Nutrition for Your Dog

[malonetd]

I usually buy one of these about once every 4-6 weeks. He doesn’t even touch the stupid “treats” but he loves the blue toy part. He goes nuts every time is give him one. Then he chews into tiny pieces. The cost adds up, though, at about $22 a toy.

One time after he chewed one to pieces, he was stuffing his nose in between the couch cushions trying frantically to get something. He came up with a little 1 inch by 1 inch chunk of his toy and got so excited. It was buried treasure to him.

Just now I found this online:

doggoneclean.com

I might order one since they offer a guarantee.

[malonetd]

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:

one lady came in with her dogs, im in the aisle stocking cans and her dogs are jumping all over me. im like, excuse me, can you control your dogs please. then she drops the leash and im just like, are you serious? then she says, what, do you want to rumble? swear to god. and i just walked away.
[/quote]

I like that they let you bring your pet in there, but some people have no business owning a dog. Many people need to learn how to control and socialize their pets better.

I hate when I’m walking my dog through the park by my house – which is NOT a dog park, by the way – and suddenly some off-lease dog from out of nowhere will come full speed to meet my dog.

[dre]

malonetd - what breed is your dog?

[malonetd]

[quote]dre wrote:
malonetd - what breed is your dog?[/quote]

American Pitbull Terrier

There’s a couple pics in my profile.

[dre]

[quote]malonetd wrote:
LiveFromThe781 wrote:

one lady came in with her dogs, im in the aisle stocking cans and her dogs are jumping all over me. im like, excuse me, can you control your dogs please. then she drops the leash and im just like, are you serious? then she says, what, do you want to rumble? swear to god. and i just walked away.

I like that they let you bring your pet in there, but some people have no business owning a dog. Many people need to learn how to control and socialize their pets better.

I hate when I’m walking my dog through the park by my house – which is NOT a dog park, by the way – and suddenly some off-lease dog from out of nowhere will come full speed to meet my dog.[/quote]

That has got to be one of my biggest pet peeves, unleashed dogs.

[LiveFromThe781]

[quote]malonetd wrote:
LiveFromThe781 wrote:

I hate when I’m walking my dog through the park by my house – which is NOT a dog park, by the way – and suddenly some off-lease dog from out of nowhere will come full speed to meet my dog.[/quote]

yeah, and some people need socialization education themselves.

the bring your dog inside the store policy is raped so bad. people just let their dogs walk around and shit and piss however they please. theres these things called “oops stations” which are set up so you can clean up after YOUR dog.

im walking by a dog turd one day and i just wasnt in the mood to clean it, then i walk by a coworker in the Aviary and she says, can you tell that lady to pick up her dog’s crap. so i do, but the lady says she didnt do it. i go back and say to my co-worker, well, she said it wasnt her dog. then my co-worker says, i just watched it happen. just goes to show how lazy people can be. or how completely oblivious of whats going on around them they are.

there was another lady who’d come in with these 4 little yapper lap dogs. shed just walk around casually as her dogs caused a disruptance by barking at every person and every dog in the store.

most people really didnt last working at that store too long.

[dre]

[quote]malonetd wrote:
dre wrote:
malonetd - what breed is your dog?

American Pitbull Terrier

There’s a couple pics in my profile.[/quote]

Nice looking dog!

[whotookmyname]

I usually go with Wellness Fish or Super 5 Mix for my lil’ Staffordshire Bull Terriers. I believe in mixing things up regularly though (they have hardy stomachs) just because I don’t totally trust any one manufacturer to provide 100% of their nutrition, day-in-day-out.

[jehovasfitness]

I buy Artemis $47 per 33 lb bag I’m thinking of switching brands. It got high ratings, but her coat does a lot better giving her 1 Flameout a day than Artemis as food.

[Vegita]

[quote]dre wrote:
You can also use this website to find out how your dog food stacks up.

Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

[/quote]

Wow great site. I bookmarked it.

V

[Firebug9]

[quote]rrjc5488 wrote:
sluicy wrote:
malonetd wrote:

Right now I’m more interested in finding a chew toy that will last more than two weeks with my dog. It’s ridiculous the amount of “indestructible” toys my dog has ripped through.

x100!!
Let me know when you find one

Seriously.

I can, with fingers, count on one hand how many minutes it took him to shred those indestructable fire hose toys. Fuckin’ liars.

A cinder block, maybe?[/quote]

Funny, my dog loves to play with rocks. His other favorite is water bottles…so I recycle

[dre]

[quote]Firebug9 wrote:
rrjc5488 wrote:
sluicy wrote:
malonetd wrote:

Right now I’m more interested in finding a chew toy that will last more than two weeks with my dog. It’s ridiculous the amount of “indestructible” toys my dog has ripped through.

x100!!
Let me know when you find one

Seriously.

I can, with fingers, count on one hand how many minutes it took him to shred those indestructable fire hose toys. Fuckin’ liars.

A cinder block, maybe?

Funny, my dog loves to play with rocks. His other favorite is water bottles…so I recycle ;-)[/quote]

My friends have a big Golden Retreiver that will hunt rocks. It’s the funniest thing ever. He quietly sneaks up on them and then pounces!

[Cephalic_Carnage]

[quote]Vegita wrote:
I’m sure we have many pet owners here. I myself have a pitt/hound mix who is adorable and loving. Well being the nutrition minded individual I am, I started thinking about just what I am feeding my dog. I generally try to get one of the more expensive bags of food because it will have better ingredients etc… I have been using Bil Jac, which you can buy at petsmart.

Well after reading review after review of doog food brands online I cam across a guy who put a comment in one of the reviews. He directed the reviewer to this website. http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

Turns out a lot or most dog foods that you buy in a grocery store and even a pet store are not all that good for your dog (same for cats too). Well I have been reading up on this ladys website for a few days now and have switched to a grain free dogfood from Orijen, which I have to buy online.

But the company has a good reputation and doesn’t do any tricks with thier labels. If you care about your pets health and wellbeing, please check out the website above. It’s kinda like T-Nation for your dog.

V[/quote]

Haven’t read the rest of the thread yet, but want to share a quick story:

My first dog was a Hoverwart (Sort of like a bigger version of the Golden Retriever with a differently colored nose and longer fur, perfect family dog and very intelligent. Too intelligent for his own good, actually.) and we basically fed him (loin?)ribs all the time… He stayed perfectly healthy throughout his life and died with 16… No joint problems or bald spots and such.

My parents got themselves a Rottweiler pup 3 or so years ago… And feed him mostly with the dogfood you can buy in the stores… Tried just about every brand we have over here. He gets some meat, too (for fear of a canine rebellion ;D), but not very often.

Anyway… I obviously can’t say for sure whether it’s just the different race or if it’s because of the food, but he has developed a slew of health and digestion issues etc… Doesn’t like the dogfood one bit either. I don’t think that stuff is all that great…
In fact I think it’s flat out unhealthy… Sort of the canine equivalent of the typical hi-fructose corn-syrup+low protein diet of today

[Cephalic_Carnage]

[quote]dre wrote:
Firebug9 wrote:
rrjc5488 wrote:
sluicy wrote:
malonetd wrote:

Right now I’m more interested in finding a chew toy that will last more than two weeks with my dog. It’s ridiculous the amount of “indestructible” toys my dog has ripped through.

x100!!
Let me know when you find one

Seriously.

I can, with fingers, count on one hand how many minutes it took him to shred those indestructable fire hose toys. Fuckin’ liars.

A cinder block, maybe?

Funny, my dog loves to play with rocks. His other favorite is water bottles…so I recycle

My friends have a big Golden Retreiver that will hunt rocks. It’s the funniest thing ever. He quietly sneaks up on them and then pounces![/quote]

My parent’s Rottweiler plays with all sorts of soccer balls… Against himself. And nobody has a clue as to where he got that from

[sluicy]

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
Vegita wrote:
I’m sure we have many pet owners here. I myself have a pitt/hound mix who is adorable and loving. Well being the nutrition minded individual I am, I started thinking about just what I am feeding my dog. I generally try to get one of the more expensive bags of food because it will have better ingredients etc… I have been using Bil Jac, which you can buy at petsmart.

Well after reading review after review of doog food brands online I cam across a guy who put a comment in one of the reviews. He directed the reviewer to this website. http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

Turns out a lot or most dog foods that you buy in a grocery store and even a pet store are not all that good for your dog (same for cats too). Well I have been reading up on this ladys website for a few days now and have switched to a grain free dogfood from Orijen, which I have to buy online.

But the company has a good reputation and doesn’t do any tricks with thier labels. If you care about your pets health and wellbeing, please check out the website above. It’s kinda like T-Nation for your dog.

V

Haven’t read the rest of the thread yet, but want to share a quick story:

My first dog was a Hoverwart (Sort of like a bigger version of the Golden Retriever with a differently colored nose and longer fur, perfect family dog and very intelligent. Too intelligent for his own good, actually.) and we basically fed him (loin?)ribs all the time… He stayed perfectly healthy throughout his life and died with 16… No joint problems or bald spots and such.

My parents got themselves a Rottweiler pup 3 or so years ago… And feed him mostly with the dogfood you can buy in the stores… Tried just about every brand we have over here. He gets some meat, too (for fear of a canine rebellion ;D), but not very often.

Anyway… I obviously can’t say for sure whether it’s just the different race or if it’s because of the food, but he has developed a slew of health and digestion issues etc… Doesn’t like the dogfood one bit either. I don’t think that stuff is all that great…
In fact I think it’s flat out unhealthy… Sort of the canine equivalent of the typical hi-fructose corn-syrup+low protein diet of today ;)[/quote]

Agree. Most dog food is about as processed with crap ingredients as you can get. If you’re buying from Wal-Mart, the grocery store, Petco, Petsmart… your dog is not getting what they need. Many people think that a premium or super-premium diet is too expensive but the caloric density is so much heavier that it makes up for it.

Both of the veterinarians I used to work for advocated raw or home prepared diets, and we never saw a salmonella case (dogs have some incredible bacteria in that mouth). Many premium food companies make “alternative to raw” foods for dogs and cats.

I’m also a big fan of feeding “people food” (silly label) to dogs. They need variety too. (As long as it’s not harmful, e.g. grapes.)

[Vegita]

[quote]sluicy wrote:
Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
Vegita wrote:
I’m sure we have many pet owners here. I myself have a pitt/hound mix who is adorable and loving. Well being the nutrition minded individual I am, I started thinking about just what I am feeding my dog.

I generally try to get one of the more expensive bags of food because it will have better ingredients etc… I have been using Bil Jac, which you can buy at petsmart.

Well after reading review after review of doog food brands online I cam across a guy who put a comment in one of the reviews. He directed the reviewer to this website. http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

Turns out a lot or most dog foods that you buy in a grocery store and even a pet store are not all that good for your dog (same for cats too). Well I have been reading up on this ladys website for a few days now and have switched to a grain free dogfood from Orijen, which I have to buy online.

But the company has a good reputation and doesn’t do any tricks with thier labels. If you care about your pets health and wellbeing, please check out the website above. It’s kinda like T-Nation for your dog.

V

Haven’t read the rest of the thread yet, but want to share a quick story:

My first dog was a Hoverwart (Sort of like a bigger version of the Golden Retriever with a differently colored nose and longer fur, perfect family dog and very intelligent. Too intelligent for his own good, actually.) and we basically fed him (loin?)ribs all the time… He stayed perfectly healthy throughout his life and died with 16… No joint problems or bald spots and such.

My parents got themselves a Rottweiler pup 3 or so years ago… And feed him mostly with the dogfood you can buy in the stores… Tried just about every brand we have over here. He gets some meat, too (for fear of a canine rebellion ;D), but not very often.

Anyway… I obviously can’t say for sure whether it’s just the different race or if it’s because of the food, but he has developed a slew of health and digestion issues etc… Doesn’t like the dogfood one bit either. I don’t think that stuff is all that great…

In fact I think it’s flat out unhealthy… Sort of the canine equivalent of the typical hi-fructose corn-syrup+low protein diet of today

Agree. Most dog food is about as processed with crap ingredients as you can get. If you’re buying from Wal-Mart, the grocery store, Petco, Petsmart… your dog is not getting what they need. Many people think that a premium or super-premium diet is too expensive but the caloric density is so much heavier that it makes up for it.

Both of the veterinarians I used to work for advocated raw or home prepared diets, and we never saw a salmonella case (dogs have some incredible bacteria in that mouth). Many premium food companies make “alternative to raw” foods for dogs and cats.

I’m also a big fan of feeding “people food” (silly label) to dogs. They need variety too. (As long as it’s not harmful, e.g. grapes.)[/quote]

How do you know whats harmful? Why are grapes harmful?

V

[dre]

[quote]sluicy wrote:
I’m also a big fan of feeding “people food” (silly label) to dogs. They need variety too. (As long as it’s not harmful, e.g. grapes.)[/quote]

Holy sh*t, how did I not know that grapes were bad for dogs? I was giving my dog some a couple weeks ago. I’m an idiot.

edit: Rumor: Grapes are Harmful for Dogs

In 2004, another ?Warning to Dog Owners? began circulating. This one claimed that grapes and raisins can cause renal failure in canines.

The story was quickly picked up by a number of veterinary and general-interest news sites?and as it turns out, it, too, is true. Dogs can become fatally ill after ingesting grapes and raisins.

In some dogs, as few as seven raisins brought on symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, and shaking. The fruits can cause the kidneys to shut down, and often, even aggressive treatment is unsuccessful.

No one is sure why grapes and raisins cause this reaction in dogs. All dog owners should refrain from feeding grapes and raisins as treats to their dogs, and keep them well out of reach. If you suspect your dog has ingested grapes, or if he starts showing symptoms, contact your vet immediately.

[Cephalic_Carnage]

[quote]dre wrote:
sluicy wrote:
I’m also a big fan of feeding “people food” (silly label) to dogs. They need variety too. (As long as it’s not harmful, e.g. grapes.)

Holy sh*t, how did I not know that grapes were bad for dogs? I was giving my dog some a couple weeks ago. I’m an idiot.

edit: Rumor: Grapes are Harmful for Dogs

In 2004, another ?Warning to Dog Owners? began circulating. This one claimed that grapes and raisins can cause renal failure in canines.

The story was quickly picked up by a number of veterinary and general-interest news sites?and as it turns out, it, too, is true. Dogs can become fatally ill after ingesting grapes and raisins.

In some dogs, as few as seven raisins brought on symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, and shaking. The fruits can cause the kidneys to shut down, and often, even aggressive treatment is unsuccessful.

No one is sure why grapes and raisins cause this reaction in dogs. All dog owners should refrain from feeding grapes and raisins as treats to their dogs, and keep them well out of reach. If you suspect your dog has ingested grapes, or if he starts showing symptoms, contact your vet immediately.[/quote]

How the hell do you get a dog to eat a grape or raisins?

None of the dogs I “personally know” would ever eat something that’s not either meat or stuff that smells like meat…

[sluicy]

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:

How the hell do you get a dog to eat a grape or raisins?
None of the dogs I “personally know” would ever eat something that’s not either meat or stuff that smells like meat…
[/quote]

I think, from my own experience and research, which certainly is not hugely extensive, that dogs have very specialized (compared to humans) food preferences based upon the history of the breed.

Smaller dogs in general were bred to be companion animals (i.e. chihuahuas were bred to accompany South American royalty and ate generally vegetables) while larger dogs were bred to require a much higher protein diet (i.e. mastiffs were bred to fight wars and survive on a diet of dead people or animals they fought).

My AB/mastiff mix won’t touch fruits or vegetables, but my little golden retriever used to love grapes. I’m assuming that most people on this site have larger, historically carnivorous dogs, which wouldn’t like grapes (you mentioned your parents’ Rottie).

[sluicy]

The specific danger in grapes is the tannic acid in the skins. So, no raisins or wine either for your lovely pooches.

Some other people-foods harmful to dogs are nuts which contain the same tannic acids in the skins, such as walnuts and macadamia nuts, ditto for naturally occurring nuts such as acorns or chestnuts in north America; also avacado and onion.