All vets say Chappie is best for dogs. I think it is because they'd rather owners give their dogs a dog food that has added vitamins and is specially made for dogs, than give them unsuitable home cooked food that isn't the right balance.
dog food advice please
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Originally Posted by riversmum:
“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.”
“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.”
Not at the moment Elsie is still growing and I feed half home cooked and half gluten free complete until they are fully grown. Then we feed fully home cooked. I find cooking takes very little time really, I put meat and rice in the oven that takes an hour (but I don't have to be with it so can do other things), veg takes about 10 minutes to boil. When it's all cool I mince up the veg and meat with a food processor and mix it all together.
Every 3 days they get a can of oil fish and in the mornings an egg which I cook for them when I cook my own.
Originally Posted by CollieWobbles:
“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!!
”
“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!!
”
Well glad my Chihuahuas have neither been like you describe they are dogs and Betty is very much into her walks everyday, loves the outdoors and a swim when it's possible. She is quite a rough tough little girl, and never barks at other dogs or people if I say walk on she ignores them completely. She is however my baby and also likes a cuddle. But she has manners too ! Better than her sister at the moment (Labrador) who is a work in progress manners wise !!
I agree with CollyWobbles too.
I'll add that you can usually tell the quality of the food and how your dog has digested it by the consistency of his stool.
My test is that it should be at least almost kickable. Dry food is best for this.
If it's always runny or splodgy then change his food.
I'll add that you can usually tell the quality of the food and how your dog has digested it by the consistency of his stool.
My test is that it should be at least almost kickable. Dry food is best for this.
If it's always runny or splodgy then change his food.
Originally Posted by Elyan:
“I agree with CollyWobbles too.
I'll add that you can usually tell the quality of the food and how your dog has digested it by the consistency of his stool.
My test is that it should be at least almost kickable. Dry food is best for this.
If it's always runny or splodgy then change his food.”
“I agree with CollyWobbles too.
I'll add that you can usually tell the quality of the food and how your dog has digested it by the consistency of his stool.
My test is that it should be at least almost kickable. Dry food is best for this.
If it's always runny or splodgy then change his food.”
Dry food isn't always the best for that if it doesn't suit your dog. A lot of them contain a lot of filler which usually produces firm poo but doesn't mean it's good for them . All you Chappie lovers - my vets reckon it's a really poor quality food with too much carbs and poor quality protein - read the label and before anyone says they've got a vested interest - they don't sell food or treats but if your dog is happy and healthy on it then fair enough.
My home cooked fed dogs did/do perfect poo. It's just a case of finding what suits them and suits your pocket. I get great satisfaction from the state of my dogs poo!
Originally Posted by riversmum:
“Dry food isn't always the best for that if it doesn't suit your dog. A lot of them contain a lot of filler which usually produces firm poo but doesn't mean it's good for them . All you Chappie lovers - my vets reckon it's a really poor quality food with too much carbs and poor quality protein - read the label and before anyone says they've got a vested interest - they don't sell food or treats but if your dog is happy and healthy on it then fair enough.
My home cooked fed dogs did/do perfect poo. It's just a case of finding what suits them and suits your pocket. I get great satisfaction from the state of my dogs poo!”
“Dry food isn't always the best for that if it doesn't suit your dog. A lot of them contain a lot of filler which usually produces firm poo but doesn't mean it's good for them . All you Chappie lovers - my vets reckon it's a really poor quality food with too much carbs and poor quality protein - read the label and before anyone says they've got a vested interest - they don't sell food or treats but if your dog is happy and healthy on it then fair enough.
My home cooked fed dogs did/do perfect poo. It's just a case of finding what suits them and suits your pocket. I get great satisfaction from the state of my dogs poo!”
I agree it's funny how often as dog owners the topic is poo LOL the only way to keep Elsie solid is to keep the dry food amounts minimal, I also like they don't feel the need to drink so much with home cooked, the insatiable thirst never feels right to me when they have dried.
Another thing I find it easier to keep their weights right, when we had a little yorkie on steroids we upped the vegetable content of his meals and gave him larger portions more often to satisfy his enormous appetite, you can't do that if all you feed is dry.
Chappie often seems to be recommended by vets I believe because it is bland and full of carbs so something many dogs can tolerate, no good for gluten intolerance or chicken intolerance and makes that worse.
Originally Posted by riversmum:
“Dry food isn't always the best for that if it doesn't suit your dog. A lot of them contain a lot of filler which usually produces firm poo but doesn't mean it's good for them . All you Chappie lovers - my vets reckon it's a really poor quality food with too much carbs and poor quality protein - read the label and before anyone says they've got a vested interest - they don't sell food or treats but if your dog is happy and healthy on it then fair enough.
My home cooked fed dogs did/do perfect poo. It's just a case of finding what suits them and suits your pocket. I get great satisfaction from the state of my dogs poo!”
“Dry food isn't always the best for that if it doesn't suit your dog. A lot of them contain a lot of filler which usually produces firm poo but doesn't mean it's good for them . All you Chappie lovers - my vets reckon it's a really poor quality food with too much carbs and poor quality protein - read the label and before anyone says they've got a vested interest - they don't sell food or treats but if your dog is happy and healthy on it then fair enough.
My home cooked fed dogs did/do perfect poo. It's just a case of finding what suits them and suits your pocket. I get great satisfaction from the state of my dogs poo!”
The reason dry food generally producer better results at the other end is it doesn't tend to be as rich as wet food, which has a lot of water and 'jelly' in it. However, firmness isn't the be all and end all, ideally, amount is what counts. You can tell if a food is good stuff by how much waste the dog produces, good food contains ingredients a dog can digest and use so there's little waste as little is wasted. Poor food on the other hand, is full of fillers used to bulk the food out as the main content is so little, stuff such as maize which are no use whatsoever to a dog so a lot is wasted therefore you get a lot of waste. Home cooked or raw fed dogs rarely produce much waste as owners that feed using these methods know what to put in and what to leave out.
Originally Posted by CollieWobbles:
“The reason dry food generally producer better results at the other end is it doesn't tend to be as rich as wet food, which has a lot of water and 'jelly' in it. However, firmness isn't the be all and end all, ideally, amount is what counts. You can tell if a food is good stuff by how much waste the dog produces, good food contains ingredients a dog can digest and use so there's little waste as little is wasted. Poor food on the other hand, is full of fillers used to bulk the food out as the main content is so little, stuff such as maize which are no use whatsoever to a dog so a lot is wasted therefore you get a lot of waste. Home cooked or raw fed dogs rarely produce much waste as owners that feed using these methods know what to put in and what to leave out.”
“The reason dry food generally producer better results at the other end is it doesn't tend to be as rich as wet food, which has a lot of water and 'jelly' in it. However, firmness isn't the be all and end all, ideally, amount is what counts. You can tell if a food is good stuff by how much waste the dog produces, good food contains ingredients a dog can digest and use so there's little waste as little is wasted. Poor food on the other hand, is full of fillers used to bulk the food out as the main content is so little, stuff such as maize which are no use whatsoever to a dog so a lot is wasted therefore you get a lot of waste. Home cooked or raw fed dogs rarely produce much waste as owners that feed using these methods know what to put in and what to leave out.”
Well if we are going by amount mine do tiny poos when on home cooked and blooming enormous amounts when on dry food. Home cooked has no fillers at all it's all good stuff. If we need to bulk out the food as I explained earlier we add more vegetables which can only be good for them.
Originally Posted by CollieWobbles:
“The reason dry food generally producer better results at the other end is it doesn't tend to be as rich as wet food, which has a lot of water and 'jelly' in it. However, firmness isn't the be all and end all, ideally, amount is what counts. You can tell if a food is good stuff by how much waste the dog produces, good food contains ingredients a dog can digest and use so there's little waste as little is wasted. Poor food on the other hand, is full of fillers used to bulk the food out as the main content is so little, stuff such as maize which are no use whatsoever to a dog so a lot is wasted therefore you get a lot of waste. Home cooked or raw fed dogs rarely produce much waste as owners that feed using these methods know what to put in and what to leave out.”
“The reason dry food generally producer better results at the other end is it doesn't tend to be as rich as wet food, which has a lot of water and 'jelly' in it. However, firmness isn't the be all and end all, ideally, amount is what counts. You can tell if a food is good stuff by how much waste the dog produces, good food contains ingredients a dog can digest and use so there's little waste as little is wasted. Poor food on the other hand, is full of fillers used to bulk the food out as the main content is so little, stuff such as maize which are no use whatsoever to a dog so a lot is wasted therefore you get a lot of waste. Home cooked or raw fed dogs rarely produce much waste as owners that feed using these methods know what to put in and what to leave out.”
As I said previously I won't feed cheap food as we get poo mountains and they need to go out in the night to poo as well. It just has too much cheap indigestible filler. Maddie reacts to Maize and Gracie is wheat and rice intolerant. Ours 4 are fed on various good quality grain free kibble with extras and don't do massive amounts of poo. Nor do they get much wind or produce poo that smells really bad so I figure it suits them!
Originally Posted by molliepops:
“Well if we are going by amount mine do tiny poos when on home cooked and blooming enormous amounts when on dry food. Home cooked has no fillers at all it's all good stuff. If we need to bulk out the food as I explained earlier we add more vegetables which can only be good for them.”
“Well if we are going by amount mine do tiny poos when on home cooked and blooming enormous amounts when on dry food. Home cooked has no fillers at all it's all good stuff. If we need to bulk out the food as I explained earlier we add more vegetables which can only be good for them.”
Originally Posted by riversmum:
“As I said previously I won't feed cheap food as we get poo mountains and they need to go out in the night to poo as well. It just has too much cheap indigestible filler. Maddie reacts to Maize and Gracie is wheat and rice intolerant. Ours 4 are fed on various good quality grain free kibble with extras and don't do massive amounts of poo. Nor do they get much wind or produce poo that smells really bad so I figure it suits them!”
“As I said previously I won't feed cheap food as we get poo mountains and they need to go out in the night to poo as well. It just has too much cheap indigestible filler. Maddie reacts to Maize and Gracie is wheat and rice intolerant. Ours 4 are fed on various good quality grain free kibble with extras and don't do massive amounts of poo. Nor do they get much wind or produce poo that smells really bad so I figure it suits them!”
I admit I don't do home cooking, mainly because I couldn't stomach doing raw feeding and my mathematical ability is so bad I wouldn't even try to work out ratios and amounts of ingredients to make a balanced meal, so I stick to good quality dry food. I bought the wrong one once by mistake, (same make which is why I mixed them up, but cheaper ingredients and filler) and didn't think anything of it - until I noticed that it suddenly seemed like I had a whole kennel full of dogs
. I quickly replaced it with a bag of her usual food and sure enough she was back to normal in days What you put in definitely effects what comes out!
Originally Posted by CollieWobbles:
“I admit I don't do home cooking, mainly because I couldn't stomach doing raw feeding and my mathematical ability is so bad I wouldn't even try to work out ratios and amounts of ingredients to make a balanced meal, so I stick to good quality dry food. I bought the wrong one once by mistake, (same make which is why I mixed them up, but cheaper ingredients and filler) and didn't think anything of it - until I noticed that it suddenly seemed like I had a whole kennel full of dogs. I quickly replaced it with a bag of her usual food and sure enough she was back to normal in days What you put in definitely effects what comes out!”
“I admit I don't do home cooking, mainly because I couldn't stomach doing raw feeding and my mathematical ability is so bad I wouldn't even try to work out ratios and amounts of ingredients to make a balanced meal, so I stick to good quality dry food. I bought the wrong one once by mistake, (same make which is why I mixed them up, but cheaper ingredients and filler) and didn't think anything of it - until I noticed that it suddenly seemed like I had a whole kennel full of dogs
. I quickly replaced it with a bag of her usual food and sure enough she was back to normal in days What you put in definitely effects what comes out!”
I couldn't stomach raw feeding either and I'm not convinced it's as good as it's claimed to be.
I'll happily cook for them though and my vet gave me a great sheet with proportions and suitable ingredients and things I needed to add so it was balanced and suitable for long term feeding so I'm quite happy to do that if necessary, but with 3 x 30k dogs and an 18k one it's too much to do all the time to completely feed them that way.
I must spend more on their food than ours!
The other thing I do is to regularly weigh how much kibble I'm putting in their bowls as it's very easy to gradually increase the amount over time without realising it and end up with overweight pets.
That comment about weighing dry I completely agree I actually believe that is a big part of the reason we see so many fat dogs these days. Perhaps if people felt they were feeding better more appetising food they wouldn't feel they had to feed such large quantities.
Originally Posted by molliepops:
“That comment about weighing dry I completely agree I actually believe that is a big part of the reason we see so many fat dogs these days. Perhaps if people felt they were feeding better more appetising food they wouldn't feel they had to feed such large quantities.”
“That comment about weighing dry I completely agree I actually believe that is a big part of the reason we see so many fat dogs these days. Perhaps if people felt they were feeding better more appetising food they wouldn't feel they had to feed such large quantities.”
I agree, the other thing I find is that if I fed my dogs the amount it says on the bag they'd be huge! I also allow for them having extras so reduce the kibble more if they're having a bit extra wet/home cooked on the kibble, especially if they're having something like leftover potato.
I hate seeing hugely overweight dogs and so many owners are in denial about it.
Originally Posted by riversmum:
“I couldn't stomach raw feeding either and I'm not convinced it's as good as it's claimed to be.
I'll happily cook for them though and my vet gave me a great sheet with proportions and suitable ingredients and things I needed to add so it was balanced and suitable for long term feeding so I'm quite happy to do that if necessary, but with 3 x 30k dogs and an 18k one it's too much to do all the time to completely feed them that way.
I must spend more on their food than ours!
The other thing I do is to regularly weigh how much kibble I'm putting in their bowls as it's very easy to gradually increase the amount over time without realising it and end up with overweight pets.”
“I couldn't stomach raw feeding either and I'm not convinced it's as good as it's claimed to be.
I'll happily cook for them though and my vet gave me a great sheet with proportions and suitable ingredients and things I needed to add so it was balanced and suitable for long term feeding so I'm quite happy to do that if necessary, but with 3 x 30k dogs and an 18k one it's too much to do all the time to completely feed them that way.
I must spend more on their food than ours!
The other thing I do is to regularly weigh how much kibble I'm putting in their bowls as it's very easy to gradually increase the amount over time without realising it and end up with overweight pets.”
Urgh just the thought of raw feeding turns my stomach over. A friend of mine feeds that way and makes treats from it too, and they have bits of chopped up this and that in the freezer
Originally Posted by molliepops:
“That comment about weighing dry I completely agree I actually believe that is a big part of the reason we see so many fat dogs these days. Perhaps if people felt they were feeding better more appetising food they wouldn't feel they had to feed such large quantities.”
“That comment about weighing dry I completely agree I actually believe that is a big part of the reason we see so many fat dogs these days. Perhaps if people felt they were feeding better more appetising food they wouldn't feel they had to feed such large quantities.”
Originally Posted by riversmum:
“I agree, the other thing I find is that if I fed my dogs the amount it says on the bag they'd be huge! I also allow for them having extras so reduce the kibble more if they're having a bit extra wet/home cooked on the kibble, especially if they're having something like leftover potato.
I hate seeing hugely overweight dogs and so many owners are in denial about it.”
“I agree, the other thing I find is that if I fed my dogs the amount it says on the bag they'd be huge! I also allow for them having extras so reduce the kibble more if they're having a bit extra wet/home cooked on the kibble, especially if they're having something like leftover potato.
I hate seeing hugely overweight dogs and so many owners are in denial about it.”
Yep I always weigh the kibble out as it's so easy to give more by guessing. Also if I've given treats for agility training or whatever, I know if I've reduced the food or not by where it fills the cup to. My very energetic collie has had no real exercise for the last five weeks now, but she hasn't put a scrap of weight on as I've lowered her food amount to suit her current needs. I hate seeing an overweight dog or pet, unless it has a medical complaint that can't help it being like that, there is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for a pet that is so fat it can barely turn around. Obesity is a human issue not a pet one, a pet cannot overindulge of its own accord as it can only eat what and when it's owner feeds it.
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