What are you feeding your dog?

[PikeBayCommanche]

They would be bad if they are not fresh. Salmonella is the risk but with dogs acidic saliva and short digestive cycle there is less risk due to less incubation time for the food born illness.

Also most of the time the Salmonella is on the shell. So make sure not to get any shell in the food.

I make sure to buy everything fresh that is raw that I give to my pups.

Found 80/20 ground beef for $1.50 lb. yesterday.

[caseymcq]

... Has anyone else heard of raw eggs being bad?

Our vets, who are excellent, have told us to give raw eggs. One has also told us to feed them green beans. He is really big on feeding dogs "real" food. When I can find canned salmon cheap I give that to our dogs. I mix the salmon or tuna with green beans and give them half as much of their dog food mixed all together.

I have also chopped up parsley and thrown it in their food so their breath isn't so bad. From time to time our male has breath that could choke a donkey.

[Northlander]

Nutro Lamb and Rice for my last 3 dogs and they all seemed fine.

My dog loves raw carrots so she gets a lot of them.

[lenny7]

I feed Nutri Source Large Breen Puppy. This brand is by far the best dog food you can buy for the money in my opinion; and I have done loads of reading on dog food! I get it at a place in st. cloud; 36.99 for a 30# bag, though you can buy it at gander mountain for a little more.

I used that when our lab was a puppy and now use the regular NutriSource forumla. If you have a Pet Supplies Plus in your area, check it out. I believe they get $33 for a 30# bag, and every 10th or 12th bag is free. They also sell 2# bags for $2, and they have a $2 coupon in them. Those are great to take along on hunting trips, or to bring to a kennel if you have to drop him off for a while.

[Walleye Widower]

65lb female GSD, very active, receives a lot of exercise daily:

All food is raw not cooked!

Breakfast:

½ lb + or - chicken necks or backs or part of a chicken quarter

¼ lb + or – ground meat (venison, hamburger 73% lean, mackerel)

Supper:

1 lb + or - chicken necks or backs or part of a chicken quarters

¼ lb + or – ground meat (venison, hamburger 73% lean, mackerel)

1 raw egg every other day

2000 mg vit C

¼ teaspoon spirulina

400 UI vit E

3 pumps high quality salmon oil

1 small spoon full of plain organic yogurt

It costs $2.35 a day per dog...

My puppy cost about $30.00 a day but that factors in replacing warm-up pants regularly….

[gr8icefishinmind]

Check out this site, it gives some good reviews of lots of dog foods!

[Note from Admin: Please read forum rules.]

After reading this I am thinking about going with Fromm's surf and turf! Kind of a goofy name for a dog food but it looks like it would be good one for my pup when I pick it up next friday!! Will be an 8 week old male, british black lab!!

[hanson]

For what its worth, based on much of the info I've read in this topic... I headed off to Chuck & Don's in Plymouth, MN to pick up a bag of Orijen. I looked & looked & looked but couldn't find it, so I finally asked. The nice lady that helped me sorta smiled and said Pet's Life down the road has an exlusive with them so us and the Wayzata store can't carry it, the only 2 Chuck & Don's stores that don't have it.

Anyway... we got to rambling about food, what I was feeding, why I wanted to switch, etc, etc. Being a rookie to owning a dog, I did my best and asked a lot of questions that get batted around here. She was pretty well versed IMO and cared about dogs and their food, it was pretty well obvious that she wasn't BSing or just reciting what a product rep preached.

In the end, I ended up grabbing another bag of Canidae because I needed some more anyway and cut the amount I give him back a bit. She had said Canidae was one of their more popular foods and one of the foods they get the least amount of complaints or returns on. I figured I'd just stick with it for now, Canidae does make a grain free food if I want to go that direction. She was kind of surprised I wanted to switch off of it.

There were 2 foods she highly recommended and Fromm's was one of them, can't remember the other.

[gr8icefishinmind]

After reading up on fromms dog food, it seemed like a very good choice!! the link i put on wasn't approved of so go to [Note from Admin: Please read forum rules before posting again. Thank you] and check out the reviews!!

[LABS4ME]

Fromms makes excellent food. Pure Vita makes excellent food. Canidae is excelent food. You will not go wrong with any of those. In the end, look at the ingredients... no corn, no soy, no white rice, no wheat. If the food is not using those, they are more than likely a quality food using quality ingredients.

Find one that works for your dog and stick to it if it is working.

Good Luck!

Ken

[vister]

regardless of whats in it, beef or chicken should be the first listed ingredient, not a by product or meal

[pushbutton]

my 18 year old lab mix eats everything i eat. the food is well rounded mostly from scratch with very litte preservatives. this includes fresh fruit, greens, and vegetables. highly acidic fruit is about the only thing he does not eat.

[Surface Tension]

My last two Labs lived to 16 years old and hunted till they were 15 years old. Both lived in the outdoor kennel year round.

I feed them Ol'Roy from WallMart. So it seems like 16 years old is the threshold for dogs feed Ol' Roy. Not too bad and to be able to hunt till almost their untimely deaths, well I don't know what to say. All my dogs wolf down their food. The dish is empty within minutes. Ah yes I felt guilty one day and switched them over to a premium brand dog food. They instantly lost weight, problem is they were at an optimal weight already.

Oh but they [PoorWordUsage] more, so what. How about we feed you one little energy bar every day and that is it.

If you look at the analysis of what a wolf eats I wonder how well a filler is consisting of hair is? Hair being a main ingredient of a wolves diet and all.

Dog owners are suckers when it comes to dog food.

But what the hay if you have the money to blow and it makes you feel good go for it. If we look at it like our food. Dog food is like hotdogs. Spend 79 cents a lb or spend $3.99 a lb, which will your dog like more? Don't matter because the dog ain't buy'n the hotdogs and I am. Guess what he gets?

Its OK for our students to live on Mac n Cheese and Raman noodles but dang dog needs the best of the best.

Allergies? In a Dog? Really? Good bye dog!

[PikeBayCommanche]

All Labs are not the same. Some are sensitive to certain things just like Humans are.

No different. Some people don't have sensitivities and some do.

[Kyle]

So because Im one of the guys that likes to feed his dog "Good/Healthy" food, I will ask; Anyone have a good wet dog food I can give my pup? I heard giving them a can of wet dog food once a week or so, or after a hard workout is good. Just wondering if anyone does this and what kind they feed.

[vister]

i mix a scoop of beneful moist dog food with my retrievers typicall feeding of purina pro 1 performance once a day, typically at night. she eats everything in that bowl, and cleans it up to look like it just got washed.

[corncob]

Any cheaper dry dog food is a poor quality nutrient feed.....Check the ingredients. If Corn is the number one listed , the food is terrible, if number two, not quite as bad,

if number three, better, no corn,best.Corn is the cheapest thing dog food makers can use as a protein source,and is poor quality for protien...Most dry dog foods cost bewteen $.40(poor quality) and $1.00 per lb.(good quality)...........It's not hard or expensive to supplement dry food to greatly enhance its quality....Simply add all meat scraps,chicken,fish,eggs,cheese,meaty bones,most vegetables, and rice.......For example, Walwart has chicken legs & thighs ,10lb bag for about $.60 per lb.a great supplement.....Bones from the butcher,etc.....Dogs are almost the same as their wild counterparts gentically...None eat corn, but do eat largely meat ,bones, organs, intestines (and contents.........Do your dog a favor.His coat will shine and he will thank you.

[MuleShack]

So because Im one of the guys that likes to feed his dog "Good/Healthy" food, I will ask; Anyone have a good wet dog food I can give my pup? I heard giving them a can of wet dog food once a week or so, or after a hard workout is good. Just wondering if anyone does this and what kind they feed.

Kyle,

I use either the canned Pedigree or Alpo (in sauce, not the stuff that looks like frozen lard) and mix a scoop or two in with the daily feeding and add a little water to make it a little saucey. I am feeding our lab Orijen already so it probably doesnt' add any thing better to the nutritional value but makes me feel better about taking care of my dog.