What do you feed your pets?
 

Just curious. No judgement. :p

I currently feed my dog Taste of the Wild, generally their Wetlands formula.

In two years when I am going to be renting my own house/apartment, I'm hoping to get a cat or two... Maybe another dog. Who knows. Anyways, at that time I'll most likely feed RAW to all my pets... Except maybe the dog I have now... Depending. She'll be 8 then... And even though she's never had a weak stomach, I don't want to risk anything. ;)

I have four wonderful ferrets, and I feed raw-I've had them for a year, and after I had them for a little while, and having fed them kibble, it seemed apparent that for them it was the best choice. Kibble for them is much more expensive for less nutrition, and knowing that not only could I save money but give them a longer, healthier life (ferrets are already prone to many illnesses), I chose that. I know it's not the right choice for every family, but for ours it works great. They seem more docile, since they get to rip and tear at the bones and meat and they definitely have better coats and their smell waned to almost non existant. I imagine that if I ever had dogs or cats, I would try to feed them raw. I have heard though that cats can be picky about the switch. Ferrets can too, but I switched them while they were still quite young, so it wasn't an issue. Cool thread. My vet was happy that I switched them, and 8 months later they are doing beautifully on it.

We've got two little dogs and a big dog. The little dogs, due to one having severe allergies, eat Blue Buffalo's limited ingredient food. They were on the turkey version, and now on salmon -- our laundry room, where we keep the food, smells like a fish market!

The bigger dog eats a Purina ONE food for senior dogs. She's an old lady at 7 1/2.

My cats get Before Grain and my dogs get V-dog along with extras I add to theirnfood (veggies, sweet potatoes, pumpkin or other)

I feed my dog Orijen Regional Red. I also put my cats on the orijen cat food - may as well. I have a deal at the pet store I shop at where if I buy 12 bags, I get the 13th free. Good deal when it's $80/bag for the dog food [and I have a great dane so he goes thru a full large bag in 3 weeks]

FerretFan I'm curious - what kind of meats do ferrets eat raw, I have never looked into that before. I just heard of dogs on raw food :dizzy: ?

Hey, SweetScrumptious. Ferrets can be fed any meat that is not processed/smoked/salted/or 'enhanced'.I feed mine all manner of meats; beef, pork, chicken with bones (bones are OK as long as they are raw ONLY), cornish hen with bones, gizzards and giblets, livers of any kind, almost any organ, but no tripe unless it is green, and even then they don't like it. I feed chicken necks, turkey necks, rabbit and the bones, whole eggs (never more than 2-3 per week), ground turkey, etc. Usually, you want to limit bones to smaller animals, and they need a variety of meats so at least three different kinds. 80 percent muscle meat, 10 percent bones, 10 percent organs. Remember, hearts are great for muscle meat and have a ton of taurine but don't count as organ. Liver and kidney or other secreting organs count. Also, including oils is a good idea. Fish and olive oils are fine in small amounts. I also feed a little bit of pumpkin for them to share everyday, as it counts for roughage they don't get from prey. I also feed them the occasional frozen mouse, but that isn't necessary. I think it's good enrichment.

When I bred Portuguese Water Dogs I fed my darlings a bones and raw food diet which I made up weekly and froze. My current dogs are on a kibble for small dogs most of the time. Disney, the Katrina rescue, had intestinal problems when I got her and was on a special kibble. Jazz, the wee Tsvetnaya Bolonka, eats kibble by putting it all on the floor and then eating it piece by piece - he's a picky little Russian prince! I do cook liver, hamburger and veggies for them occasionally and they do get bits of apple as a treat.

Our store does buy 10, get 1 free. You should see if you can find a better deal. I couldn't imange feeding a great dane Orijen, ouch!

I feel my dog the Orijen Adult Formula. Thankfully the smallest bag lasts her about 4-5 weeks!

I have 2 dogs (Boxers) and 9 cats. The dogs get Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul ($40 for a 35 pound bag on Amazon and they deliver to my door!) and the cats get 4Health - the food that Tractor Supply makes.

Reading all your responses I feel like a bad pet owner...
My cat's currently have a mix of purina and meow mix (I can't afford better because I'm catsitting and 4 cat-pigs are eating me out of house and home)

the bunny gets hay, alfalfa, bunny mix and raw veggies and the hamster gets the same (except his is hamster mix)

the bigger fish get bloodworms, pellets, tropical flakes and the lil fish get hikari fish food to help their growth

...I make a crappy pet owner D:

My three cats are being fed Wellness Core. My chinchilla eats oxbow pellets and hay.

Before I got my second dog, I was feeding reuben meat. but duke didn't seem to like it so I switched to blue buffalo. Since I don't have anymoney i've been buying them different brands of dog food which i truly truly truly hate to do, but i have no choice. blue buffalo is very good. they seem to itch more with other brands and reubens has dandruff since hes been off of blue buffalo. im not sure if its the dog food or not, but it could very well be.

:) I feed my ShiihTzu (Baxter, who is 8) a dental formula (kibble)that I get from the Vet. Small dogs are notorius (sp) to be prone for bad teeth. And bad teeth can lead to other health problems. The chunks are bigger than small dog chunks so he scrapes his teeth while chewing. I don't mix anything with it. And I have just bought Medi-Treats that are low-cal, low protein, etc etc. I think they are better than "regular" kind. So interesting to see what everyone feeds their critters. Everyone have a great weekend! :wave:

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I work for a vet. I haven't heard of all the foods mentioned, although the Blue Buffalo does seem popular. We market Science Diet, exclusively. That said, as far as the itching, try feeding your dog a 1/4 of a can of tuna in oil daily. The omega fatty acids, are lacking in most foods for dogs. It may take several months to see a difference. One other thing coat wise we recommend, is once a week, fry a slice or 2 of bacon and pour the drippings on the food. This only needs to be a tablespoon or 2 , but the fat does help.

Also, are you using lots of scented cleaners? Washing their beds in TIDE, bad! Scented air fresheners? Febreeze on their beds? Cleaning with over scented, over processed stuff? Simple vinegar and water are good options.

So many things can affect the itching.

What we find most of is a diet lacking in omega 3 fatty acids, cheap dog food, and the worst is drug manufacturing. Unfortunately, (not accusing anyone here, or you wouldn't be asking) but the worst skin cases we see, are in pit bulls, who live in meth houses and are living on Ole Roy dog food and whatever anyone throws at them. We do report them.

For a decent, yet inexpensive, food option, Purina, Lamb and Rice Healthy formula is a good option, add a little tuna in oil a couple of times a week, and add a tablespoon of olive oil to the food on a daily basis.

Purina is a good stable brand. The Lamb and Rice formula, will agree with most dogs. The tuna and olive oil are a good addition that will help with itchyness, and flaky skin.

Stay away from Pedigree. We see so many dogs with seizures, that are fed Pedigree, must be some crappy food.

The only saving grace for Ole Roy, is, it's so full of sand, the dogs that eat that have HOLLYWOOD smiles, it grinds all the tarter off of their teeth. We can spot an Ole Roy dog a mile away, fat, crappy coat, greasy, etc., but teeth that would make a model jealous.

Just my opinion, from what I see after 6 years working for a vet.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, I'll do my best to help out!

Currently, I feed my 3 dogs, Purina Lamb and Rice, Healthy formula, (purple bag) they split a can of tuna in oil twice a week, and get bacon drippings on Sunday, plus plain ole rawhides, cheap from the dollar store. All are very healthy, except for Ruby, who is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, who is an easy keeper. She is fat. We're working on that.

My DH is a sucker, and does feed them from his plate, but he is getting better about that. He does now agree to feed them only veggies from his plate, except for Sunday morning, when the get a bit of turkey sausage or bacon, and each gets 2 bites of egg.

Thankfully, we live on a farm, and they do get plenty of exercise, but that also equates to dragging up all kinds of yukky stuff, and thinking I should love them for the prize they brought me, Ikk!

Hi - Janelle, just a heads up. Do watch the rawhide chews as they can be very dangerous. When they get "icky" from chewing, they can stick in a dogs throat & that can kill them. I gave my dog (ShihTzu) one & he got it caught in his throt & couldn't cough it up, so I stuck my hand in there & pulled it out. It was a slimy mess. It's a good thing that I was watching him chew on it. Needless to say he doesn't get them anymore. :)

That EXACT thing happened to my Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix. He loves rawhides, so I buy them for him all the time. One night I'd given him one and heard him coughing only to realize he was actually choking. I had to do the same thing and stick my fingers down his throat to pull it out. I haven't refrained from giving him his favorite treat, but I never leave him alone with them anymore. Until that happened I didn't even think it was possible; it really gave me a scare.

As for food, I feed him Wellness Super5Mix for small breeds. He loves it. I like it because when I look at the ingredients on the bag I actually KNOW what is in it and it doesn't have all those animal byproducts like the supermarket brands tend to have.

My 2 kitties eat Natural Balance alpha cat kibbles (fish formula) and get half a can of NB Limited Ingredient Diet wet food each daily. Both are grain free. We used to feed them friskies wet and purina one dry, but we wanted to get them on a healthier diet. Honestly, my fiance's senior kitty has not thrown up since we changed the food (she did maybe once or twice a week before). Also, the old girl (who is super shy and timid with our kitten) literally runs for the wet food!

My bunny gets blue seal rabbit food, hay, and various fresh fruits and veggies. He enjoys parsley and bananas most lol.

I feed my cat Science Diet wet food. I used to feed her a combination of wet and dry, but Science Diet changed its dry formula and she started throwing up when she ate that. Now she seems to have developed a sensitivity to most dry food (except for the cat snacks), so I feed her all wet food and she throws up very rarely now. Sometimes I give her a bit of tuna or chicken. She is not a big eater--she is very self-regulated and eats only when hungry. (unlike some owners of hers I could mention, lol.)

My dogs are mainely fed on CSJ , a UK based company. Apart from Mav, who im just starting on orijen as a experiment.

i used to feed genesis

Right now I am without kitties after the passing of my last old girl earlier this year, of old age and cancer.

I bought some EVO food for cats and kittens so I'll have it on hand when I do get kitties. I want to feed them the best food possible. As a vegan, it's not easy knowing my cats eat meat. But I didn't create them and they are carnivores. And can be nothing else. And since I'm on my own, I can't live without the comfort and companionship of cats.

We just recently switched to Blue Buffalo. The chicken and rice formula. Our yorkie is pretty picky about treats but he likes pedigree jumbones, bully sticks on occassion and a meaty lamb bone if he can get a hold of one.

My cats get either Taste of the Wild or Wellness complete. Except for Teddy- he has to be on Science Diet CD (prescribed) for life due to a previous uti. But, I'm kind of worried that that food isn't the most nutritious for him...I don't want him forming crystals again, of course, so I guess I'll just keep him on this unless I find something that will help his urine. There is a Wellness with cranberry in it, but I don't know if that's enough to help.

I seriously have a problem with the RAW diet for dogs. Think about it - dogs have been bred to look and act the way they do. The first breed of dogs domesticated as far as I know was the saluki in Egypt. So, I'm going to guesstimate that dogs have been fed *cooked* meat for at minimum 2,000 years now if not longer, give or take a few centuries. I think you would be hard pressed to say that their digestive system can easily handle raw foods because that's how they were designed.

Think about it, do we eat raw meat????

The fact that you can have a cocker spaniel with really long ears, or a yellow lab with a great demeanor, or a bloodhound with a superb sense of smell is because those dogs were bred for those traits. How is it that breeding changed those traits over the last several hundred years but their digestive system has not?

Further, I honestly have never met one vet that told me to put my dog on it. I've been told science diet over and over and over, but not once to feed them raw. If a bunch of your friends told you to eat raw meat but all of your doctors said to eat cooked lean meats and fruits and veggies, which do you think you should do?

These websites discuss it a bit more scientifically: Http://www.rawdietfordogs.net/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0218143832.htm

Finally, some background on me. My family owned C & C Kennels out of Southern Illinois when I was a kid. We raised brittany spaniels. It was my first job growing up. We would have over fifty dogs at one time. We were not a puppy mill. We sold our dogs straight from the kennel outright to individuals. I was a junior handler, won state in dog training in 4-H and I have two college level certificates in dog training from John A. Logan College. Based on all of my training and experience I would honestly say Science Diet is probably the best quality food for your dog. It helps with allergies and is extremely gentle on the stomach.

With that said, I feed my cocker spaniel Eukanuba. It's cheaper and is easier for me to obtain. He is 11 years old and perfectly healthy (knock on wood).

If you want to go cheaper than Eukanuba, I would suggest researching how much "filler" is in the brand you're interested in. You want to try to get foods with less corn as that really does nothing for the dog. Just as a huge diet of corn with us wouldn't do much.

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox. I'm certain I've offended some that are die hard RAW pet owners. That tends to be the case. If you do RAW you are very serious about it. But, at the same time, I think it's important to see both sides of the issue so I'm putting it out there.

I'm definitely not offended, though for my ferrets, I am a die hard RAW feeder though I acknowledge that it is not for every pet or ferret owner. And, I can't speak to dog's diets because that's not really my area of expertise in pet diets. I've not done a ton of research about dog diets, but I have done thousands or hours time and research on ferret diets, because I am a little obsessed with doing the best for my ferrets (sad, maybe but I digress). I don't really understand it when you say if you are raw you're very serious-of course, I am very serious about it, but that's with myself and my own pets. Who am I to tell anyone what to do. Here is what I do know about raw diets for ferrets:
1. It definitely is the best option for them, because they are obligate carnivores. That is definitely not to say that there are not great kibble oriented diets out there. There are. A ferret can definitely thrive on a kibble fed diet. However, that includes more work and expense on the owner's end, and with ferrets owners can really go either way. Many people don't really know to look at the meat content in food-or the high veg content in most ferret foods. Many think that since it's got a ferret on the bag it must be biologically appropriate, but unfortunately, this isn't the case. Ferrets cannot digest plant fiber, and too much of it can even cause a blockage.

2.According to Wikipedia, there is evidence to suggest that ferrets have been domesticated for 2500 years. They are not wild animals, much like our domesticated dogs. Many breeers for ferrets breed for docility, especially the big mills such as Marshalls. By neutering our kits and breeding them in this way, they basically are in perpetual kitdom. By nature, polecats and wild ferrets were/are not that social with one another, but they are bred now to live in businesses (or a group of ferrets). My point in saying all of this, is that ferrets are not wild animals. But, their digestive systems are less adaptable than that in humans. Raw meat, bones, and organs, are still a biologically appropriate food, and that hasn't changed.
3. The bacteria issue-for ferrets, it is a non issue, really. Their digestive system is short.Too short to incubate any bacteria so that it is harmful to them before it is pushed on through

My vet saw my ferrets after a few months after our switch and was really impressed. Their coats were longer, shinier, more plush. They eliminated less, smelled less ferrety than most kibble fed ferrets and had beautiful while gleaming teeth. They had more energy than ever (still do, gah! :D). My vet asked me what I had changed, and I told her. Her immediate statement was, "Great! I meant to tell you that that was probably the best food for them, I forgot to give you my raw handout last time". So, I had my vet's greenlight and suggestion and the proof of seeing them in front of me. Many ferrets that go on raw see better results in healing wounds, longer life, have much fewer instances of insolinoma, and can go for longer without developing adrenal tumors (though such early neutering of most comercially bred ferrets is almost garuntees ferrets will get it at some point in their lives).

As I said, I don't know about dogs, but personally, I do know that raw diet is right for me and my furbabies. I am not die hard about it for others, only for myself because I have weighed the pros and cons of other diets and this one came out on top and remains unchallenged. The only thing I encourage pet owners to do is be aware of what is in food-and do what you are comfortable with. Sorry for the book-I just wanted to give my perspective. It's an incredibly controversial conversation, but I think it's equally as interesting.

I'm poor at the moment, so my cat gets IAMS proactive health (and even that's not all that cheap). I hope to switch him to Prowl soon. If you go on their website, they will send you a free sample of Prowl. It's grain-free, dehydrated, and you mix it with water and let it sit. It becomes like a stew. Avery went crazy for it.

I feed my boys Iams lamb & rice. I have been wanting to switch them for awhile but my oldest dog had been eating it all her life, she recently passed away. I am thinking of switching to a local company that makes their own kibble with meat and vegetables from local farmers/companies as well as supplementing with veggies and meat. I am not sure I feel comfortable feeding them raw. My bichon/poodle will eat anything, there is not one fruit or vegetable (other than ones you should never feed your dog - avocado, grapes, onions, etc.) that he doesn't like. The other one, a standard poodle, is a bit more picky. I also stay away from kibble made with chicken as the standard (and the other one that died) is prone to ear infections. Once I switched to the lamb the infections cleared up.

Before choosing pet food, always read the ingredients list!

I feed my 6-year-old Maltese and 1-year-old Yorkie Wellness Dog Food (both dry and can). My Maltese is a finicky eater and he gobbles it up just fine.

I feed my dog Taste of the Wild--the lamb one (don't know the specific name).

My cat gets Felidae dry (grain free) as well as a myriad of grain free canned. Some brands are BFF (Best Feline Friend), Tiki Cat, Wellness, WeRuVa and Merrick. I tried TOTW with him and he hated it!

This is a really good site for dog food reviews: Dog Food Analysis. I wish they had the equivalent for cats.

My 2 cats get Wellness Core because 1 of them is diabetic and needs all the protein she can get. And she refuses to regularly eat canned, except for licking the gravy off Fancy Feast. :eyeroll:

My other cat is round and needs to go on a diet badly but feeding them separate is so difficult when the one diabetic cat HAS to eat or she'll become hypoglycemic. Ug.

My two border collie crosses get Acana which is the budget version of Orijen, made by the same company. I'd love to feed them Orijen but we just can't afford it. They do quite well on the Acana lamb and apple kind. We had them on the pacifica for a while but one of our dogs had chronic ear infections and gland problems. We think he was probably allergic to something in the food, maybe the fish although that is rare. Switched back to the lamb food and all is well.

my cat eats fancy feast. i tried so hard to get her eating one without by-products but after a lot of money wasted on various "better" brands, i have given up lol. she loves fancy feast only 4 flavors and only the loaf looking ones. oh well her vet is happy with her so i guess it's not terrible.

Weird story here...any advice appreciated!

I bought a Siberian Husky about 2 months ago, and the breeder gave me a bag of the food she was currently eating, so as not to mess up her stomach. The food was Pedigree puppy chow. I gave her that until the bag ran out, then decided to upgrade to a more organic and supposedly "better" food. I bought Blue Buffalo (I believe the wilderness one) for puppies and she seemed to really like that food. Then, I took her to the vet for the first time and mentioned the food she was eating. He went on and on about how I should stick with Pedigree b/c "the brand had been around longer" and they see "more problems with dogs on more organic food".

I'm currently feeding her Pedigree puppy again, mainly b/c of what the vet told me. Does anyone have any opinions on this? I see most people here are feeding their animals more high-end food. Money isn't necessarily an issue, as I want my dog to be the healthiest and happiest she can be...but is it just as good to go with a cheaper dog food?

So confused :?:

If you are curious as to how your dog food compares to other brands, check out www.dogfoodanalysis.com

I feed Taste of the Wild, mostly because my golden has allergies and TOTW is the only food I've found that she doesn't react to.

For my dogs, Taste of the Wild (the lamb kind). For two of the cats, Taste of the Wild (salmon). And for my cat, who is older and losing weight like me, Natural Balance venison and green pea canned food.

My various rodents get food I buy in bulk from Drs Foster and Smith, Oxbow is generally the brand. Plus hay for the ones who eat it.

My dogs go to a team of vets that all insist on higher quality foods. A previous vet said that all dog food must meet a minimum nutritional standard so it didn't matter to him. However, there is definitely a difference in quality.

For example, Pedigree dog food uses slaughterhouse byproducts (heads, bones, hooves) and very low quality grains as the primary ingredients. Better quality foods use human grade meats (actually the same meat you might put on your grill) as well as organic fruits and veggies. They are also better for their digestive systems.

By buying the higher end foods, you are doing your dog a favor. I've read of several studies showing that dogs fed on cheap dog foods don't live as long and are more prone to illness.

But in my opinion is something else that is just as important -- When you buy cheap dog foods like Pedigree or ANY dog food in the supermarket, you are supporting a very gruesome industry that thrives on the abuse of animals for profit. If you have ever looked into factory farming then you'll know what I'm talking about. Purchasing Pedigree and similar brands simply supports the industry. It's the problem, not the solution.

Here is a specific review of Pedigree quality

Good quality dog food doesn't have to be very expensive. Newman's Own makes an organic dog food that is very affordable and humanely sourced.

My dogs go nuts over Merrick's Grammy's Pot Pie.

I occasionally feed them Honest Kitchen - Thrive (a dehydrated raw food made from truly human grade ingredients and lots of fruits and veggies and herbs) and the dogs whimper as soon as I open the box, lol. It's pretty expensive so I don't give it to them often. They tend to go through pudgy stages and this food always gets them back where they belong. It actually smells fantastic to me, and I'm a plant eater :o

Btw, breeders are often given free puppy packs and incentives to try to gain you as a customer from the start. That doesn't mean the food is the best option. It's just more economical for the breeder. Slick marketing IMO.

I have a 2 year old doberman and a 6 month old weimaraner. I feed them both Blue Buffalo...I can tell you that it has completely changes my 2 year old's appearance. I used to feed her Iams, and then I saw a commerical for Blue Buffalo...so I thought I'd check it out, about 2 months after I began feeding her Blue Buffalo her coat was much shinier and her energy level went way up. My puppy has had nothing but Blue Buffalo ever since I got him.

I also recently began giving my dobie flax seed oil (1teaspoon per day)- she has skin allergies, and this has definitely helped her.

Cheers! ~Leslie

Hello All. I am a vet tech and feel the need to throw my two cents in. .hehe.. :wave:

Alot of people think you have to look at the first ingredient on the label.. You have to be careful as this can be misleading...

For example, the first ingredient says LAMB. Well lamb actually contains 70 %water so your only getting the 30%. Also, a lot of food separate their grains i.e "Barley, Brown rice, Brewers Rice, ect, ect..." Doing so allows them to not have to put RICE as the first ingredient.

"By-products" are not the "sick animals" It is parts of the animals deemed not fit for human consumption such as spleens and other organs that are nutritious and yummy to animals and yucky to us. The term "human grade" was determined to be misleading by AAFCO. The use of "human grade" or "human quality" is not allowed in pet food marketing unless the food is made in a human food approved plant.

Raw diets scare me. Just a couple months ago we had to put a 4 yr old lab to sleep because of Kidney failure probably due to his raw diet. Dogs are omnivores by nature. They use both meat and plant-based nutrition. Dogs cant survive on protein alone.

"Holistic" food is a waste of your money. There are no AAFCO guidelines it needs to follow and therefor any bag of food can slap a holistic label on the front.

If your bag of food says "BLAH BLAH PUPPY FOOD" and then the label next to the ingredients says its good for all stages of life, get something else that fits yours dogs specific needs. Different life stages require different nutrition.

Corn is not just a filler in all foods. Fillers offer no nutritional value whatsoever. Corn, once cooked is actually good. But I agree, corn anything probably shouldn't be the first ingredient.

Im in no way an expert but i have had to sit thru many CE's discussing dog/cat food lol

My cat eats a vegan diet, a mix of Evolution and AmiCat kibble, with wet food made from VeggieCat every so often. My vets used to tell me their vegan cat horror stories, so I stopped telling the vet about it. He's been on the diet since he was 6, is 13 and a half now, and is healthier than he's ever been. He was actually quite sick quite often (urine crystals starting at age four and fatty liver disease at one point) until he was almost 9 but hasn't been sick at all since then. This diet seems to agree with him.

My sister's new kitten has also been on a vegan diet for a year now. She's thriving. It's not for every cat or every household, but it works for us.

Mine eat Arden Grange dry food. And besides that they eat lean meat, Royal Canine meat meals, yoghurt, milk, sausages, rice, spaghetti ...
I always gve them dry food with some of the "treats" :) and I must say they love it, specially spaghetti. When I make them, they stare at me untill I put some in their dishes and they get all crazy :D