Yeah, I know - another food recommendation thread

[marymrumfelt]

...And I am only consumed with food because of my own food sensitivities and I love to cook and I do find nutrition factoids interesting too. And I feel very blessed to be able to feed what i think is a good food to the critters . My DH isn't much into me feeding them People food, but he has adjusted

I'm pretty big on nutrition and don't eat anything that comes prepared -- meaning I only shop on the outside aisles. Well, during the spring/summer, we only shop at the farmer's market. I spend a lot of my free time reading about nutrition and health -- it fascinates me and I learn something new for me or the animals every day! I agree it's a good feeling to feed something you consider to be good for you animals... I never have to worry about a recall which is a nice feeling

 

[Jaynie]

Dear Jaynie,

I agree with the others, her life is waaaay much better with you, so don't keep kicking yourself. You have to take care of yourself financially too.

I would like to ask you, how did your little one's cataracts get better since living with you? Have you done something special for them?

Thank you. And God bless you for adopting your little girl.

Maida, owned by sweet Christopher (who has a congenital cataract) and sweet Ritchie, and my eight wonderful Sheltie angels

I don't know that she actually had cataracts - but her eyes were awfully cloudy and she tended to squint in bright light. After a few months, they weren't cloudy any more (or at least had cleared up until it was unnoticeable).

And I do know that she's better off with me - she tells me so every day! Her confidence is just amazing! She's completely relaxed with me now - still a lot uptight when the hubs is around, and she get really upset around my parents. Oddly, she loves children around 10 years old (my neighbor's daughter is a special favorite).

I just want to feed her the right nutrients so that she can live a long, full life, and frankly, all this garbage that China is visiting on us is appalling! Does anyone know of an entirely China-free dog food?

 

[dblock]

I, too, am on disability and I buy the food I know I can afford for him. Sometimes, I feel like a bad momma because I can't give him "every fancy toy" but I know that I more than compensate in the actual time I spend loving him, walking him, and teaching him how to be a happy dog boy.

BTW, One of the more affordable better quality foods is Verus. around $12.00 a bag.. $1.99 a can My doggie boy had the same problems as your baby dog has but, the minute I switched him to this food, all problems ceased.

 

[BarbV]

I, too, am on disability and I buy the food I know I can afford for him. Sometimes, I feel like a bad momma because I can't give him "every fancy toy" but I know that I more than compensate in the actual time I spend loving him, walking him, and teaching him how to be a happy dog boy.

BTW, One of the more affordable better quality foods is Verus. around $12.00 a bag.. $1.99 a can My doggie boy had the same problems as your baby dog has but, the minute I switched him to this food, all problems ceased.

pssst! A little secret! I have lots of people bring their pets and their kids into my store.....to have fun and play with my staff, other people and other pets.....and of course, get free treats! I love having these folk in my store. I know that they may not buy something today, but someday they might, and I feel that by opening up my store to them as a little playground, I'm giving back in a small way.

I had a Mom and her son in the store today. She told my flat up that she's not here to buy, but she doesn't have alot of money and her son doesn't have alot of toys. Was it ok for him to just play with the cats for awhile? My heart broke.

 

[Chris]

I, too, am on disability and I buy the food I know I can afford for him. Sometimes, I feel like a bad momma because I can't give him "every fancy toy" but I know that I more than compensate in the actual time I spend loving him, walking him, and teaching him how to be a happy dog boy.

BTW, One of the more affordable better quality foods is Verus. around $12.00 a bag.. $1.99 a can My doggie boy had the same problems as your baby dog has but, the minute I switched him to this food, all problems ceased.

I think you're wonderful -- a loving Sheltie Mom whose boy thinks you hung the moon!

 

[Emmasmom]

I had a Mom and her son in the store today. She told my flat up that she's not here to buy, but she doesn't have alot of money and her son doesn't have alot of toys. Was it ok for him to just play with the cats for awhile? My heart broke.

That's so sad. Glad you have opened up your store to kids like this who have little.

The franchise here is wonderful as well.

 

[k9kreationz]

Here's some good things to think about....

How much can you afford? Instead of breaking it down by bag, break it down by meal (expect a lot of conversion and guesstimating at first).

How heavy a bag of Pedigree do you buy Bella and how long does it last?
Can you save up one month, to purchase a more expensive brand that will last longer?

i.e. I feed Koji half of what you feed Bella. I buy a 5.5lb bag that lasts 1.5-2 months. And yes, I'm sure I pay more too, at about $18/bag. But there are cheaper brands, that are better quality foods than Beneful.

You do have to breakdown how much you can afford comparitively to how much she'll eat with different brands. i.e. I may have to feed Koji 1c a day on Pedigree, but 1/2c day on Orijen. I know Ashley put together a spreadsheet, they are more expensive brands, but I'm wondering if we can help you find an affordable brand, that works for Bella and your wallet.

Trust me, with having to cook for Miko, I have to take Koji off of Orijen soon. I'll start lower with Acana then do some research on other brands that are good, but still less expensive. Miko is expensive! LOL. He gets potatoes (cheap), peas (expensive), and chicken (not too bad because I buy it at Costco). Peas cost a lot!

Good luck. I hope thinking about it like this will help you. Remember, you may not have to feed Bella as much as you do now with a better food with less grains.

 

[danisgoat]

I had a Mom and her son in the store today. She told my flat up that she's not here to buy, but she doesn't have alot of money and her son doesn't have alot of toys. Was it ok for him to just play with the cats for awhile? My heart broke.

Wow.....that would have broke my heart too.

What a great opportunity for the mom to teach her son proper behavior around cats, and for the cats to get some atttention.

Thanks for being sympathetic to them. Smart mom for thinking outside the box and getting her kid out.

 

[Jaynie]

I, too, am on disability and I buy the food I know I can afford for him. Sometimes, I feel like a bad momma because I can't give him "every fancy toy" but I know that I more than compensate in the actual time I spend loving him, walking him, and teaching him how to be a happy dog boy.

BTW, One of the more affordable better quality foods is Verus. around $12.00 a bag.. $1.99 a can My doggie boy had the same problems as your baby dog has but, the minute I switched him to this food, all problems ceased.

I know exactly what you mean! I just hate having to acclimate her to a new food - her little tummy objects. I don't feel like I have to give her every toy (she doesn't seem to know what toys are for, anyway), but I do want to feed her well. I do spend a lot of time with her and Gracie - they are with me most of the time. I've never heard of Verus brand - where do you get it?

Remember that I am feeding two small dogs from a small bag of Pedigree - they each get the same amount (Bela is 20 pounds, Gracie is close to 15) and those little bags (the most I can reasonably carry and move around) last about 8 days. I'm not too worried about Gracie - she's got a strong constitution and has been able to eat literally everything she can get into with no adverse effects. Bela's quite a bit more sensitive.

I hate to have to change Bela until I'm fairly sure I've found something feasible. I am definitely not very comfortable with the Beneful, even though that's what I fed Neechee during his last couple of years. Eventually, he would only eat in the evening, when he had his carrots and green beans. (Why eat crap when you can hold out for goodies!?!)

I have finally (after 2-1/2 years) been approved for disability, so things should get a lot easier as soon as my payments start. (Yes, it took 2-1/2 years from application to approval - and will take a couple months more to begin.)

 

[Megansmom]

I love these friendly posts about how spending time, teaching, loving them is far more important then the brand of food we feed them.