What Do You Feed Your Dog?

[Tony Clifton]

I have bought dry dog food on a few occasions and even the soi dogs won't touch the stuff, even the Pedigree brand. My previous dog loved fried or boiled eggs, this pup doesn't. It wouldn't eat canned or frozen dog meat.

We have tried dry dog food again yesterday and it spits it back out. Soaked it in milk, same thing.

I used to buy the cheapest meat I could find at Tesco and cooked up a batch mixed with rice every 2 or 3 days. I don't mind cooking meat for the dog every now and then but prepared dog food is so much easier.

What do you feed your dog?

[Tywais]

Might browse through this topic > http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=88385

I used to use Pedigree dry but doing some research found it was not a good choice. Funny thing, our Golden, if I mix the cooked pork/chicken/etc with Pedigree it ends up half eaten every time. Have been using Alpo dry dog food and mixing the same things in it he eats every little bit of it.

[Jet Gorgon]

Hi, Tony. A bit of raw beef is ok with some rice. Cooked pork and chicken. Do a batch and freeze daily portions. I noted in the cat thread, I cooked the small flat wihite fish with rice, take out the bones and serve. Puppies sometimes like banana. Sometimes cooked carrots, cauliflower. I never give cow milk or chocolate. And lots of rawhide bones when they are teething. Saves the furniture. My beach dogs would eat pedigree kibble in a pinch, but never really liked it, and after the scare a few years ago about it causing kidney (I think) probs, I never bought it again.

All my dogs ate chicken bones, but that horrifies many dog owners. Do you have a pedigree or rescued dog? Peddies can be fussy. Bambina and Macb will know answers to that.

[Emilio]

I have bought dry dog food on a few occasions and even the soi dogs won't touch the stuff, even the Pedigree brand. My previous dog loved fried or boiled eggs, this pup doesn't. It wouldn't eat canned or frozen dog meat.

We have tried dry dog food again yesterday and it spits it back out. Soaked it in milk, same thing.

I used to buy the cheapest meat I could find at Tesco and cooked up a batch mixed with rice every 2 or 3 days. I don't mind cooking meat for the dog every now and then but prepared dog food is so much easier.

What do you feed your dog?

Perhaps your puppy is used to the food you prepared and it wouldn't touch any other food. I made my dog eat Candidate mix with Pedigree beef and a quarter of a boiled egg, since he was a puppy. If I started giving my dog same food you prepared, he wouldn't go back to canned food!!! In this case what do you intend to do if im right?

[solent01]

I feed my boy Eukanuba, dry dog food, he loves it, I was always told dogs should not be given cows milk as they can't digest it properly, something about a certain enzyme....?

[Tony Clifton]

Forgot to mention it was soy milk that I mixed wit the dry dog food, I knew about chocolate or milk.

She's a rescued pup. Looks like she's half-rotweiler. We've only had her for two days.

Edited March 5, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[Emilio]

Forgot to mention it was soy milk that I mixed wit the dry dog food, I knew about chocolate or milk.

She's a rescued pup. Looks like she's half-rotweiler. We've only had her for two days.

Cute and she looks shy!!!!

[bina]

two days!!!; some new dogs wont eat much for a while. it takes them a few weeks to really acclimate. just as long as she's drinking water, wait . give her the food. leave it for a short time (10-20 minutes.). take it away. offer again later. (dont mix wet stuff it gets yucky if it sits. or, prepare new amount every time). try a few days. dogs rarely get anorexic unless the food is really really disgusting.

make sure to check physical problems as well if she is a rescue. worming; teething age etc.

in any case, if she is physical in ok condition, then:

dont tempt her.

dont give snacks.

dont keep changing the type of food.

try the same type for a week or so. keep track of her weight. if she's peeing and pooping, then keep with it. if it doesnt work, try a variation of the same thing. or try offerring her a different dry food mixed and see which she picks out first. make sure the size of the kibble fits her mouth. smaller kibbles are usually better. make sure its in an area that she will associate with meals. dont change her food bowl placement. double check that the food bowl fits her (head size, muzzle, she can reach the food and eat without exerting herself. flat nosed breeds need good bowls or they dont eat well.)

dont over feed her. double check what the portion is for her breed/size.

animals dont like change for the most part. they like shcedules. if its a pup: peepee, play, feed, wait half an hour, peepee sleep wakeup peepee, play peepee feed etc. in that order more or less. once she has a schedule, she will be hungry on time, and eat all her food.

cows milk causes diahrrea. how old is she btw??? if she is very young then need to rethink the food thing: perhaps scrambled egg mixes with rice and some soft kibble. maybe she wasnt totally weaned? and if she's a rescue make sure she's wormed.

bina

Edited March 5, 2007 by bina

[November Rain]

Did she come from a rescue centre? If so, check back with them to see what they fed her. Bina's right, it can take a while for them to get used to new food. Usually takes up to a week for some of our new dogs to start eating properly. She also may have stopped eating because she's nervous about her new situation. As long as she's not ill (check with vet), she'll eat when she's hungry, so don't make a rod for your own back by tempting her with delicacies that you won't be prepared to continue feeding her. That is how pickiness starts, dogs can be manipulative...

[quiksilva]

In my quest for a dog I went to a champion breeder's kennels yesterday. I was very impressed, it was an absolutely first class establishment, he shows huskies, labs, and goldens, on both the local and international circuits.

He swears by goat's milk for young pups and feeds the dogs kibble.

[elfe]

if i had only one dog i would spoil it

[MsFigure]

Don't stress too much if he is not eating, as like a few have mentioned already - he needs to get used to his new surroundings as he may be a little nervous. Another thing is, don't fall into the trap of pampering to his feeding needs too much (only causes trouble down the road) - If he won't eat what you give him now, I can guarantee he will eat it when he is hungry enough

Side note, avoid the cows milk for reasons already mentioned, although heard excellent things about goats milk but nothing beats feresh water.

I'd also be wary of Pedigree AND IAMS/Eukanuba products. Have heard A LOT of nasty things about their foods including the fact that euthanised animals are used in their products. Disturbing IAMS/Eukanuba Information

We feed our dogs a combination of Nutro Choice (puppy formula large breed for your dog) and real food. Have also had good results with Royal Canin and Canidae when we could get it, but Nutro is by far the best for our dogs.

But nothing beats real food like fish (we add mackeral to their kibble), chicken, pork and other protein sources. Dogs are carnivores not vegetarians so try to make that they have enough protein in their diets and not too much rice as their carb source. Fats from eggs and efa's from fish are important too. You might also want to supplement his diet his with a multi mineral/vitamin with calcium and efa's. They usually have B vitamins in them which will increase his appetite.

Here's a list of Good and Bad products, so depending on availabilty in Thailand - some products too look into:

Good foods:

~Innova

~Nutro Ultra

~Nutro Natural Choice

~Neura

~Triumph

~Wysong

~California Natural

~Natural Balance

~Wellness

~Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul

~Solid Gold

~Canidae

~Royal Canin

~Sensible Choice

~Nature's Recipe

~Any food that contains atleast 40% meat, with no by-products, fillers or preservatives.

Bad foods:

~IAMS

~Pedigree

~Purina ONE, Dog/Puppy Chow, Mighty Dog, Pro Plan (Not too sure about this one as I always thought this one was ok but according to reports - not so good)

~Science Diet ( Bad skin reaction from my dogs with this even though they used the sensitive skin formula which they needed)

~Eukanuba

~Bil-Jac

~Alpo

~Beneful

~Cesar

~Any foods with by-products,preservatives, animal testers or fillers

Good Luck

[elfe]

Side note, avoid the cows milk for reasons already mentioned, although heard excellent things about goats milk but nothing beats feresh water.

I'd also be wary of Pedigree AND IAMS/Eukanuba products. Have heard A LOT of nasty things about their foods including the fact that euthanised animals are used in their products. Disturbing IAMS/Eukanuba Information

We feed our dogs a combination of Nutro Choice (puppy formula large breed for your dog) and real food. Have also had good results with Royal Canin and Canidae when we could get it, but Nutro is by far the best for our dogs.

But nothing beats real food like fish (we add mackeral to their kibble), chicken, pork and other protein sources. Dogs are carnivores not vegetarians so try to make that they have enough protein in their diets and not too much rice as their carb source. Fats from eggs and efa's from fish are important too. You might also want to supplement his diet his with a multi mineral/vitamin with calcium and efa's. They usually have B vitamins in them which will increase his appetite.

Here's a list of Good and Bad products, so depending on availabilty in Thailand - some products too look into:

Good foods:

~Innova

~Nutro Ultra

~Nutro Natural Choice

~Neura

~Triumph

~Wysong

~California Natural

~Natural Balance

~Wellness

~Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul

~Solid Gold

~Canidae

~Royal Canin

~Sensible Choice

~Nature's Recipe

~Any food that contains atleast 40% meat, with no by-products, fillers or preservatives.

Bad foods:

~IAMS

~Pedigree

~Purina ONE, Dog/Puppy Chow, Mighty Dog, Pro Plan (Not too sure about this one as I always thought this one was ok but according to reports - not so good)

~Science Diet ( Bad skin reaction from my dogs with this even though they used the sensitive skin formula which they needed)

~Eukanuba

~Bil-Jac

~Alpo

~Beneful

~Cesar

~Any foods with by-products,preservatives, animal testers or fillers

Good Luck

very good info, thanks!

[bina]

goats milk still gives them the runs if they arent used to it; my dogs get the surplus milk strait from the teat, two dogs hate it the bitch loves it... but not mixed in with her dry food.... as a separate item. come to think of it , 5 out of dogs love their dry kibble dry; they like their 'junk' food in a separate bowl or added later...

wierd that some of the name brands that the zoos reccommendec to us for the emu (emus eat high protein dog kibble mixed with veggies/fruit etc) and kitten food etc are on the baddies list...

[Tony Clifton]

I was taking a nap on the couch and heard keys trattling, opened my eyes and there was my ife with the new pup. She was getting the truck washed and played with the pup for an hour. The staff there said she could have it, she wandered there a week ago. She looks about 2 tp 3 months old. She was very clean and looked very healthy. We'll be taking her to the vet this week.

She was on a biting frenzy last evening, it was terrible. Came back from Tesco and bought her some rawhide, the biting stopped instantly. Very energetic, she runs all over the house and jumps on the couch which she thinks his now hers. Saw herself in the front door's glass, growled and leaped from the couch into the glass and almost knocked herself out. She's becoming territorial already, growling at soi dogs through the gate.

I caught my wife feeding the dog some fishballs and yogurt while she's having a late diner . . The employees fed her fried bananas today.

She did eat dry kibbles mixed with very few tiny scraps of meat earlier today, once done, I removed the bowl. I ll try this for a few days until she eats it dry, although I won't mind mixing in a bit of the meat we cook for ourselves later on.

Strange how all the brand names I know of are on the bad list and that I know none of the ones on the good list... The bad ones must be best at making the product look appetizing to humans on the package.

Thanks all for your help. I'll keep updating for a few days and tell you what goes on with the dry kibble.

[solent01]

Eukanuba????? <deleted>??????? Makes interesting reading, thats what my boy eats........

[Skyline]

We fed our bulldog Nutro lamb and rice dry food when he was a pup and he loved it,Unfortunatly they stopped importing the lamb and rice variety for some strange reason.

We continued to try Pedigree and the dogs skin began to erupt in lumps and his fur began to fall out:O

After that we tried Eukanaba and I was very happy with the results.His skin returned to normal and he enjoys it.We also give him rice and liver from the local market which he enjoys and doesnt make him fart so much.

[elfe]

adding fresh food like meats, fish, bones, eggs, yoghurt (very good for digestion), fish or flax oil, veggies to dry kibble or fed extra makes the dog's diet complete. also left overs are healthy but leave out onions and sweets.

[MsFigure]

We fed our bulldog Nutro lamb and rice dry food when he was a pup and he loved it,Unfortunatly they stopped importing the lamb and rice variety for some strange reason.

We continued to try Pedigree and the dogs skin began to erupt in lumps and his fur began to fall out:O

After that we tried Eukanaba and I was very happy with the results.His skin returned to normal and he enjoys it.We also give him rice and liver from the local market which he enjoys and doesnt make him fart so much.

Your bulldog has the same problem as my dogs, and only can have Nutro without it causing havoc with their skin.

Where about do you live? We alternate between Nutro Choice Performance and the Lamb & Rice Formula (depending what is in stock at the shop we buy from when we run out). Go to Shamu Shamu Pet Supplies and you can order from them if your local vet/pet shop can't and they do home deliveries. I have hade things delivered to Pattaya from Bangkok on a number of occassions. Make sure you order the 15kg Bag so that you don't run out as often.

Di

[Skyline]

Msfigure,

Thanks for the advice.I used Shamu Shamu for about 2 years as their delivery service is great.It was actually the staff there that told me they can no longer import Nutro lamb and rice.Having said that,it was almost 2 years ago so I guess they stock it again now.

The dog no longer has the skin problem,it was only while we were feeding him Pedigree.He's fine with Eukanaba and his various other treats.

[thaigerd]

.....once a week:

[thaigerd]

or when I prepare the meatballs for our spaghetti sauce:

[sbk]

adding fresh food like meats, fish, bones, eggs, yoghurt (very good for digestion), fish or flax oil, veggies to dry kibble or fed extra makes the dog's diet complete. also left overs are healthy but leave out onions and sweets.

Here is an interesting link to a website that lists foods toxic to your dog: http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dtoxin.html

Onions are on the list:

Dogs develop hemolytic anemia if they eat enough onions. I don't think that it matters too much

whether the onions are cooked or not. The quantity of onions required is high enough that dogs

can generally tolerate small doses of onions without any problem and moderate amounts of

onion without clinically apparent disease, even though there may be measurable changes on lab

test results. Cats are probably a little more sensitive to onion toxicity than dogs are. I can't find

an exact quantity of onions required to cause toxicity problems in dogs, but there are several

case reports of onion toxicity and they involve whole onions or sizable portions of chopped

onions (like a cup or more). I think that feeding dogs meat that has been cooked with onions is

pretty safe but you might want to avoid giving them the broth from around something like

pot-roast if there were a lot of onions used in the cooking, just to be safe.

Large amounts of garlic will produce similar toxicity problems in both dogs and cats. I think that

the amount required is not likely to be eaten by a cat but there are probably a few dogs who

would lap up a container of spilled garlic.

Among common foods, the only other significant toxicity that I can think of are recent reports of

toxicity from eating grapes and raisins that have been reported in dogs.

Sugarless candies can be toxic to pets

Sugarless candies can be toxic to pets. Candies containing xylitol have been recognized by the National Animal Poison Control Center to be a risk to pets. This information was first published in July 2004. This compound can cause liver damage and death in dogs susceptible to being poisoned with xylitol. If your dog ingests sugarless candy it would be best to contact the NAPCC (1-888-426-4435). It is possible your vet will not be familiar with this source of poisoning as this information is fairly new and candies have not usually been associated with poisonings in dogs if they did not contain chocolate as the major ingredient.

Chocolate:

The LD50 -- dose at which 1/2 of the dogs exposed to a substance will die

--- is about 100mg/kg for chocolate. The dose that causes signs of

toxicity, such as excitement, increased urination, muscle tremors and rapid

heart rate may occur at a lower dosage.

The other problem with dogs eating chocolate is that a lot of formulations

of chocolate are high in fat and dogs often get enteritis or pancreatitis

following ingestion of a lot of milk chocolate.

Your dosages of 44mg theobromine/oz for milk chocolate, 150mg/oz for

semi-sweet chocolate and 390 mg/oz for baking chocolate match the dosages

that I have seen published. Using a dose of 100mg/kg as the toxic dose the

toxic dosages per pound of body weight for dogs work out to be roughly:

1 ounce per pound of body weight (2 ounces per kg of body weight) for milk

chocolate.

1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight ( 1 ounce per 1.5 kg body weight) for

semi-sweet chocolate

1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight ( 1 ounce per 4 kg) for baker's chocolate.

So the dosages I am familiar with match what you have included in your

email for death by chocolate. Toxic signs may occur at lower dosages. The

best estimate that I have seen for this is that clinical signs may develop

in some pets with dosages as low as 10% of the LD50 dose.

I have been practicing for 20 years and I do not recall having a patient

die from ingestion of chocolate but I have seen some very excited dogs and

I have seen some dogs that probably would have died from the secondary

enteritis without treatment.

I have talked to veterinarians who feel that they have seen dogs that died

from heart problems, pancreatitis or other complications following

chocolate ingestion even though the dogs ate less than the theoretical

toxic dose.

I think that the chances of causing a toxicity with milk chocolate are very

very low and I don't think it is a big deal if my clients share their M&Ms

with their pets but semi-sweet chocolate morsels and baker's chocolate

should be put where pets and small children aren't likely to find and

ingest them.

[elfe]

.....once a week:

hi gerd,

my friend (mook) and i had such a laugh about this pic. we also feed raw meats, on a daily basis, but could never take a pic like that! only with meat and our arms already in the throat of the dogs now i know what seemed strange to me when i first saw the pic were your dogs already full or are they so calm?

good on you that you feed good junks of meat to your babies

[Tony Clifton]

This one is also soooo funy! Look at the expression on both guys, one's eating away with hungry eyes while the "too short" one has that "one for me?" look on his face.

Good day today, she started off in the morning with dry kibbles only, she ate some but not much. I removed the bowl and we were off to the shop. Very hyperactive, I tie her up just outside the shop door so she can run around but she complained a lot and fought a lot with the long leash. Caught an employee giving her a cookie and warned all not to feed her anything.

Back home at 5, I server her more dry kibble. Man! She went nuts! She'd eat a few bites while growling, run all over the house barking, back to the bowl, more growling and running. Removed the bowl once again until tomorrow morning. Hopefully she'll stay on the kibble diet from now on.

She does pee outside when I walk her around, pet her nicely afterwards but she more often makes a mess inside the house for the last three days we've had her. Got to work on that.

She still doesn't have a name. The inlaws suggested Lucky, Ritchie, Goldie... All money related names Nope!

Edited March 7, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[elfe]

she looks very lovely! the matching name for her will spring to you mind soon

remember she's still a puppy, needs more protein and calcium than a grown dog. why not spoil her a bit, a chicken leg once in a while doesn't hurt

[bina]

good on you for sticking with the kibble and no snacks... keep it up and u will have her on schedule for all things soon...

1. this should be in the thread by macb for training BUT never leave a puppy tied on a long leash alone... a quick way to tangle up and die or to learn to hate to stay quiet while being tied. better to leave her home or hold her and teach her slowly (macb's thread for that ) to learn to SIT and WAIT while u shop ...not to mention the possibitlity of dog hteft (if there is in thailand).

2. u didnt say age or type of dog but she may still need three feedings; put a place mat under her bowl and add food to her bowl (this could be a yummy small small piece of meat or sausage) while she's eating to help avoid future food jealousy problems (the barking growling besides just being a rambunctioius pup) and associate hands near bowls as a 'good' thing, such as adding food, not a 'bad' thing such as taking the food/bowl away (which u should keep doing if she doesnt eat and finish within her time allottment. (this works for some kids too...just a suggestion)

3.

She does pee outside when I walk her around, pet her nicely afterwards but she more often makes a mess inside the house for the last three days we've had her.

20-30 minutes after eating, take her out to potty . take her to the same place and wait , as she goes pooping, u can teach her to do it on command (a handy trick when it rains or your in a hurry) by using a key word like... do poo or whatever as she actually shits or pees, not before, and not after. then after she finishes, take her for a short walk /play/catch a ball so she learns that she must pee/poo right away, then she gets a treat. if not, she will train u to wait until she goes!!!

peeing in house may mean that she is still a baby even if she is big in size and u should potty her more frequently, outside. restrain her roaming area inside the house for while also.. will help her acclimate, feel safer, and prevent her from peeing everywhere. REMEMBER: a puppy pees shortly after waking up, and shortly after a rambunctious play time so u can time things accordingly. watch for when she stops playing and starts wandering around .. this is a sign of 'i'm going to piddle'.

oops just noticed now she's a big dog... how old???

goos luck for a well trained pup.

bina

[thaigerd]

.....once a week:

hi gerd,

my friend (mook) and i had such a laugh about this pic. we also feed raw meats, on a daily basis, but could never take a pic like that! only with meat and our arms already in the throat of the dogs now i know what seemed strange to me when i first saw the pic were your dogs already full or are they so calm?

good on you that you feed good junks of meat to your babies

They are calm, that's it.

Thanks to my wife(Thai) they have learned to sit down first.

That piece of beef I've found in MAKRO and it was only about 100Baht.

Gerd

[November Rain]

Ms Figure,

Where did you get that list of good & bad foods from? Is there a website link?

While your information may very well be accurate, you should bear in mind, most of the readers of this forum live in Thailand, where many of those "good" brands may either not be available, or prohibitively expensive. For relatively affluent members who live in areas like BKK, Phuket or other areas with Westernised pet stores/supermarkets, it's very helpful. It could make other members feel guilty though, particularly if one of the "bad" ones is the best they can get in their area.

Well, I'll confess now, the dogs in our center get rice regularly (with meat & veg cooked in it) & a kibble that is far cheaper than many of the "bad" ones you mention (I can categorically state that not one of your "good" ones can be bought here, even if we could afford it). Relying on donations to feed 140 dogs, that's the best we can do. My feeling is that at least they're getting fed as healthily as we can manage, while, sadly, many of their compatriots on the streets are starving.

[elfe]

thaigerd, your wife seems to be a good dog trainer! with having with many greedy and jealous dogs not so easy

makro opening soon here as well...

Edited March 8, 2007 by elfe