Too extreme with food choices

the talk of all those spreadsheets and percentages and ratios makes my eyes cross and my brain hurt.  I believe you do have to do some research and have some knowledge of what it takes to feed a dog properly, but I don't think it has to be so precise and complicated that it takes over your whole life.

I agree..my problem of late has been that all those now scared to death pet owners are streaming into the shop where I work with spreadsheets and lists in hand and they want to hash out the "best food" we have. When people ask me about raw feeding, and I state that I raw feed my own animals..I get detailed questions wanting precise measurements and recipes. A look comes over them..as if they have found the source(me) of all answers. Specific answers at that! When I tell them to research and that there are many ways and opinions on how to feed raw(or any other food) I see the frustration start to creep up. Many people WANT me to just tell them how to do it..jus tell them the perfect food for their dog. They usually want just one thing they pour into a bowl too. When I tell them how I feed my own they are stunned that I don't have a specific recipe that I give everyday..thats after we get past the bone and bacteria thing. I explain my thoughts..explain that they change as I learn more, explain that I have been feeding this way for more than 6 years..explain, explain.... and in the end they still want facts and figures and a recipe for life that I can't give them. I remember when I first started thinking about raw, I know what that feels like and I was much the same. So I muster up a smile and a Zen feeling and I tell them to start small, start with what is comfortable and attempt to find a path for themselves and their dog that both can live with healthily and happily. For some thats enough, for some they still want exacts.

I had this epiphany several months ago [] It's funny to see that others are having the same! []  I'm glad you posted Lori!

I don't read the Nutrition threads very often unless a subject line really catches my eye - like this one.  I feel like I finally got a good handle on what my dogs do best on and what is potentially harmful to them a long time ago.  That knowledge came after a lot of hair-pulling, brain-hurting reading on this forum and other resources more specific to my breed.  However, it was a necessary road for me because my dog had a very serious bout of Acute Pancreatitis.  His breed is probably the most often cited breed when it comes to hyperlipidemia and Pancreatitis and even back then (6 years ago) with my limited knowledge, I was aware of the breed's predisposition and the need to keep him in good physical condition and to forgo the usual culprits that might bring on Pancreatitis.  Yet he still ended up in the hospital. What is a well-balanced, healthy diet for other dogs might be (often is) too high in fat for him.  But he still obviously needs protein and balancing that against fat content can be pretty tricky.  So I certainly understand people icking apart ingredients in search for the right food, especially when dealing with diet related illnesses, but also even if it's just a quest for knowledge. Up until Bailey, every dog I've had in my life (and there have been a lot) have all had, as far as I knew, rock-solid gastro-systems and could quite literally eat anything.  And I don't recall really giving it much thought.  Many dogs in my family were raised on table scraps, but longevity aside, I'm not so sure it was a very healthy diet for them...especially with all the spices and oils that my family loved to cook with.  I feel like we eat a pretty healthy human diet now, but our leftovers would most assuredly not be a well balanced diet for a canine over time in and of itself. So it does take some thought and some research.  And whether you immerse yourself into the topic because of a specific medical need, or just trying to figure out what really is the proper canine diet ... you are faced with information overload, much of it conflicting.  It's easy to get caught up in all the opinions and drive yourself a little crazy with the details for awhile.  The trick is to eventually weed through it all and hopefully come away ... sanity intact ... with some knowledge, some common sense, an increased ability for fine-tuning research sources and confidence in one's decisions.  It's a journey that many people (myself included) have taken.   And then don't spend too much time in the Nutrition forums. []

ORIGINAL: Myra

...the talk of all those spreadsheets and percentages and ratios makes my eyes cross and my brain hurt.  I believe you do have to do some research and have some knowledge of what it takes to feed a dog properly, but I don't think it has to be so precise and complicated that it takes over your whole life.

I missed this the first time through and just wanted to say that I agree completely!!

I have to agree,...When I was a kid..(hmmm many moons ago)...We had dogs that never ever saw kibble...they would eat what we had for dinner...We never worried if the bone we gave them was cooked or not....We didn't worry if the calcium level was right..if there was to much salt in the food ...or if there was to much fat in the french fries they would eat..these dogs lived for a long time and looked very healthy...And I dont remeber them ever having to see a vet...I sometimes think that the dogs would be better off .if we all went back to those days...

 
these dogs lived for a long time and looked very healthy...And I dont remeber them ever having to see a vet...I sometimes think that the dogs would be better off .if we all went back to those days

 
AGREE!  And do you remember dogs with allergies back in them days???  I don't!
Of course we didn't give them 20,000 different vaccinations and preventatives like we do now either.

And do you remember dogs with allergies back in them days??? I don't!
Of course we didn't give them 20,000 different vaccinations and preventatives like we do now either.

No never had a dog that had any allergies..there coats always looked good...But you're right about the vacs...I dont recall dogs even getting vacs back then..

I guess maybe when dogs were allowed to be dogs and not family members (in the house, baths all the time, special made dog food--kibble and canned-- not loaded with vax & other stuff) they could have been a bit healthier.  None of ours ever had allergies that i know off--no ear infections, bald patches, only scratching when they had fleas, no throwing up their food, no goopy eyes, etc.

 None of ours ever had allergies that i know off--no ear infections, bald patches, only scratching when they had fleas, no throwing up their food, no goopy eyes, etc.

Yikes!!   Good thing we have super premium and raw food now a days for our dogs.
And protection against every know pet illness known to man. [] [] []

Did anyone know there is now a vaccine for dogs to protect them against gingavitis?  My vet was telling me about it when i had Buck in for his physical.    I think I am going to pass on it, no more stuff than he has to have, especially at his age.

Well, WOW, I guess that would be helpful if needed.  I know gum disease can potentially effect the heart and other parts of the body.   So, I guess I'd have to take into consideration all the factors and decide.  Of course, how new this is would also effect my decision.  I don't want her to be one of the first for this stuff and then in six months there is a problem.

Good grief. I've got a vaccine against gingivitis - it's called RAW BONES! I've got four dogs now over the age of six in my house and every one of them has perfect teeth and gums.

I do think some things have changed in our environment that make it harder to raise healthy dogs - pollution, food deficient in nutrients, denser populations, unhealthy lifestyles, overvaccination, and the drive to produce dog food at lower cost.

Some vaccines ARE good - I just wish they'd put some research into finding out how long we can go between them. I have a friend who almost lost her dog to lepto - that's a horrible disease. And parvo and distemper are right nasty and real puppy killers. It's awful to get a puppy and put all that love and thought into the baby and then lose them like they did in the old days.

We don't remember anymore but about 20% of all puppies died of one of those diseases before there were vaccines - and parvo typically doesn't hit until the pup is about six or seven months old. We just need a more sensible vaccine problem more in step with that geared towards humans.

Good grief. I've got a vaccine against gingivitis - it's called RAW BONES! I've got four dogs now over the age of six in my house and every one of them has perfect teeth and gums.

 
That's not a possiblity for every dog there needs to be options for things beyond raw food.

  Yikes!!   Good thing we have super premium and raw food now a days for our dogs.

 
Raw food for dogs is not a new concept---I grew up on a farm---in addition to crops, we also raised steer----our dogs were raw fed, and also ate a lot of home cooked meals.  Very healthy dogs, indeed.

Some vaccines ARE good - I just wish they'd put some research into finding out how long we can go between them.

 
I think most vaccines are good, maybe all of them. But not in combination with eachother and not as often as we are giving..and also,,,some of these combos are vaccinating against certain diseases that are not even in the area in which the dog lives.  When my kids were babies.. our dogs were protected against distemper and rabies.  Somewhere along the line they kept adding to those vaccines. Then came the heart worm and all the flea pesticides we put on our dogs.
We need some mighty good food to help keep our dogs immune system healthy enough to fight all of that!