babyreba wrote:I feed both raw meat and cooked meat, raw veggies and cooked veggies, and also kibble. I feed my dogs as I see fit, and their diets vary, though the staple for each is different. Reba eats lots of raw meat and bones, as opposed to the puppy who eats more kibble and less raw meat and bones because he seems to have a sensitive system and kibble suits him well.
My dogs eat very well, and the things they get with the staple part of their diet changes frequently, depending on the day, depending on my mood that week, depending on whether I'm traveling, depending on what's on sale at the grocery store, depending on what I need to defrost from my freezer that week, depending on how much of what they've been getting lately and what I think they might need to supplement that . . .
Today they might have chicken livers and rice and bee pollen with green beans (Reba needs the extra fiber) and olive oil . . . tonight, they might have kibble. Tomorrow might be an all-kibble day, the next day might be boiled hamburger with their kibble or raw bones because I had to use up some chopped meat that was sitting in my fridge for a few days. . .
I guess what I'm getting at is that feeding dogs isn't really an exact science and just like with people, you can feed them variety and natural foods without having to worry that you're not getting them exact ratios of every single thing, as long as you feed them a balanced diet . . . no one necessarily has the "right" answer for what you feed your dog--I feed mine a combinations of things that they like (because I love to watch my dogs enjoy their food!), things that I know to be healthy for them, things my vet has recommended (she is a big fan of adding natural things to my dogs' diets, by the way), things I'm comfortable with, and things that others have recommended.
I've fed raw meat and bones to my puppy fosters, and I've also fed kibble to puppy fosters, and all my puppy fosters have thrived. My adult dogs have done great on Wellness, and others have also really done well eating raw . . . I can't say I totally favor kibble over raw or vice versa for a variety of reasons (the convenience factor of kibble being a big one for me!) . . .
I think that all the studies about salmonella in raw meat and the choking on bones and the vomitoxin in grains stuff . . . well you take chances in life with everything you do.
I could not walk my dogs in the park on the off chance that they might pick up a parasite. But I'm willing to take the chance so they can enjoy their lives and I can relax and enjoy them.
concreterose wrote:I feed Solomon half raw and half kibble. He gets a cup of nature's variety venison in me morning and a raw meal or fish at night. He loves both and flips his bowl around in his crate when he's finished and makes the cutest little grunty piggy noises! I've only had him two and a half weeks, but I already notice how much more beautiful his coat looks...and with a lot of exercise, his already muscular body is really defined! I feed Vicki all raw, but sometimes she gets NV if I forget to unthaw something...she looks great too!
Magnolia618 wrote:concreterose wrote:I feed Solomon half raw and half kibble. He gets a cup of nature's variety venison in me morning and a raw meal or fish at night. He loves both and flips his bowl around in his crate when he's finished and makes the cutest little grunty piggy noises! I've only had him two and a half weeks, but I already notice how much more beautiful his coat looks...and with a lot of exercise, his already muscular body is really defined! I feed Vicki all raw, but sometimes she gets NV if I forget to unthaw something...she looks great too!
and your dogs look beauuutiful!
concreterose wrote:Darn...the other topic was locked! Oh well, I'll add the post I was going to put there onto this thread:
If you can't afford a higher quality kibble,and don't want to feed raw meat, there are things you can do to give your dogs extra nutritional bonuses that don't cost an arm and a leg! My neighbor feeds purina beneful, but she has started adding a few things at my suggestion and is starting to notice a difference in her dogs. Some things you can add (and the dogs love the change in routine and yummy extras):
Jack mackeral (about $1 per can)
Eggs (cooked or boiled for about 2 minutes)
Canned salmon...it's always on sale somewhere! I can usually find it for about $1 a can. Canned salmon is the one fish that packs a powerful nutritional punch even though it's cooked!
Canned sardines (packed in water, not oil) less than $1 per tin...this is a highly nutritious addition, especially if you add an egg to it. Sardines are a very clean fish.
Chicken gizzards...the dogs LOVE them and they are cheap, cheap, cheap!
If you are averse to feeding raw, boil them quickly, it doesn't take long.
Chicken necks are one chicken part that can be boiled w/the bone and fed cooked (this is because chicken neck bones don't splinter, they get very soft and crumbly when you cook them).
concreterose wrote:Darn...the other topic was locked! Oh well, I'll add the post I was going to put there onto this thread:
If you can't afford a higher quality kibble,and don't want to feed raw meat, there are things you can do to give your dogs extra nutritional bonuses that don't cost an arm and a leg! My neighbor feeds purina beneful, but she has started adding a few things at my suggestion and is starting to notice a difference in her dogs. Some things you can add (and the dogs love the change in routine and yummy extras):
Jack mackeral (about $1 per can)
Eggs (cooked or boiled for about 2 minutes)
Canned salmon...it's always on sale somewhere! I can usually find it for about $1 a can. Canned salmon is the one fish that packs a powerful nutritional punch even though it's cooked!
Canned sardines (packed in water, not oil) less than $1 per tin...this is a highly nutritious addition, especially if you add an egg to it. Sardines are a very clean fish.
Chicken gizzards...the dogs LOVE them and they are cheap, cheap, cheap!
If you are averse to feeding raw, boil them quickly, it doesn't take long.
Chicken necks are one chicken part that can be boiled w/the bone and fed cooked (this is because chicken neck bones don't splinter, they get very soft and crumbly when you cook them).
LindsaySF wrote:concreterose wrote:Darn...the other topic was locked! Oh well, I'll add the post I was going to put there onto this thread:
If you can't afford a higher quality kibble,and don't want to feed raw meat, there are things you can do to give your dogs extra nutritional bonuses that don't cost an arm and a leg! My neighbor feeds purina beneful, but she has started adding a few things at my suggestion and is starting to notice a difference in her dogs. Some things you can add (and the dogs love the change in routine and yummy extras):
Jack mackeral (about $1 per can)
Eggs (cooked or boiled for about 2 minutes)
Canned salmon...it's always on sale somewhere! I can usually find it for about $1 a can. Canned salmon is the one fish that packs a powerful nutritional punch even though it's cooked!
Canned sardines (packed in water, not oil) less than $1 per tin...this is a highly nutritious addition, especially if you add an egg to it. Sardines are a very clean fish.
Chicken gizzards...the dogs LOVE them and they are cheap, cheap, cheap!
If you are averse to feeding raw, boil them quickly, it doesn't take long.
Chicken necks are one chicken part that can be boiled w/the bone and fed cooked (this is because chicken neck bones don't splinter, they get very soft and crumbly when you cook them).
Thanks for this post.
My dogs get many treats with their kibble, including cooked meats, dried chicken jerky, and leftover veggies that the rabbit doesn't want. I also add fish oil and vitamin supplements.
The sardines and salmon I haven't tried though. But I will probably have to lock the cats away. They already try to eat the dogs' food, so I can only imagine their reaction to fish!
~Lindsay~
LindsaySF wrote:And thanks for leaving the drama of the other thread in the other thread.
SpiritFngrz wrote:Yah that's what I was thinking, like what you do. Raw for one meal and kibble for the other, that way if someone else has to feed her she'll still eat the kibble.
Any kibble brands that are better then others?
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