Dog Food...

Linkovich · #21 02/09/10, 04:26 PM

Thanks all for the advice. I read the labels on that high priced stuff, and asked the store and there are basically no fillers, so I don't see what the argument against that stuff is (except in my opinion, the price). My friends hunt, so he gets all the leftover bones, which have sustained him a surprisingly long time, and he really enjoys them. He also gets a lot of my leftovers, and old meat from the freezer. From what I know about reading labels is that if it mentions corn or oats in the first three ingredients, then it's bad. Other than that, it's about as hard as regular food labels when it comes to the little items! I'm just trying to figure out some better quality food to give him that doesn't cost an arm and a leg!

Toads tool · #22 02/09/10, 04:26 PM

I'm sorry but I find your post amusing. You are afraid that your dog won't eat the cheaper food.

A hungry dog will eat anything. A dog as well as a human can go several days without food, always have water available.

This should really be a nonissue. Since dogs can't read, shop for themselves, or open that darn can of dogfood; then they have no choice. As stated above, it's on the owners shoulders.

You can always supplement cheaper food by adding your scraps to it of actually making meals for your animals. I regularly fix up all my out of date leftovers and freezer burnt meat to my 3 LGD's, especially on those cold mornings.
Something as cheap and easy as adding an egg to their food can change ordinary into extrordinary.

gottahaveagoat · #23 02/09/10, 05:57 PM

This site is a great place to read the labels of dog food. After a lot of reasearch for my boxer that is allergic to almost everything, this site was a God send to me. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

MelTX · #24 02/09/10, 06:15 PM

I lost my dog (and best friend) to Cushings last August. I did A LOT of research and learned that many of his problems were due to the food that I was feeding him. I fed him expensive "poison in a bag". I unknowingly contributed to his demise. NOW - I make my own dog food. I use the 3/3/3 method and they are doing GREAT! 1/3 meat, 1/3 rice, and 1/3 vegetables. Don't use corn or limas - they don't digest well. Mainly green beans with peas and carrots occasionally mixed in. I freeze in 3 day portions and thaw as needed because the rice will be a beacon for bacteria after about 3 days.

To make the meat affordable, I shop the "reduced for quick sale" section of the meat market, put it in the oven and cook it. I also buy chicken leg quarters when they are on sale, bake them in the oven, pull the meat off the bones for dog food and then I use the bones and broth to make homemade chicken stock, which I can and use for human consumption. I then take the bones, break them up, fill the stock pot with water add 1 Tbsp vinegar per quart water, making bone stock which I strain and add some to the dog food. I can the rest and use for Medicinal purposes. So - if you figure out the price of the stock, bone stock and meat -it's pennies...

In addition to this, I also give them a sardine once every 3 or 4 days and a tablespoon of plain yogurt once a week.

This is MUCH cheaper than buying dog food in a bag.

May sound like a lot to do - but it is well worth it.

TheMartianChick · #25 02/09/10, 06:35 PM

As others have mentioned, the Diamond brand is a good quality dog food that isn't overly expensive. (It is more expensive than Ol Roy, though!) Dogs that don't have to poop so much are actually going to be healthier. (Imagine if we spent all day pooping...) My experience was that the dogs actually consumed less food at mealtime, which helped to balance out the slightly higher cost of the Diamond dog food. The only recall that Diamond has had was the one for the Aflatoxin mold being in the corn. While it was dangerous for pets, it was not the result of someone putting a non-food chemical into the recipe. The BIG recall that involved melamine was far more serious and extended over many, many brands of dog food.

Tracy · #26 02/09/10, 07:19 PM

I truly am amazed at the mentality of a lot of people on this board.
This is a homesteading forum, self sufficiency is the key.
Dogs and cats are carnivores and designed to eat raw meat/bones/organs. As a homesteading forum the goal is self sufficiency and if raising your own animals [livestock] a raw diet is certainly doable for your carnivores [i.e. dogs and cats] Even if you are not raising livestock and have beloved pets you should be feeding them how mother nature intended.
Educate yourselves on what is in commercial foods. If we are about providing the best for our families and a more natural lifestyle why would we not feed our pets the same?
http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?p=359&more=1
I don't agree with the website and their propaganda but the info they printed on the pet food industry is accurate. Makes one think a bit.

Lets look at it this way. Mad Cow disease, some genius [sarcasm] decided to up the protein in a herbivore, it would be okay to grind up other cows and feed it back to them. What happened? You don't feed herbivores animal protein.
Dog and cat food + Some genius [sarcasm] decided we can take all the crap that us humans cant eat and make it into a pet food and by marketing it heavily we can brainwash all the people out there to think this is what we are suppose to feed our domesticated carnivores. Grains, rice vegetables, fruit are NOT species appropriate for dogs or cats.

Oldcountryboy · #27 02/09/10, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linkovich

Help! is it possible to mix and match- dump the two kinds (cheap and ueber-expensive) together!

Most of the time my dogs get lots of kitchen leftovers and wild meats from our hunts. But when times are tough for them, I'll mix about a quarter of a can of dog food(per dog) with warm water to make a gravy. Then I pour it over cheap dog food and serve it to them. They love it!

tamsam · #28 02/09/10, 08:07 PM

Wow what interesting posts. I just learned what dogs and I figure all other forms of K9s need. That explains why I say a pack of yotes working a garden back in the summer. I wonder if the canned some of the veggies they were growing? Good for a laugh. Sam

Linkovich · #29 02/09/10, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little Quacker in OR

First of all...think this through and learn how to READ LABELS!! Jesus! Then think of this...your dog for better or worse depends on YOU for his very life! He depends on you for food, water, medications, safety and any thing else that he needs for bare survival. You own him so you owe him at least the favor of reading the blankety blank labels of what you feed him!!!!

I am honestly trying to keep my cool here but its not easy. If you cannot fulfill the(probably)unspoken contract we make with dogs before we haul them home then do think about finding someone who will. Yes, we are most all us hurting for funds..I'm a senior on a fixed income...I make sure my dogs(all three of them and sometimes a foster dog too!)all are decently fed. If you can't do anything else feed your dog what YOU cook for YOUR dinners! Dogs can survive quite well on what we eat as long as we are eating well balanced meals.

Would they do better on an excellent dog kibble fortified with frequent raw meats and bones? YES, but we do have to survive ourselves I know. Keep in mind too that just because a dog LIKES something has nothing to do what is good for them! Use your brains! Don't kids like ice cream and cake? Yeah. Should they be allowed to just live on it and not eat healthy meals? Of course not! Dogs LOVE many things! Among them POOP, theirs and any other poop they can find to eat or roll in. You are going to leave what your dog WANTS to him???? YOU are the "parent" here for that helpless dog. Its up to YOU to make the good choices here that the dog cannot make for itself. As for thinking that the dog might not eat what you decided it should eat...
PUL-LEASE! A dog cannot read! They don't look at labels like YOU are supposed to do! A healthy dog will eat what ever you provide. And please, no dumb stories from all the rest of you about how your "FluffY' refused to eat anything but "__________" ....snort! .... because as a life long Vet Tech who had to help hundreds of dogs that their owners said would NOT eat what was good for them I proved them wrong every single time! Never had a dog brought in of any breed that would not eat a healthy diet when we provided it at the clinic..NEVER! And that's well over 35 years of dealing with people and their dogs.

So, back up here and look at your dog as a partner in life, not a lawn ornament or just an addendum to your family. And please learn to read labels...is that too much to ask for a creature that doesn't ask much? Really asked for nothing? Why do you have this dog? Just wondering.

If you get onto the Whole Dog Journals website you will find a list on there of top rated and medium rated dog kibble manufacturers..... PRICE is not always an indicator of quality and if you read this list you will see that, then you can shop for a easily found product for your good dog.

LQ

Sorry, but I don't understand your point. I'm on this forum asking a question because I would like to change the way I feed my dog, because I know the way I had been feeding him was wrong, but the alternatives I knew about were too expensive, so I asked what any more alternatives might be! Gee, from the way you put it, I may as well not bother trying to change, as I get reamed at! And the reason I have this dog is because a. I wanted a dog, and b. his owner was going to shoot him as they didn't want him anymore. So i'm sure if the dog knew the alternatives, he'd take garbage kibble over a grave!

Mooselover · #30 02/09/10, 08:44 PM

moose gets diamond brand. not cheap but he eats less and i feel better knowing it has no corn or fillers and he is retaining more of the nutrients he needs. i don't know about the size of his pooz cause i never saw the size before we moved to the city. i used to feed him pedigree till someone told me about fillers and corn.

i also read that when switching dog food to do it gradually because it could upset their digestion. maybe someone on the forum can address that (whether it's true or not). i did it with moose and it took about 10-12 days.

btw, everytime i take him to the vet, he comments on how healthy and shiny moose is.

lmrose · #31 02/09/10, 09:18 PM

We have a Border Collie cross, a Yorkie and three cats. I got a little lazy when I had a job to go too and started buying commercial dry cat and dog food. The very cheapest brand they wouldn't touch. Other kinds they would eat but I noticed all were gaining weight and were not satisfied with reccomended amounts. Now I am switching back to making my own pet food.

I use equal amounts of cooked brown rice, cooked carrots, and green beans mixed with cooked organ meats. The meat I save and freeze when we butcher. I also freeze bones for the dogs. They get an egg three times a week mixed in their food also. When the goats are milking the cats drink milk every day.I find our pets fill up easier and are more content eating homemade food.When switching over I mixed the homemade food with the dog food and kept adding less dog food until they were eating only the homemade kind. None of them got sick. It took about a week.

The commercial food just makes them fat even feeding a little . It's kind of like processed food makes people fat. Quite frankly I no longer trust processed food for either people or animals.All too many re-calls or new revelations that things eaten for years are making people sick.We eat off the farm as does the horse and goats so I figure the pets deserve the same good diet.

okgoatgal2 · #32 02/09/10, 09:36 PM

i feed country value in the blue bag. it is 26 or 28 % protein and while i don't know the fat, it does a great job for my 6 dogs. they are all healthy, active, and eat well. it's $20 for a 50lb bag here in okla. they get table scraps as well now and then, and milk and eggs during the overflow season.

Ruby · #33 02/09/10, 09:49 PM

We feed our dogs Taste of the Wild. They love it and they don't eat near as much as they did the cheaper brand. They also get table scraps after we eat dinner. Some time it's only a few bites of chicken, a small bowl of soup or what ever I have left over. It's their treat and they expect it.

You know what's funny, back when I was growing up we never bought dog food. They were feed left overs and did great. Even the cat only got a can of cat food every few days. They were expected to hunt mice for most of their food. Remember Puss and Boots cat food.

Big Dave · #34 02/09/10, 10:03 PM

WOW! I wish I could feed our little darling any of that stuff. She can not eat it due to allergies. I feed Natural Balance DUCK & POTATO. It is the right balance of protiens and nutrition according to our vet. I tried feeding table scrapes and she never would stop scratching or biting at herself. $50 for 30lbs. I tried other brands and it was the same thing. Knawing and insesive scratching. So if it works don't fix it.

||Downhome|| · #35 02/09/10, 10:35 PM

yes I agree the better dog foods go farther and create less mess in the end (no pun folks)

my neighbor has a Friend who's wife runs a rescue and they get trailers loads of food in and she explained my monetary situation and they agreed to supply me, its not free but is a good bit less then if I got it at the store and better quality then what I got (not that I ever got them real cheap stuff usually Purina dog chow or puppy) I was getting 50lb bags of members mark which seemed real similar for 21. out the door. this is 35 lb bags and I get them for 12 dollars and they do eat less and its very noticeable.

Saffron · #36 02/09/10, 11:29 PM

We only feed Purina - and I stock up when it is on sale. I don't have the time nor the extra money to get the expensive stuff, nor to make my dog's meal when I barely have time to make for my family.
A family member used to raise and show dogs and said Purina was one of the most trustworthy brands out there - and was not involved in that big recall a few years back. I haven't had time to fully check into that, but I trust the family member for the dogfood as she would sooner rescue an animal than a human (sarcasm).
I used to HATE dogs after being bitten in the face and nearly losing an eye. Miraculously, four years ago I met a dog that changed that and now have a dog whom I love dearly. So I don't want to hear that if-you-cared-about-your-dog-you-would-feed-it-better bull. Any owner who cares about their dog will make sure the pet is taken care of to the best of their abilities and finances - Dogs do have the ability to scrounge when they are outside, too. And homesteading forums or not - it doesn't mean that we are able to do everything the old way - Around here the old way to feed a dog was to throw scraps and let it eat whatever it wanted to eat.

ChristieAcres · #37 02/09/10, 11:46 PM

I have read through the posts on this thread and was very grateful to read some kind thoughtful responses with helpful advice and information about making dog food. We have a Lab/Chesapeake/? mix who we adopted as an adult dog 1.5 years ago (he is now 7.5). DH & I love our "Sam" very much! DH has had dogs for many years and always fed dry dog food (good grade, not the highest or more expensive, but not cheap), however, he supplemented with meat scraps, broth, vegetables, and fruit. The dogs were all healthy and lived long lives. I have been debating the dry dog food for our Sam (I don't have much experience with dogs). Now, I feel like I can reduce and finally eliminate the dry food and replace it with proper food we grow & can buy for less money. Sam loves fresh green beans & eating out of the garden. He goes nuts for sweet potatoes

belladulcinea · #38 02/10/10, 08:47 AM

Overlook those who are so hyper-critical

these are afterall animals and not people. You can feed them what works for you and them financially. You've given your dog a good home and are doing what you can afford to do.

We feed a brand of food from our local feed store, it's milled and produced here and it's just gone up to 23.95 for 50 lbs. Since Bella is a bit tubby cause she's a couch potato I feed her a combination of the dry food with a cup of left over meat with broth that sometimes has veggies. She can't eat raw meat without throwing it up so her meat gets cooked, loves raw carrots and would take down a panther for chocolate which she will steal if possible and Bob is completely the opposite.

Do what YOU can do.

willow_girl · #39 02/10/10, 08:59 AM

Chocolate is toxic to dogs. So is garlic, which was mentioned earlier.

To the OP: If you have a Tractor Supply Co. nearby, you may wish to check out their store brand. I've been feeding my dogs the high protein kibble for years, and they seem to do really well on it. Nice shiny coats ... not too fat. I think it costs about $22 for a 50 lb. sack.

BrightBay · #40 02/10/10, 09:06 AM

If you have a Costco and belong, their kirkland brand dog food rates right up there with the best and is priced very reasonably for the quality.