Anything wrong with feeding JUST canned food?

glenmar

Bottom line is doing what is within YOUR comfort level.  If even the medallions make you uneasy, well, thats your answer.

The day may come when you DO feel more comfortable with it and if so, fine, if not, that's fine too.  The decision you make TODAY doesn't have to be a forever and always decision.  Cut yourself some slack.  I don't happen to believe that there IS a best thing to find every single dog.

I mean this in the kindest possible way....don't let yourself get obsessive-compulsive about this.  He'll live, he'll thrive on whatever you decide to feed him.  You know the basics, you know what to look for and what ingredients to avoid.  You will BOTH be fine.  Now take a deep breath and relax about it already!

glenmar

I mean this in the kindest possible way....don't let yourself get obsessive-compulsive about this.  He'll live, he'll thrive on whatever you decide to feed him.  You know the basics, you know what to look for and what ingredients to avoid.  You will BOTH be fine.  Now take a deep breath and relax about it already!

This quote should be a sticky at the top of the Nutrition forums!   lol

papillon806

glenmar

I mean this in the kindest possible way....don't let yourself get obsessive-compulsive about this.  He'll live, he'll thrive on whatever you decide to feed him.  You know the basics, you know what to look for and what ingredients to avoid.  You will BOTH be fine.  Now take a deep breath and relax about it already!

 

This quote should be a sticky at the top of the Nutrition forums!   lol

Funny, my exact thoughts when I read this!  We all get so worked up over what to feed (I am just as guilty!)  sometimes I think it is good to take a step back and breathe!  

On that note I'm sure Gingerbread will love an all canned diet!  I completely understand your fear of raw.  I just switched Snuffa to all raw (pre-made raw, I don't trust myself to make it on my own)   Eventually I will add some home cooked to this. 

Making the switch was hard (for me not him... he loved it!) I do still have my worries about raw, I try not to get too worked up about it.

I had great resuts when I added canned Nat. Balance! Trudy got darker hair! She did well.

I homecook now and her allergies, hair etc. are great. I was so freaked about starting homecooking I lost SLEEP! Then I learned all I could and the main thing that helped is that I had meetings with my vet! He was SO happy I was doing it.

The recalls scared me and my hubby so much. It was hubby that urged me to cook for her.My vets and derm vet loved the things I make for her.

Gingerbread will be thrilled with the canned food. I love having more fluids for them. Just brush the teeth. But that is good for most dogs. I love Petzlife, but also the dental wipes!!! I can gently scrub and feel each tooth!! AND see the stuff I take off. I brush sometimes also.

Ginger must eat all canned due to her esophagus issue. She seems to be doing well on it I feed Natural Balance, which she enjoys and does well on. She can gnaw on a raw bone now and then, provided it's not too meaty where she could get off chunks and have issues with swallowing. (her canned food must be mixed with water), but we've found it does make her happy. She's very food motivated/focused, so getting a bone is ahuge treat for her since other 'people food' tidbits are limited now

If it makes you feel any better, Emma is seriously immune compromised. She has been, since the beginning. She does great on raw. Teenie's immune system is iffy, at best. With her fairly chronic skin infections, I'd say it's pretty bad. They're both looking fantastic, feeling good, neither of them has gotten sick from food borne illness, yet.

I think all canned would be a fantastic step. If you feel better about raw later, get some and try it. If not, fine. If you're nervous about it, he's going to be nervous about it. It's better to not do that to him. 

jennie_c_d

If it makes you feel any better, Emma is seriously immune compromised. She has been, since the beginning. She does great on raw. Teenie's immune system is iffy, at best. With her fairly chronic skin infections, I'd say it's pretty bad. They're both looking fantastic, feeling good, neither of them has gotten sick from food borne illness, yet.

That does make me feel better! I think I'm going to start a separate thread about raw and questions I have, because in a lot of ways it's really seeming like it might be the right choice.

All canned is NOT going well. Yesterday and today Gingerbread has had soft stool and it smelled EXACTLY like the Innova did before he ate it. Not good. :(

Edited to add- scratch that about raw. I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable enough to feed it. I'm just going to try half kibble and half canned. I think that's going to work well.

I wonder if it's just the brand of canned? (ie, some are more rich or somesuch than others?) Ginger has never been able to handle canned. It's always given her diarrhea just a few hours later. In fact, that's why her former owner gave her up.  I was obviously a bit nervous about the all canned, when she required to be switched. She was started on i/d, only because she was ill and hospitalized at that time. (just a bland, prescription food) but once home we went to first Natural Balance Duck and potato, because it was a bit bland as well.  After that we went to some of the other formulas, since she did well. She's currently loving the Venison and Potato.  You wouldn't necessarily have to use Natual Balance if you didn't want to, but you may try one of the brands' more 'gentle' formulas for a bit.

 It could also be that his body is adapting to the extra water. Always good to give these things a few days before switching, to see if they work themselves out

grab01

I wonder if it's just the brand of canned? (ie, some are more rich or somesuch than others?) Ginger has never been able to handle canned. It's always given her diarrhea just a few hours later. In fact, that's why her former owner gave her up.  I was obviously a bit nervous about the all canned, when she required to be switched. She was started on i/d, only because she was ill and hospitalized at that time. (just a bland, prescription food) but once home we went to first Natural Balance Duck and potato, because it was a bit bland as well.  After that we went to some of the other formulas, since she did well. She's currently loving the Venison and Potato.  You wouldn't necessarily have to use Natual Balance if you didn't want to, but you may try one of the brands' more 'gentle' formulas for a bit.

 It could also be that his body is adapting to the extra water. Always good to give these things a few days before switching, to see if they work themselves out

Some kinds of canned are a complete mush (Innova) and others like California are more dry. And since you can break it up into chunks it actually seems to make it easier for them to eat. So those kinds seem better for feeding alone, but not as good for mixing. I'm going to start a different thread to see if anyone knows about the consistency of several different foods before I buy them. Thank you for your help!

For what it's worth, my dog didn't do so great on the EVO cans---he also smelled like the food--weird, huh?  He did very well on the Nature's Variety canned, though.  No stool problems, whatsoever, and he actually preferred the taste of the NV.  He also liked the taste of Eagle Pack canned foods, although the potato in the formulas did a number on him.  We have since switched to primarily raw--he still gets an occasional homecooked meal, canned food (still NV) and he also does well with ZiwiPeak Venison/Fish formula. 

Canned dog food is mainly water, and doesn't give the dog all the nutrients they need. It also *does* cause dental plaque to build up which can cause major issues with a dog's health just as it can in a human. Small dogs have more problems with their teeth to begin with, so feeding them only canned food is asking for trouble, IMO. And unless you brush your dogs teeth every day, be prepared to pay a vet to do several cleanings a year - which isn't good for the dog as they have to be under anesthesia to get their teeth cleaned. My dog get no canned dog food at all. He'll get some boiled chicken once in a while, but I wouldn't give him anything from a can; most have too much garbage in them that I wouldn't put into my dog.

If your dog doesn't like kibble maybe he hasn't had one he likes yet, or you're giving in and giving him too much canned/baby/food etc. when trying to get him to eat dry kibble. If a dog doesn't get anything but kibble for 3 or 4 days he *will* eventually eat it, and he's not going to starve if he doesn't eat for a couple of days. But I have a feeling you might be too softhearted and are giving in by adding things to his dry food before you go a few days with just the dry kibble (mainly because I used to do that with a previous dog myself).

If you try feeding him a good dry food such as Fromm, Solid Gold, Wellness, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if he eats it...not only are these better than any canned food, they're better than most other dry foods...and they're excellent for your dogs health. Also, you can put a few drops of water on the kibble to moisten it, which may get him started eating it...and if he does, then you can phase out putting the water in it.

prolibertate

Canned dog food is mainly water, and doesn't give the dog all the nutrients they need.

Where did you get THAT from?