My husband's concern for the dog food is not the cost but the availability. What if the dogs are used to eating dog food and suddenly the supply was cut? But in the morning, we still give our dogs canned dog food that is prescribed for the kidneys. Actually that KD type dog food is a big help in giving a good texture of poop - not wet but not constipated. Wtih other meals, we give our dogs boiled meat like chicken, pork, beef but more often we give them fried or boiled fish. They are used to eating that menu and we get no complaints.
We always feed our dogs from the table; but they also have free access to dry dog food and water any time that they want it.
Because Chipper is now an older dog, and has a hard time eating the hard kibble, I always get the kind that has very tiny kibbles, the size of small peas. Even so, he has trouble chewing it, and I alsso supplement his food with canned dog food that is much easier for him to eat.
I add probiotics to his food as well as diatomaceous earth to prevent worms, and to keep his digestive system working properly.
If for ome reason, we didn't have dog food available, our dogs would be just fine with only having table scraps as food until we got more dog food for them.
We've always fed our dogs dog food both wet and dry, as I think it's better for them than food meant for humans. While the dogs do beg when we're eating, and more often than not they'll get a tiny piece of our plates as a treat, their main diet consists of dog food and biscuits that are made specifically for their size and weight.
We always give our dog mainly that real dog food. The main reason is the fact that if we'd feed her straight from the table she'd become too spoiled and always be begging for food. Also, she has a lot of weight problems and we saw feeding straight from the table being one of the reasons to that. If you give your dog the right amount of the food that they need to eat, that weight will also stay off. Yes, all the treats are not denied from our little girl, but we're pretty strict about it.
(05-15-2016, 05:43 PM)Corzhens Wrote: My husband's concern for the dog food is not the cost but the availability. What if the dogs are used to eating dog food and suddenly the supply was cut? But in the morning, we still give our dogs canned dog food that is prescribed for the kidneys. Actually that KD type dog food is a big help in giving a good texture of poop - not wet but not constipated. Wtih other meals, we give our dogs boiled meat like chicken, pork, beef but more often we give them fried or boiled fish. They are used to eating that menu and we get no complaints.
This is why we alternate the kinds of food we are giving to our dogs. Dog food is only for mornings and lunch and dinner are either boiled chicken meat (not the skin), boiled chicken liver (remove the 'heart') and/ or boiled ground beef. My Clio gets any with a serving of rice while Sandy only gets the meat. She's a small dog so we're making sure she doesn't get too overweight. When the meats run out, we just give them regular dog food until we can buy those mentioned above.
I have learnt that dogs cannot just feed on any variety of food which could cause problems in its digestion. The best evaluation of whether you are giving the correct dog food is its stool. The best diet should produce dark brown and firm stools. Premium dry foods tend to have the highest quality ingredients and are mainly based on rice, corn and chicken. Some dogs are accustomed to complete dry foods but will normally grow to like them with time. I have and do feed dogs on homemade feed though its not easy to get the nutritional proportions right. Do you change your dog's diet often? The rule of thumb is to change the diet gradually over a week to avoid digestive upset. I have learnt that its best to stick to one variety of dogfood and not add any supplements unless prescribed by a vet.
Giving your dog a variety of foods, and making their diet exciting for them is important, and while dogs will pretty much eat anything that's edible (and some things that aren't!) You have to try and give them a mixture of foods and not just give them things you know they like.
A dog's nutrition is important and just like our own diets, we have to make sure they're getting the essential vitamins and minerals they need to keep them healthy. If they only eat what they like, rather than what's good for them, then aswell as ending up being overweight, it can affect their digestion aswell as their mouth, teeth and gums.
There's a lot to think about when owning a pet and especially a dog, and while I think most people only think about things like talking it for walks and the love, affection and company they give you, you also need to think about other aspects aswell.
