A little help on what to feed now

[take4roll10]

I suspect I am being naive, I realize that dogs don't benefit from grains, but, if a dog does not have a problem with grains, and the protein content is lower in foods with grain, why avoid grains?

I believe the issue with grains is that many dog foods use grains and corn as fillers to add bulk to their food and of course grains are a cheap ingredient.

Dogs are carnivorous. They are built to eat meat and are designed to obtain minerals and nutrients from meat.

Many dogs are fine with grains, but when kibble is loaded with grains, there is a good chance that there isn't much meat in it.

For example, a kibble brand may advertise that their first ingredient is meat, but then the next 5 ingredients are rice or corn, so which is actually is the main ingredient? Most likely the grain or corn.

So while grains might not be a terrible thing in some foods, you do want to look at the ingredients and check for meat content.

 

[Tagg]

About a month ago I attended a seminar with Dr. Anthony Yu -Associate Professor of Dermatology and Clinical Dermatologist at the University of Guelph. He travels the world lecturing, primarily to veterinarians, and is held in high regard. He has made an amazing difference to a little westie that was taken in by Westies In Need and had been being treated for two years by a different dermatologist with no appreciable difference.
Anyway, he says that you have to be very careful that whatever your animal is allergic to is not hidden in the food or topical products by way of say the bonemeal or fats as even a microscopic amount can cause a reaction.
In answer to the question of not feeding grains, I personally avoid them because one of my dogs has had issues with yeast in the past, grains are carb rich and carbs convert to sugars and sugars feed yeast. Since I try not to have to feed 3 different foods for 3 dogs, I find it easier to keep them all on a grain free diet. If we hadn't had the problem then I would feed other foods out there that do contain grains.

 

[mellie]

You must eat some bland food to be able to feed them what you're eating for dinner! I wouldn't dare give my dogs something we cook... but we love spices.... and salt... both of which I wouldn't dream of giving to a dog lol

So do we ,but i add salt and spicey stuff after i take their portion out. I have dietary issues and rotate foods so they get good food. I am as picky with what we eat as i with what they eat

 

[marymrumfelt]

So do we ,but i add salt and spicey stuff after i take their portion out. I have dietary issues and rotate foods so they get good food. I am as picky with what we eat as i with what they eat

Ohhhh, that's a good point about taking it out beforehand... LOL I guess I imagined someone feeding them right off their plate --haha!

 

[SheltieGuy]

In answer to the question of not feeding grains, I personally avoid them because one of my dogs has had issues with yeast in the past, grains are carb rich and carbs convert to sugars and sugars feed yeast. Since I try not to have to feed 3 different foods for 3 dogs, I find it easier to keep them all on a grain free diet. If we hadn't had the problem then I would feed other foods out there that do contain grains.

keep in mind that grain-free isnt always carb-free. Most grain-free kibble is LOADED with potato, peas, pea flour,pea starch, sweet potato, etc,etc.There are plenty of carbs from these sources.

 

[OntarioSheltie]

keep in mind that grain-free isnt always carb-free. Most grain-free kibble is LOADED with potato, peas, pea flour,pea starch, sweet potato, etc,etc.There are plenty of carbs from these sources.

Thats true and yeast can and will feed off of potatoes, but the rest of the things you mentioned aren't nearly as bad as grains, where yeast is concerned.

Sweet Potatoes are an exception to the potato rule. Sweet potatoes are extremely healthy, despite technically being a carb and its benefits pretty much always outweigh any negatives they may have.

I too prefer not to feed a grain free food because one of my dogs has had digestive issues in the past. But there are pleanty of good dog foods on the market that have high quality grains that I wouldn't hesitate to use if it wasn't for my one dog.

 

[SheltieGuy]

Synthetic Vitamins

As a previous poster pointed out some issues with synthetic vitamins.. I would like to expand on this.
Synth Vitamins (human and pet) have toxins and poisons in them. ( formaldehyde, cyanide, petroleum' coal tar, petroleum products, animal by-products, waste and fecal matter, ground rocks, stones, shells and metal.)

Natural food-source vitamins are enzymatically alive. Man-made synthetic vitamins are dead chemicals and are majorly less effective.

Most of the well-known foods: BB, TOTW, Orijen, Fromm, Nutro, Wellness, Nutrisource, Champion, Now, Go, Evangers, Innova, California Naturals, Pro Plan, Natural Balance, Chicken Soup..etc..etc (most likely) contain man-made/synthetic vitamins. I cannot see how this can be a safe/good thing.Im sure I will be the blacksheep for pointing this out since no one seemed interested in the post I had about this issue but I am willing to take on that role to let people know about the hidden poisons in the man-made vitamins.

As I did not research every single food,,, I cannot verify which foods contain these synthetic vitamins. I know most of them do. If you think this is an issue for your beloved pet I urge you to contact them and ask. My Synth Vitamin post on the forums (in Commercial Foods) has all the info needed to find out for yourselves regarding the toxins/poisons/chemicals in all the synthetic vitamins.

 

[SheltieGuy]

Thats true and yeast can and will feed off of potatoes, but the rest of the things you mentioned aren't nearly as bad as grains, where yeast is concerned.

Sweet Potatoes are an exception to the potato rule. Sweet potatoes are extremely healthy, despite technically being a carb and its benefits pretty much always outweigh any negatives they may have.

I too prefer not to feed a grain free food because one of my dogs has had digestive issues in the past. But there are pleanty of good dog foods on the market that have high quality grains that I wouldn't hesitate to use if it wasn't for my one dog.

Thank You for pointing out the fact on yeast. I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to yeast.

Many people I talk to assume grain-free equals less carbs.I used to feed Pure Vita Bison and it should be called Pure Vita Pea kibble.

The ingredients are: Bison, peas, sweet potato, pea protein, sunflower meal, pea flour, bison meal, sunflower oil, flax seeds.

Seems to be VERY LITTLE bison in the bison kibble.

 

[frankienme]

Like I said in my previous post, I feed Now! to my dogs, but because of Bacca's liver issues, I feed him the Seniors/weight management formula which has lower protein. The regular forumlas for Now! are as high in protein as most grain-free diets.

Be very careful as you read the labels.

If you are interested in Go! or Now! your best bet is to go to their website, because their recent transition in packaging and forumlations has been somewhat confusing.

But its still good food! They just didn't manage the transition so well

Hi - I wanted to ask a clarifying question because in a post from a few years ago you mentioned you settled on Now! Adult management - did you mean Senior or is there a lower protein Adult formula too? Thanks!

 

[OntarioSheltie]

As a previous poster pointed out some issues with synthetic vitamins.. I would like to expand on this.
Synth Vitamins (human and pet) have toxins and poisons in them. ( formaldehyde, cyanide, petroleum' coal tar, petroleum products, animal by-products, waste and fecal matter, ground rocks, stones, shells and metal.)

Natural food-source vitamins are enzymatically alive. Man-made synthetic vitamins are dead chemicals and are majorly less effective.

Most of the well-known foods: BB, TOTW, Orijen, Fromm, Nutro, Wellness, Nutrisource, Champion, Now, Go, Evangers, Innova, California Naturals, Pro Plan, Natural Balance, Chicken Soup..etc..etc (most likely) contain man-made/synthetic vitamins. I cannot see how this can be a safe/good thing.Im sure I will be the blacksheep for pointing this out since no one seemed interested in the post I had about this issue but I am willing to take on that role to let people know about the hidden poisons in the man-made vitamins.

As I did not research every single food,,, I cannot verify which foods contain these synthetic vitamins. I know most of them do. If you think this is an issue for your beloved pet I urge you to contact them and ask. My Synth Vitamin post on the forums (in Commercial Foods) has all the info needed to find out for yourselves regarding the toxins/poisons/chemicals in all the synthetic vitamins.

I'm sure you've done your research but I personally don't totally agree with you. I think the basis of your point is correct but I believe it to be a bit of an over statement. None the less, this thread is not supposed to be about whether commercial kibble is safe or not, its about helping someone make an informed decision regarding commercial food.

But I just want to point out that people have to do what they can afford. Many of the foods you mention use ingredients that are fit for human consumption, thats the best we can do.

I personally feed my dogs the best food that I can afford and feel that much of the time my dogs eat a better balanced diet than I do. I treat my dog's nutrition in the same way that I treat my own. I provide the best that I can, within my budget.

There's no doubt in my mind that a raw diet is easily the healthiest way to feed a dog. But its just not an option for me and for many other people. Accusations that we're poisoning our dogs is not really helpful or fair.