What Do You Feed And Why

[kelpiecuddles]

I have fed a range of foods in the past and currently they get Coprice working dog plus whatever healthy leftovers are on hand. They seem to do just as well on that as they do on the higher end foods and we frequently get comments regarding how lovely and shiny abd soft their coats are. Experience tells me they do awful on Supercoat and the really cheap supermarket foods(no surprise there though) but this seems to suit them fine, if it didn't I'd feed something else.

Added to that they get raw meaty stuff, a raw egg occasionally and sometimes whole fish if I have leftovers from fishing.

Edited July 14, 2013 by kelpiecuddles

[Kajirin]

Using VIP Grain Free Wild Game dry and VIP Grain Free Roast Meat roll for a few months now. Two small meals of the roll a day and dry food as he wants. Haven't had any problems with itchy skin since he's been on grain free and he eats all his food with gusto. Also he's producing lovely barker's eggs again which make clean ups a breeze =D

[cali]

Rusty, Happy, Misty and Gypsy eat BARF(home made) at home and some kind of nutri source grain free kibble for meals at work, with the exception of Happy who eats something canned at work.

why? they do extremely well on raw, the kibble/canned at work is for convenience purposes only.

Baby dog eats Presidents choice grain free salmon and potato mixed with canned fish

why? she has a million allergies, literally the only thing she can eat is fish(but no shellfish) and SOME veggies. and its not just the proteins of the animals she is allergic to either, she cant eat ANY part of the animal, she is 30lbs, I gave her treat the size of my thumb nail, very basic treats, made up of only stuff she could eat...except for chicken fat, but I figured "how much could there be in a treat that size? surly THAT wont be a problem" I was wrong...she spent the entire night gnawing her paws. ya, I don't feel comfortable trying to balance a raw diet with so few options, so I set out to find a kibble...and let me tell you, its NOT easy! everyone ruins it by adding chicken fat or eggs or a shellfish derived supplement to what would otherwise be perfect. this food is one of the very few options I have come across.

Gem eats Orijen 6 fish mixed with canned fish

why? like Baby dog, allergies. not as severe though, Gem just licks her paws if she eats too much of something else. I have tried lots of different things with her, this is the only thing she both doesn't lick her paws and has solid poo's on.

[Rosetta]

Home made mostly now - cooked mince/chicken/fish/egg and veges - sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot, peas. Plus a spoonful of Eukanuba Sensitive Skin per day. Itching has lessened considerably since almost eliminating the kibble and preparing home-made. It is honestly just as easy - there is usually plenty of left-overs in the house to put together meals for 1 small dog.

[Kirislin]

My two are both fed on Royal Canin Sensible -- it can get expensive buying the two different weight ranges, however, they both thrive so I'm not concerned. I mix this up with mackerel or tuna in oil or human grade roo mince on occasion and Jalna fat free natural yoghurt. They love it and do very well on it!!

If I could teach the family how to feed raw without over-feeding I'd switch to all raw diet, however, having the dry makes it easier to maintain when I'm not home to feed them myself. Kirah's RC lasts forever as she only gets one tablespoon for breakfast and dinner.

A tablespoon? What is she, a mouse? :laugh: She must be tiny! Although I'm used to my 45 kg boofer :laugh: I need to get me a little dog and save some cash!

I was just thinking that! Mine go through a 20kg bag in a week and half-two weeks.

:laugh: No, she's not a mouse; she weighs in at 6.6 kilos. I've tried giving her more than a tablespoon, but then she seems to pack on weight -- this seems to be a good amount.

She also doesn't just get the RC either -- there are plenty of treats during the day and a chicken wing every second day. I've actually had a lot of trouble with Kirah's weight since she stopped growing as a puppy -- it was hard for me to keep her at her ideal weight. Now I've figured out the balance!

Zeus only gets 1/2 a cup of RC daily too and according to the pack, being as highly active as he is, he should be on close to 2 cups daily. He'd most certainly be a porker if I followed this guide and I can't help wondering if this is part of the reason there are so many overweight dogs around. I've found it's a matter of balance and a lot of time spent making sure you find the suitable amount for each individual dog. Plus it helps having a dog like Zeus -- he does nothing but motor around all day. He has two speeds: zooming and OMG MAKE WAY I'M TEARING THROUGH!! :laugh:

Good on you for not overfeeding her. Do you put it in her plate and think surely that's not enough, but then look at her and know it's right. That's what I do with my lot. 5 whippets only get about a kilo a night between the lot of them, and 2 are big boys. I should take a photo of the tiny amount I feed out.