ive been told by good pet shops that dried food is best for dogs as its got all the right vitamins etc and its better for dog teeth. tinned meat can get stuck around the gums and cause bad teeth and worms . yuk. the snag is, my Lucy doesn't like the dried stuff. ive given her some tinned meat and she loved it. the dried food just gets nibbled at. she is having a few chunks of tinned meat this week as I can hide her antibiotics in it and she scoffs it . what to do next? I'm sure she wont starve on dried food but it seems harsh to give her food that she doesn't like

Ive got a rescue dog had him since March 2014. Hes been a pain with food. He will eat one sort for a few days then goes right off it. Tried dried...cheap ...expensive and he turns his nose up at it all

So for the last week Ive been doing him chicken but been told thats bad for him to eat every day...so he has chicken one day....hotdogs another. Today he had raw eggs with milk. He seems to like fish so will try him with that tomorrow.

Id just give your dog what ever he/she will eat...its cheaper in the long run,
When you think about it years ago dogs didnt get tin dinners it was what ever was left from any meals lol...

Your told not to give dogs bones now...thats why you never see white poo lol

I feed my 3 dogs raw, but looked it up and read lots about it first, also talked to a Vet. They get raw chicken, fish, liver, kidney, heart and then I get them the raw frozen cubes all different types which have all they need in it.
I would say hot dogs are not good because of all the spices added, so chicken would be better. Rice is good and some vegs too.

The hotdogs were soaked in water to get all the brine out. I was just at a loss what to feel the little begger lol...I must spoil him as I didnt know he could eat raw chicken. He really is a pain towards his food. Hes a jack russell cross ...not sure what the cross is think its possibly lunatic lol...Will try him with raw chicken and fish...but knowing him he will look at me like Ive posioned him lol.
As for rice and veggies.....he was nearly packing him bags and going back to the rescue lol...
Last edited by LaineyT : 09-01-2015 at 18:57

love it lol.

He is had him nearly a year and its only been the last say 4/5 days hes been clean no piddles or poops lol...

The saying that eating nothing but dried food is good for keeping dog's teeth clean is a myth, how do you think your teeth would look if you ate nothing but biscuits? Dog food is dog food, whether it's wet, dry or a mix, it is not going to stop causing plaque and tartar to accumulate on your dog's teeth. The only way to stop that is the same way you stop it with your own teeth - by looking after them and cleaning them regularly. Try and get your dog used to having his teeth cleaned, or give dental chews if he won't accept it. There are plenty of things available, chews such as Virbac Veggie-Dents (like Dentastix, only better value and better ingredients) and Greenies, Plaque Off, a powder you add a tiny scoop of to the dog's food, liquids you put in the drinking water, pastes, gels and sprays. You don't have to clean your dog's teeth daily like your own, but it's good idea to try and get in the habit of doing it once a week, maybe include it in with his grooming routine so your less likely to forget. It pays dividends to spend a few minutes looking after their teeth, I've seen loads of dogs with truly terrible teeth in for dentals, which to me, is most of the time an unnecessary risk , having to have an anaestethic for something which could so easily be avoided.

As to the food, don't fall into the trap of many owners with fussy dogs. The dog turns its nose up at the food put down , the owner decides it doesn't like it and rushes out to buy something else. Because it's new, the dog eats it - for a while, before leaving it again, so the owner gets something else. By now the dog knows that if it leaves it's food something nicer and new will appear so it keeps doing it, and the owner unwittingly and unknowingly encourages it leading to a vicious circle. A better solution is to put the food down at set times twice a day ( it's better to feed two smaller meals a day than one big one). Leave it for 20 minutes, if it's not been eaten take it away. Make a show of putting it away in front of of the dog and put the bowls in a cupboard. put the food out again at the next mealtime and try again. If it's left after the 20 mins remove and keep again. Do not give anything else at all, even if it takes a day or two, dogs aren't like people, they haven't got the mentality to be stubborn and think 'well two can play that game, I'll refuse to eat!', a healthy dog will not starve itself, if thats the only food available he will eat it! What this teaches is that firstly, if the dog doesn't eat when it's available it will be taken away so he's better eat it whilst it's there, and secondly, that if he leaves it in the hope of something better, he's going to go hungry as you are not going to pander to him and give something else instead. Depending how long he's been doing it, most learn quite quickly if your firm and don't give in. And definitely don't give in, not once, and until he's got the message and eating properly, don't give any treats, or he'll just learn to hold out for those instead.

Tinned food doesn't cause worms either, although it's not the best stuff, unless your buying the premium price stuff, as a lot of canned dog food is just water with very little actual meat content. If you want to feed a mix of wet and dry, there are better, nicer wet foods than typical canned stuff, look up Applaws, Burns, James Wellbeloved, Arden Grange, Lily's Kitchen and Naturediet, all wet canned food or pouches, but with good quality ingredients in them and decent amounts of meat content, they don't have that awful smell canned foods do plus they improve things at the other end too.

thanks Colliewobbles. that's very good advice. I wasn't happy about the dried food diet so I will do as you suggest. thanks again

I agree with colliewobbles advice if they don't eat it take it up.

I also agree re food. One of my girls had to have a wet diet for a while on vets advice and much to my surprise her teeth were cleaner and her breath was fresher. Ours are fed a mixture of wet and dry and I add water and mix it up so the wet makes a sort of gravy but I don't soak it. I feed the same sort of wet as she says, Lilys kitchen etc. They also like Naturo trays from Tesco. I never give them pedigree/bakers/butchers etc as it's just rubbish and it gives them the most awful wind. I know the premium stuff cost more but I don't give them very much of it, just enough to make it tasty. They have good quality grain free kibble too and I've found that it pays off as they don't have a doggy smell and have lovely shiny coats and good poo. With cheaper food they do poo mountains and often need to go out in the night too as it's got so much indigestible stuff in it as filler.
Because I wet their food I can't save it for the next meal so do throw it away so just put a small amount down and give a 2nd helping if they still look hungry.

Ours all have their teeth brushed before bed using a dog toothpaste and toothbrush. It makes such a big difference if you can do it, much better than so called dental chews. Our vet said they really need to be cleaned at least 6 times a week. Ours are all rescues and apart from Maddie arrived with very poor teeth - it's a greyhound thing sadly but it's been so rewarding seeing how brushing has helped. Maddie arrived at 9 mths and is now 6 and has perfect teeth!

I would be very careful about giving treats while she's being picky, we once had a little one who got very picky and like an idiot I felt sorry for her so was giving her extra biscuits so of course she wouldn't eat. Once I toughened up and stopped treats so she felt hungry she started to eat - but I do think you have to find something they like, within reason. Our Maddie does go off food quickly so I change her kibble every bag, often the same make just a different flavour. The other 3 aren't bothered about a change.

There are complete wet foods like naturediet and Naturo that she could be fed on if you decide to change her from kibble, they're good foods and there's nothing wrong with that, I know several people who just feed wet but it does tend to cost more than kibble. Just make sure it says complete food on it not complementary as they are meant to supplement kibble and won't contain everything your dog needs.

Hot dogs should only ever be used as an occasional treat, They have far too much salt even if you soak them. Chicken or fish is far healthier for them.

As for your comment about dog being given leftovers, well in the past we ate a much healthier natural diet so unless you eat an unprocessed diet todays leftovers are very often at best bad for dogs at worst downright dangerous often with too much salt and not enough nutrients. Dog food really is better for them and you can add suitable leftovers but even things like gravy can be very bad and a lot of things we eat contains things like onions which can kill dogs.
When I was a kid my mum would get dog meat from the butcher, the leftover bits and cook that for our dog which is much healthier than our leftovers.

Raw meat should always be frozen and thawed before feeding it to dogs as it usually contains some bugs that are harmful. We cook our food to kill them, and while freezing doesn't kill them all so we shouldn't eat raw meat it kills enough to make it safer for dogs. If you are going to raw feed you really need to research it so you know what you're doing and your dog doesn't end up deficient in anything.

I wonder if home cooking would suit your dog, mine thrive on it, protein (chicken,beef,lamb,fish,eggs,) make up one third, rice,potatoes,pasta make up another third and mixture of vegetables make up the other third.

It isn't very expensive I use £3.99 for a kilo of chicken breast or cheapest minced beef, rice is inexpensive and a I buy value frozen mixed vegetables.

Mine also get left overs tinned fish in oil/or water they love, any vegetables and meat etc small amounts of cheese etc

I make egg custard for them, or scrambled eggs.

It is cheaper for us than dry food and their breath is sweet, and because we change it up making different combinations they don't get fed up with it.

Labrador and Chihuahua both love it.

I feed my dog raw, but I have fed him on wet cooked food in the past, including naturediet. The best I found by a mile was the Wainwrights trays - they actually smell good enough to eat yourself. The turkey variety smells like an actual roast turkey, and the lamb smells just like roast lamb. It doesn't have that dog food smell at all and has no additives.

Something to add about dried food.. It's a myth that it contains more protein than wet food. It contains a high percentage of protein, because it's been dried, and is therefore concentrated. This means you need to feed about three times less of it than wet, so when you calculate the actual protein in the meal, by gram, the wet meal usually contains more protein. For example, 200g dried food with 30% protein equates to 60g of protein. Whereas, 600g wet food at 13% protein contains 78g of protein.

Also, if you look at the ingredients of dry food, even premium food like Burns, it usually contains more rice than meat, so the protein is not the best kind for your dog. Dogs need animal protein!

And carbs are not great for teeth, particularly in dried food, because it sticks to the teeth and becomes a breeding ground for plaque.

The best thing for dogs' teeth are raw bones (never cooked), which is what keeps wolves teeth clean in the wild.

please clarify what safe bones are - some are very dangerous and cooked ones should never be given to dogs.

There are really good quality foods like Acana, Orijen, Canagen that have very high protein levels but they can be too rich for some dogs tummies. Ours get bored with Wainwrights trays. The Naturo ones smell gorgeous and they love it.
Anything is better than the dreaded Bakers!

With the raw diet my dogs are getting, I give them chicken bones and pork or lamb ribs, the heavy weight bearing bones are not good, they can crack the teeth. I know one can give beef bones too, but my dogs cope better with mainly the chicken (always raw), and sometimes the rib bones.
They get their calcium also with the minces I buy which all have some bones included, therefore they should never be cooked.
They also get their green tripe (bought from pet stores) which they love.


Before I gone over to raw, I did actually fed my dogs Chappie which was recommended by my Vet because its low fat, and the tin version is as good as the dry.

We give our dogs raw tripe or mince mixed with Wagg dry food. We used to give them Royal Canin, James Wellbeloved and all the other expensive stuff, but the £9 for 12kg Wagg suits them probably better as they itch less and fart less.

Tried Max with white fish and rice and he woofed the who lot down. He rarely leaves an empty bowl. But since Ive been giving him chicken...hotdogs and today the rice hes been eating it .

Wont give him hotdogs again well untill the little sod decides hes gone off chicken and fish lol

Trouble is he's not getting a balanced diet which doesn't matter short term but does in the longer term and could be harmful to him.
He won't be getting enough calcium and particularly as a young dog he needs plenty. You really need to google a home cooked or raw diet to make sure he's getting all he needs or at least add in a doggy vitamin tablet.
Does he get any fat in his diet? if he doesn't get any naturally in his foods as they're low fat you need to add a small amount of cooking oil. Will he eat sardines? The ones in oil or tomato sauce are ok and he can have them a couple of times a week and they'll help with calcium and essential fatty acids. Just be careful not to give too much as some dogs get a bit sloppy as they're rich. You could try tinned tuna too in spring water or oil not brine.
Does he have minced beef? he should be ok with that. You can always cook a pack and freeze half for another time.

Our labrador ate Eukanuba dried food all of his life, nearly 16 years, it didn't do him any harm. We never got sloppy poos either

No dog will starve to death if food is on offer. Mine gets a bit of tinned food mixed in with kibble. She gets good quality food because I believe it makes a difference to their long-term health (others will not agree, I know). She almost always wolfs it straight down, but I do have a 15-minute rule. If it's not eaten in that time then it's taken away and offered to her again at the next feeding time. (I feed her two small meals a day.)

Back in the day when I had boarding kennels and two dogs of my own I fed them all a raw diet, but that's simply not practical for me these days.

Mine used to love raw tripe! Disgusting stuff - fresh from the slaughterhouse, but my dogs had the best coats

I was going to feed my dogs "home cooked" as McGee has a dodgy tummy, but I asked my vet for advice and they said not to bother and that Chappie is as good as it gets especially for a dog with a dicky tummy and its got all the nutrients they need. They get a mix of wet and dry Chappie and I can say McGee has been fine with it.

Don't try seeing how long a Chihuahua can go without food, my late Rosie and our current Betty would starve rather than eat something they don't want.




Vets IME often say home cooked is a waste of time, it may be a waste of time to them but IMO if you love your dog nothing is a waste of time. If I cannot find the time to cook once a week for 30 minutes I would give up my dogs as I clearly don't have time to own them.

Are they fully fed on home cooked Molliepops? Our Lurcher was fully fed on home cooked for 12 yrs and I must say at times it was a bit of a pain, especially in summer. It's easier with smaller dogs but he got through a lot! I use to cook whole chickens in the slow cooker and strip it off and add potatoes and veggies, he loved it but give him kibble, any sort and back it came. I'm convinced it wasn't what was in the kibble but how it was that his stomach couldn't cope with, even soaked. Tinned food didn't fare much better although that came out the other end and wasn't a pretty sight!

I think if you do it properly and use plenty of variety it's a great way to feed your dog but I couldn't do it for the 4 we've got now, I'd be cooking all day. I cook for them sometimes and add it to their kibble.

I'm afraid not even a tiny, over fussed, spoilt, dainty little nose in the air Chihuahua would sway me into giving in, it's 'eat that or starve' as I will not be owned by a dog. I own the dog, not the other way around, allowing a dog to dictate when he wants to be walked, when he wants to play, when he wants to eat and what and so on, is asking for problems, as they can quickly escalate into a dog who decides when he wants to be petted, or even if he will allow you to which easily leads to all manner of issues when the dog starts nipping or biting to either get you to pet him, or because he thinks you've no right to touch him! And more often than not, it's the yorkies, chi's, bichons and poms that end up like this because many people look on them as babies and whilst most wouldn't allow a Rottie or German shepherd to get away with such behaviour for a second, for some reason, a lot of people seem to find the same behaviour hilarious in tiny dogs.

I expect that the reason vets try and dissuade owners from home cooked diets, is because the majority of owners don't have a clue how to do it properly, and the vets see the effects a wrong or bad diet has, so try to keep then on a simple ready made food that is tipped into a bowl ready to serve. And going off some owners I've spoken to on the phone, who can even get that wrong, I can well see why!!