Pet Food News

I’ve started to make homemade food for my new dog because she refuses to eat any kind of dog food. My dog loves to eat carrots, apples, cabbage and rice. Are these foods ok to give my dog? And are there anymore vegetables that most dogs like? Thank you xx

Dogs tend to like snaps, spinach, kale, collards, etc & you can buy them chopped but frozen & simply microwave them warm, in order to feed them to the dog or you can puree fresh stuff. Adding a bit of Old Bay Seasoning to the veggies can also make them tastier for the dog. Dogs also like plain cooked sweet potatoes (a flavorful, low glycemic carbohydrate) & squash. You DO need to add a meat protein (not mentioned) and a source of adequate calcium.

You can add a few blueberries but keep in mind that feral dogs & wolves don’t tend to eat fruit other than what is found in the stomachs of their prey. You don’t want to tax their pancreas with too much sugar, since the normal carnivore diet of meat & bone requires very little insulin for digestion. Brown or wild rice is much better for the dog, than white rice (more fiber, more nutrition, less sugar).

My pitbull currently eats a certain kind of dry dog food. That said, I want to switch my dogs food to a more organic and higher quality dry dog food.
What is the proper routine/process to introduce the new dry food and how long is the process/routine?

Try mixing a little of the new into the old. Gradually increase the proportion of new until you are switched over. Keep an eye on your pets reaction, but typically figure on something like a week or so. And best of luck

What does it have in there to make your dog healthier? How is good for them? What does it have that commerical dog food doesnt? Im just curious because i was thinking about switching from pedigree to grain free dog food?

It has NO GRAIN, which is basically cheap filler.

I want to start feeding my dog Orijen dog food, but it isn’t sold anywhere near me and shipping costs are outrageous. I want to feed my dog the best and healthiest food. Any suggestions? Are merrick, Fromm, or wellness brands comparable alternatives?

Doggiefood.com sells it and shipping is only like 4.95

I am getting a pup (sheltie) in about a month, and don’t know what kind of dog food to feed. I feed my cats Orijen dry and Merrick wet, but don’t know if they make dog foods. What dog food do you recommend and why?

I would recommend the same for your dogs then - Orijen makes a great puppy food and Merrick has one of the widest, more creative selections of quality canned dog food - including a puppy formula

Hey everyone!
I just bought my little dog dog food from costco for the little ones, and he loves it!
Sorry I don’t know much about dog food, but my vet recommended costco brand dog food, and it’s so cheap so it’s good so far!
Sooo thoughts?
Yeah answerer 1, I’ve been looking at raw food diet stuff.

It’s not a bad food. It receives 4 out of 5 stars on most rating websites.( like this one)
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/kirkland-signature-dog-food/

I have a Jack Russell and a Northern Inuit and was wondering if there is a particular food that would suit each breed?
Why do they have large breed dog foods and small breed dog foods? Whats the difference?

There are a lot of good dog food brands out there. when purchasing any dog food, ALWAYS read the ingredients. you will be amazed what is in the popular dog food brands. The first ingredient should ALWAYS be meat.

When choosing food for my Shiba Inus I researched alot online to see what was common food allergies with this breed. EVERY breed is different so I would recommend you research this for each of your dogs. Ex: Shibas are prone to having bad allergies to lamb. I noticed within a week of changing their food that my shibas coats were SO shiny. It amazed me how big of a difference it has made in their health, skin & coats. Now I avidly only purchase "real" food for my babies, none of the cheap stuff, even for their treats.

As for large/small breed dog food… you should never feed a small breed, large breed dog food, or vice versa. Not only are they bigger bites of food, but more importantly they contain the key ingredients for dogs of a certain weight. Larger dogs need more nutrients and vitamins and maybe even a different TYPE of vitamins. And smaller dogs do not need the same amount as a large dog. Although most of these lg/sm breed bags, i agree, are a marketing ploy. You will notice with the better dog food brands there are usually not small/large breed bags. they are all the same, just change of portion size.

just an FYI- I am currently unemployed and on a strict budget. I say that bc you do NOT need to spend an insane amount of money to take care of your animals. It is a little more costly bt well worth it! The way I see it is, "would you feed nothing by byproducts and corn meal to yourself or your own kids?" It would be like us living 24/7 off of nothing but chicken flavored chips or coke. lol.

Good luck!

I have fed my lab Purina Dog chow since the day I brought him home. My son says only feed him this kind of dog food or he will poop all over the garage while I am gone to work. My son was buying the dog food until he moved out about a week ago. I buy dog food in 50 lb bags 5 at a time. Its on sale now so I am thinking about getting a couple more bags.
My friend told me he gets his dog generic dog food and it works just as well and is cheaper. What is your take on dog food and should I just stick to the 50 lb bags of Purina Dog Chow?

Changing your dog’s food could cause temporary diarrhea. Also, some dog foods could cause your dog to poop more in that they may be less nutritious and so your dog will need to eat more to get the same amount of nutrition (the cheaper foods may have more filler.)

Michele
http://www.e-dog-training.com

Their dog food is so much cheaper than what we usually get at Tractor Supply. Is Powell’s dog food a good choice to feed our three dogs? And I’m not looking for Blue buffalo quality or anything like that. We usually by "Retriever Mini Chunk" dog food, so does anyone know how Powell’s dog food would compare?

You’re already feeding absolute crap to your dogs-don’t go any lower. The cheapest food at TSC that is worth feeding is Diamond Naturals-you can find that for as low as $23 for a large bag. It’s healthier than that Retriever crap, and the dogs eat less of it (because it provides more nutrition than the other).

If you’re talking about Powell Feed in Arkansas, they carry Diamond Naturals, as well as Purina Mills products (NOT related to the kind of Purina foods in the grocery store-this is a different company). Purina Mills makes a product called PMI Exclusive, which has a good Lamb & Rice product, as well as a new, holistic line (which is expensive).

Why don’t they put a taste into dog food that dogs will really look forward to eating.

I get the impression that my dog eats his dog food only because he’s hungry not because he like the taste of it.

With today’s technology they should be able to make dog food have a taste dogs will find so delicious. That dogs will prefer their food to people food
@ *Sombra*

Its easier said than done.
It hard to look at my dog staring at my food with a hungry yearning look on his face.

There actually is a kind of dog food that is healthy for your dog. Have you ever tried giving your dog Beneful? If you haven’t you should try giving it to him.

I have 2 dogs and they love it. They scarf their food down like within a minute. I give my older dog 3 scoops of dog food and my younger dog 1 1/2 scoops of dog food because my older dog scarfs her food down faster than my younger dog.