Feeding your dog / cat a "raw" diet

[wiegie]

Feed your dog normal dog food and send the money you save to some organization that will use it to buy food for starving human children.

[Rovers]

One more negative I've read about the raw diet... dogs have the immune system to handle salmonilla and other bacteria fouund in raw foods, as their ancestors used to eat half decayed carcasses in the wild. The problem is that they can transmit these things to us... through slaiva and eye goo. Eye goo.... now there is a down side of pet ownership...

[TimC]

Feed your dog normal dog food and send the money you save to some organization that will use it to buy food for starving human children.

 

What if those starving human children are ruled by tyrants that will steal the money before it ever gets to them....and yet celebrities like you still expect people to send in the money?

[Azazello1313]

you folks sound a little like the crazy people who don't immunize their kids. you can't trust what your pediatrician/veternarian says! you can only trust what you find on the innernets! corn is the food of the devil!

[muck]

you folks sound a little like the crazy people who don't immunize their kids. you can't trust what your pediatrician/veternarian says! you can only trust what you find on the innernets! corn is the food of the devil!

 

I've never owned a dog that brought me an ear of corn with a "well, are you proud of me for the present I brought you" look.

 

However, bringing varmints over is a whole other thing...

 

In all seriousness, AZ, most vets get (literally) ZERO nutritional / dietary work in vet school. And, with dozens of animals most vets look in on, it'd be easy to see how the nutritional requirements of a horse is different than a cat is different than a bird.

 

Not a big deal ... just find a vet that you're comfortable with ... but, realize that they may not know everything there is to know about the particular needs of your pet pot bellied pig (or very large dog).

[Sugar Magnolia]

I am moving to Orijen Large Breed Puppy.

 

I'm still researching raw. I want to get the sourcing lined up before doing anything other than feeding kibble.

 

...that said, I'll probably toss him a chicken quarter every now and then for a treat (in lieu of some/all of the kibble for that day)...

 

You are choosing the best kibble made so your dog should be fine and grow up very healthy.

[wiegie]

What if those starving human children are ruled by tyrants that will steal the money before it ever gets to them....and yet celebrities like you still expect people to send in the money?

Are you calling Jerry Lewis a tyrant?

[Azazello1313]

Feed your dog normal dog food and send the money you save to some organization that will use it to buy food for starving human children.

 

nobody listen to wiegie....he feeds himself horsemeat, lord knows what he would find appropriate for canine consumption.

[Skippy]

I had two Boston Terriers while growing up. My understanding is that normal life span is only around 12-14 years for these guys. Yet both of them lived into the upper teens with one going at 18 and the other at 19. My father feed those guys all sorts of raw scraps from a good friend that was a butcher. They also ate table scraps which everyone in the world says is a no no.

 

I don't know what to think as I have never had a dog of my own live past 14 and I have always been a dog food feeder until about a year ago when I added a new Boston to go with the mix char/lab that we already had. Now I go out of my way to get them "raw" food and they love it. If I have pizza, they have pizza. If I have steak, they have steak. I will probably go to hell for it but I am not seeing any pooping problems and the dogs love to eat like Skippy.

Edited August 18, 2009 by Skippy

[Jimmy Neutron]

I had two Boston Terriers while growing up. My understanding is that normal life span is only around 12-14 years for these guys. Yet both of them lived into the upper teens with one going at 18 and the other at 19. My father feed those guys all sorts of raw scraps from a good friend that was a butcher. They also ate table scraps which everyone in the world says is a no no.

 

The no table scraps advice is crap. Obviously, you don't want to feed them a ton of table scraps, or they'd all be as fat and unhealthy as most Americans. A larger part of canine health is exercise - just like with people. Sedintary pets get more sick, more often than those that get plenty of exercise.

[Retrograde assault]

My animals get regular cat and dog food with some table scraps. Their going to live as long as their going to live and then get buried in the backyard and be replaced by another mutt if me or my wife decides we need another flea bag. No more cats for me, but I might be open to one more dog, maybe.

 

PS- I don't like my dogs snagging my steaks off the damn kitchen counter!!!!!

Edited August 19, 2009 by Retrograde assault

[Azazello1313]

The no table scraps advice is crap. Obviously, you don't want to feed them a ton of table scraps, or they'd all be as fat and unhealthy as most Americans. A larger part of canine health is exercise - just like with people. Sedintary pets get more sick, more often than those that get plenty of exercise.

 

I don't give my dog scraps, 1) because I don't want him begging, or associating my food with his, and 2) I don't want him getting the runs or what have you. I just give him his kibble (usually purina pro plan), and he seems healthy as can be, with consistent, firm poops.

 

edit to add: and skippy, to boston terriers

Edited August 19, 2009 by Azazello1313

[Jimmy Neutron]

I don't give my dog scraps, 1) because I don't want him begging, or associating my food with his, and 2) I don't want him getting the runs or what have you. I just give him his kibble (usually purina pro plan), and he seems healthy as can be, with consistent, firm poops.

 

edit to add: and skippy, to boston terriers

 

Begging or any other undesireable behavior is easily changed with training. My dogs don't get the runs either - generally. They do get the squirts once in a while, but it's from carrion they find out in the field. That hound of mine will eat a dead skunk if given the chance.

 

You haven't seen joy on a dogs face until you've gently handed them a whole turkey carcass.

[Sugar Magnolia]

The no table scraps advice is crap. Obviously, you don't want to feed them a ton of table scraps, or they'd all be as fat and unhealthy as most Americans. A larger part of canine health is exercise - just like with people. Sedintary pets get more sick, more often than those that get plenty of exercise.

 

Exercise is a big part in human as well as canine health. My vet says my 11 year old large breed dog, has the equivalent health of a 3-5 year old dog of the same size. His heart rate is so low that my vet said he'd worried if he didn't know his background--says he has the heart rate of an athlete. He ran 7 miles with me today. He also has mild hip dyplasia which is supposed to be crippling by the time he is at this age. He is on an excellent diet (but not as good as Muck's dog!) and I have given him glucosamine since he was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at age 2. Exercise is also great for the canine's mental health. Both my dog and I get grumpy and stressed if we don't get our daily exercise.

[The Holy Roller]

Begging or any other undesireable behavior is easily changed with training. My dogs don't get the runs either - generally. They do get the squirts once in a while, but it's from carrion they find out in the field. That hound of mine will eat a dead skunk if given the chance.

 

You haven't seen joy on a dogs face until you've gently handed them a whole turkey carcass.

 

You should see the LOOK on my face when I get a whole turkey carcass!

 

While I appreciate the concern for everyone's dogs (and I love mine dearly) I don't see spending $75 for 30 #s of dog food in my future even if i won the lottery. Buy an old cutter, take her home from the stockyard, shoot her dead when the school bus comes by in the morning, and your dogs will thank you forever as they eat that carcass for the next month! And if they die they'll die with a smile on their lips and a belly full of love.

[Skippy]

Buy an old cutter

What the hell is an old cutter???

[muck]

One of the things about feeding "expensive" food vs. "inexpensive" food ...

 

Compare:

(Cost of food / day) + vet bills from lower-quality diet ... versus ... cost of food / day for higher quality diet

 

...because with a higher quality food, you have to feed less of it, you should expect to have fewer vet bills and your yard has less poop in it (because they eat less and more of what they eat is absorbed)...

[The Holy Roller]

What the hell is an old cutter???

 

I was referring to an older cow who is no longer producing milk and needs to be culled from the herd. They are commonly referred to as cutters because they are only good to be ground up into hamburger.

 

I thought of the scene from whatever the hell that movie was that showed the old farmer putting a gun into a cows face to shoot her right when the morning school bus came by and all the kids got to see the execution.

[I Like Soup]

One of the things about feeding "expensive" food vs. "inexpensive" food ...

 

Compare:

(Cost of food / day) + vet bills from lower-quality diet ... versus ... cost of food / day for higher quality diet

 

...because with a higher quality food, you have to feed less of it, you should expect to have fewer vet bills and your yard has less poop in it (because they eat less and more of what they eat is absorbed)...

 

Well, within reason, I just think it is plain crap that it becomes a numbers game when it comes to your own pets food(not you specifically muck, cheap pet owners in general). My Mom told me something years ago that has stuck with me...you can afford to feed your pets good food, so it maybe $20-$30 more a month, isn't it worth it for them? I used to get my animals one of the Purina foods like a dummy for around $20/bag...now I get them Wellness at around $45/bag (slightly less food). So now I don't have $25 or so to piss away on something, meh, at least my cats are healthy.

[muck]

While I've started feeding Orijen Large Breed Puppy to my 3.5 month old Mastiff ... I have recently begun to believe that a Mastiff is too different from the smaller (and more common) "large breeds" (i.e., German Shephard Dog, Boxer, Labrador, etc) to feed my little guy the same food that is meant for these smaller dogs.

 

While I'd like to have a grain free food for him, all the people who have dealt with Mastiffs their whole life tell me that Orijen is way to high in protein.

 

 

I remain confused.

 

Sugar Magnolia ... do you know anything about what to feed Mastiff puppies?

[Jimmy Neutron]

do you know anything about what to feed Mastiff puppies?

 

Ill-behaving children?

 

I have two friends that have mastiffs, they've gone with either Science Diet or Eukenuba - both middle of the road foods. The dogs look healthy, clear eyes and nice coats. Can't speak to the condition of their stools other than Hugh.

[Caveman_Nick]

While I've started feeding Orijen Large Breed Puppy to my 3.5 month old Mastiff ... I have recently begun to believe that a Mastiff is too different from the smaller (and more common) "large breeds" (i.e., German Shephard Dog, Boxer, Labrador, etc) to feed my little guy the same food that is meant for these smaller dogs.

 

While I'd like to have a grain free food for him, all the people who have dealt with Mastiffs their whole life tell me that Orijen is way to high in protein.

 

 

I remain confused.

 

Sugar Magnolia ... do you know anything about what to feed Mastiff puppies?

 

 

If the food is high quality, but you want to change the nutritional balance slightly, for short money you could make some large batches of lentils and brown rice. Freeze it in small individual bags, and then microwave it and mix it with the kibble. Voila...lower protein balance with some good carbs and good fiber.

[TimC]

Well, within reason, I just think it is plain crap that it becomes a numbers game when it comes to your own pets food(not you specifically muck, cheap pet owners in general). My Mom told me something years ago that has stuck with me...you can afford to feed your pets good food, so it maybe $20-$30 more a month, isn't it worth it for them? I used to get my animals one of the Purina foods like a dummy for around $20/bag...now I get them Wellness at around $45/bag (slightly less food). So now I don't have $25 or so to piss away on something, meh, at least my cats are healthy.

 

A looong time ago, I got a lesson when I was reading ingredients in cheaper treats for my dogs. You still see it today...cellulose. It's ground up wood used as filler. When I switched my dogs to the more expensive stuff, they felt so much better and it showed. My lab lived to 15 and was finally put down a few months back because of her hips, but her twin sister (who didn't have the hip dysplasia nearly as badly) is still going strong today.

 

Also, I don't know if it's age or not, but they actually seemed to eat less of the better quality food (maybe receiving more nutrition than the cheap food?) so it was basically almost a wash for me.

 

And since I love my dogs more than any other creature in the world, it's worth it anyway.

[Brentastic]

While I've started feeding Orijen Large Breed Puppy to my 3.5 month old Mastiff ... I have recently begun to believe that a Mastiff is too different from the smaller (and more common) "large breeds" (i.e., German Shephard Dog, Boxer, Labrador, etc) to feed my little guy the same food that is meant for these smaller dogs.

 

While I'd like to have a grain free food for him, all the people who have dealt with Mastiffs their whole life tell me that Orijen is way to high in protein.

 

 

I remain confused.

 

Sugar Magnolia ... do you know anything about what to feed Mastiff puppies?

Have you tried Wellness or Blue Buffalo yet? Orijen has other types that are lower in protein I'm sure.

[Sugar Magnolia]

While I've started feeding Orijen Large Breed Puppy to my 3.5 month old Mastiff ... I have recently begun to believe that a Mastiff is too different from the smaller (and more common) "large breeds" (i.e., German Shephard Dog, Boxer, Labrador, etc) to feed my little guy the same food that is meant for these smaller dogs.

 

While I'd like to have a grain free food for him, all the people who have dealt with Mastiffs their whole life tell me that Orijen is way to high in protein.

 

 

I remain confused.

 

Sugar Magnolia ... do you know anything about what to feed Mastiff puppies?

 

I think the concern is high protein will promote rapid growth, something you do want in a giant breed that is under two years of age. There are lower protein no grain brands that you could use instead. I am concerned with too high protein in any breed, any age. I use Taste of the Wild because of the lower protein levels, and it is less expensive. Caveman may be on to something, just add some high quality brown rice. Aren't lentils high in protein though.