Hills dry food

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by Dillydoodle

Michael, if you eat a bowl of Total brand cereal you get 100% of all the vitamins and minerals the RDA says you need in a day, but if that is all you ate every day, don't you think you could be lacking? If not, i dare you to go buy total cereal and eat nothing else but that for 4 months and see how "healthy" you are.. It is the same thinking here for the dog foods...

I would rotate with some raisin bran for Michael

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

Emilie - the reasons you gave for rotating dry food may seem sound but are they not flawed. And here is the reason that they may be flawed: if the dry food is balanced and complete then the food contains EVERY vitamin, mineral and nutrient that a dog needs according to the latest research that has been actioned. So why indeed would one change if the dog is getting a complete and balanced diet. Perhaps you might think that the individual quantities (of vit, min and nutr) within the food need raising or lowering and if so will not upset the 'balance.'

Michael, if people want to rotate foods, there is nothing wrong with that. There are different protein souces such as Salmon, Herring, Duck, Chicken, Beef, Bison, just to name a few. Some brands may have different fruits or vegetables added to their ingredients, so if one wants to offer other foods with different ingredients through rotation that is fine.

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

His stools lean towards being moderately soft - which is far better than being hard, but this could be influenced by the other food he gets for his main meal.

By the way, don't you give Taylor "people" food as part of his diet? So therefore, do you and Nick disagree with Science Hills statement because they are saying all Taylor needs is Science Hill to maintain his health, so why are you adding anything else?

http://www.hillspet.com/zSkin_2/faq/...=1174996319473

"Is it okay to feed my pet table scraps or "people" food?"

"We agree with veterinarians who strongly believe that feeding pets table scraps or “people” food can lead to excesses or deficiencies of nutrients in your pet’s diet. Therefore, we do not recommend feeding any food other than your pet’s Prescription Diet® brand pet food."

[Cheetah]

Speaking of Hill's...

Pet food recall expanded to include kibble - Pet Health - MSNBC.com

Not even AAFCO food is safe (although that's not saying much lol).

[milles2]

Linda!!!!

I just laughed so loud my Corgis outside came running to the window!!!!

Yes, raisin bran might be wise....

By the way... cooking liver for your corgis.... you all rock! I am truly humbled and impressed.

Susan

[milosmom]

Originally Posted by Cheetah

Speaking of Hill's...

Pet food recall expanded to include kibble - Pet Health - MSNBC.com

Not even AAFCO food is safe (although that's not saying much lol).

HA! Amen.

I was talking to my vet about dog (and cat) foods and she brought up a good point: there are a lot of good brands out there with great ingredients however, while there are minimum standards each manufacturer goes by, some may vary the percentage of the ingredients, ex: one may have more fruit, the other may have less. So it is not a bad idea to rotate a brand or two.
God Bless who ever can cook liver for your dog. I did it one time and I nearly lost my lunch. It is sooooooo gross. Milo thought he hit paydirt, he was the happiest Corgi ever when I gave him those liver treats. Don't know if I could stomach making them again.

Here is another thing I do for him (alternative to wet food): if I don't have or feel like making rice, I just take his vegies (frozen mix, no corn though) and simmer them in a low sodium/low fat chicken or beef broth and freeze small single serving batches, in a covered ice cube tray. I just pop out one or two of the ice cubes and nuke them and add them to his meal, or give him one in the summer to enjoy. Just make sure when giving the ice cube, your Corgi isn't enjoying it on your carpet!

[ColColt]

I've tried making liver before as I use to like liver and onions but, my stomach won't take it anymore. When I cooked it in the past, I would stick a clothes pin on my nose as it was worse cooking than eating it.

I'm always amazed at the different "recipes" ya'll have for your Corgis. I don't believe in reincarnation but, if there were such a thing, I want to come back as one of the Corgis here!! Man, what a life I'd have!!

[Chip's Mom]

I used to cook liver for Aladdin when he was so sick and wouldn't eat. He did eat the liver for a few days so I had a few days of cooking liver.

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by milosmom;

Here is another thing I do for him (alternative to wet food): if I don't have or feel like making rice, I just take his vegies (frozen mix, no corn though) and simmer them in a low sodium/low fat chicken or beef broth and freeze small single serving batches, in a covered ice cube tray. I just pop out one or two of the ice cubes and nuke them and add them to his meal, or give him one in the summer to enjoy. Just make sure when giving the ice cube, your Corgi isn't enjoying it on your carpet!

Great idea, sort of like offering them a bit of a "pot pie" without the fat.

Colcolt,

If you were reincarnated as my dog you would have to put up with occasional swats from my cats

[ColColt]

[Colcolt,

If you were reincarnated as my dog you would have to put up with occasional swats from my cats

No problem. Having an ex-wife from upstate NY some years ago, I learned the Ali shuffle and rope-a-dope technique real well and kept out of range!

...teasing again.

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by ColColt

No problem. Having an ex-wife from upstate NY some years ago, I learned the Ali shuffle and rope-a-dope technique real well and kept out of range!

...teasing again.

I think the ladies are going to have to watch out for you at the TN picnic!

[Michael Romanos]

Cheetah - AAFCO will test a product once only until the contents of the product are changed and that changed product is offered to them for testing. So if something contaminated is included in the already tested and approved product wihile being subsequently processed, AAFCO has nothing to do with it and are blameless. A good dog food producer will recall any food that contains contamination and ensure that the problem is quickly dealt with and fixed.

[alana0818]

It's also a good idea to rotate foods because a dog can develop an allergy over a long period of time eating the same food.

[Michael Romanos]

I too, prefer to change the dry food portion of the meal my Corgi gets once the bulk bag of kibble is all eaten up because I feel the same relatively tasteless and usually least preferred food (from my Corgi's point of view), is 'ripe' for change. I just make sure it is a change that will retain a similar level of quality and provides for at least the minimum standards set by AAFCO.

[SARATARA]

I still refuse to feed my precious anything with a by-product in it.

Just because a vet recommends it DOESN'T make it the best, again thats why i read the back of the package before purchasing!

I also agree that rotating food is good and Talula gets raw carrots and things of that sort as a treat and loves it.

Also, Talula NEVER EVER gets any type of people food I feel thats the worse thing any animal owner could ever could ever give there pet!!!!

I'm glad i am not the only one that feels the same way about Hill's!!!!

[Michael Romanos]

Sara - it depends what you mean by "people food" and how much is gven. To much of any one thing is not good for humans or for dogs. I wouldn't therefore give my dog a bowlful of meat day after day, nor a bowlful of carrots, nor a bowlful of potatoes or pasta or rice or cauli or peanut butter. I wouldn't give my dog a teaspoon of sugar but a little sugar that is in a little dollop of ice cream or a small piece of cake (pikelets, scones etc) on occasions is not going to do any harm. We must take things in perspective. A domestic dog has come along way from being in the wild - and overall, domestic dogs live infinitely longer lives and much more healthier lives, than do the dogs in the wild. Things we once considered were not beneficial for dogs are now recognised as being very beneficial.

[SARATARA]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

I wouldn't give my dog a teaspoon of sugar but a little sugar that is in a little dollop of ice cream or a small piece of cake (pikelets, scones etc) on occasions is not going to do any harm. We must take things in perspective. A domestic dog has come along way from being in the wild - and overall, domestic dogs live infinitely longer lives and much more healthier lives, than do the dogs in the wild. Things we once considered were not beneficial for dogs are now recognised as being very beneficial.

There are several different dog food lists that I have looked at and science diet has not been in the top 15.

It is my personal preference to not feed my dogs “table scraps” and as for you giving Taylor ice cream and cake there is plenty of sugar already in kibble and it is just unnecessary for the extra. Usually in ice cream it is not real sugar but usually another additive or supplement for the real thing.

Also, grain is not bad for dog however it is not a necessity to maintain a healthy diet.

I don’t care what the name on the bag of food or the price is for that matter all I care about is what is in the food that I am feeding my dogs.

I am also a firm believer that the reason why dogs live longer lives is for the simple reason of better health care which is also the same reason why humans live longer too.

Also, just because humans eat it doesn't make it healthy there is plenty of food out there that we eat that should never have been produced due to all the extra perseveres and additives lets not forget the hormones

Pet Nutrition Principles
by T. J. Dunn, Jr. DVM

Why is good dog nutrition important?It's vital that your dog eats a complete and balanced diet. He needs fresh water, protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins. The most important nutrient is water, which makes up 60 percent of a dog's weight.
Proteins, fats and carbohydrates are necessary for energy; minerals are important for nerve conduction, muscle contraction, among other things; and vitamins are important to help your dog process biochemicals.

Choosing A Good Dog Food
Making the right choice starts with reading the label's list of Ingredients. By law the ingredients must be listed according to weight of the ingredient added in descending order. In other words, by weight of raw ingredient the main ingredient is listed first, second most prominent ingredient next, and so on. The first three ingredients are the most important. It's easy to tell if the diet is vegetable based, with corn, rice, wheat, and soybean meal listed as the main ingredients; or if the diet is meat based, with meat, lamb, fish or poultry listed as the main ingredients.

Should I Feed Canned or Dry...or Both?If dog owners had to choose one or the other, canned food or dry food, they should choose the dry. Canned food is generally 75% water, so 75% of your purchase price is going toward a non-nutritive ingredient that you can readily obtain from your own water faucet. Plus, there is an advantage to oral hygiene in the friction of the dry dog food, helping to keep the gums and teeth healthier than if the dog were eating only canned food. The only time I recommend canned food is to someone who refuses to stop buying cheap dry food; the addition of canned food to a cheap dry food will generally improve the total diet. And just like the dry food, canned food has an ingredient list you can read to help guide your purchase decision. A dog being fed a high quality dry food does not require any canned food.

During my thirty years of veterinary practice I have often been upset by the poor condition I see some of my canine patients in due to inferior quality diets that the owner honestly believes to be adequate. In good faith the dog owner assumes that since the dog food label proclaims "complete and balanced", "premium", "high protein", and so on, that their dog will automatically do just great if that's all it is fed. Because of ambiguous or deceptive labeling of the dog food, the owner unknowingly will feed an inadequate diet. And it may be decades before the FDA requires more strict guidelines for dog food manufacturers to follow so that misleading, ambiguous, and sometimes phony labeling practices no longer confuse or trick the purchaser.

For example, I could put together a "high protein" dog food where the protein is composed of an indigestible substance such as feathers, hide or hoofs. Sure, the protein level by analysis might be high (and even the experts don't agree as to just what amount qualifies as "high" protein level in a food) but if the dog's gastrointestinal tract is unable to break the protein molecules down into amino acids and then absorb and utilize those amino acids, the diet is worthless as a food source for the dog! So "high protein" on the label means absolutely nothing; you've got to read the ingredients label to see if the source of protein is digestible. See Table #1 to compare the approximate digestibility of the more common dog food ingredients. Egg white protein is used as the benchmark, giving it a value of one (1) since it is so highly digestible. Other protein sources are then compared to egg whites regarding their digestibility.

PROTEIN DIGESTIBILITY LIST
Egg whites 1.00
Muscle meats (chicken, beef, lamb) .92
Organ meats (kidney, liver, heart) .90
Milk, cheese .89
Fish .75
Soy .75
Rice .72
Oats .66
Yeast .63
Wheat .60
Corn .54
(Note: Values in table are approximate, as they have been taken from several nutrition sources and personal communications with nutrition experts.)

Did you know that some of the most popular and most trusted brands of dog foods are purposely formulated to just meet the minimum requirements of an average dog? These formulations are set up so that the pet food can be sold at a targeted lower price in order to appeal to the consumer group that will not spend higher amounts on dog food. A dog food that just barely meets the minimum nutritional requirements of a dog will have cheaper ingredients, such as grains, instead of higher quality ingredients that cost more. And meeting the minimum standards for an average dog means statistically some dogs won't get what they need. What if your puppy or adult dog isn't average? No one has ever shown me what an average dog looks like so how am I, after working with tens of thousands of dogs over thirty years of practice, supposed to know the difference between an average dog and one that isn't? How will you know if your dog is average? And even if you did know, would you really want to feed it a food that was specifically designed to only meet it's minimum requirements? Buy a cheap dog food and you will be feeding your dog cheap ingredients. Cheap ingredients are less efficiently digested, there's more fecal waste production, and the dog won't be as healthy as when fed higher quality (meat-based) dog food.