Dog Community

Dry food / Canned food

Posted : 7/25/2006 7:14:47 AM

Question for those of you with the larger dogs. Our HoneyBear is 58 lbs. We have had her for 4 months (rescue).
We've been feeding her strictly canned food - twice a day. Nutro's Natural Choice.
Our vet has suggested that we give her dry food, also. She has had very loose stools for the last couple of weeks.
What are your suggestions as to the mix? Dry food at one feeding and canned at another? (Feedings are morning and evening).
I feel kind of dumb asking such a basic question. We owned and loved our previous dog for 14 years until he passed away last spring. He ate only canned food and never had a problem. Altho he was only 25 lbs. (If size makes a difference?)
Help and advice are appreciated, Thanks!

probe1957

Posted : 7/25/2006 8:00:28 AM

I am not sure feeding canned is the cause of your dog's loose stools. Many people feed canned without problem. Maybe you would get better results with a better food.

Odie weighs 65 pounds. In the morning, he gets a cup of high quality kibble (Canidae or Timberwolf Organics), with a bit of yougurt. In the evening, he gets a cup of kibble mixed with a can of Evanger's. He likes all the flavors of Evanger's, except the whole mackrel. I rotate the canned for variety.

dyan

Posted : 7/25/2006 8:00:32 AM

There are a lot of people REALLY into feeding on this forum,,, I'm not really one of them, but if it were me I would mix the canned with the kibble. I guess that would mean give her half of each at one serving.
I feed Bubblegum kibble but add cooked meat to it or raw egg for breakfast.

Julie Medeiros

Posted : 7/25/2006 8:26:12 AM

Both our vet and trainer told us canned food isn't good for dogs, that's what builds tartar. They are fine with just dry food. Also, they said to not give our dog mushy treats too often, but dry, hard ones are fine, with moderation of course.

glenmar

Posted : 7/25/2006 8:35:49 AM

A good quality canned food is mostly meat. Meat isn't laden with carbs. Carbs stay on the teeth and cause tarter build up. Guess what kibble is chock full of in order to make it stay in shapes?

A good quality canned food will NOT cause dirty teeth. But, all dogs will get tarter buildup unless you are brushing the teeth or feeding rmb's to give them a natural tooth brush.

papillon806

Posted : 7/25/2006 8:37:19 AM

Since you are feeding a strictly canned diet at the moment, I would mix canned in with a small amount of kibble to see if the diarrhea clears up (75% canned, 25% kibble). If it does not clear up after a few days, try adding a bit more dry.

Debra C.

Posted : 7/25/2006 8:47:11 AM

Glenda - what is an "rmb"? I am guessing milk bone of some kind?

Everyone else - thanks so much for the ideas and advice. I'll be mixing dry with canned starting immediately.

As always, this forum is super!

glenmar

Posted : 7/25/2006 8:55:05 AM

rmb= raw meat bone, such as a chicken leg quarter, chicken wings, a completely consumable bone that allows them to rip and crunch. That does an amazing tooth cleaning job.

Debra C.

Posted : 7/25/2006 8:57:25 AM

Thank you!
I couldn't have been much further off base!
Oops!

mudpuppy

Posted : 7/25/2006 9:01:10 AM

Both our vet and trainer told us canned food isn't good for dogs, that's what builds tartar. They are fine with just dry food. Also, they said to not give our dog mushy treats too often, but dry, hard ones are fine, with moderation of course.

this is complete bullshit. You should do the exact opposite-- canned food is far better than kibble, and for training, you need soft mushy treats. No need to ever feed hard, dry treats.

glenmar

Posted : 7/25/2006 9:26:27 AM

[

] Mudpuppy!!! Way to cut through the BS!

Rom Gateb

Posted : 7/25/2006 10:33:13 AM

I also mix canned canidae and dry EP Holistic (50/50) each meal. My pup eats it up. Firm stools. I try to also brush his teeth a few times a week. Perhaps try some pumkin (pure, non pie mix, non spice) and add a little to your dog's food. It may help with firm up the loose stools. Good luck.

M.W.Lewis

Posted : 7/25/2006 11:02:43 AM

Canned doesn't cause diarreah, if that were the case then drinking water would also. The colon removes moisture before the stool is formed whether it's water from the drinking bowl, canned food, vegetables or fruits.

There's a lot of erroneous info about canned. I think it is a better form of food though in most brands than dry. It's expensive compared to dry though, as dry is more concentrated so you can feed less.

Debra C.

Posted : 7/25/2006 12:26:42 PM

How do you all feel about my using a mix of canned Nutro Natural Choice and dry Nutro Ultra?
(I just went out and bought the dry food. She seems to like it, as a snack anyway).

beth82

Posted : 7/25/2006 12:54:18 PM

It's more likely that she has a problem with some of the ingredients in her usual canned food, rather than the fact that it's canned. Personally, I would try a different brand or flavor of canned, it's much healthier than dry.