Dry, wet, hard, soft.....
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mrssoup
We feed ours Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice. We got it for his big sister since she was having skin problems (miniature schnauzer) and have had no problems whatsoever with either of them! In fact, Darius kept stealing Angel's food anyways, when he was still on puppy food. So we checked with our vet and she said no problem with giving him adult food (this was when he was almost 5 months) so thats what we've been doing, since the only way we could get him NOT to eat her food (she's a self feeder, so always had food) was to put her dish up higher than his but that only worked for a little bit.
Sheltie Girl
Forums Novice
what we feed
Wellness brand of dog food.. all the way.
It is all natural, one of the best out the according to tv reports I've seen and information I have read. They really got alot of positive attention after that nasty IAMS and Co. dog food recall.
Wellness brand of dog food.. all the way.
It is all natural, one of the best out the according to tv reports I've seen and information I have read. They really got alot of positive attention after that nasty IAMS and Co. dog food recall.
I work in animal nutrition, and have since 2003 (I used to work for a vet, now I work at an independent pet food store - mostly holistic).
What I urge people to do most, when feeding their pets, is to do their research. Read labels. Look up anything you don't recognize. I used to feed my dog Nutro Lamb & Rice, and her skin and coat were pretty good, she was in okay health, but she was getting chubby because we used to spoil her rotten.
My vet recommended I feed my dog Hill's Prescription Diet W/D for her weight and Hill's Prescription Diet T/D for her teeth. I did this diligently for a year.
Her coat turned to crap, she was lethargic, worn out...
And then I read the labels.
T/D contains: Calcium sulfate, better known as gypsum, Plaster of Paris, or DRYWALL. Potassium chloride, which is a "salt substitute" that may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding in the intestines. Overdoses may cause cardic blocks and other heart problems... not smart for a dog with a heart problem to begin with!
W/D contains: Peanut hulls! And something mysteriously labelled "digest".
My vet wanted me to feed my dog peanut shells, drywall, and something that might mess up her heart. Not to mention the "chicken by-products", which is organs, bones, heads, feet, and FEATHERS.
Why do so many vets recommend these foods? Because the companies pay them to. The big offenders are Hill's (Science Diet, Prescription Diet), Royal Canin, Eukanuba/Iams, and Purina.
I feed my dog a holistic food now (Nutro
Ultra Senior). I can identify everything on the label. Her coat has never been better, her joints are in great shape since I've bought the one with added glucosamine (she has arthritis). She's still energetic and healthy at the ripe old age of ten.
Canned food is a treat, or for elderly/sick dogs, as far as I've seen. Healthy dogs don't NEED it in their diet, unless they have kidney problems.
I'd recommend holistic and natural. We tried Ginger on Eagle Pack Holistic Select, but it did funny things to her tummy (she's a little sensitive). I recommend Eagle Pack, Nutro (especially Ultra), Merrick, Fromm, and Wellness as my top picks, because I've seen the results in a number of animals.
What I urge people to do most, when feeding their pets, is to do their research. Read labels. Look up anything you don't recognize. I used to feed my dog Nutro Lamb & Rice, and her skin and coat were pretty good, she was in okay health, but she was getting chubby because we used to spoil her rotten.
My vet recommended I feed my dog Hill's Prescription Diet W/D for her weight and Hill's Prescription Diet T/D for her teeth. I did this diligently for a year.
Her coat turned to crap, she was lethargic, worn out...
And then I read the labels.
T/D contains: Calcium sulfate, better known as gypsum, Plaster of Paris, or DRYWALL. Potassium chloride, which is a "salt substitute" that may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding in the intestines. Overdoses may cause cardic blocks and other heart problems... not smart for a dog with a heart problem to begin with!
W/D contains: Peanut hulls! And something mysteriously labelled "digest".
My vet wanted me to feed my dog peanut shells, drywall, and something that might mess up her heart. Not to mention the "chicken by-products", which is organs, bones, heads, feet, and FEATHERS.
Why do so many vets recommend these foods? Because the companies pay them to. The big offenders are Hill's (Science Diet, Prescription Diet), Royal Canin, Eukanuba/Iams, and Purina.
I feed my dog a holistic food now (Nutro
Ultra Senior). I can identify everything on the label. Her coat has never been better, her joints are in great shape since I've bought the one with added glucosamine (she has arthritis). She's still energetic and healthy at the ripe old age of ten.
Canned food is a treat, or for elderly/sick dogs, as far as I've seen. Healthy dogs don't NEED it in their diet, unless they have kidney problems.
I'd recommend holistic and natural. We tried Ginger on Eagle Pack Holistic Select, but it did funny things to her tummy (she's a little sensitive). I recommend Eagle Pack, Nutro (especially Ultra), Merrick, Fromm, and Wellness as my top picks, because I've seen the results in a number of animals.
walloongirl
Forums Regular
I feed our little fluffy butt, Beetle, 1/3 cup Nutro Ultra Weight Management morning, noon and night. She is a real chow hound. When we were having problems with her peeing in her bed (see my other post in Health to Misty) the vet gave us Science Diet to keep her protein low. She absolutely refused to eat either the dry or canned stuff. Now I know why- she just doesn't like drywall! She is happy with the Nutro Ultra and her coat is beautiful and soft and really thick.
Our male sheltie, Jack gets the adult Nutro Ultra. He is a big boy and weighs 28#. We feed him 1/3 cup morning, noon and evening. Wish we had not started the noon feeding but they can't manage to last 12 hours. The begging and reminding starts at least an hour before feeding time. Of course there is a cookie each at bedtime.
Liz
Our male sheltie, Jack gets the adult Nutro Ultra. He is a big boy and weighs 28#. We feed him 1/3 cup morning, noon and evening. Wish we had not started the noon feeding but they can't manage to last 12 hours. The begging and reminding starts at least an hour before feeding time. Of course there is a cookie each at bedtime.
Liz
We feed the furkids Three Dog Bakery Chicken and Rice kibble. We had been feeding Iams up until the pet food recalls. After the recalls I got more educated about dog food ingredients and picked out Three Dog because:
1. Two of the first three ingredients are pure meat
2. There are no by-products, digests, or generic "animal" ingredients
3. Its made in the USA
4. The doggies absolutely flipped for it.
It also helps that a very nice gentleman runs a Three Dog franchise very near our home
1. Two of the first three ingredients are pure meat
2. There are no by-products, digests, or generic "animal" ingredients
3. Its made in the USA
4. The doggies absolutely flipped for it.
It also helps that a very nice gentleman runs a Three Dog franchise very near our home
Ann
Moderator
Feeding GOOD Food
Bravo, Spak, for your informed post and thoughts on dog food!! I am a canine and equine journalist who researched dog food a great deal and wrote a series after the pet food recalls. It is actually posted in the archives of Sheltie Nation from December 2007, I believe. I learned a great deal about feeding when one of my three Shelties had gastro problems requiring much trial and error before I found food she could tolerate. I now feed her Timberwolf Southwest Chicken and every other night a good raw food diet. She's done wonderfully, but it took a year to work out her problems. I can't say enough about using premium, natural foods such as Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold, Timberwolf and many others available now, rather than veterinary or supermarket foods, all of which contain the equivalent of doggie junk food or worse.
Has anyone found that Shelties don't do well on lamb-based foods? In my research a few years ago, I read that for some reason, lamb doesn't agree with Sheltie systems. I know some who feed it though with no ill effects. I'm curious to see if any list members have experienced problems.
Bravo, Spak, for your informed post and thoughts on dog food!! I am a canine and equine journalist who researched dog food a great deal and wrote a series after the pet food recalls. It is actually posted in the archives of Sheltie Nation from December 2007, I believe. I learned a great deal about feeding when one of my three Shelties had gastro problems requiring much trial and error before I found food she could tolerate. I now feed her Timberwolf Southwest Chicken and every other night a good raw food diet. She's done wonderfully, but it took a year to work out her problems. I can't say enough about using premium, natural foods such as Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold, Timberwolf and many others available now, rather than veterinary or supermarket foods, all of which contain the equivalent of doggie junk food or worse.
Has anyone found that Shelties don't do well on lamb-based foods? In my research a few years ago, I read that for some reason, lamb doesn't agree with Sheltie systems. I know some who feed it though with no ill effects. I'm curious to see if any list members have experienced problems.
It depends on the dog. Lamb is a harder protein to metabolize than chicken, but it's relatively inexpensive, and as a result, a lot of pet foods contain it.
Ginger has eaten a diet containing lamb and had no ill effects when she was younger, but right now she eats Nutro Ultra, which is primarily chicken meal, though it also contains salmon and lamb so there are a variety of proteins.
There is nothing wrong with diets containing "(insert meat) meal", as it's just the meat with all of the moisture removed. Stay away from anything containing by-products or by-product meal, corn, and large amounts of wheat. Wheat is one of the most common canine allergies.
I personally am not a huge fan of raw-meat-only diets, mainly because domestic dogs are so far removed from their wolfish ancestors that they don't really need it, but if they enjoy it, it can be a beneficial supplement. Same thing with home-cooked things, though in the case of cooked things, it's useful for a dog with a sensitive stomach. Dogs are omnivores, NOT carnivores, so they also need grains, vegetables, dairy and even fruits (though not much of either, due to the sugars and the lactose).
When we got Ginger, it was the first family dog my parents ever owned. My dad grew up on a farm - their old collie lived in the barn and ate leftovers, so neither of them really had any clue about dogs. It was only when I started researching in 2004 that I really found out what was going on.
Ginger has eaten a diet containing lamb and had no ill effects when she was younger, but right now she eats Nutro Ultra, which is primarily chicken meal, though it also contains salmon and lamb so there are a variety of proteins.
There is nothing wrong with diets containing "(insert meat) meal", as it's just the meat with all of the moisture removed. Stay away from anything containing by-products or by-product meal, corn, and large amounts of wheat. Wheat is one of the most common canine allergies.
I personally am not a huge fan of raw-meat-only diets, mainly because domestic dogs are so far removed from their wolfish ancestors that they don't really need it, but if they enjoy it, it can be a beneficial supplement. Same thing with home-cooked things, though in the case of cooked things, it's useful for a dog with a sensitive stomach. Dogs are omnivores, NOT carnivores, so they also need grains, vegetables, dairy and even fruits (though not much of either, due to the sugars and the lactose).
When we got Ginger, it was the first family dog my parents ever owned. My dad grew up on a farm - their old collie lived in the barn and ate leftovers, so neither of them really had any clue about dogs. It was only when I started researching in 2004 that I really found out what was going on.
Ann
Moderator
I agree with you about the raw food. Everyone I know who feeds it swears by it but I can't bring myself to feed it exclusively. So I do dinner with a prepared raw chicken kibble for her every other night, and the rest of her meals are the regular premium food. The regimen seems to work for her.
Thanks for the lamb info! My other two Shelties seem to do well on a combo food that includes lamb.
Thanks for the lamb info! My other two Shelties seem to do well on a combo food that includes lamb.
Wellness
Hello all!
Gabe gets Wellness Lamb kibble mixed with the canned Lamb twice daily. I also add The Missing Link Plus to his food. I've only had him for about 4 1/2 months so I'm still not totally familiar with what's "normal" for Gabe. He does seem very gassy as he burps a lot. His stools are very smelly and are sometimes pretty soft. I'm not sure if this is because he has trouble with the lamb or if it's because of the the fiber in his supplement. I've considered switching him to another Wellness diet just to see if his stools would improve. Other than that, he's very healthy! His fur has become so glossy with regular brushing and the sunbleaching that stained his rump is FINALLY disappearing. It would be interesting to see if Lamb causes any issues with anyone else's dogs. I'm so excited to have this forum now!!
~Linz
Hello all!
Gabe gets Wellness Lamb kibble mixed with the canned Lamb twice daily. I also add The Missing Link Plus to his food. I've only had him for about 4 1/2 months so I'm still not totally familiar with what's "normal" for Gabe. He does seem very gassy as he burps a lot. His stools are very smelly and are sometimes pretty soft. I'm not sure if this is because he has trouble with the lamb or if it's because of the the fiber in his supplement. I've considered switching him to another Wellness diet just to see if his stools would improve. Other than that, he's very healthy! His fur has become so glossy with regular brushing and the sunbleaching that stained his rump is FINALLY disappearing. It would be interesting to see if Lamb causes any issues with anyone else's dogs. I'm so excited to have this forum now!!
~Linz