Spoiling our Dogs and Puppies

[Sachita]

OHHHHH chewing is sometimes a HUGE problem here!

I would not feed a dog Science Diet. btw

Old cotton socks are great. You can take long tube socks and tie a knot. You can even stuff something in it like a banana or peanut butter. They will chew on it for hours. We also use pressed rawhide bones. The pressed last longer. If you can get real bones these are great just be care they are hard and raw bones are best. But honestly the best for a chewy crazy dog is a squeaky ball inside of a tube sock with peanut butter on it or I buy Wild Alaskan salmon oil and squirt it on.

This is a helpful site for dog food.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

[Happy_Go_Lucky]

Shepard girl shreds, yes shreds rope toys purchased for her from pet stores. Kong brand? shreds. Finally after hundreds of dollars lost in "shreds" I bought some boat rope from a hardware store, 3/8", made a braid and burned the edges. Voila! a ropey even SHE can no longer destroy.

I also recommend raw knee bones from your local butcher shop for your larger fur friends.

[sharkchomp]

I have two uncooked femur bones for my dogs. They were cheap and the cool thing is they have real marrow (or whatever it is?) inside of it and my dogs will try to get that marrow out for hours. I am watchful that they don't try to take them outside with them to bury them though!!!

For years I bought purina lamb and rice and my dogs were happy and healthy on it. Unfortunately I can't afford that right now so I buy regular purina. Anything cheaper and my older dog - 13 - can't handle it and has bad bathroom problems. I also noticed my dogs poops were much smaller (probably more digestible) on the lamb and rice.

They're probably not good for my dogs but they are ga-ga crazy about beggin strips!!!!! Like, omg, just like the commercial CRAZY for them!!!!!! They also love love love pigs ears!!!!!!! Scooby will eat anything, lettuce, cucumbers, etc. Vegas is not a vegetarian!!!! And neither dog likes carrots at all. Scooby just lets them fall out of his mouth. Vegas will spit them at me with distain and flip me the paw.

~~~shark~~~~~~~~

[Linus]

Originally Posted by sharkchomp

I have two uncooked femur bones for my dogs. They were cheap and the cool thing is they have real marrow (or whatever it is?) inside of it and my dogs will try to get that marrow out for hours. I am watchful that they don't try to take them outside with them to bury them though!!!

For years I bought purina lamb and rice and my dogs were happy and healthy on it. Unfortunately I can't afford that right now so I buy regular purina. Anything cheaper and my older dog - 13 - can't handle it and has bad bathroom problems. I also noticed my dogs poops were much smaller (probably more digestible) on the lamb and rice.

They're probably not good for my dogs but they are ga-ga crazy about beggin strips!!!!! Like, omg, just like the commercial CRAZY for them!!!!!! They also love love love pigs ears!!!!!!! Scooby will eat anything, lettuce, cucumbers, etc. Vegas is not a vegetarian!!!! And neither dog likes carrots at all. Scooby just lets them fall out of his mouth. Vegas will spit them at me with distain and flip me the paw.

~~~shark~~~~~~~~

LOL.. they do have personalities, eh? Ours love little carrots. They go apeshit over them when ever we bring him a bag of those tiny carrots. They will try every trick we've taught them (Fawnda in particular) to get one. What I mean is if I have a carrot or two in my hand Fawnda will sit, shake paw, spin, lie down, roll over and play dead (especially the hammy dead of all four paws stuck up awkwardly in the air) to convince me that they should have the carrot(s).

[sharkchomp]

Originally Posted by Linus

LOL.. they do have personalities, eh? Ours love little carrots. They go apeshit over them when ever we bring him a bag of those tiny carrots. They will try every trick we've taught them (Fawnda in particular) to get one. What I mean is if I have a carrot or two in my hand Fawnda will sit, shake paw, spin, lie down, roll over and play dead (especially the hammy dead of all four paws stuck up awkwardly in the air) to convince me that they should have the carrot(s).

That sounds really cute! They really are expressive!!!! I think my dogs think carrots are tricks. Scooby doesn't get mad at me though. He's just like, "what else you got?" But Vegas gives me a "eat poop and die" look better than any person I've ever seen!!! LOL

~~~shark~~~~~~~

[DapperButch]

I worry when people give their dogs raw diets or just homemade diets. I understand that it is very complicated and complex to meet all of a dog's nutritional needs on your own.

I am sure some people do it well, but I have been reading more and more about concerns people not doing it well. In those cases, it would be better if the dog was on manufactured food.

I would like to hear thoughts from any raw diet/homemade food people here?

[SleepyButch]

I dog sat for a couple of dogs who were strictly on raw food. The owner got it from a local place that did all of the grinding and putting together or whatever the heck they do. Let me tell you... it was disgusting to see a chicken neck hanging out of the dog's mouth.. .not only that but the tripe had a really bad smell to it.. lol

I couldn't do it.

[ButchEire]

As I said previously, I choose not to feed raw from scratch because it is time consuming. Dogs however, have less complex digestive systems and our own human-esque dog foods typically contain ingredients that dogs don't need or can't digest. I have researched canine diets for years, because I have a pug and they are notorious for health issues, most commonly, food allergies. I have had and continue to have support from individuals who breed and own pugs and who also feed their pugs raw and have done so for years with no problems. Of course, any dietary change would cause concern for nutritional composition but I have more concern for the unnecessary additives in commercial dog foods than I ever would in feeding raw/grain free/high quality/etc.. There are a lot of myths associated with raw diets for dogs and this website may help improve understanding of this approach.

Originally Posted by DapperButch

I worry when people give their dogs raw diets or just homemade diets. I understand that it is very complicated and complex to meet all of a dog's nutritional needs on your own.

I am sure some people do it well, but I have been reading more and more about concerns people not doing it well. In those cases, it would be better if the dog was on manufactured food.

I would like to hear thoughts from any raw diet/homemade food people here?

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

I worry when people give their dogs raw diets or just homemade diets. I understand that it is very complicated and complex to meet all of a dog's nutritional needs on your own.

I am sure some people do it well, but I have been reading more and more about concerns people not doing it well. In those cases, it would be better if the dog was on manufactured food.

I would like to hear thoughts from any raw diet/homemade food people here?

My biggest concern with raw diets is that most of the commercial human meat out there is full of hormones and who knows what. If not properly stored you can get all types of bacteria. Organic or grass fed is so very expensive. If you have a small dog then it would be an option.

I don't feel 100% raw is good. Dogs are omnivorous like humans. So if you're making dog food, which I think is great, you just have to make sure they are also getting some fruits and veggies for essential vitamins.

[pamcat]

Originally Posted by Linus

LOL.. they do have personalities, eh? Ours love little carrots. They go apeshit over them when ever we bring him a bag of those tiny carrots. They will try every trick we've taught them (Fawnda in particular) to get one. What I mean is if I have a carrot or two in my hand Fawnda will sit, shake paw, spin, lie down, roll over and play dead (especially the hammy dead of all four paws stuck up awkwardly in the air) to convince me that they should have the carrot(s).

I have collies ( both rough and smooth) and they love carrots too. My rough boy will eat it very daintily and keep coming back to it, but my smooth boy throws it in the air, catches it, eats a few bites, plays with it again, so funny and a delight to watch. But they will never touch each others carrots, even if they are left in the yard. They're very respectful of each other's belongings, but that's a collie for you - just beautiful boys.

[Jesse]

I thought this would be a good thread for posting this recall I just received via email.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall/baileys-choice-dog-treats-recall/

[Jar]

My pup is a 7 yr old pekehund.... Mixture of dachshund and Pekingese. I only feed her blue dog food which is made in Connecticut. Her food bill is almost as much as mine

[Rockinonahigh]

Last year my pug who was healthy as a horse started haveing seesurs(????) then the shakes,I had been feeding the jerky treats from wagon train,then I read about dogs in japan and other places dieing from kidny problems along with other things.I stoped feeding any of this treat cause she would get lethargic with diarea then after she passed it all she would bounce right back.Even after not haveing the jerky for a while these symthoms would come back,I had her geting over this with help from my vet,she was in my room laying on the pillows in the corner while I was takeing a shower so when I got out and went back in my room she had passed,she looked like she had a stroke or heart attack at best gess from my vet.I was going to have an autopsie done but it was way expensive to do so I didnt.I absolutly wont have any of those treats any where near my fur kids.I feed the one I have now purina beef and burger soft chew dog food with on problems at all and they thrive on it.I have lately been cooking my own dog food up with chicken breast with small veggies or use beef fixed the same way,they like it and I know its safe.I have a friend who works for purina mills we have talked about this issue a lot so i'm learning a lot about nutrition not just buying a bag of dog food..I really miss Puggy.

[Parker]

When I got my latest FMD puppy, Sally, she needed things to chew on because whether I was home or not, that girl was going to find SOMETHING to chew on!

The pet store I go to keeps recommending rib bones, but like you said, they splinter and I dont feel great giving them to my dogs, even though in the wild, that is what their cousins would eat - I like to give them things that they can gnaw on without splintering and without being made of rawhide.

So originally, I got her beef tendons, but they were too expensive to do everyday (like $3 ea) so I switched to rolled up pig skins. I could get 25 of those for $11 - or if I wanted to spend a little more, I could get the ones with peanut butter rolled up in them.

The rolled up pig skins dont keep her occupied all day - maybe an hour and my Boxer/Pit chews one up in like 10 minutes! So if I had to keep her occupied for hours, I would probably go back to the beef tendons, but the really large size, which is more than $3 at my local pet store, but they would keep her chewing longer.

I also feel you on the hooves - those are hit or miss here as well. I have had better luck with antlers than I have with hooves - maybe because of the shape? Not sure, but my Boxer/Pit will lay on the floor gnawing on an antler for hours and hours. Again, they arent cheap, but they do better for me and my pack than hooves.

[RockOn]

Extreme Kong for power chewers ... Here is a link with a decent sale:

http://www.petmountain.com/product/h...r-chewers.html

Make sure you get the black Kong. My mixed bullies can tear up a red one quickly.

Like others, my two have gone through hundreds of dollars in other chewies but they are not able to wreck the xxl black kong.

Happy New Year to you and yours.

[DapperButch]

Sachita -

I am with you on the healthy food.

I only feed my dog Newman Organics, the regular adult dry formula.

http://www.newmansownorganics.com/pet/home/

I did MEGA research before I settled on this brand. It is on the costly side, but I can afford it because I have one small dog. If I had more than 2, I am sure I could not keep them in this food.

My dog used to scratch a lot (allergies), and his scratching pretty much went away after I started feeding him this brand. Oatmeal baths take care of the rest.

For treats my dog gets veggies, fruits, or natural, non preservative treats. Those baby carrots that come in the bag are great. I really see no need to get all those "chews" with all those preservatives in them.

In terms of bones, the contradictory information out there makes me hesitate to give him anything, so he doesn't get them often. Right now, however, I have been giving him Elk Antlers, as they are not too hard (Linus, my vet said the one thing to never give a dog is soup bones because it can break their teeth).

I haven't purchased from this company, but just wanted to toss up a link so people know what I am talking about:

http://www.bestbullysticks.com/home/...k_antlers.html


I think I am going to order him some (don't know which site yet...need to research it), as I have been just buying them in the pet store and I see they are much cheaper online.

In terms of chewing bones in order to keep your dog's teeth clean, you always have the option to just brush them.

Good topic, Linus.

[ButchEire]

We have a 13 year old pug and a younger (maybe 7?) jackahuahua and they get what I call a "modified" raw diet. A true raw diet is prohibitive at this time, mainly due to the time needed for preparation. Instead, the dogs get Nature's Instinct grain-free kibble with raw pieces. Pugs are notoriously allergic dogs and pug Winston's allergy is to grains, so he can't have any. On top of the kibble, they also get cooked chicken breast and a frozen vegetable (broccoli, peas, cauliflower, etc.). For chewing, they get the very occasional raw meaty bone from the butcher. Raw bones don't splinter, only cooked ones do and pugs also cannot have rawhide because their digestive systems don't handle it well. Winston's treats typically consist of raw baby tomatoes and he rarely gets any biscuits. The dogs also get digestive enzymes, flaxseed oil and Winston gets milk thistle and a holistic remedy for Cushing's disease. Spoiled? Sure, but my belief is that it saves on vet bills and it seems to work. At 13, Winston still runs around the yard!

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by ButchEire

We have a 13 year old pug and a younger (maybe 7?) jackahuahua and they get what I call a "modified" raw diet. A true raw diet is prohibitive at this time, mainly due to the time needed for preparation. Instead, the dogs get Nature's Instinct grain-free kibble with raw pieces. Pugs are notoriously allergic dogs and pug Winston's allergy is to grains, so he can't have any. On top of the kibble, they also get cooked chicken breast and a frozen vegetable (broccoli, peas, cauliflower, etc.). For chewing, they get the very occasional raw meaty bone from the butcher. Raw bones don't splinter, only cooked ones do and pugs also cannot have rawhide because their digestive systems don't handle it well. Winston's treats typically consist of raw baby tomatoes and he rarely gets any biscuits. The dogs also get digestive enzymes, flaxseed oil and Winston gets milk thistle and a holistic remedy for Cushing's disease. Spoiled? Sure, but my belief is that it saves on vet bills and it seems to work. At 13, Winston still runs around the yard!

Natures Instinct makes the raw organic frozen patties and its excellent. If you have a small dog this food will extend their life. I buy it and add to kibble and feed dogs that have allergies and skin issues. I wish I could afford to feed it to all the dogs.

I do grow quite a bit of organic produce and I also juice greens. I mix the pulp into my dogs food and give it to my chickens. Chopping up and giving your dogs raw organic greens and certain veggies is very healthy for them.

[Parker]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

In terms of bones, the contradictory information out there makes me hesitate to give him anything, so he doesn't get them often. Right now, however, I have been giving him Elk Antlers, as they are not too hard (Linus, my vet said the one thing to never give a dog is soup bones because it can break their teeth).

I haven't purchased from this company, but just wanted to toss up a link so people know what I am talking about:

http://www.bestbullysticks.com/home/...k_antlers.html

Yes - these are exactly what I was talking about - my local pet store carries them so I cant give advice on an online supplier as I havent tried any - but they keep my Boxer/Pit occupied for hours at a time without splintering apart like bones.

Both my FMDs, who are smaller dogs (20-35 lbs) like them as well, but not as much as something softer, like a chew - but even if my big boy stops gnawing on one for a while, he will come back to it again and again and it will take him a few days to gnaw down to a little nub - which is when I toss it and get another.

[girl_dee]

Spoil the pups? i never do this so have no input.

Ahem