Feeding my dog real food
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 446
Mine will eat broccoli -- raw or cooked! Also, apples cut up (when she's riding in the car). Be careful with things like cheese -- my brother lost his dog to feeding too much "people food" with cheese being such a binding food that it caused intestinal blockage. I would ask my vet about this as well.
#23
When the nation's pets began getting sick and dying from contaminated Chinese products in the dog foods, I began feeding my dogs raw. As it happens, I had been investigating raw food for several months before this happened, so it wasn't much of a stretch for me. There are several rawfeeding groups on Yahoo you may want to check out.
#24
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: sydney australia
Posts: 129
I feed mostly dry kibble (dog food) but always read the contents label to ensure that grain especially corn is not the first ingredient listed, since the ingredients are listed according to what proportion of the kibble they make up. It's surprising how many of the "top" ie most expensive dog foods are predominantly grain. Look out for terms like "beef flavour" rather than beef -- it means there is only a tiny amount of beef included. I save all our (human)meal scraps especially cooked vegetables and raw broccoli stalks and carrots, and add a few spoonfuls to the kibble, then add a small amount of hot water which helps to release food scent -- this makes the food more attractive to the dog (try this if your dog is a fussy eater). I also buy chicken carcasses (most of the meat cut off leaving only fat, gristle and bone) which are very cheap (about 5 for $1) and feed them RAW ONLY to my dog with a little hot water to take the chill off if they are straight from the fridge (and to release the scent). Raw chicken carcasses are very good for your dog -- lots of calcium, and plenty of jaw exercise crunching them up-- but don't use them if your dog bolts his food or competes with another dog or they can choke if they try to swallow whole.
#26
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Quilting, crocheting, sewing and crafting in my Sewing Room...Peaceful and wonderful !!
Posts: 5,317
NO garlic or onions in any of the food for the dog. My Avatar loves cooked chicken (her fav), beef and rice or pasta. We feed her Halo Dog food as its a natural dog food, then as a treat once or twice a week we make up the boiled chicken or beef, rice, peas and carrots for her. Please check with your vet to see what foods a dog can have-ours has a sensitive stomach and has had a stroke so certain foods may not be good for her. Our vet suggested the boiled chicken, beef, fish (deboned-no skin)and Turkey.
Brie loves noodles any kind as long as they are noodles and she knows when we are making spaghetti or something containing noodles. LOL She smells it in the air and sits by the stove till she gets some in her bowl !LOL
Brie loves noodles any kind as long as they are noodles and she knows when we are making spaghetti or something containing noodles. LOL She smells it in the air and sits by the stove till she gets some in her bowl !LOL
#28
I have mine on a grain free chicken for large breeds. It has all the essential vitamins, minerals, omega's and what not in it. He does very well, and first ingredient is Real Chicken. He chunks of frozen watermelon and sliced bananas.This is a great site if you want to make your own dog treats.
http://www.dogtreatkitchen.com/index.html
http://www.dogtreatkitchen.com/index.html
#29
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Any place I can sew
Posts: 434
I have decided to try to feed my dog real food instead of dog food. I have read alot about being careful you make up the mineral and vitamins they need.
Right now she still has dog food to eat and I have given her some cooked chicken and cooked ham and hamburger. She is a med to large dog and I am trying to get a handle on what is best for her.
The reason I want to do this is she is getting too fat on dog food and yet she whines all the time for snacks. Since I have started this she doesn't want the snacks anymore. She has been so much more content and not so antsy.
But I would like some feedback if anyone is doing this. I know she needs vegs and fruits but she isnt' too thrilled with eating them. I tried hiding some peas and shredded carrots in some ground turkey but she wouldn't eat much of it.
Any help would be appreciated. I have been reading online about this but still not sure I have a good handle on it yet.
Right now she still has dog food to eat and I have given her some cooked chicken and cooked ham and hamburger. She is a med to large dog and I am trying to get a handle on what is best for her.
The reason I want to do this is she is getting too fat on dog food and yet she whines all the time for snacks. Since I have started this she doesn't want the snacks anymore. She has been so much more content and not so antsy.
But I would like some feedback if anyone is doing this. I know she needs vegs and fruits but she isnt' too thrilled with eating them. I tried hiding some peas and shredded carrots in some ground turkey but she wouldn't eat much of it.
Any help would be appreciated. I have been reading online about this but still not sure I have a good handle on it yet.
#30
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Texas, USA
Posts: 5,896
Lots of good advice, here. I do want to share a few words of caution, though. Unless your dog is very active and is building/maintaining muscle, do NOT overload on the protein. Too much (unneeded) protein is hard on the kidneys. Very active dogs (just like humans) need the extra protein, for muscle building/maintenance. Couch-potato dogs do NOT. The average dog does need adequate protein, of course - just not an overabundance of it! I found this out, the hard way, when Phoebe developed a kidney stone (many years ago, when she was young and on a "premium" diet). Since then, she's been on a lower-protein diet, has plenty of energy, shiny coat, and is as healthy as she can be. Now at 10 years old, she's still a lap-dog, at heart . . . but has more than enough energy to run and play. Anyway, because of that, I started really researching the protein issue.
Another interesting fact about high-protein - it can also cause some dogs to be more aggressive.
Corn is a problem, IF your dog is allergic to it. Otherwise, it's an excellent (and inexpensive) source of carbohydrates. Just because it's cheap, doesn't make it bad . . . unless your dog has a problem with it. Many dogs thrive on foods with corn as the first ingredient. Potato is another excellent source of carbs, as is rice.
Many people argue that dogs are carnivores and should primarily eat meat; in reality, they eat whatever is available. In the wild, their ancestors ate the whole kill, not just the muscle/meat. The whole kill included the stomach and its contents (most often of herbivores), thus supplementing their diets with whatever the other animal had eaten. So you can look at the teeth (which were necessary for making a kill and tearing it apart) and see a carnivore . . . but if you look at their actual nutritional needs, you'll see an omnivore.
Another interesting fact about high-protein - it can also cause some dogs to be more aggressive.
Corn is a problem, IF your dog is allergic to it. Otherwise, it's an excellent (and inexpensive) source of carbohydrates. Just because it's cheap, doesn't make it bad . . . unless your dog has a problem with it. Many dogs thrive on foods with corn as the first ingredient. Potato is another excellent source of carbs, as is rice.
Many people argue that dogs are carnivores and should primarily eat meat; in reality, they eat whatever is available. In the wild, their ancestors ate the whole kill, not just the muscle/meat. The whole kill included the stomach and its contents (most often of herbivores), thus supplementing their diets with whatever the other animal had eaten. So you can look at the teeth (which were necessary for making a kill and tearing it apart) and see a carnivore . . . but if you look at their actual nutritional needs, you'll see an omnivore.
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