What do you feed your dog & why?
- Thread starter Jackson
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This is debateable, many people have observed different things. From what I have read I believe it to be that dogs will shake out the stomach contents and eat the wall. And I don't believe that they go for the organs first, but the meat. But again, this is all debateable.
Do your own research and form an opinion. In what I've researched, the anatomy of a dog is that of a carnivore. And I go by what a dog should eat according to their anatomy rather than what they would eat if given the opportunity. Dogs are scavengers, and will eat anything when there is no prey around.
Cats are obligate carnivores.
Definetly. Vegetarian diets are the worst thing you can feed a dog, in my opinion.
Do your own research and form an opinion. In what I've researched, the anatomy of a dog is that of a carnivore. And I go by what a dog should eat according to their anatomy rather than what they would eat if given the opportunity. Dogs are scavengers, and will eat anything when there is no prey around.
Cats are obligate carnivores.
Definetly. Vegetarian diets are the worst thing you can feed a dog, in my opinion.
I switch mine between Innova Evo, Innova, Canidae, or Eagle holistic lamb. Reason being I like variety so I'm sure my dogs do too and then I am confident they are getting a good mixture of different mineral, vitamins, etc. I also mix in a can of Natural Balance, a different one every day and toss in some RMB's and Chicken quarters on occasion.
I would love to feed raw but my dog Gunnar gets really bad diarrhea if he is on straight raw and I got sick of cleaning it off my carpets....
I would love to feed raw but my dog Gunnar gets really bad diarrhea if he is on straight raw and I got sick of cleaning it off my carpets....
Dogs have a different digestive tract than humans or animals that are clearly omnivores and benefit from inclusion of larger amounts of fiber to "keep things going" so to speak.
Also, when large canids (like wolves) kill their prey, they do not eat the plant content of the stomach and intestines first, but organs like the heart and liver etc., which do not contain plant material.
According to literature I've seen (e.g. Dr. Lonsdale, Dr. Mech) wolves don't even eat the colons of larger prey but do like dragging them around and rolling in them.
The stomach (or multiple stomachs in ruminants) generally also rupture and have much of their contents shaken out of them before they are eaten.
One thing we also cannot forget is that due to their eating habits the poop of wolves appears completely different than that of our dogs - if they eat predominantly muscle and organ meat and don't have to chew on bones or eat other poorly digestible material, it is actually diarrhea-like liquid.
Also, when large canids (like wolves) kill their prey, they do not eat the plant content of the stomach and intestines first, but organs like the heart and liver etc., which do not contain plant material.
According to literature I've seen (e.g. Dr. Lonsdale, Dr. Mech) wolves don't even eat the colons of larger prey but do like dragging them around and rolling in them.
The stomach (or multiple stomachs in ruminants) generally also rupture and have much of their contents shaken out of them before they are eaten.One thing we also cannot forget is that due to their eating habits the poop of wolves appears completely different than that of our dogs - if they eat predominantly muscle and organ meat and don't have to chew on bones or eat other poorly digestible material, it is actually diarrhea-like liquid.
Public Service Announcement - Just a general note to keep this thread on track:
The original poster started this discussion about a specific topic, which is not a debate about whether dogs are omnivores or canivores, so if you'd like to discuss this (yet again), please start a separate thread or refer to this one.
Thanks!
The original poster started this discussion about a specific topic, which is not a debate about whether dogs are omnivores or canivores, so if you'd like to discuss this (yet again), please start a separate thread or refer to this one.
Thanks!
nope, i dont think they need anything other than meat, AS LONG AS it is accompanied by bones, heart, and organ meat.
my dogs (and cats) eat predominantly only raw meaty bones - yesterday the cats had whole quail (including feathers), my dog had a whole cornish game hen. tonight the cats have some more quail along with whole mice and whole baby chicks, and the dog is eating a whole chicken. friday the cats had whole chicks and rah had a whole lamb neck. tomorrow the cats and dog are having whole hearts.
my dogs (and cats) eat predominantly only raw meaty bones - yesterday the cats had whole quail (including feathers), my dog had a whole cornish game hen. tonight the cats have some more quail along with whole mice and whole baby chicks, and the dog is eating a whole chicken. friday the cats had whole chicks and rah had a whole lamb neck. tomorrow the cats and dog are having whole hearts.
I am only posting this, in case you were not aware, but Beneful is packed with corn syrup (sugar) and corn... literally in the top 5 ingredients. I wouldn't feed this to a working dog, but that's IMO.
We sell Canidae at my work for $30 for a 40 lb bag, it's a really awesome kibble with no corn, no soy, no fillers, no by-products, and a high meat content (the top 4 ingredients are all quality meats). It's all-stages, so it's great for dogs of any age. Many, many customers with working dogs buy this because it truly is cost-efficient for the quality. I've looked it up, and you'd need to feed 2 to 3 times the amount of Beneful than you would Canidae and other quality kibbles.
Sorry to get off-track, but, I just wanted to put that out there. Mordy's cost comparison chart is extremely informative, as well!
About the Raw debate, I will not get into that, mmkay. =) I definitely do feel that a prey-model or BARF diet is much healthier, with or without supplements. But, based on the research I've done, I feel the need to add sources of certain nutrients that are not found in most grocery store or butchers meat, as it is in the wild. Not everyone agrees with that.
We sell Canidae at my work for $30 for a 40 lb bag, it's a really awesome kibble with no corn, no soy, no fillers, no by-products, and a high meat content (the top 4 ingredients are all quality meats). It's all-stages, so it's great for dogs of any age. Many, many customers with working dogs buy this because it truly is cost-efficient for the quality. I've looked it up, and you'd need to feed 2 to 3 times the amount of Beneful than you would Canidae and other quality kibbles.
Sorry to get off-track, but, I just wanted to put that out there. Mordy's cost comparison chart is extremely informative, as well!
About the Raw debate, I will not get into that, mmkay. =) I definitely do feel that a prey-model or BARF diet is much healthier, with or without supplements. But, based on the research I've done, I feel the need to add sources of certain nutrients that are not found in most grocery store or butchers meat, as it is in the wild. Not everyone agrees with that.
I rotate between different canned/kibbles and several days a week they get RMBs, throughout the week they get "goodies" (raw eggs, cottage cheese, salmon, mackerel/sardines....) mixed with their food.
Why? Because I do the best I can, I could do raw if *my* stomach could handle it We tried the packaged with little to no success (nv), I was bummed.
Why? Because I do the best I can, I could do raw if *my* stomach could handle it
We tried the packaged with little to no success (nv), I was bummed.
All 3 of our dogs are fed a raw diet consisting of raw meaty bones, muscle meat, and organs. Eggs, fish oil and vitamin E are given a few times a week. They get some table scraps as well but only meat.
Not to go off topic, but the whole "dogs eat fruit and berries" has to be qualified. Yes, they will eat it if there is NOTHING else to eat. You don't see wolves or coyotes raiding corn fields for a meal, they raid the hen house or goat pen. A dog is an opportunist. They will eat carrion, plant matter, anything they can if they cannot catch their prey.
I noticed this with my dogs. If they are given a meal that consists of a bone source like chicken thighs, muscle meat such as beef cubes, and an organ meat such as liver or kidney, the organ meat is ALWAYS eaten 1st, followed by the muscle meat, and the boney part is eaten last.
Not to go off topic, but the whole "dogs eat fruit and berries" has to be qualified. Yes, they will eat it if there is NOTHING else to eat. You don't see wolves or coyotes raiding corn fields for a meal, they raid the hen house or goat pen. A dog is an opportunist. They will eat carrion, plant matter, anything they can if they cannot catch their prey.
I noticed this with my dogs. If they are given a meal that consists of a bone source like chicken thighs, muscle meat such as beef cubes, and an organ meat such as liver or kidney, the organ meat is ALWAYS eaten 1st, followed by the muscle meat, and the boney part is eaten last.
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Smokey gets Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice Kibble since she was supposed to have Allergies according to the Rescue Shelter. I mix in a couple of tablespoons of Natural Balance Duck and Potato canned in with her morning meal of 1 cup and the evening meal is plain Kibble. She loves it and has no allergy symptoms at all.