Spoiling our Dogs and Puppies

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

Ok, so the biggest reason I have been using Newman's organic is because I wanted to make sure I had a product where the meat was free of antibiotics and growth hormones. I couldn't find a food outside of this one where this was clearly stated ("fresh" ingredients is meaningless, and free range doesn't mean free of hormones either, in all cases). Also, I do like plant based protein and Newman's met this, as well. However, I found on the Orijen website that their meat is antibiotic/growth hormone free and they have a a product with fish as their base meat (6 Fish Dog). I think I am going to switch.

Sachita, I am curious to know why Orijen is your new choice?



I have to tell you Blade, I really paused when I read this. I had this serious moment...lol Really, the only other thing I spoil is my car. I spoil it by using high end products on the car itself (the cleaning and protection of the interior and exterior), and also high end mechanical parts/fluids. So, yes, I spoil my car.

<-------maybe needs to look at what (who) is being left out on the spoiling list

I'm always going to support organic because it's one of my huge agendas. I think Newman's it a great company that has wonderfully marketed products commercially. I don't really have anything bad to say. I wish they used less chemicals and more berries and veggies.

I am impressed with Orijen meat sources and they use regional farms for produce. I'm all about supporting local farms. But like any successful company once the numbers climb they are often sold to even larger companies that keep the brand but change the formula. I suspect this will start happening with Taste of The Wild.

My long term goal is to grow food for my dogs. I'm pretty close to this goal. I am raising large (Jersey Giants) meat chickens now which i will start hatching. I'm also looking into raising Emu for meat and oil which I feel will be excellent for dogs, especially dogs with health issues. I'm still research this and seeing if it's feasible. I'm just now able to wrap my head around processing my own chicken and turkey. I want that animal to have the best life possible and although I could take it to a processor many people believe its best to do this at the farm. I agree because there is no fear or stress. lol- omg I could go on and on about this. If you are lucky enough to have a local family farm near you consider supporting them by buying from them. Yes, it cost a bit more but at least you really know where your food comes from.

[Sachita]

Those of you on a budget. If you have small dogs it's easy. Adopt a healthy diet for yourself with lean meats, fruits and veggies. Then make enough to give to your fur baby. Don't give them onions, grapes, (I don't have the list) stick with lean meats, green veggies, fruits such as berries and banana.

[Scuba]

I never spoiled my dog...ever...ok...maybe a little.

...alright...

I admit...she owned me Missing my pup she was the bombdiggitydog!!

[ahk]

I have a mayer parrot who is spoiled too--

I make her bird seed mixture -- w/ no sunflower seeds (okay, as a treat yes)
I let her chew on cardboard and tree branches as a toy.
She gets regular shower time with me.
She also, gets to stay on my shoulder for extended amounts of time.

I like her.

[Metro]

Originally Posted by Sachita

It's more the type of protein. If you take fresh wild salmon for instance the grading is done prior to processing so by the time they process it's less. I also think that keeping fats down is very important. If you simply imagine how you feel eating certain things, its how your dog will feel. If you ate processed foods, lots of carbs and meats you'll feel sluggish and most likely develop health problems but if you ate lean meats and lots of green veggies you'd feel more vibrant and less health issues.

We have quite a few dogs that have organ issues and kidney. I don't think that rice is the answer. I would consider The Honest Kitchen or if its affordable for you buy chicken and turkey, bake it then add things like blue berries, sweet potato, broccoli, kelp, romaine, kale, etc. change it up. Most people that do this make batches and freeze in small bags. It doesn't have to be expensive just time consuming. I'd also add herbs to strengthen organs. Here is an extract that is for humans but I use it for dogs all the time. https://www.herbdoc.com/index.php/Store/K-B-Formula

I know you live in NYC so food is probably expensive there. I know because the farmers I know selling grass fed and organic charge three times what i pay here.

Thx for passing along the info, Sachita.

BTW, I believe you may be confusing me w/ another person who had/has similar handle. I do not live in NYC.

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by Metro

Thx for passing along the info, Sachita.

BTW, I believe you may be confusing me w/ another person who had/has similar handle. I do not live in NYC.

oppss I'm so sorry!


something that is great for dogs is Inulin Fiber Chicory Root. It is a natural probotic and helps with digestive problems and immunity. Its very affordable and easy to mix into food. You can buy it as a powder. Another great thing is hulled hemp seeds. You don't have to give it to them daily, maybe 3 times a week. I buy it in bulk because I eat it too. The taste it really good.

[DapperButch]

Ok, so I just had to run over to my local pet store to pick up the Orijen 6 Fish Food, even though my dog still has quite a bit of the Newman's left (I actually didn't even think about that). Looks as though the 75%/25% transition mix of old/new food will be for a rather long time!

What struck me was the fish smell...wowsa!

Yes, reading about the regional farm use for Orijen (never frozen), along with the nonhormone/antibiotics that I mentioned before is what pushed me over the edge in my decision.

Also, my personal opinion is that for humans fish is best, chicken should be used minimally and always organic, and beef should never be injested (even grass fed). I do the best I can to eat as a seagan (vegan+seafood, but do eat chicken sometimes b/c I miss it), as I believe this is the healthies way for a human to eat. Is this the same for dogs? I don't know, but it seems to me that we look to put into our dog foods the same things we put in human for health (berries for anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, etc effects), so should we look to use the same meat sources for our animals that we believe are best for us?

Study after study is showing how red meat increases cancer rate in humans. It is suggested that we eat very little to no red meat. Dogs have a really high rate of cancer. Should we avoid giving our dogs red meat and seek plant based proteins as forward thinking oncologists are suggest for humans? I don't know. But, that was one of the reasons why I was buying Newman's Organic. A lot of the protein was plant based. HOWEVER, the protein is too low, and the meat source is chicken. They don't have a fish diet, either.

Does anyone have a link that gives information on which animal sources are best for dogs? I would love to read something like this.

P.S. Sachita, I don't know if you were referring to Newman's dog food or not (maybe just their human foods?), but they don't use any chemicals in their dog foods.

Thanks for the discussion, everyone!

[christie]

Originally Posted by Scuba

I never spoiled my dog...ever...ok...maybe a little.

...alright...

I admit...she owned me Missing my pup she was the bombdiggitydog!!

You can come spoil Felix...especially this morning. Mommy is busy de-Christmasing the house, Daddy is sleeping, the Boy is out and about and Felix is LONELY (read: he is right up on me JUST in case I need his help - boy, those ornaments SURE look like toys!) lol

I'm.ready.for.a.nap.

[DapperButch]

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Cons.../ucm208365.htm

Someone passed this along to me. People have different thinking about bones, so your mileage may vary, but I found it useful.

Originally Posted by Linus

Hey everyone,

For many of us, our dogs/puppies are our babies. As some of you know we have two pugs (Lily and Lafawnda). We do spoil them but it's all good. One of the things I've been trying to find is something that will keep them busy during the day. We have given them filled hooves in the past but that's more hit and miss as to success. Lily is finicky about the kind and filling; Fawnda, however, doesn't care.

We've given them rib bones before but they tend to crack and eat them. I'm hoping to find a bone type that will keep them busy (thinking soup bone perhaps?). So I was curious as to what things you give your little ones to keep them busy as well as help their teeth and chewing habits.

This also can be a thread for ideas on food types (we've become partial to Blue Buffalo) and other discussions.

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

Ok, so I just had to run over to my local pet store to pick up the Orijen 6 Fish Food, even though my dog still has quite a bit of the Newman's left (I actually didn't even think about that). Looks as though the 75%/25% transition mix of old/new food will be for a rather long time!

What struck me was the fish smell...wowsa!

Yes, reading about the regional farm use for Orijen (never frozen), along with the nonhormone/antibiotics that I mentioned before is what pushed me over the edge in my decision.

Also, my personal opinion is that for humans fish is best, chicken should be used minimally and always organic, and beef should never be injested (even grass fed). I do the best I can to eat as a seagan (vegan+seafood, but do eat chicken sometimes b/c I miss it), as I believe this is the healthies way for a human to eat. Is this the same for dogs? I don't know, but it seems to me that we look to put into our dog foods the same things we put in human for health (berries for anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, etc effects), so should we look to use the same meat sources for our animals that we believe are best for us?

Study after study is showing how red meat increases cancer rate in humans. It is suggested that we eat very little to no red meat. Dogs have a really high rate of cancer. Should we avoid giving our dogs red meat and seek plant based proteins as forward thinking oncologists are suggest for humans? I don't know. But, that was one of the reasons why I was buying Newman's Organic. A lot of the protein was plant based. HOWEVER, the protein is too low, and the meat source is chicken. They don't have a fish diet, either.

Does anyone have a link that gives information on which animal sources are best for dogs? I would love to read something like this.

P.S. Sachita, I don't know if you were referring to Newman's dog food or not (maybe just their human foods?), but they don't use any chemicals in their dog foods.

Thanks for the discussion, everyone!

I don't think Newman's is bad, at all. If you look at the list of ingredients you'll spend a few hours just looking them all up. I am not big on fish as part of a main protein source on a daily basis. I would choose red meat but hard to find safe red meat. Bison is good and lower in fat. I personally use chicken and turkey. Rabbit and deer is suppose to be awesome for dogs.

I would just transition to Orijen maybe the one with chicken which also has salmon meal. Then you can add stuff. If you switch protein sources like let's say you go from a primary lamb food to a salmon you're going to have major diarrhea. It's ok to feed them the same. What you can change up are the healthy oils, greens and some limited fruits. If you have your own hens or access to someone who has free range eggs these are good sometimes.

About bones- I don't give bones. Bones are tricky and can be dangerous.

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Cons.../ucm208365.htm

In fact I really don't give any hard chewy if I can help it. This puppy I have now has the toys, socks and pressed bones. hard bones are not going to clean your dogs teeth. If you have build up consider a spray with enzyme to help dissolve it. Giving your dogs a proper diet with the right food will help greatly, however some dogs do have bad teeth. Bones are not the answer.
Petzlife makes a great spray and or gel for this and its natural.

[SleepyButch]

I have an older dog who has severe heart disease and should have a diet low in sodium. I'm curious to know if anyone has any recommendations.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Sachita

I don't think Newman's is bad, at all. If you look at the list of ingredients you'll spend a few hours just looking them all up. I am not big on fish as part of a main protein source on a daily basis. I would choose red meat but hard to find safe red meat. Bison is good and lower in fat. I personally use chicken and turkey. Rabbit and deer is suppose to be awesome for dogs.

Why do you think that red meat is a good choice for dogs if it is not a good/unhealthy choice for humans (assuming you agree with that statement)?

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by SleepyButch

I have an older dog who has severe heart disease and should have a diet low in sodium. I'm curious to know if anyone has any recommendations.

if he is overweight the first thing is to take the weight off and get him walking a few times a day. This is a very low fat diet and low insulin

http://www.chewy.com/dog/honest-kitc...d-dog/dp/34274

I would add Coenzyme Q10 and look at this

https://www.herbdoc.com/index.php?Qu...rch&Itemid=117

[SleepyButch]

Originally Posted by Sachita

if he is overweight the first thing is to take the weight off and get him walking a few times a day. This is a very low fat diet and low insulin

http://www.chewy.com/dog/honest-kitc...d-dog/dp/34274

I would add Coenzyme Q10 and look at this

https://www.herbdoc.com/index.php?Qu...rch&Itemid=117

No, she's not overweight any longer. Her heart is so big that it's almost the size of her chest cavity and she's a whippet with a deep chest so I just let her run around in the yard as she pleases. I don't want to chance she'll become winded with a walk. I'll take a look at that food. Thanks for the links!

[Linus]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Cons.../ucm208365.htm

Someone passed this along to me. People have different thinking about bones, so your mileage may vary, but I found it useful.

I've seen that. Given that the FDA is a little weird sometimes about things i take it with a grain of salt. I wonder if the author of the article was thinking of cooked bones (which if that is the case, then it makes sense).

I did end up getting a knee (??? about the size of my fist) bone and Fawda just loved it! She even took Lily's (Lily isn't as much about chewing as Fawda is). She even favoured the bone over leftover holiday turkey (!!).

So we'll see how it goes.

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by Linus

I've seen that. Given that the FDA is a little weird sometimes about things i take it with a grain of salt. I wonder if the author of the article was thinking of cooked bones (which if that is the case, then it makes sense).

I did end up getting a knee (??? about the size of my fist) bone and Fawda just loved it! She even took Lily's (Lily isn't as much about chewing as Fawda is). She even favoured the bone over leftover holiday turkey (!!).

So we'll see how it goes.

I think that anything they can fit in their mouth that can choke them is dangerous. If its a bone or even small toy that can be chewed up small enough to choke they could. Especially puppies. So its a trade off but its still dangerous so I would advise anyone to give these things when you are close by just in case.

Here is a great link and I suggest if you are a dog owner you print it and keep it handy.
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pet...-your-dog7.htm

[Bleu]

Originally Posted by girl_dee

Right now i am still in bed, having coffee and waking up. Why you ask? Because the chihuaha is still enjoying sleeping under the electric blanket and i don't want to disturb her.

Can we say spoilt?

I am so relieved to know I am not the only one who does exactly this.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

Excellent! I was looking for something along the anti-oxidant line for my dog. I ordered the Verry Berry from another web site. Thank you!

Ok, so it came in today and I gave it to my dog. For his weight, it was only a teaspoon, which is good b/c the package delievered cost me $20. He will get 25.2 days out of the bag, so we are looking at $.79 per day for my dog.

Anyway, it was between meals and I thought maybe he would just eat the powder on nothing, so I just tossed it in his bowl to see what would happen. Well he licked it right up!

I am also going to be conscious of giving my dog his own portion of vegetables each day. Typically, I will give him a taste or two of my veggies, but it makes sense to make sure he has his own portion.

I have appreciated the ideas here in this thread.

Thanks all!

[pajama]

Put the deposit down on my next dog. S/he won't even be here until next October, for a December delivery. Which is perfect. It gives me lots of time to research more and start buying lots of stuff on sale to spoil him/her. Oh, s/he will be a Doberman. btw

[Bard]

question for the pup lovers here we have a wippet mix who is a rescue we have had her over a year she was very shy when we got her but now has come out of her shell. We also have a Sheppard mix who Phoebe loves. Phoebe took off on Desd back in late June and was missing for 10 days thank god we got her back we were a wreck. Now she is scared shitles of a fire in the firepace she will shake and cower run out of the room jump the baby gate to go upstairs. AND we have noticed the past few days she will all of a sudden get really scared of something and shake like hell Desd tried to hold her and comfort her show her that she is safe but it dosent help and I have had her do it with me to I can hold her and it passes but I have no clue what is makeing her so scared I dont want my baby to be scared we are wondering if it is like a post stress thing she was missing over the 4th of July and if we are outside and a loud bang goes off she runs to me and cowers and shakes on my feetso I pick her up and she snuggles into me

any thoughts