GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 This isn't really a camping with pets question, but it's pets, and I know we have a lot of pet owners here. What do you feed your dog? And why? We have been feeding Sanford Purina Pro Plan at the recommendation of a friend who is a dog trainer. He does well on that. Even though he's an 85 lb lab, he does have a sensitive stomach. He RARELY gets table scraps. (Read: If Jason isn't home, and there's leftover steak or plainish chicken in the fridge, I don't throw it away.) Now that I'm Costco crazy, there's a super premium food that looks just like Pro Plan ingredients-wise. But there's also a grain free food that I can actually afford. I know grain free for dogs is a trend, but I don't really know why. Sanford does well on the premium that includes grains, so should I stick with that or go grain free? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h2odivers...Ray 952 Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 I say stick with what's working. Chi Chi our Shitzu has a sensitive stomach and we feed him Iams veterinary formula intestinal plus. It keeps him from getting sick. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
red...Susan 37 Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 My shihpoo Chanel eats royal canine-shih tzu. It works for her. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 Kassie is on a low-fat Blue Buffalo blend since she's had pancreatitis. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 We switched our dogs to a raw diet after all the recalls years back. Too much info to type on my phone and definitely not for everyone . Before that we fed good quality kibble. Lots of good brands out there these days. Grain free is particularly good for dogs with grain allergies (which pop up more and more) but personally I don't think it's a necessity , although if it's available and affordable, it would probably be my choice. Most important thing in any commercial food is the first 5 ingredients... Should be real food, not fillers (wheat, corn, glutens) and clearly identified proteins... i. e. Chicken, beef... not "meat" or anything weird you've never heard of. Steer clear of of colors & additives for flavor. Pretty much the same things you'd look for in a healthy people diet... Real food and not a lot of carbs (dogs need them even less than we do). Whole Dog Journal does a good review every year of dog foods and there's another website called Dog Food Advocate (I think that's it) that's got good info too. Oh and I'd definitely steer clear of ANY food or treats made in China. A lot of the really bad problems were with companies importing food/ingredients from China. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caveat lector 181 Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 Agree with everything Mo said. If it's anyway associated with China, it doesn't enter my house. I don't care if it's food, toys,whatever, china=no dice.we also follow the same ingredient rules Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tim5055 120 Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 Just like some others, Niko has a sensitive stomach. Through trial and error we have found that a mix of about 75% Blue Wilderness and 25% Royal Canin German Shepherd food works best for him. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CampMImi 22 Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 I think it depends on the dog. I started to use Blue products on my ShihPoo. He did well on it but it contributed to tear stains (i was told) so we moved to Science Diet. He has terrible stomach issues. Grains just make it worse. The more grains the more frequent he wants to eat and go out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Retired and Happy (Ken) 101 Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Our Savannah, mixed breed (rescue), gets Kirkland Signature Natures Domain Turkey and Sweet Potato Formula for Dogs. Stated as Gluten Free and for all stages of a dog's life. It comes from Costco. She seems to tolerate it well, but still begs for whatever we're eating. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Seals 111 Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 I'm probably not the one to answer, I feed my dog whatever mid-priced dog food is on sale and usually a few scraps of whatever I'm cooking if it's meat, fruit or veggies and a couple of small Milk Bones that I hide in his toy box. What does my dog eat that I don't feed him (if I don't catch him in time): acorns, sticks, grass, magnolia pods, deer poop, newspaper and pencils. And that's just this week. He's a Cojack (corgi/jack russell terrier) and I believe has whatever is even stronger than a cast-iron stomach. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rtguy007 74 Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 I have a 6yo Siberian Husky that I have fed wellness since day 1. Started out with the yellow bag puppy formula and after a year moved her to wellness core blue bag. She has never been sick or digestive issues a day in her life. My last Husky was fed Pro Plan and she was always sick and passed away at 7yo. I tried her on multiple foods but Pro Plan is what she would eat and tolerate.Wellness is a bit expensive but we get almost 2 months out of the big bag so I don't feel as bad buying it.Thanks,Ryan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 Here's a chuckle for ya...I was at the market yesterday and they had "turkey backs" in the case for .49/lb. It looks like they butchered up a bunch of leftover Thanksgiving turkeys to sell the parts, and these were leftover so they wrapped them up. I bought every package they had. I'm sure the cashier was thinking "what the heck is this woman going to do with these?" I suppose most normal people would make soup with them. I hacked them up and threw them in the freezer for the dogs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Katman1356...Jason 1,140 Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 Here's a chuckle for ya...I was at the market yesterday and they had "turkey backs" in the case for .49/lb. It looks like they butchered up a bunch of leftover Thanksgiving turkeys to sell the parts, and these were leftover so they wrapped them up. I bought every package they had. I'm sure the cashier was thinking "what the heck is this woman going to do with these?" I suppose most normal people would make soup with them. I hacked them up and threw them in the freezer for the dogs. I would love to see the cashiers face when you come through the line sometimes. :rofl: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 I would love to see the cashiers face when you come through the line sometimes. :rofl: Yep!! I buy bags of whole, frozen mackerel for the dogs at the same market sometimes. I've had a few people - cashiers or other customers - ask me how I cook them. Sometimes if I'm not in the mood to explain, I just lie and make something up. If I need a chuckle, I'll tell them the truth and then just watch the faces they make. Ditto when I buy a bunch of packages of chicken gizzards and/or hearts. We have a place called Saigon Market where they butcher all their own meats. I go in and wipe out the case from the "chicken bones" - basically what's left after they cut off the breasts, legs and wings. The lady that works there thinks I make soup with them. Yeah... that's a LOT of soup! :rofl2: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JaimeN 8 Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 We feed our sensitive-tummied greyhounds the lamb and rice from Costco, they are doing really well on it. I originally went with the Grain-free food from Costco but my black dogs dandruff was awful with that, plus dogs are omnivores and don't really believe dogs need to be grain-free unless there's a proven medical reason. We also give raw turkey necks. I'd love to do all raw, but I'm already feeding a husband and three kids... so no more time in the kitchen just for dogs Quote Link to post Share on other sites
4mickey2 41 Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 i cook ground beef or chicken for my pups and give them canned or frozen vegies. Sometimes they get rice or sweet potato in it too. But, they get this mixed in with some taste of the wild -grain free and pioneer - grain free. i can't cook enough for 4 pups to change them over to all cooked and i don't have the time to figure out what vitamins, supplements i need to add. that is why i mix dry with it. also with camping it is easier to haul the dry and take a little extra meat, vegies along for them. i agree to watch whole dog journal. it takes the guesswork out of deciding which food to buy. But, now this is going to bring to creating another thread, kind of on this topic.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 We haven't had a dog for a number of years now and never had to worry about whether it came from China or not. We had Golden Retrievers when the kids were growing up and just fed them mid-priced commercial dog food and supplemented that with rabbit hearts/kidneys, chicken hearts/gizzards and beef bones (when they were still cheap). We would also add some fish oil to the commercial dog food to help add back in some of the fats that were typically missing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted January 23, 2015 Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 For those of you that feed canned food, here's The Whole Dog Journal's article on what to look for in a "good" food...http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_10/features/Best-Canned-Dog-Food-Ingredients_20627-1.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
4mickey2 41 Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Love whole dog journal.. Helps take the guesswork out of how good the food is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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