What dog food?

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pavel131
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Re: What dog food?

Post by pavel131 »

Hi,don't get on here much, but I do peruse now and again. Am always impressed with all the tips and advice.
Anyway. Am having a whinge really. I have a lovely Lab/Newfoundland x bitch. At five years old, she weighs in at 57Kg, a big girl I know; but in proportion.
I have tried in vane to persuade my other half to convert to feeding her raw. To no avail.
As she keeps reminding me "I worked for a vets practice for five years" so I know best.
I try to point out that most of these dry foods, are bulked out with cereal. Not a diet for dogs, I try to say.
She will have none of it. I counter by saying "evolution wise, dogs are one step from wolves"
She says that vets know best, but I say they are guided by vested interests.
I have read on many forums relating to canine welfare, that the BARF diet is by far the best way to go.
Personally, I don't mind if it is more expensive, I would gladly pay.
Anyway, rant over with. Just want what is best for my Bonnie.
I am an Dyslexic agnostic insomniac. I lay awake all night wondering if there really is a dog.
Gwenoakes
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Re: What dog food?

Post by Gwenoakes »

Ask your wife to ask the vets how much training on nutrition they got throughout their 7 years to become a vet...........the answer is approx half a day..........experts on diets......my foot! Sorry but that really, really annoys me.

If she is dead set against the raw, point her towards Millies Wolf Heart food which is dry kibble without ANY cereal. They are based up north and the reason they started their business was because they had dogs with tummy issues which their vets couldnt sort.

I wish you luck.
Mercedes
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Re: What dog food?

Post by Mercedes »

When you change a dog over to raw food you actually do it overnight, which tends to go against how we change their food normally. With Daisy we gave her a kibble meal for her dinner and the next morning started on the raw food and she was fine. I think the reasoning behind it is that kibble and raw digest at different rates so if you mix them in the same meal you are more likely to get an upset tummy than if you just do a straight swap. Considering how ill Daisy had been with her colitis she never had any problems at all.

As for vets being against raw food, well I'm at the stage now where I have no faith in them at all, based purely on their attitude towards raw feeding. We know vets learn what little they know about nutrition from the kibble manufacturers, yet they will stand there and look you in the eye and outright lie about the rubbish they sell. If they can lie about food, then as far as I am concerned they can pretty much lie about anything they want, for example the benefits of vaccinations, chemical flea treatments and all the other stuff they sell {mr.angry}
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jemberelli
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Re: What dog food?

Post by jemberelli »

That's good to know about changing them over, thanks Mercedes! I have just about convinced hubby that BARF is the way to go and he is resigned to buying a new freezer so that we have the room for the stuff!
No girls at the moment but look forward to getting more in the future. Proud mummy to Hector, a Bedlington Terrier x Jack Russell
pavel131
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Re: What dog food?

Post by pavel131 »

Thanks for all your advice. It is much appreciated.
Don't hold out much hope, unless my Bonnie gets a bad upset stomach. Even when she does, my wife gives her rice and vegetable.
Food wise, she costs us a little over £25 a month; which given her size is good.
I would gladly pay £75 a month. But hey, there is no hope.
Thanks anyway folks.u
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HazellB
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Re: What dog food?

Post by HazellB »

Gwenoakes wrote:.... approx half a day..........experts on diets......my foot! Sorry but that really, really annoys me.



That's really unfair in my opinion. They are interested in animals and I'm sure that means they continue to learn rather than just have that half day (which is fantasy actually, as it's far more) and never think about diet again.

Feeding dogs is simple. Ask 100 dogs and you'll get ten answers. Ask 100 owners and you'll get 101 answers!
If the dog looks fine and digests it's food, stick with what you're on. If not, change. I sell dog food for a living and I can tell you that's probably the best advice you'll ever get - use your eyes and leave well alone if the dog's happy.
One thing I will add though - don't be fooled by price. If it's £50 a 12kg sack, it's probably NOT worth it. If it's £30, it's probably worth £15. If it's a tenner cash, it's probably worth a tenner. I know the advertising budgets many brands have and can tell you they often spend a fiver PER SACK sold on adverts and free handouts. Many of those adverts are aimed at retailers like me, so the public doesn't even see them. Some brands waste hundreds of thousands on trade show, country fair and dog show pitches, all of which goes on the sack price of course. So, price is no indication of worth in dog foods. The dog eating it is the very best indication every time.

(I feed my Saluki Red Mills Engage and cooked fatty lamb at the moment, the Jack Russell gets mixer and whatever has been ripped or unsold in my shop. They are both extremely healthy, happy beasties)
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Spreckly
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Re: What dog food?

Post by Spreckly »

I have forgotten how to copy and paste on a thread, but a question for Lynne. )ot:

If you don't use chemical flea treatments, etc., what do you use instead. I am aware of homeopathic treatments for vaccines, in fact Nation was on them for a while until the vet battered my resistance down.

Some sheltie people are unhappy with chemical flea treatments and vaccines, but I am interested to know what you are using instead?
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Re: What dog food?

Post by Mercedes »

I get Daisy's non chemical remedy from a company called Herbal Pet Supplies, they have a page on facebook. I've got something called 'No More Bites' which contains aqueous quassia bark, bitter apple extract, lemongrass and lavender and I just put some drops on the back of her neck every week. Whether it works or not I guess it's too early to tell, but I really don't like using Advocate every month.

There is also something called Billy No Mates which once again is a herbal remedy.
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wendy
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Re: What dog food?

Post by wendy »

I don't de flea until I see a flea and then I powder only.
Having said that I have never had to de flea Josie, who is 11 next month, because she has never had fleas. So obviously Dave, at 5, has never been done either.
I treat fleas like I do a headache. I cure it when I have it.
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Re: What dog food?

Post by Mercedes »

wendy wrote:I don't de flea until I see a flea and then I powder only.
Having said that I have never had to de flea Josie, who is 11 next month, because she has never had fleas. So obviously Dave, at 5, has never been done either.
I treat fleas like I do a headache. I cure it when I have it.


I think that's the right way to do it Wendy, I don't mind putting the herbal drops on Daisy as they aren't chemicals so they won't do her any harm. We hardly ever used anything on Mishka when we had her and she never had fleas or worms :-D
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Spreckly
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Re: What dog food?

Post by Spreckly »

Lynn and Wendy, thank you for your information on flea remedies. Will bear that in mind for future reference.

)ot: Unsure whether Angel got her flea (few weeks since now) from my son's Yorkie, or brought it with her, though I did a close inspection when she had her first brush here. The Yorkie was crawling with fleas, which had been Fron.....ed (I use this), and he had to get flea shampoo to sort the problem out. He blamed us, but privately, we blame the Yorkie!!
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Re: What dog food?

Post by Gwenoakes »

HazellB wrote:
Gwenoakes wrote:.... approx half a day..........experts on diets......my foot! Sorry but that really, really annoys me.



That's really unfair in my opinion. They are interested in animals and I'm sure that means they continue to learn rather than just have that half day (which is fantasy actually, as it's far more) and never think about diet again.

I was actually told that by a vet, Hazell, so in his eyes I dont believe it was fantasy or unfair and if vets do look into food and continue to learn why do they insist on trying to encourage you to feed kibble with cereals in? That also came from the same vet who was looking into the diets of dogs more thoroughly.

Also, now I am on a roll, LOL, why do vets insist on giving injections to dogs every 12 months when several have told me as long ago as the 60's that the effects last for a good 18 months if not longer, so technically they are being double dosed for 6 months. There is a blood test you can have to see if they have resistance for several of the well known dog diseases and also poo worm counts too which covers the majority of the worms although not all as it does not cover all in horses.

Once again I will have to agree to disagree on the above. LOL
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wendy
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Re: What dog food?

Post by wendy »

A good few years ago I went on a seminar about dog food and was told the same Gwen.
Half a day and sponsored by a big manufacturer.
My vet also gives injections at 8 weeks and says take them out tomorrow. I have been doing this since 1982 and never, ever had a sickly puppy.
I don't vaccinate my dogs after 3 years of age. My vet stops vaccinating after 6. If the owner wants.
This is MY opinion and I do not force that or raw feeding on anyone. But I do tell if people ask. My dogs have all lived to a good age and certainly none have died of a disease the vaccines protect against and they have all died of different old age problems. Not all of them through cancer, which I see a lot of kibble fed dogs dying of.
I have seen a number of puppies die after their first vaccination though. I have seen a great number nearly die, or be extremely ill, through these things on the back of their neck in my puppy classes Also a number of dogs who would do so much better on a healthy raw diet rather than kibble, in my 40 years of dog training. I must have had hundreds of dogs through my hands.
We all need to be aware what we are putting into, onto and injecting in our dogs.
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Spreckly
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Re: What dog food?

Post by Spreckly »

)ot: Lynn - I can't find Herbal Pet Supplies online, we don't do facebook. Is it Dorwest? I have just had a sort out of my dog file, and threw the old one out!

Wendy - what flea powder do you use, please.
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Re: What dog food?dunno

Post by wendy »

Dunno. I get it from the vet. & I haven,t bought it for 11 years. :-D :-D
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