cat & dog food inquiry...

[Rarako]

Just wanted to say that BARF/raw diets are not safe and a no-no according to our animal hospital. Feeding your dog raw food is dangerous from all the nasties that live in raw food like salmonella.

If that's the case, then why do oh, say, wolves do so well eating pretty much the same stuff? I know plenty of greyhound owners who feed raw, whose dogs are healthy as horses. They feed raw despite their vets saying the exact same thing, and their animals are perfectly fine. Many vets sort of have a certain vested interest in keeping pet owners buying prepackaged dog food, because many of them sell it.

That being said, if ANY diet doesn't work well for your particular pet, don't feed it, of course. I also said that raw feeding had its supporters and its detractors and was perfectly happy to let any pet owner who was interested in it go and do the research for themselves, as they should do with just about anything.

Ah, I think Tahlian might mean is that pre-packaged raw foods might not be good for pets. I know quite a few vets are against raw foods for the "we don't sell it" reason, but from talking to the ladies at my local animal nutrition store they've filled me in on some of the problems with it (and they do carry it), not being refrigerated properly in transport and spoiling, and getting recalled quite a bit do to possible contamination, etc. Now if you want to go with a raw diet (which by the way is one of the best food regiments for cats and dogs) you need to do it right. Talk to a trusted vet to see exactly what your pets nutritional needs are and the best raw foods and proportions for them, then buckle down for some very intensive research. You do not want to cut corners on quality and need to focus on getting fresh ingredients daily. This is, when done right, incredibly healthy, but also incredibly expensive. Once again, if you are going to feed your pets a raw diet you CAN NOT CUT CORNERS , this means never going with canned food-stuffs in place of fresh foods and not going with any prepackaged raw pet foods do to the fact that they are not going to be exactly what your pet needs for its size, gender, breed, activity level, etc. I was looking at it for my cats but I could not afford to do it right, so I was told to not risk doing it wrong. Once again, it's great if you can afford it and have the time but it is by no means something to fool around with otherwise.

[Miraga]

Just wanted to say that BARF/raw diets are not safe and a no-no according to our animal hospital. Feeding your dog raw food is dangerous from all the nasties that live in raw food like salmonella.

If that's the case, then why do oh, say, wolves do so well eating pretty much the same stuff? I know plenty of greyhound owners who feed raw, whose dogs are healthy as horses. They feed raw despite their vets saying the exact same thing, and their animals are perfectly fine. Many vets sort of have a certain vested interest in keeping pet owners buying prepackaged dog food, because many of them sell it.

That being said, if ANY diet doesn't work well for your particular pet, don't feed it, of course. I also said that raw feeding had its supporters and its detractors and was perfectly happy to let any pet owner who was interested in it go and do the research for themselves, as they should do with just about anything.

Fact: wolves =/= dogs. I'm not saying they shouldn't do any research (just stating what our veterinarians say) so I don't appreciate the attitude. If you spend time and find out how to successfully feed a raw food diet then fine, whatever. Our vets don't recommend raw food diets because of the risks and because of the extensive research rquired. It's not something you can just read a webpage on and do. So yes, advocates and people against it. It wasn't some attack or anything.

[Tilo]

I forgot to ask about the 1 tsp. pureed pumpkin for constipation

[Silivren]

I give my dogs and my cats both Blue Buffalo VERY healthy and I swear by it, it stopped my kitties hairball/coughing problems and he has a much healthier appetite now. They also have treats for both cats and dogs. The food is awesome its expensive but very worth it for your pets health.

[zedxrgal]

Warning: I'm typing this from my phone cause I cant sleep so it may be a wacky read and hopefully all comes out right. *cracks knuckles*

All the foods listed in my first post I believe it was are top of the line foods for dogs AND cats. I wanted to make sure I posted options for both.

Second regarding the raw diet. Every vet I worked with leery of a raw diet simply because there are no regulations on how that stuff is truly prepared since it's not really regulated. So yes it can be a "serve at your own risk" thing. The meat put into those is usually meat that has not met the standards for human consumption or is an old animal etc. Buying butcher meat, yes is something you can do but again it extremely expensive especially if you have a large dog. Vets I worked with wouldn't ban or go against it because they sold food to it was purely that it truly may make the animal sick.

Getting to the wolves = dogs thing .......... this is yes true but everyone needs to keep in mind that wolves and dogs have been separated for hundereds of thousands of years through domestication and wolves have and are born with the natural enzymes and parasites in their digestive tract to break down ALL of a prey item which does include carion and rotting meats. Domestic dogs who have done this have become violently ill and some have died. Even in the wild wolves DO have a varied diet that includes wild fruits and berries. The closest carnivores that have this are bears only they're to the more extreme. But to say that because wolves eat only meat so dogs should to is, well not to put it rudely, a very uneducated opinion. Humans have made wolves to dogs ions ago and as such have developed them into omnivores. I'm sorry but dogs no longer have the physical make up to process what a wolf can eat.

So you cannot use our canine companions as a comparison to wolves.

Cats however you can compare to their wild lion cousins. Sounds odd but it's true. Cats have somehow kept their amazing (there's that word again lol) ability to be pure 100% carnivores through domestication and as such why cats need a significantly higher protein diet built up of mostly meats. Vets I've worked with have even stated that cats are the one animal that can safely be fed a raw meat only diet but again exercised caution in buying pre made raw pet foods.

IF a person chose to feed a raw meat diet I actually have a recipe that the San Diego Zoo uses for their carnivores. But again this IS NOT CHEAP even for a 12lb house cat. PM if interested but PLEASE be mindful the risks you'd be taking. FYI: (sorry just remembered this) Feeding raw does have a risk of giving a dog internal parasites and causing illness!

Hope this all sounds right.

[Rhapture]

My kitten and dogs are on Blue Buffalo. My vet feeds her pets this brand as well and recommends it over the brands they sell at the clinic I take them to. I have two dogs with allergy issues who are on the white fish and sweet potato dog food and the kitten is on the indoor health cat food. All of the pets have very soft and shiny coats and their skin conditions have improved soooo much since making the switch last year. I recommend this brand to anyone and most of my friends/family have changed their pets over also.

[Serendipity82]

In regards to the raw diet:

A lot of the top show dog breeders feed their animals raw diets. My old land lady also feeds her dog the raw diet. Not the stuff you buy prepackaged, but she physically went to the butcher and bought stuff. Her one dog had severe skin allergies and it cleared up right away on the raw diet. So, like people said before, if you have done your research, you can feed your dog a raw diet to the benefit of the dog. Her vet had originally told her not to do it - it would make her dogs sick etc. Her vet was eating his words 2 weeks later. And yes, the results showed up that fast.

My boss also recently put her dog on the raw diet as well and has had the same results. She feeds her dog venison, chicken, salmon etc. and has had no problems. And the dog's skin problems went away in less than 2 weeks.

The reason a lot of vets tell you not to try it is because it's the professionals from the dog food industry that educate them on food. I have 2 friends that went to vet school, and not one of their lecturers even mentioned the raw diet.

This isn't to say that the raw diet will work for every one, especially if you don't have the time to do it (because it does take time).

I don't have a dog at the time, but from the results my boss and previous land lady have gotten - Well, consider me a believer.

[Tilo]

they're both back on the good stuff now.

[Miraga]

they're both back on the good stuff now.

Is kitty feeling better?

[Rarako]

they're both back on the good stuff now.

Yay! How are they? Are their tummies still giving them problems? When one of my old cats wouldn't eat we bribed her with tuna and she would get back to normal.

I tried to find something about the baby food for you but I couldn't find anything conclusive. Sorry.

[Arantxa]

I feed my german shepherd blue buffalo and just recently changed her to Taste of the Wild since she was getting tired of eating the same food. All dry food. I also feed my cats blue buffalo (dry food as well). After much research they seem to be the best in the market, although a bit expensive. No by-products or other ingredients that are not good for them. So far, thank God, they are very healthy.

I rather pay a little more but know that what they are eating is good-in the long run it's well worth it. If you have animals, they are your kids so dont feed them what you wouldnt feed your own.

..and my dog and cats like to eat each other's food (which I have to keep an eye for)

[Arantxa]

this is my sable german shepherd Zaxa!

[Silivren]

this is my sable german shepherd Zaxa!

WHOS A PRETTY PUPPY!! ZAXA IS!!! /coo's at the pretty doggie <3

[Arantxa]

WHOS A PRETTY PUPPY!! ZAXA IS!!! /coo's at the pretty doggie <3

Thanks!!! I love her to death!!! She is the best ever!!

[Starzein]

great to see all the love for pets here, sad to hear your having issues with the food as you can see there are many options but pets like humans can have a myriad of likes /dislikes needs and even allergies, good luck finding what works best, it does seem there is alot of information about however alot by pet food manufactures and this can be mis-leading (vegetables are only added due to cost per weight, dogs in the wild eat about 1 -2 cups of grains and vegetables per year, the health benefit is at best unknown and the additives though they argue are beneficial are as yet unproven by real long term studies, that said domestic pets do live longer healthier lives, so the idea that commercial food is a good idea does seem valid, despite the vegetables being a human food source primarily and added for cost)
Cats are lactose intolerant some people dont realize this and its common practice to give a kitten milk or cream, I mention this just to show how tricky good diets can be for pets even a food source they may like might be having a detrimental effect, my cat loves milk, he doesnt know he shouldnt have it, he will steal drinks from a badly placed cup, it'll give him the runs but he doesnt know this it seems or doesnt care.....good luck anyway i hope you find the right mix for your furry ones, keep us updated on how it goes

[Suicune]

I mix one bag of Wellness Core with one bag of Blue Buffalo Wilderness for my cats. They get Core wet food and Wilderness wet food. Sometimes I mix it up and get them a few cans, or add in a bag of the Merrick cat food, B.G. is the name iirc. I only feed them Holistic food.

Regarding raw diets, animals have digestive systems capable of handling most of the substances that would make us sick. If they are prepared correctly they can be one of the healthiest food regimens. They go bad quickly and much care needs to be taken when using this type of food. I would never buy the pre-packaged raw diets for that reason- too much can go wrong. When preparing these diets yourself, you need to have the right mixture or you can deprive your pet of essential vitamins. This is why dogs and cats do not share diets, cats need a different balance then canines.

Over the years I have found that even vets/breeders are not always 100% correct on the best food. Most will be sponsored by a brand, and recommend it because they get a commission of sorts. Science Diet is one of those brands. This isn't saying the brands they recommend are terrible, but they aren't as good as others available. Remember, the first ingredients are the most important ones. If you see grain or by-products as the very first ingredient, you might want to look at a different brand.

[Tilo]

Cat's no longer constipated thankfully I really didn't want to have to take him to the vet for some insane bill later, like I did the dog on Saturday Think I might have to look into a new vet or something the bill was like double what it would've cost in a different city

Anyways, dog got healthy wet, cat got this 'elderly' wet food I think it's "Wellness" brand from the pet store, ya' know good healthy stuff, & both are on healthy dry.

Dog's been on wet past few days per doc. request, she got tired of the healthy wet, & does prefer "Pedigree-lamb & vegetables" or the healthy Tiki-diced chicken, which I'll get this weekend.

Wet for both normally is just a treat once a day, I've got a full can of that pedigree & I don't want it to go to waste either, so, they both do get some wet each day as a treat though.

[Rarako]

Good to here. Wellness is good my little girl just wont eat it, so picky....

If you fined that they lose interest in their wet food after a time you could try splitting what you give them normally into two servings and putting it out about four or more hours apart so their not overwhelmed by the portions (I have to do this otherwise Lyla will just not eat at all). Trying different brands every so often (like Mondays are Wellness days, Tuesdays are X brand, Wednesdays are Y) also helps with giving them a little variety and if your like I was, before I found a food that my kitties love, buying a few different types of food that you know are good when they go on sale (not just being tied to one) is great for your wallet. If Petsmart had Blue Buffalo cans on sale one week pick up a few cans, if Wellness is on sale at your Pet Health Store the week after do the same, and so on. This give them a bit of a switch up form "food boredom" and gives you a chance to see what they might like.

On a fun food note I came home to to a surprise today. It's taken me over a month for the ladies at my pet food store to get in my BG (I've gone through almost two 5lb bags of other food in the time it's taken to get it in). I picked up my hefty 11lb bag of Tuna (this will last around four months) and some caned food. If you've never seen BG, it is vacuum sealed so what you see is what you get, this also keeps most of the smell of food from escaping the bag. I had left the bag in the hall until I found somewhere to move it two (my kitchen had no room for its massiveness). The cats ignored it all yesterday while I was home, so I thought nothing of it, when I got back from work tonight it was sitting on the kitchen counter with a hole the size of a cats head in the side. Apparently the twins felt that they couldn't wait to finish their current food and decided to help themselves to the "good stuff." So now I have four big ziploc bags of cat food sitting in a drawer... Darn cats.

[Starzein]

QUOTE : 'is just a treat once a day',


This is all thats needed, even if its a bad treat only a well loved pet would get one every day....pets grow happy with love keep doing it.

[Tilo]

Rarako wrote BG

bg?

I got a big can of the um something naturals rice & chicken for dog, & cat got the regular naturals indoor elderly cat food, which he really likes. Missy just finished the last bit of pedigree canned so she'll get the naturals over the weekend, no her name isn't really Missy...