein]

Raw food, such as ground turkey with processed
veggies mashed in the most healthful. Raw avocado
is superb. Raw egg and fruits too. Cooked meat is
very toxic and shortens pets lives. Cooked fats are carcinigenic. The additives in pet food can be harmful if they are not from organic plant
sources. Mineral additives are not usable and can
do great harm, causing arthritis, etc. Pets should not get arthritis or cancer. Cooked grains cause constipation, diabetes
and obesity. No animal is designed to eat cooked grains - they elevate the blood sugar much higher then fruit. There are a few books on raw pet
diet and web sites too. My friend Nora Lenz specializes in natural pet care and raw diet. Seewww.rawschool.com. Email: Nora Lenz
<[email protected]>. Also, www.shirleyswellnesscafe.com . See my raw kitty chowing down on a plate of avocado at https://www.livingnutrition.com/laugh.html . Earl lost 5 lbs of fat when I switched him to all raw foods 5 years ago and after being miserable he is full of life now and beautiful at age 15.

Dave
Living Nutrition
https://www.livingnutrition.com

[potterac]

There is some great info. on www.superdog.com (https://www.superdog.com) about canine chow. Interesting to see what companies are making the brands and how many of the big brands are made by the same corporations.Does anyone know about Nutro foods? This is what my vet suggested and I am trying to find more information about carbohydrates and preservatives added to see if this brand is any better. I would love to feed raw, but it is just not possible at this point in time for me to do that. So which bagged foods have less additives, corn, soy, carbs, and preservatives?

[CowGal]

Don't forget raw eggs with the shells. Cow bones, especially the joints and femurs (femurs have more meat attached). My vet told me that if you give a dog raw chicken he can get salmonella. So be aware of that. I still give him raw egg, but it's only the very best fresh eggs from my own chickens. Why grind the turkey, when chewing the meat and the bones is great for the dog's teeth and provides more calcium? But raw turkey necks are great. They eat the whole thing and as long as the bones are raw they won't splinter and damage the GI tract. Flax seed oil, salmon heads and tails and any kind of dried fish.

I feed Solid Gold (by Hund N' Flonkin - from Germany) and Canidae because they need to have a staple in their diet. Also, sweet potatos. Don't pay to buy the processed stuff, put a yam in your over and give it to you dog whole, make sure it's cool first. The skins have a lot of minerals. Solid Gold multiple vitamins can be used for your dog, cat and horses. I give it to my favorite Jersey cow, Bessie (she's very spoiled, but has won many ribbons).

Always make sure the meat you give your dog is fresh. My dog love peanut butter and will eat a whole jar if I let him-so make sure you get the good stuff with Flax seeds in it (from Trader Joes).


Raw food, such as ground turkey with processed
veggies mashed in the most healthful. Raw avocado
is superb. Raw egg and fruits too. Cooked meat is
very toxic and shortens pets lives. Cooked fats are carcinigenic. The additives in pet food can be harmful if they are not from organic plant
sources. Mineral additives are not usable and can
do great harm, causing arthritis, etc. Pets should not get arthritis or cancer. Cooked grains cause constipation, diabetes
and obesity. No animal is designed to eat cooked grains - they elevate the blood sugar much higher then fruit. There are a few books on raw pet
diet and web sites too. My friend Nora Lenz specializes in natural pet care and raw diet. Seewww.rawschool.com. Email: Nora Lenz
<[email protected]>. Also, www.shirleyswellnesscafe.com (https://www.shirleyswellnesscafe.com) . See my raw kitty chowing down on a plate of avocado at Vibrance Magazine: Living Nutrition Magazine: Raw Food Diet & Natural Hygiene Books (https://www.livingnutrition.com/laugh.html) . Earl lost 5 lbs of fat when I switched him to all raw foods 5 years ago and after being miserable he is full of life now and beautiful at age 15.

Dave
Living Nutrition
Raw Food Diet Lifestyle Information: Vibrance eZine: Living Nutrition Magazine: Natural Hygiene Books (https://www.livingnutrition.com)