Food For Thought

k_dawg

No thank youuuuuuuuuuu

Yea, good thing then they're not marketing to you!   When have you ever heard of it or seen it in a store?  Many here probably never heard of it until they heard about it from me.  Clearly, they don't market to the general pop.  You were looking at the State of the Art product granular which is cheaper when you per pound when ordering the bigger box (the 5-lb for 20 something).  The other graulars seem more reasonable.  One needs to shop around when doing something like this....that box for 115 was also priced at 135 on another site (state of the art).

Edie

 I agree Dyan. I would add fresh foods no matter what commercial food i was feeding,A*ady included.

As it stands now, my dogs get way more fresh food meals than they do kibble

 That sounds wonderful Edie, but please be careful.  Depending upon what fresh foods you're taking about, you can easily be doing more damage than good.  When I think fresh foods, I'm thinking of raw or cooked chicken or meat, period, not veggies, grain or fruit.  My dogs get fresh meat or chicken (outside of their daily ration) in treat from only.  I haven't fed a dried biscuit type treat in many years.  Pretty much every time I eat my dinner, I save same small pieces (no bigger than a quarter and only 2 or 3) for my dogs, but that is it...their diet is already loaded with plenty of animal source proteins.

Quote: The animal-based ingredients are compatible with the dog’s physiological process. They move slowly through the stomach and small intestine so that the body has enough time to break down the ingredients and absorb the nutrients. When composed animal based ingredients, the food is properly assimilated resulting in small, firm stools that quickly pas through the colon (large intestine). Plant-based ingredients alter the way in which the food itself is digested. The plant-based ingredients are incompatible with the dog’s digestive processes. These ingredients move more rapidly through the stomach and small intestine than animal-based ingredients, often before the ingredients are properly broken down, reducing the nutritional value of the ration.  Quote is from Abady section of Alpha nutrition website.

 My dog gets some fruits and veggies now and then, and would you believe it, it's not harming him.

But what I described is how *most* probably do it, incorrectly blaming the wrong ingredients.

   The way Jennie described it is the way my veterinary dermatologist had me do it, and that's why I'm sure Jessie's allergic to chicken.
 

Plant-based ingredients alter the way in which the food itself is digested. The plant-based ingredients are incompatible with the dog’s digestive processes. These ingredients move more rapidly through the stomach and small intestine than animal-based ingredients, often before the ingredients are properly broken down, reducing the nutritional value of the ration.  Quote is from Abady section of Alpha nutrition website.

   It's true that dog's don't digest raw fruits and vegetables very well, but if they're cooked or pureed dog's can digest them and benefit from their nutrients.
 

 I dont feed fruits or veggies simply because my dogs wont eat them,although it would be handy to give them out left over veg instead of throwing them away! Their "fresh foods" consist of meat,organs,eggs the odd dollop of cottage cheese and rmb's,i dont bother with grains.

Edie

 I dont feed fruits or veggies simply because my dogs wont eat them...

Smart dogs.  Wait a sec, Zoe never refused a Micky Ds French Fry?  OK, I confess, I will give them on rare occasion something like a fry, but just one or two.  Maybe a chip, some popcorn but not often, if I'm munching they usually get a small something, but no meals out of that stuff.  Heck, more than once the Halloween baskets got raided...lol  I was finding chocolate still wrapped but stashed between couch cushions.  Yes, they have gotten into some chocolate bars and eaten them with no problems.

jessies_mom

The way Jennie described it is the way my veterinary dermatologist had me do it, and that's why I'm sure Jessie's allergic to chicken. 

You actually have a veterinary dermatologist?  Goodness gracious.  And you believe what they tell you?  They must be in a business with the need for repeat customers.  Are you sure they are not recommending the very foods with ingredients causing the problems?  How else are they going to get you back through the door?  You gotta be very careful with that stuff.  You ever get the feeling in just a big circle and you keep going round and coming back to the same problems?  If you do, just say enough is enough and get out of that scenario.

   She's an Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Purdue Small Animal Hospital and she diagnosed Jessie's allergies and prescribed allergen immunotherapy. Jessie has very serious allergies which had caused 3 trips to the e-vet and frequent visits to the regular vet; she would often chew her feet until they bled. She started allergen immunotherapy a few years ago and has been doing much better; she hasn't needed treatment for foot or skin infections in quite a while. Say "enough is enough" and stop taking Jessie to her? No thank you; I love seeing my girl healthier and happier.

Moderator speaking...

Some on this thread reaaaally need to dial back their condescending meters a whole lot, and start using more respectful means to communicate and make thier points.

That should happen ASAP or PM's from Admin will be forthcoming.

That sounds wonderful Edie, but please be careful.  Depending upon what fresh foods you're taking about, you can easily be doing more damage than good.  When I think fresh foods, I'm thinking of raw or cooked chicken or meat, period, not veggies, grain or fruit.

   I used to think dogs didn't need fruits or vegetables either but I now include some in the home cooked portion of Jessie's diet. The reason I changed my opinion is because of someone I know who home cooks all of her dog's food and includes a fair amount of vegetables. She's had 2 dogs that lived to be 19. She also rescued a 10 year old dog that had severe heart worm disease and had a badly damaged heart and lungs; it recovered and lived another 6 and a half years. I figured she's doing something right and now add more vegetables to Jessie's food.

I always add a lot of cup up sweet potatoes, apples and squash as well as a pound of frozen green beans to the girls Chicken stew--use 5 pounds of chicken thighs, 3-31/2 pounds of chicken necks, and 1- 1/2 pounds of beef liver, chicken gizzards or ground turkey....bee liver this week. 

 I honestly had never thought of giving veggies or fruits to dogs til my irish Setter would clean my garden out of tomatoes, yellow squash and a lot of green peppers, gobble up any melon he get, etc.  He also loved lettuce.  So i do think veggies are good for them.

I homecook a wide variety of veggies and fruit. Lamb and salmon are the main proteins.

 I cook the veggies well, and sometime puree them. I do a lot of crock pot cooking, that is slow and a good way to cook for them.

 I have a Vet. Dermatologist and he loves the meals I make and the treats too. My reg. vet helped me, he knows about nutrition.

 No more worries about processed food, ingredients etc. There is more water in fresh food and it is great for the liver and kidneys.

Crock pot cooking is SO great.  I use to cook 5 days a week til I read about crock pot cooking for dogs on some nutrition place on the web.  Now 24 hours in crock pot and bones are like meal, veggies well cooked--NEVER chunks of veggies in their poop.   And they do love it--just fed mine a mine ago--1 1/2 cups of kibble, 1 1/3 cups of the stew.

I need to buy a crock pot, so that I can do up a whole duck, for mine. I haven't ever seen anything other than whole duck, and Emma can't eat the bones unless they're much. That would be very nice, for them. I think they'd enjoy it. And I could use it to make oatmeal for me, and their veggies, too.