Food Suggestions?

MandyPug wrote:

northernwitch wrote:Personal Pet Peeve rant: Weight control formulas drive me nuts. Just like with us, pug weight is about portions and exercise. Calories in and calories out. The only dog I feed a reduced fat diet to is my current foster due to her gall stone. Wellness makes an okay reduced fat kibble--still is largely chicken based, but there aren't alot of choices when you have a dog that needs low fat/high protein and can't eat raw. And dogs aren't vegetarian and were never meant to be vegetarian. this is a human construct that should not be applied to canids.

When I feed kibble, my dogs get no more than 1/3 cup twice a day and most of the time get 1/4 cup.

I don't know if it'll work for you but Acana makes a Light and Fit which is 35% protein and 10% fat. It's still a good quality Acana formula, so that may be an option. I like it better than anything wellness.

http://www.championpetfoods.com/acana/show-product.php?formulation=lf

Thanks Amanda. It's something to consider. I've done okay with the Wellness Core stuff, actually. I've had a couple of dogs that did better on it than on Orijen which surprised me alot. I truly like Taste of the Wild, but until they get rid of the ethoxyquin, I can't risk using it.

Wellness was also something I was looking at. Guess I will try that one. Id like to do a raw diet BUT I really dont have time to make her food like that since we do have a baby on the way and all. I know it sounds greedy but I plan on breast feeding the baby. So wellness seems like a good choice by most.

A couple of things to keep in mind about food:

Of the three types of food; kibble, canned and raw, kibble has the least amount of nutrition per serving. There is usually quite a bit of starch added which is necessary to get the food through the extruder and into those little shapes. It is also the most convenient way to feed. The best kibble is still better than a can of Alpo. While a good quality kibble is higher in price, your dog will probably need less of the food (than a supermarket brand) because they are getting what they need nutritionally from a smaller amount of better food.

Canned is the next best nutritionally packed choice and raw is the best choice for pure nutrition. Prepared raw frozen and dehydrated raw are convenient ways of feeding raw if you don't have time to make raw food yourself.


Also, contrary to popular belief, it is MUCH better to change your dogs food on a regular basis. Whether it is every week or so, or different foods at different meals, your dog will be less likely to develop allergies, ear infections, skin problems, etc if the protein source is changed on a regular basis. Whatever food you choose, make sure the brand offers several protein sources that you can alternate between. Eating the same thing every day is not nutritionally good for a dog - nor would it be good for us.

I have been very lucky with my 2 on their raw diet. Their coat is wonderful, they have never had ear infections, they don't itch because of food allergies and they have both been really healthy. (Now, if only Kimchi could stay out of fights....) I pay for good food up front so I don't have to pay enormous vet bills in the future. Or, rather, so my vet bills are a bit less enormous.

Not Afraid wrote:
Also, contrary to popular belief, it is MUCH better to change your dogs food on a regular basis. Whether it is every week or so, or different foods at different meals, your dog will be less likely to develop allergies, ear infections, skin problems, etc if the protein source is changed on a regular basis. Whatever food you choose, make sure the brand offers several protein sources that you can alternate between. Eating the same thing every day is not nutritionally good for a dog - nor would it be good for us.

So true!!

I'll just throw my 2 cents in here...

I feed Yoda Ziwi Peak, and its FANTASTIC !!!!!! His coat is beautiful and silky soft, his farts are nothing like when he wasn't on Ziwi, his poops and tummy are healthy !
http://www.ziwipeak.com/nzl/home.shtml

Have a look, good research is all you need !

I feed Yoda veggies/fruit and cheese as treats, which he goes bonkers for !

pugpillow wrote:

Not Afraid wrote:
Also, contrary to popular belief, it is MUCH better to change your dogs food on a regular basis. Whether it is every week or so, or different foods at different meals, your dog will be less likely to develop allergies, ear infections, skin problems, etc if the protein source is changed on a regular basis. Whatever food you choose, make sure the brand offers several protein sources that you can alternate between. Eating the same thing every day is not nutritionally good for a dog - nor would it be good for us.

So true!!

I third that...I feed a mainly raw diet, but I deliberately include a small amount of kibble with multiple grain sources 'cos I believe in exposing them to commonly irritating grains (corn, wheat etc.) in small amounts so that they can build up tolerance. I don't try to make them tolerant to ridiculous artificial colours and flavours, though, so I don't pick just any kibble. (Don't try this if your dog has already developed allergies, though, and don't give too much grain.)
I also make sure they regularly get protein from different sources (including some vegetable protein) so their gut has access to the widest range of suitable amino acids. The immune system needs exercising just as much as the muscle system, in my view.
The most important thing to bear in mind is that the canine digestive system is designed to be semi-omnivorous. I do not and would not feed a cat the same diet, they wouldn't get sufficient nutrition.