Ok, I need to get Lexi some new food. Right now she is eating Royal Canin puppy food. I would like to give her the "best" food I can (since she does not eat that much). I would like get something with no by-products, dyes, etc. I am don't cook a lot so I would like to just by the food. I read somewhere that one of the first three ingredients should be a meat. Is this true? Has anyone ever gotten Three Dog Bakery's oven baked food?
Oh, also some of the dog food does not come in the little pieces meant for small breeds. Lexi does not have a problem chewing the larger pieces. Is it okay to give her food that has larger pieces? She is now 4 1/2 months old.
i'll start looking. but there are sites that tell you how to look at the ingredients and which are best. the only problem i have is that they use rendered meat for dog food. and that dog food isnt regulated---so there are ingredients that aren't listed or the ingredients listed aren't there. i know that Science diet is recommended by vets....but i dont know about the ingredients--and science diet is expensive compared to other dog food brands. anyway...i'll look for the sites.
oh, and i read in an article that all dogs are different, different activites and such. so you wouldnt want to be feeding a herding dog the same type as a toy. something like that....but i dont know.
The one thing I like about Three Dog Bakery's food is that they use human quality meats. It does not say this on the website but I had gotten a pamplet in the store and there was a lot more information in it about the food. I was just wondering if anyone had tried it? It does not come in small bites so that is why I have not gotten it yet. Would this cause a problem for Lexi? Was not sure if it could hurt her jaw if she is feed the bigger pieces every day?
I am feeding Casper(4 1/2 months old) half Eukanuba Puppyfood and half Science Diet Puppy Food. He was eating this with the breeder and he seems to like it. He is a healthy boy! His food comes in small pieces, but I don't know if the larger pieces are good for small dogs teeth and jaws. Last night after he had been fed, we fed our Basset Hound. She gets the large pieces of dog food. She is a pickier eater than the Maltese! She walked off down the hall. I was writing something down, and when I turned around he had eaten half of her food! He was not bothered by the large pieces, and his jaws did not seem to be hurt when I brushed his teeth.
the larger bites are fine if your pup can it them....it actually will help clean the teeth more so than the small bites. some toys are just picky and eat better with the small bites. parker is on hills t/d which is the same company as science diet. it is a food that is designed to clean teeth. i chose this food b/c working for a vet in being in vet school i know that toy breeds are more prone to dental problems.i already can tell that it has kept his teeth cleaner than is he were on another food brand. he is on the small bites but the nuggets are made very large...small bites are larger than a regular dog food large bite. and the large bite t/d is very big like and inch by inch square. so dont worry about the bite size if you pooch will eat them. the more they chew the more their teeth get brushed
any premium dog food brand will be fine...the reason why it is important to have a meat product as the first few ingedients is b/c if the food is full of corn the dog will eat more of the food b/c carbs are empty calories, also will make to poop smell more, so if the diet is higher in protein then they will eat less, poop less, and it will smell less. so basically if you can find it at the grocery dont buy it (exception eukanuba is a premium brand) but if you can only find it at a pet store then it is most probably a premium brand food. i personally have no probs with byproducts...i eat them myself but here is a quote about that very thing:
[/QUOTE]The internal organs of chickens and cows are by far the best source of nutrition for animals - much more so than the tender breasts and tenderloins we so value. Nothing beats a good chicken liver or cow's heart for nutrition. In many other cultures, these are the most highly prized parts of an animal. Western culture has spurned their use in favor of the less messy and intellectually cleaner steaks and the like. If you ever watch an animal kill (on TV or live), you'll notice the first thing they eat is the internal organs - and for very good reason - it's the most nutritious part. (It's also why your dog tends to tear the stuffing out of its toys) Your mother knew what she was talking about when she said "Eat your liver and onions. It's good for you." Too bad most of us consider it gross.
Tiki also eats Hills T/D... for the same reasons LadyMontava mentioned. The vet said it is the best stuff for these little guys because it helps keep their teeth and gums healthy. Last time I bought some they were out of the small size (still large by most standards) so he suggested I try the regular size (HUGE) and see if Tiki would eat it. He loves it and has no problem chewing the big pieces. He teeth and gums look great; white and shiny, no tartar build up at all!
i also want to mention that there are many myths about dog foods out there are all these companies promoting these "natural dogfoods" are not necessarily telling the truth. dont always believe what the internet tells you..now of course you can say the same about my post. go to the library ..pick up an animal nutrition book....i have one right here "small animal clinical nutrition" by hand, thatcher, remillard, abd roudebush. it pointsout all these myths, and tells the truths about dog food, how to read labels, what dogs need etc.
most of my info is from Home Prepared food for Cats and Dogs by Dr. Donald Strombeck.
do any of your dogs have that doggy smell?
my dogs used to until i put them on home food. but because i did---i brush their teeth everyday and then do a rinse with doggy mouthwash.
its one you have to get from the vet...it is considered a prescription...but what i do is i get a big bag and get a good sealed container to keep it in..and i can make it last until the next time i see the vet.
Tiki doesn't have that "doggy smell", but my understanding is that Maltese usually don't anyway. His breath is like puppy breath though... always nice and sweet (unless he gets into some kitty tootsie rolls :wacko:
I am thinking that I might just put her on Science Diet. My vet said Eukanuba (sp?) or Science Diet. My parents' dog is on Science Diet Senior and when we visit (they live 3hrs away) Lexi like to taunt their dog. She goes and eats from Oreo's dish. So Oreo goes an eats Lexi's food. Well Oreo is a 50lb lab mix. So she can scarf down Lexi's food in less than a minute. The first weekend this happened I had to go and buy a new bag of food because I had only bought enough for 3 days and Oreo at 2 of the 3 day supplies. :lol: This way at least she will be getting the same brand of food. Oh, well! I guess I will just have to stop worring. Oreo has been on Science Diet for 13 years and she is very heavily, besides being a little overwieght but that is because she is a pig and the neighbors give her treats.
Ok, I am going to stop rambling. Sorry this is so long.
I went to the store today. We wanted to put Casper on the same brand of food as our other dogs. We got him Nutro Natural Choice Puppy. Our other dogs loved it! It seems to really fill them up more than other foods. So, I'll switch Casper's food over the next week to the Nutro brand.
Nichole--- That's very interesting. I've never heard it before, but it makes sense.
its actually bad to change your dogs food all the time, it can upset their stomach and cause diarrhea. if you are feeding the right food, your dog will get the nutrients it needs.
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