Food For Thought

 Well, if Jack and Sally ate it Sally would have ear infections and skin flakes and Jack would have extra inflamed arthritis.  It's not my business what others feed, but my dogs would not do well on it.

I also know a man that smoked cigars from the time he was 12 years old and ate buckets of fried chicken multiple times a week. He died naturally in his sleep at 99 yrs old. Does that mean his lifestyle was good?

It is my humble opinion, that foods like pedigree, purina, ol roy... are the reason so many dogs and cats have cancer, diabetes, obesity, dysplasia, etc. Same for humans... eating Mcdonalds, ramen noodles, and KFC daily will also lead to the same diseases and conditions. But just because some animals/people do well, doesn't make it good.

Genetics.  They are important; believe it or not.    lol

The thing that struck me was the two old timers he just lost were different breeds, and to have 2 live that long, well I would say that food agreed with them.  Have no idea how my girls would do on it and have no intention of trying it. 

And I do know  that several people on my golden retriever forums who feed top of the line food, some raw, have lost dogs to cancer.  It is true that goldens are prone to cancer--something like 60% will die from cancer.  And from what I read, it doesn't seem to make any difference if they are eating raw. top of the line, middle, or bottom.

Just very recently adopted a 5mnth old Golden that had been eating Pedigree for his 1st months of life. He came to me with double ear infections, kennel cough, and he now has a skin infection over 50% of his body.

Have been feeding him Canidae for the last 2 weeks, and are now switching to Cal Natural Lamb/rice, plus he's on antibiotics again, along with an antifungal solution for his ears.

I wouldn't feed Pedigree to my birds. But, I have witnessed and heard exactly the same as you're saying, only with dogs fed Science Diet.

sandra_slayton

The thing that struck me was the two old timers he just lost were different breeds, and to have 2 live that long, well I would say that food agreed with them.  Have no idea how my girls would do on it and have no intention of trying it. 

And I do know  that several people on my golden retriever forums who feed top of the line food, some raw, have lost dogs to cancer.  It is true that goldens are prone to cancer--something like 60% will die from cancer.  And from what I read, it doesn't seem to make any difference if they are eating raw. top of the line, middle, or bottom.

 Yeah, it's sad.  I was walking by the Oncology dept. at the vet school and it was full of Golden's
 

Genetics do play a big role I"m sure, but I also think we can "stack the deck" too.  Make the most of a bad hand, like what I got with Ben (all his littermates are dead now, I heard recently ), or maximize a good draw.

Maggie is my oldest now - she'll be fourteen this year, and hasn't ever seen a vet for anything other than annual shots and the one time she got run over by a truck.  I mean, not ever, ever, ever been sick one day of her life - and I'm constantly exposing my gang to horrendous stuff from the shelter dogs I bring here.

Of the ones here now, I've had one dog that got into a bag of dog food last year and got hit with borderline pancreatitis.  That's the only non-routine vet visit I've had for any reason, not counting Ben.

That can't be entirely luck.  I have ten dogs for Pete's sake - from many different backgrounds, breeding situations, life histories, raised here, bought as adults, etc, etc.  Some of it's got to be the lifestyle and nutritional management.

papillon806

Genetics.  They are important; believe it or not.  

We can fight 'em tooth and nail, but in the end, yeah... They're still there.

I knew a dog who lived to be 16 on Ol' Roy. He was a mostly-GSD mixed breed. He had severe hip dysplasia, and that's what he was PTS for. He couldn't walk any more. Would better/different food have made him live longer? Probably not. He was very, very old. It might have made him more comfortable, though, if he were not fed a big bowl of grain every day.

My lovely little Emma, well loved and well fed as she is, may end up dying young for her breed. Truth is, she is just not a healthy dog. She never has been. She's doing GREAT, right now, and she looks incredible. Bloodwork is perfect, coat is fantastic, muscle tone couldn't be better if I tried. She has a rally and obedience match, tomorrow morning. We plan on taking 1st[;)} (big plans, I'd say, for the first time, but we can hope!). Her genes say things I just can't fight. Her immune system and liver are iffy, at best, and her structure? Oh, boy. Acupuncture is her very good friend. 

I dont think i've ever seen a healthy looking dog fed on pedigree.They just tend to have this look and smell about them. I dont know if a dog can live to 15 and also be unhealthy for their entire lives?? Things like scurfy coats,huge poops,allergies,runny eyes etc etc. All not life threatening ailments,but dont make for a healthy dog.

 I've seen too many owners profess to having dogs in great condition,but are anything but!They just cant recognize a healthy looking dog. Having said this,this guys old dogs could have been in great condition when they died,who knows???

Edie

I dont think i've ever seen a healthy looking dog fed on pedigree.They just tend to have this look and smell about them. I dont know if a dog can live to 15 and also be unhealthy for their entire lives?? Things like scurfy coats,huge poops,allergies,runny eyes etc etc. All not life threatening ailments,but dont make for a healthy dog.

 I've seen too many owners profess to having dogs in great condition,but are anything but!They just cant recognize a healthy looking dog. Having said this,this guys old dogs could have been in great condition when they died,who knows???

 That's funny you say that because I've seen the same thing for people who's dogs are on some "extravagant" foods like TWO.  One lady kept raving about her black lab being on Ocean Blue, fish oil supplement, etc etc.  She brought her dog in one day and he looked like crap.   Overweight, no muscle tone and an extremely dull coat.   Another lady (who everybody tries to "convert";) swears by Science Diet and her dogs (two GSHP's) look stunning.   It goes both ways.
 

I just finished watching the series on Discovery Health "The Truth About Food".  And I just recently went back to eating only whole foods (whole grains, lots of fruit and veggies, organic dairy and fish) myself.  I eat no sugar or typical processed foods.  I have never felt better.  I cannot argue with the results.  They are amazing.  I had been tired all the time to the point of it interfering with my work.  I couldn't concentrate.  I kept going to the dr. and they couldn't find anything wrong.  So I tried this way of life just to see if it would help.  I was shocked.

 I could never do less for my dogs.  As very important members of my family they need the highest quality food too.  Will one or more of us get cancer or some other disease.  Quite possibly.  But we are going to live well and enjoy the highest quality nutrition that we can get our hands and paws (& hooves for my pony) for our lives.  And hopefully if it doesn't prolong our lives, it will make the quality of our lives and health better.

most people think it's normal for dogs to have filthy teeth, bad breath, fart a lot, be itchy, have greasy dull coats, and start acting old by age seven. The few dogs I know that are fed low-quality kibbles and actually look and act healthy are heavily supplemented with fresh foods.

I have to disagree with you mudpuppy that most people think a dog the way you described is normal.  There are always exceptions to every thing, but all the ones I know, especially with inside dogs do not have smelly, greasy, foul breath dogs and many feed stuff like ol Roy, grocery store brands, others feed top stuff

My KayCee could use a dental every 6 months.  Her teeth stain easy, she gets build up, etc.  She had had two dentals by the time she was 4.  Yet her littermate brother, Hunter, who died of AIHA just after his 4th birhtday---his teeth were as white and clean as the day them came in.  They had both always been on Purina, first Puppy Chow and then regualr Chowl  But KayCee just has a different chemistry in her mouth.  Hunter had never been sick a day in his til the Proheart 6 brought on the AIHA and damaged his liver.  He had had allergies the first couple of years, but no problem the last two.  Meanwhile KayCee had to have both knees operated on luxating patella, still has outdoor seasonal allergies--but not as bad, hashad  one ear infection, had a severe reaction to her 2ed set of annual vax.   They both had the great golden temperment, but outside of that they were entirely different considering they were littermates.

 I am not saying everyone should run out and buy Pedigree.  I am just saying some dogs do great on it.  I do not believe for one second that  one food or way of feeding(kibble, cooked, raw) is right for ALL dogs.  What works great for my dogs may not work at all for you dogs, and what works for yours might not work at all for mine.  What i am saying is that just because Pedigree or Iams or Science Diet or Purina is written on the bag does not mean your dog is gonna be a stinky, ear infected, rotton mouth, skin troubled, elephant size poop, gassy dog.  Nor does feeding top of the line mean you dog will never have ear infection, dental needs, skin trouble, smell like perfume, never have gas and do jelly bean size poops.  It all depends on the dog.

As a side note I read about this Plaque Off that is suppose to help cut down on tartar and plaque on dogs teeth and i decided to give it a try for KayCee.  You had one cap full to 3 cups of water.  I had not idea if it would work or not, but since she is 8 and has an enalrged heart chamber, I was silling to try.  The insdie of her canine teeth has been stained brown since she was a year old--didn't even come off with dentals.  But after 4 months of being on this being in her water, those stains are gone.  I dont' know if it is helping cut back on plaque & tartar or not, but I love the stain being off her teeth. 

I still don't think Pedigree is good and dogs don't either. I once tried feeding some canned Pedigree to Floyd because I didn't make it to the feed store before it closed and hadn't cooked. I figured 24 hours on grocery store food wouldn't kill him. He flatly refused to eat it and he's not a picky eater, so it sent a message to me. I quickly rustled up a quick people food meal.

That said, I think nutrition is only part of the equation of health. First and foremost are those pesky genetics. Secondly, I'd place exercise as being at least as important as diet. Though, I'm sure exercise contributes to this, I think happiness and a sense of well being are also important for longevity. My dad fed Atta Boy which is even worse than Pedigree and his dogs routinely lived very decent lifespans without serious health issues.  But maybe, they'd have lived even longer with a better food. We'll never know.