Dog Food Preference

[wellington]

When I was a kid, we had a TEACUP TOY POODLE that just about lived forever at 17 years. All she ever ate was MIGHTY DOG from a can. Half a can each evening.
That and Milk Bones for snacks.

I remember our dogs when I was a kid living long and healthy, barely seeing a vet. I don't remember the dog food that was fed, lots of table scraps for the bigger dogs, but I'm sure it was junk. However, I am starting to wonder if all this new fangle "healthy" food along with all the vaccines, heartworm/parasite meds, etc is what is really causing more health issues and shortened lives. I hate giving heartworm meds now. Monthly I'm poisoning my dog with medication for other parasites she doesn't have just to prevent heartworm. Now even in Chicago, they want you to give it all year. I was a vet tech years ago, I know the game.

 

[mojo_1]

I remember our dogs when I was a kid living long and healthy, barely seeing a vet. I don't remember the dog food that was fed, lots of table scraps for the bigger dogs, but I'm sure it was junk. However, I am starting to wonder if all this new fangle "healthy" food along with all the vaccines, heartworm/parasite meds, etc is what is really causing more health issues and shortened lives. I hate giving heartworm meds now. Monthly I'm poisoning my dog with medication for other parasites she doesn't have just to prevent heartworm. Now even in Chicago, they want you to give it all year. I was a vet tech years ago, I know the game.

Back in the days of childhood they were making dog food out of horse now it's all kinds of things.

 

[Maggie3fan]

Back in the days of childhood they were making dog food out of horse now it's all kinds of things.

I certainly am not a most incredible Vet, but I watch one on TV, and he says just to avoid corn, is all....lol!!!

 

[mojo_1]

I certainly am not a most incredible Vet, but I watch one on TV, and he says just to avoid corn, is all....lol!!!

I avoid corn for myself. The pup probably won't like it either.

 

[Yvonne G]

Because I've had problems with diverticulitis I avoid eating anything that doesn't decompose throughout the digestive process. Corn doesn't digest. If it comes out the same as it went in how much benefit can the body be receiving from it. Maybe cracked feed corn is different, but I'll bet not.

 

[mojo_1]

Because I've had problems with diverticulitis I avoid eating anything that doesn't decompose throughout the digestive process. Corn doesn't digest. If it comes out the same as it went in how much benefit can the body be receiving from it. Maybe cracked feed corn is different, but I'll bet not.

According to my father, that with pigs at least potatoes help them digest the corn better. It doesn't seem to matter for the rest of the world though.
Keep in mind that Alligators are so angry because they have all those teeth and no toothbrush.

 

[zovick]

I bred and showed Rough Collies from 1961 to 2002. I usually had anywhere from 5-8 adults in my kennels at any given time. I used Purina Puppy Chow for my puppies and Pro Plan for the older dogs very successfully for most of that 41 years. In the latter 5-7 years or so, I switched the adult dogs over to Diamond Natural (the lamb and rice formula) at the recommendation of my feed supplier. The dogs loved it, and it seemed to have very good nutritional value and ingredients. It was also less costly than Purina at the time which is somewhat of a consideration (though a minor one) when feeding a larger number of animals.

 

[Trishk]

My fairly new to me doberman pup (a year old next month) has decided she's not fond of the dry dog food I've been feeding her. I think it has something to do with the bit of people food she gets when I'm through with my lunch and she finishes it. I'm feeding a good brand, Taste of the Wild, and a different flavor each time I buy a new bag. I look for corn and wheat in the list of ingredients and avoid them. So I'm wondering which brands you folks use and why. I know Tom has said in the past that he feeds Purina Pro Plan, and I also feed that brand in the cat food variety to my cats. Google says Red Barn is best, but Chewy.com doesn't carry that brand (and I've never heard of it). So which brand do you dog lovers prefer?

My fairly new to me doberman pup (a year old next month) has decided she's not fond of the dry dog food I've been feeding her. I think it has something to do with the bit of people food she gets when I'm through with my lunch and she finishes it. I'm feeding a good brand, Taste of the Wild, and a different flavor each time I buy a new bag. I look for corn and wheat in the list of ingredients and avoid them. So I'm wondering which brands you folks use and why. I know Tom has said in the past that he feeds Purina Pro Plan, and I also feed that brand in the cat food variety to my cats. Google says Red Barn is best, but Chewy.com doesn't carry that brand (and I've never heard of it). So which brand do you dog lovers prefer?

 

[EppsDynasty]

Thank You to all that posted pics of their dogs, it was really cool.

 

[Yvonne G]

I bred and showed Rough Collies from 1961 to 2002. I usually had anywhere from 5-8 adults in my kennels at any given time. I used Purina Puppy Chow for my puppies and Pro Plan for the older dogs very successfully for most of that 41 years. In the latter 5-7 years or so, I switched the adult dogs over to Diamond Natural (the lamb and rice formula) at the recommendation of my feed supplier. The dogs loved it, and it seemed to have very good nutritional value and ingredients. It was also less costly than Purina at the time which is somewhat of a consideration (though a minor one) when feeding a larger number of animals.

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I love collies! I had one quite a few years ago that was a stray (never could find the owner). Not good quality, but awfully pretty! But the hair!!! Oh the hair!!!!!! If you looked at just one hair you could see that instead of being straight it was crimped the whole strand. Made it terribly hard to keep him brushed.

 

[Trishk]

My fairly new to me doberman pup (a year old next month) has decided she's not fond of the dry dog food I've been feeding her. I think it has something to do with the bit of people food she gets when I'm through with my lunch and she finishes it. I'm feeding a good brand, Taste of the Wild, and a different flavor each time I buy a new bag. I look for corn and wheat in the list of ingredients and avoid them. So I'm wondering which brands you folks use and why. I know Tom has said in the past that he feeds Purina Pro Plan, and I also feed that brand in the cat food variety to my cats. Google says Red Barn is best, but Chewy.com doesn't carry that brand (and I've never heard of it). So which brand do you dog lovers prefer?

I have a six year old lab. She’s my first dog so I’m no expert but I really like the brand called ‘Just Food for Dogs’. They have a premade one that is too expensive but you can buy a do it yourself powder. I make mine the beef and russet potato variety. It’s really not a big deal to make. Boil up a russet potato, a sweet potato. Some frozen green beans, peas and carrots. Cook a frozen beef patty and drain off most of the fat. Add a little chopped apple. Add a little fish oil. Sometimes I put it over Purina plan kibble as a topper. It’s all of ten minutes prep and so worth it. It got her down to a healthy weight and she loves it.

 

[zovick]

I love collies! I had one quite a few years ago that was a stray (never could find the owner). Not good quality, but awfully pretty! But the hair!!! Oh the hair!!!!!! If you looked at just one hair you could see that instead of being straight it was crimped the whole strand. Made it terribly hard to keep him brushed.

I can most certainly sympathize with you!

 

[Yvonne G]

I have a six year old lab. She’s my first dog so I’m no expert but I really like the brand called ‘Just Food for Dogs’. They have a premade one that is too expensive but you can buy a do it yourself powder. I make mine the beef and russet potato variety. It’s really not a big deal to make. Boil up a russet potato, a sweet potato. Some frozen green beans, peas and carrots. Cook a frozen beef patty and drain off most of the fat. Add a little chopped apple. Add a little fish oil. Sometimes I put it over Purina plan kibble as a topper. It’s all of ten minutes prep and so worth it. It got her down to a healthy weight and she loves it.

It's not the preparation that I'm worried about. It's the quantity. A Doberman eats a LOT.

 

[Len B]

I bred and showed Rough Collies from 1961 to 2002. I usually had anywhere from 5-8 adults in my kennels at any given time. I used Purina Puppy Chow for my puppies and Pro Plan for the older dogs very successfully for most of that 41 years. In the latter 5-7 years or so, I switched the adult dogs over to Diamond Natural (the lamb and rice formula) at the recommendation of my feed supplier. The dogs loved it, and it seemed to have very good nutritional value and ingredients. It was also less costly than Purina at the time which is somewhat of a consideration (though a minor one) when feeding a larger number of animals.

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I started buying the Diamond brand a little over 3 years ago when I got my hairless pups and had great results from it. It's the only dry food I keep here now. I still keep some down for all the pups just in case something was to happen to me because I know no one will cook for my 5 the way I do. They sometimes nibble on it but they like my cooking better. At the time I'm in a situation that it costs less to buy fresh meats and veggies than processed dry dog food. And I have the time to cook for them.

 

[Cathie G]

There are a lot of new fad foods that sound great in the ads and they hit all sorts of key phrases that people want to hear, like "grain free". This has been going on since I got in to the pet trade back in the mid 80s. Each month a different dog food company would come in and give us a seminar about why their food was the greatest of all time and how their competitors food was rubbish. Some of them even offered a kick back of $5 a bag for selling their food. When you only make $3 an hour, that was a pretty big incentive.

Now we have the "raw" diets and all sorts of different alternatives. I baby sit a wonderful doberman that lives with a wonderful family, and he gets a whole trout every morning, two thawed "pucks" during the day, and half of a raw, thawed Cornish game for dinner every night. I call him fish boy. They dog's coat is amazing and he never has any health problems.

My takeaway from 50 years of feeding dozens of dogs is that there is no one super food that is perfect for every dog. Different foods work great for different dogs. When it comes to kibble and all the newer foods with their amazingly effective marketing, they key thing I want to see is an AAFCO approved feeding trial. Any kibble that hasn't gone through this thorough process should not be fed to dogs in my opinion. It can look good on paper and sound great in the ads, but there is only one way to find out if it is actually good for dogs.

I still feed Pro-Plan to my own dogs and yes, they have done AAFCO approved feeding trials. I have a select few dogs that do better on other foods. When we find something that works and agrees with that dog, we leave it alone. Pro-Plan works great for most dogs, but not all dogs all the time.

One thing that I do is regularly mix in table scraps of all kinds with their base of kibble. Some people recommend against this because what ever is in the table scraps may upset the balance of nutrients in the kibble. I won't argue that one way or the other, but variety is beneficial, and in practice, it has worked for me for decades and dozens of dogs. I've had some very long lived dogs. My malinois typically make it to 13 years old. Remember the black and white Great Dane that was in "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson. That was Jake. He lived to 14 years and 11 months. One more month and I would have had a 15 year old Great Dane. That is unheard of for those that don't know the breed. You are lucky if they make it to 10. Few of them make it to 12.

If my feeding routine is so bad, someone who thinks it is bad needs to explain to me why the 50+ dogs I've had in the last 30+ years thrive, survive, and live so long on it. So many people reach strongly emotion conclusions based on ads and fad catch phrases, and a very small sample size of their own dog(s). I've been feeding a kennel of 25-30 dogs side-by-side for almost 30 years. The other professionals I work with have 20-100 dogs in their kennels and you better believe we all compare notes. We also suffer the vet bill consequences on a large scale if we choose poorly.

Another factor in all of this is that my wife has a masters in Microbiology and she spent 13 years as a vet tech followed by 15 years as a veterinary sales consultant specializing in nutrition. She knows more than I do, and some of her vast knowledge has rubbed off on me.

I don't know everything, but I know more than a typical dog owner.

I agree with you. A regular kibble with leftovers mixed in it is a perfect diet for a dog. Purina is my favorite brand for cats. They have several formulas for each cat's dietary needs and I'm sure they do the same for dogs. Then mix in some flavorful good for them additions that they enjoy. It works.

 

[Cathie G]

Maybe

Try some different spices instead of changing the foods offered. Rocket my 14 year old who was very sickly about 4 years ago and diagnosed with fluid around the heart. I had already started cooking for him at the time shortly before, loves the Montreal chicken and steak spices. It doesn't take much to add enough flavor for him. Like yours he is small and has lost teeth and everything has to be cut into small pieces. Besides showing signs of dementia and hearing loss (could be selective hearing) he acts like a young dog again. He is tiny but still top dog in the pack. Turmeric is another spice to try.

I don't know if anyone would want to try some garlic in homemade food for a dog or not. But it's a flea repellent for them. I don't know if it would work the same in food but it makes the food taste good.

 

[Cathie G]

I remember our dogs when I was a kid living long and healthy, barely seeing a vet. I don't remember the dog food that was fed, lots of table scraps for the bigger dogs, but I'm sure it was junk. However, I am starting to wonder if all this new fangle "healthy" food along with all the vaccines, heartworm/parasite meds, etc is what is really causing more health issues and shortened lives. I hate giving heartworm meds now. Monthly I'm poisoning my dog with medication for other parasites she doesn't have just to prevent heartworm. Now even in Chicago, they want you to give it all year. I was a vet tech years ago, I know the game.

They always try to talk me into that crap with Dilly too. He's rarely had to have flea spray and never a heartworm pill. He doesn't get poisoned in other words. Because he's a completely indoor cat though I worry about d3. I do feed him Purina indoor cat and have for 14 years. Hopefully, Purina thought about that problem in their formula. It seems like they have.

 

[Cathie G]

I certainly am not a most incredible Vet, but I watch one on TV, and he says just to avoid corn, is all....lol!!!

I hate corn added to everything in this country 😭 I'm allergic to it. They only do it in the first place because it's cheap crap.💩

 

[Maggie3fan]

I bred and showed Rough Collies from 1961 to 2002. I usually had anywhere from 5-8 adults in my kennels at any given time. I used Purina Puppy Chow for my puppies and Pro Plan for the older dogs very successfully for most of that 41 years. In the latter 5-7 years or so, I switched the adult dogs over to Diamond Natural (the lamb and rice formula) at the recommendation of my feed supplier. The dogs loved it, and it seemed to have very good nutritional value and ingredients. It was also less costly than Purina at the time which is somewhat of a consideration (though a minor one) when feeding a larger number of animals.

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So freakin impressive...I showed German Shepherd Dogs for a few years...Collies tho...wow

 

[wellington]

They always try to talk me into that crap with Dilly too. He's rarely had to have flea spray and never a heartworm pill. He doesn't get poisoned in other words. Because he's a completely indoor cat though I worry about d3. I do feed him Purina indoor cat and have for 14 years. Hopefully, Purina thought about that problem in their formula. It seems like they have.

My Bengal was 18 when we had to put him down. He too was strictly indoor. Their life span is 12-16 and back when we bought him, it was even shorter
I can't remember the food we fed, only dry, I always only feed dry and never had a dog, which I've had many, or cat, had about five in my life, that ever had teeth or mouth problems. Only when they get old will I add can food if they start dropping weight.