here is something that if i posted it on the old acme it:

[davet]

would warrant me beting booted, so i posted it on another site and so far they havn't kicke me off::

think I will start a string here which will probably get me either ostracized or booted,,one or the other…First I practiced small animal med, while my brother did the large animals, for 45 years. Not a big deal cause most vets practice a fairly long time cause it is probably the best science field that anyone could ask for
.
This will strictly be on diet…
I always recommended to my clients with new pups to go to the grocery store, pick out a brand name that they liked and try that on their pup…not to buy a large amount because for one reason or another it might not work,, possible diarrhea, rejection, occasional allergic reaction..etc etc…but once they found the food that the pup would eat, either canned, dried or both to stick with it until such time as when the dog would tire of it etc…I also had the owners feed table scraps, Having had seven kids we had enough food left over to not throw away but to mix it with the dog food…..vegetable, meat, etc but spices etc were eliminated..Alsotold the clients to make note of what they fed in case diarrhea developed

My dogs and cats lived good long years….i just had to euthanize my 20 year old cat because her kidneys were shot….if this was from the food then it must have waited until she was at least 19 years old to cause a problem.

There are so many exotic diets out in the real world which owners will opt to feed their pets…these are fine, expensive but rarely cause a problem’

I have noticed some people on the animal web sites, will absolutely not feed canned food, will also absolutely not feed dry food, will absolutely only feed the BARF diet..There are so many different methods of feeding and every one has their choice and most of them are good…the only time I ever recommended special diets was when it was proven that the pet had some health condition as allergies, coronary problems, kidney problem and gastro intestinal problems..These were exceptions and required special diets but in general most of my patients lived to ripe old ages unless they would be hit by cars,kicked by people, hit with beer bottles etc…..nothing to do with the diets, I think the owners were on the wrong diets.

This is getting too long so whatever you choose to feed is fine until some problem from the food develops then you change…dogs and cat are hardy creatures and can do pretty well on dog food, possible with a little fat added etc etc etc…and
No I am not affiliated with any dog food company
cbh-dvm

[Marty]

(sh-h-h, don't tell my Vet)! But if some people do the BARF, how can some selected leftovers be a bad thing? My dogs definitely are disappointed when it is Mexican night.... But the grocery store food, I will pass on.. Now I'll get booted out too!

[Cindy]

I personally think anything from the grocery store is c r a p. But I am no expert. I work at a grooming shop and she sells only what she would feed her own dogs. "She" is a top breeder of Aussies. Currently she sells Solid Gold, Wysong, Back To Basics and Chicken Soup for the Dog. Also some frozen brands, Steve's for one. All are made with only organic ingredients since they believe pesticides and a lot of stuff that goes into growing the ingredients cause allergies and skin problems.

All I know is this.....

my dog came to me at the age of 7. He had very bad teeth (just had 5 removed) and his coat was very brittle. When I took a close look at his hair, I could see little barbs at the ends, just like fish hooks!! His first owners had fed him ONLY table scraps for 7 years!

After a few months of feeding him Wysong Synorgen, he became so soft and almost fluffy, even for a JRT! He is now 11 years old (or so). I switched to the Chicken Soup kibble just for variety, he LOVES it but it is very hard to crush, I now have to pulverize his food because of the teeth, so we went back to the Synorgen.

That said, I often mix into his crushed kibble the following: cooked chicken meat, a slice of ham or cheese, grated cheese, pan drippings, veggies, and occasionally canned Wysong meat.


**sigh** I miss the drama of the old acme board!

[k9Karen]

I think the word "drama" is a bit understated, and I don't miss it at all!

I pretty much agree with davet, with a caviat. I think you shouldn't feed just any food, but should select one with quality ingredients. There are some really BAD products out there (ever checked out the pet section as WalMart?) Not everyone can afford to feed the "best", and, let's face it, we humans don't set the greatest examples with our diets anyway and in spite of it, most of us will live to a ripe old age unless we meet up with an accident of some type. I also think you have to be careful about using the word table "scraps". I believe in giving dogs good "human" food, but not in giving them the "scraps" (those things, like fat and gristle, that we won't eat). Maybe "leftovers" is a better word. Of course, I think most of us on this board make sure we cook enough so there will be "leftovers" for the dogs, so they aren't really left over at all. (And if you think you have the dogs fooled, guess again!)

As for Mexican night, Marty - what's the matter with you - don't you know you cook the ground beef (or chicken, whatever) and save out enough for the dogs BEFORE you season it! Get with the program!

[Marty]

just wasn't sure I wanted to admit it!

[Doglady]

I don't do BARF, but have no criticism of those who do. I also do not feed supermarket foods..they are crap, and full of all kinds of fillers, as well as ingredients that often cause allergies. It's a matter of whatever works, but I would much rather pay for a well-blanced food that my dogs "get something from" rather than pay for a lot of fillers..that is a waste of money.

FYI, I saw something somewhere, (or heard it on TV) that O'l Roy has become a HUGE seller these days, due to the lousy economy...guess where people are cutting back?..their pets. Sheesh!

I also discourage my clients from feeding their dogs table scraps for a couple of reasons.

1. they often become interested in ONLY the table food, and will not eat their normal food, thus they are not getting the proper nutrition.

2. They become a royal PITA, when you are eating, or have guests.

3. It makes it extremely difficult to diagnose a food allergy or gastrointestinal upsets, when feeding all sorts of scraps. How could a vet possibly pin it down? Some dogs can't handle beef, others can't handle poultry, some can't handle lamb, or whatever else may be mixed in with the various scraps.

I don't get into the "what's the best food" to feed, as every dog is different. Just have my preferences, as long as my dogs do well on whatever I feed.

If a pet owner can't afford the expensive foods, then they should go with the best they can afford....better than eating out of a garbage can!

I found a new food that is put out by Diamond that's all natural, and has excellent ingredients. It's called "Chicken Soup For the Dog Lover's Soul"
and I bought it for my dog Jezebel, who tired of what she has been eating.

http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/

(I'm sure I just screwed up posting a link)

[Mary Plummer]

it! He likes the food a lot, and I like the ingredients. I've noticed that a lot of dog food companies are putting some kind of yeast in their food these days. I like it that this food doesn't, because I suspect that Mr. Blue has a bit of a problem with it.

[Dogladybarks]

I had never heard of this food, until Monday when I went to a large feed store. I was really planning on buying Old Mother Hubbard's Sweet Potato and Fish formula (the only one in their lines that does not contain alfalfa.) They didn't have what I wanted, so I started looking at all the foods they did have, which was most of the better foods..they don't carry junk.

I saw the "Chicken Soup" bag, got curious, and started reading the ingredients. Was surprised and happy to find this food...it's excellent, and just what I wanted. Glad Mr. Blue does well on it!

[Cindy]

The Chicken Soup kibble smells so good I wanted to pop one into MY mouth, LOL!

[Doglady]

Heck a few people, myself included tasted Milkbones LOL! Did nothing for me!

That Chicken Soup food does smell pretty good, though. What got me was the bag..it looked kinda appetizing LOL!