4 replies to this topic

[Eza]

What should a dog eat to stay healthy?
There seems to be a choice between five options.
1. Canned food from the super market. According to the information the can contains meat.
This seems to be the most healthy for the dog. But is it really? Always eating canned food wouldn't be considered to be very healthy for a human. So it is doubltfull that it would be healthy for a dog to eat canned food every day. Otherwise the canned food for a dog would be more healthy compared to canned food for humans. Canned food can be considered to be pretty expensive.
2. Dry food. The store supplies big bags of dry food. The idea is that this food would not supply enough vitamines nor proteins.
3. Eat the meals of the humans. The dog can eat the same food like the humans do. This is probably the most cheap.
4. Offer fresh meat. This is a bit expensive too. And it seems a waist of good food to give fresh meat to a dog that can be eaten by humans too.
5. Offer a bone. In some butcheries it is possible to ask the butcher to provide a fresh bone.

After considering these five options the questions stays what is the best way to feed a dog in order to keep the dog healthy, active and friendly.

Edited by Eza, 27 November 2010 - 07:12 PM.

[anwiii]

there is someone on here that could possibly answer this question very well. that person is sheepdog.

i have a dog myself. i just give him kibbles. on top of that, i always have dog treats so i feed him those every so often. i also give him what i eat sometimes since he does deserve a good meal once in a while and i like to spoil him. then ofcourse, if there are leftovers, all of it goes in the bowl.

what i have found is that he loves the stuff i eat. even candy except skittles. he doesn't like skittles for some reason.

personally, i think a combination of canned food and kibble food in a bowl every day is good enough for a dog. i wont by canned dog food though for reasons i wont go in to here. so i make up for it when he gets leftovers or i hand feed him from my plate. i think feeding a dog though should be specific to a dogs tastes. over time, you will know what the dog likes and dislikes and an owner can prepare his meal accordingly. dogs are meat eaters by nature so don't ever deprive or dog of meat and a bone once in a while! that is my own opinion if you love your dog....

[sheepdog]

Ahhh, finally something right up my alley!

Let me start by saying there is nothing that will start a dog fight amongst humans more than a debate on what to feed a dog. So I am definatly not going to get into brands but there are some things you should know about feeding our canine friends.

First off, your assumption about canned dog food is wroung. It is not the best at all. As a matter of fact, dogs that are feed a constant diet of canned food are far more likely to have peridontal disease and other serious problems with their teeth. Yes, canned dog food contains meat, but it also contains a lot of water and filler too. And most dogs like canned better, sort of like giving a child a choise between broccoli and chocolate cake and ice cream. Just cause we like it better doesn't make it good for us. The handling of canned dog food to avoid spoilage and or contamination is also more difficult than dry dog food. Always keep unused portions coverd and in the refrigerator, and also be careful opening the can and make sure no bits of the metal lid gets into the food. When you figure it up cost wise, your paying a lot more for it, and what you are paying for is water, so it's no great bargian.

Dry dog food on the other hand, promotes health teeth. The hard dry bits scrape tarter off the dogs teeth as he chews, keeping the mouth much cleaner and healthier. Modern dry dog foods have been developed with tons of feeding trials and a lot of scientific reasearch and study. Most are well balanced and very good for your dogs. They have vitimins and minerals added to make them balanced for complete dog nutrition.

The most important part of learning what to best feed your dog is to read the ingredient label. But you have to know what you are reading. Learn what the terms mean. "Meat and bone meal" is pretty easy to understand, but what about "chicken byproduct meal?" Or "Poultry digest?" Also know that ingredients are listed in the order from most to least, a label that reads "ground yellow corn, meat meal, fish meal," is going to mostly consist of ground yellow corn, the first ingredient listed. There are some that think you are guilty of animal abuse if you feed a corn based dog food, but in reality, it is the balance of other ingredients that make it a good feed in some cases. If you see corn listed as first or second ingredient, and then 2 or more other meat based ingredients, a dog may just do quite well on it. You have to take the entire formula into consideration.

Another thing to keep in mind. Price is not always an indication of quality. Beware of high priced feeds that contain "unusual" ingredients, like buffalo, rabbit, or emu, or a host of other not normally consumed animals. These types of feed are usually seriously over priced and likely not to be any more healthy for you dog than eating beef or chicken based feed. Then there are the fancy "designer" type foods, that claim to be orgainic, or some other wild and crazy claims, which is just to relieve you of your hard earned money, and will not give your dogs any particular benefits.

And for goodness sake, NEVER even consider vegetarian feed for your dog. A politically correct and totally stupid gimic pushed by various retarded animal activist groups, who do not have your dogs health as their number one pyority. Dogs for the most part, are carniverous. But remember, when a wild dog makes a kill, it eats the entire carcuss. This includes the meat, bones, and the contents of the stomach. They will eat the grass that is being digested by the herbivore they killed to eat. So in reality, they are not completely carniverous. So some vegtable or grain products like corn should not be a problem in a domestic dogs diet.

The best judge of your choise of dog food is your dog. Be observant. How does his coat look and feel? Is it nice and shiny or dull and flat? Is he in good flesh (in good weight) not overly fat? How are his energy levels? Is the skin flake free? And yes, you have to consider the consistancy and volume of his stool too. Pet owners may find this part a bit gross, but for dog breeders is just second nature to be a poop expert. Certainly see enough of it! Cheap feed high in filler and fiberous material will make for massive amounts of stool. Fiber might be good for humans, but it's not your dogs best friend.

[Eza]

Thanks for the exensive and thoroughly answer. The question about giving the dog the same food like the family of the boss eats is not answered though.
It is known that can food is expensive. Because it is expensive the idea existed that it is the best. Because it probably contains expensive and good meat for the dog.
The explanation about dry food surprises. According to the explanation dry food seems to be very healthy. Since it is not extremely expensive this causes a surprise. Dried food for people is supposed to be less healthy compared to fresh food.

[sheepdog]

As to your question about feeding a dog people food. Most dogs seem to prefer human food to dog food. Seems anything they see us eat they want too. Unlike their own dog food. Some people say you will ruin your dog by giving it table scraps, that it will no longer eat it's kibble, and that may be true if you let your dog get away with it. Unfortunatly, most people just can't resist those big sad eyes and whimperings when no table scraps are forth coming. They are afraid the poor pooch will starve before it eats dry dog food again. Well, I hate to tell you this but dogs are the worlds greatest con artists. A dog will NOT starve it's self if you don't feed it table scraps. Sooner or later, it will eat kibble if nothing better comes along.

The only problem with basing your dogs diet on table scraps is balance. Dogs need a fair amount of protein. Left over mashed potatoes and gravy aren't going to cut it unless you throw in some of that steak too, and I don't know about the rest of you guys, but if I get a steak, I'M EATING IT!!! If you can find an inexpensive and good protien sourse to include with the table scraps, your dog will probably be fine. If priced decently, milk and eggs are a good option. Also, sometimes you can find organ meats at reasonable prices. (hearts, tongues, etc) It may sound gross to you, but meat is meat to a dog.

The reason canned food is more expensive is the extra processing. It has no more meat in in than dry feed. You are paying the extra for water basicly. The extra water gives more "usless" weight, so even shipping and transporting canned food adds to the costs. Also, metal cans cost a lot more than a paper bag. And it is no more fresh just because it is in liquid form. When we are talking fresh for humans, we generaly mean fresh fruit or vegtables, eaten raw. Canned dog food and kibble are both cooked, so technically, nether is "fresh." The only way a dog is going to get fresh food is if he goes and and kills somebody's chicken, which is good for his diet, but will most likely shorten his life span considerable when the chicken's owner catches him.

The key is as always, balance. If you don't have a good protien sourse to include with your table scraps, keeping out dry kibble will work. If you make your dog understand that table food is a treat and not his main course, he should be fine. A little spoiling is just fine, that is after all, why we have dogs anyway!