puppy question (1 Viewer)

[Seth--L]

Dry food may be the least glamorous of dog foods, but from working at an animal shelter, I've found that it works the best. The dogs bodies adjust to it the quickest and it doesn't give them soft stools.

 

[Philip_G]

We've fed my parents wheaton terrier purina pro plan his whole life, at about 9 years old now even the vet comments on how good his condition is, and he's a lazy slob.

My pup (now about 5 months) is on iams large breed puppy chow at the reccomendation of her vet, I think I'm going to switch her simply because it smells fishy and she stinks because of it.

I don't have time or the inclination to learn the ins and outs of dog nutrition, I'll leave it to the pros.

 

[Henry Carmona]

The major dog food companies want exactly that, to have people believe that their brand is a simple way to provide a pet all his/her nutrional needs.

To spray a dog food with fat is the best way a dog food company can make their kibble seem to be the one dogs like best.

I'll admit that it does take some time to know how to go about feeding your pet a diet other than kibble. Of course, my pet is very worth that time and trouble.

If anyone took a small amount of time to research how most "commercial" dog food companies make their kibble, and what was used in it, they would quickly understand why I and many others choose to feed raw.

I am not entirely agains kibble, as i said, there are a few brands that care more about our pets than just making money.



I respect the choices others make when feeding kibble vs raw, etc. I would just like for all to understand about the food they choose to feed their pets.

Seth, i completely agree with what you said. Any dog that had never been fed raw would take to kibble faster than raw. A diet of just meat will in fact give soft stools, however that type of diet is not a doet I would recommend.

Seth, If more people worked in animal shelters there may very well be less violence in the world

Philip, by pros, i hope you dont mean the dog food companies

As for ProPlan, not a good dog food really.

"Chicken, brewers rice, whole grain wheat, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), whole grain corn, corn bran"

The only good ingredient in this dog food is "Chicken".
Rice, wheat(a leading cause of allergies), poultry bpm, corn, tallow, tocopherols, more corn, and more corn are large sources for many pet problems, allergies, etc.

Some dog foods do infact provide for a safe diet to large breed puppies.

Iams is one brand that isnt too bad, however regardless of ingredients, i have found that large breed puppies should only receive about 23% protien or less. Iams puppy formula is no different than their adult formula at 26%.

The following statements can be found here:
http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=79

"The idea of one pet food providing all the nutrition a companion animal will ever need for its entire life is a myth."

"Processing is the wild card in nutritional value that is, by and large, simply ignored. Heating, cooking, rendering, freezing, dehydrating, canning, extruding, pelleting, baking, and so forth, are so commonplace that they are simply thought of as synonymous with food itself."
~Dr. Randy L. Wysong DVM

"Urinary tract disease is directly related to diet in both cats and dogs. Plugs, crystals, and stones in cat bladders are often triggered or aggravated by commercial pet food formulas."

"To make pet food nutritious, pet food manufacturers must "fortify" it with vitamins and minerals. Why? Because the ingredients they are using are not wholesome, their quality may be extremely variable, and the harsh manufacturing practices destroy many of the nutrients the food had to begin with."

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Can anyone recommend a commercially available food that might help with my dog's very itchy skin??

She does not have fleas but scratches herself a lot more than I think is normal. I've found some anti-itch spray with hydrocortisone and aloe that seems to give some relief, and have heard that adding a tablespoon or so of canola oil to her kibble might help. If I do put the oil on her food she gobbles it all up quickly and I don't want her to get fat! She's sorta long and low for a little dog and I don't want her having back problems from being overweight.

 

[Henry Carmona]

Steve, try and find a quality food that has little to no grain, especially wheat.

One that comes to mind is California Natural Lamb.

http://www.naturapet.com/display.php...d%3D%273%27%5D

Or EaglePack:
http://eaglepack.com/pages/ep_holistic_select.html

Good Luck!

PS-Try not bathing her more than once a week (two weeks if you can) and you might try switching to an "oatmeal" type shampoo.

I bathe my dog once every 2 weeks and spray him down with a no rinse shampoo in between. The no rinse shampoo (BioGroom) does not dry out the skin and keeps him smelling happy

 

[Seth--L]

Steve,

See above.

 

[Henry Carmona]

Seth, I appreciate your enthusiasm, however, the facts are there; all one needs to do is look them up.

Im glad your dog lived a long, healthy life.

Some dogs are sensitive to grains and especially wheat. If your dog was allergic to wheat he/she would have been miserable on Hills.

PS- A good coat was once thought of as a sign of good health, however, one can achieve a great coat even on a bad diet with the addition of fish oils.

Good Health
by Dr. Jean C. Hofve, DVM

http://www.critterchat.net/vet5.htm

 

[Julian Reville]

Dr. Reville has been very helpful to me, but i dont agree with him or many vets on animal nutrion.

Unless otherwise interested, a vets nutrional education is minimal and/or biased.

Sorry you feel this way, Henry. As part of my undergraduate study for BS in Biology, I took courses in animal nutrition. Vet school in itself offered no specific animal nutrition courses. After I graduated I took the Hill's Compny's very good Small Animal Nutrition course.

Just for the record, regarding carnivore and omnivore nutrition: very little of what animals eat is absorbed en masse. When animals are VERY young, they have the capability of absorbing some proteins present in mother's milk. This is what gives them early immunity from disease (colostrum). This ability is soon lost, as the digestive system matures, and from then on, almost all of what animal's eat is broken down into amino acids, peptides, fatty acids, glocose, etc. The intestine them absorbs these nutrients and the liver uses them to make whole new proteins and fats which are then used to build our bodies and maintain them.

Granted, some proteins (and other substances), before they are completely broken down or eliminated, can cause allergic reactions in SOME animals. Saying a particular protein or food WILL cause allergies in ALL animals is simply not true.

Therefore, it is my belief that almost any BALANCED protein source is just as good as any other for the vast majority of animals. IMHO, a raw food diet, based on today's potentially pathogen-contaminated food supply (a subject for another discussion)is too dangerous for me to recommend.

 

[Henry Carmona]

Im sorry if i chose the wrong words, but i didnt mean to say that ALL animals will have an allergic reation to a specific grain.

Im sure the Hills course was educational, but you have to admit that it can seem pretty biased having a dog food company sponsor an animal nutrition class

Its refreshing to know that you chose to further your nutritional education beyond what was taught in school.

And finally, my endorsement of a raw food diet isnt based on just any food. I and many others are very aware of the potential dangers of contaminated food and therefore only feed our pets foods that you or i would eat ourselves.

The proper handling of raw food is a concern to both the pet as well as the person preparing it. As you mentioned, a slab is preferred over ground.

 

[Philip_G]

Perhaps Henry needs to take his discussion to his own thread where they can all refer to themselves as their pet's guardians and exchange recipes.
This thread ran it's course over 3 months ago and had no reason to be brought back. It was never intended to discus nutrition, or to provide a soapbox for certain others to lecture.
There is no reason for it to exist beyond furthering other agendas.

 

[Henry Carmona]

Perhaps you should be more considerate of others who have obviously had questions.

Your post has done nothing but made yourself look inconsiderate and rude.

These last few posts have been civil and courteous until you came along.

 

[Alex Prosak]

Philip,

I see no problem in a discussion of pet nutrition, there could be others who are interested in the information being discussed. Twice now you have jumped in and been quite discourteous. If you think the thread has run its course and no longer care to participate, I humbly request that you go to the top of the page and click on 'Unsubscribe from this thread'.

 

[Philip_G]

Perhaps you should be more considerate of others who have obviously had questions.

Perhaps those others would more easily find their much sought after information in an appropriately titled thread.