So whats your dog's diet?

[Akshay_Bondre]

Feeding my dog (Brutus) the right things and keeping him healthy and happy has been always a top priority for me, since day one.

Now, Brutus is 3 years old and I feed him Beef Tripe + Chicken legs + Rice + Pedigree Professional range. Distributed in following percentages

Rice : 50%
Chicken Legs : 10%
Beef Tripe : 20%
Pedigree : 20%

I feed him twice a day and he seems pretty happy.

My question is, I have read about feeding the dog only once a day. But when I tried it with Brutus, he started loosing weight, BIG TIME! I was feeding him 1.5 times his regular feed for one time because he wouldn't eat more.

Any tips on diet modification ? Would really like to feed him only once and keep him healthy. As of now, I have to rush back from office in the evening to feed him and take him for a quick walk and get back to office again most of the times :(

[Akshay_Bondre]

Oh, and also, if it is not an issue, do tell what do you guys feed your dogs?

..

I am attaching the yummies Brutus enjoys :D

[Elaine]

We have a lot of reds, and a few blacks. No question but that it is much easier to have a shiny glossy coat on a black dog than a red dog... and our reds are beautiful. They have deep rich color, and all of our dogs, regardless of color, have extraordinary muscle tone. We do not have a soft, flabby out of condition dog on the place. We do not have food allergies or skin problems… we do not have picky eaters, our dogs can go in the ring and win. We feed Purina Pro Plan Life Stages (which is the old Pro Plan Adult, that they broght back on the market) and have for 25 years. Our dogs all have excellent appetites, they clean their bowls at every feeding, some (like Brentina) we feed once a day, others we feed twice a day. When the dogs go on the road with a handler, they do not have to switch diets, though we sometimes switch to Pro Plan Performance. We feed the puppies Purina Pro Plan Puppy. Like our adults, our puppies are in glowing health, with bright glossy coats, and great weight and muscle. We've have had champions, champions from the puppy classes (even breed winners from the puppy classes), Specialty winners and/or nationally ranked dogs in every litter we've ever bred.

In my lifetime, I have tried most every diet out there. Twenty-five some years ago, when I lived outside of Seattle, I cooked for my Giant Schnauzers… everything in their diet was of high end quality, for human consumption, from a very pricey Natural Food Co-op. The chicken was all free range drug free, the rice was chemical free, the vegetables were organic. It cost a fortune, but I trusted the quality of the products I was using. (Frankly, having watched food companies come and go over the years, I would not touch meat that is marketed for dogs… I would not trust the quality of the product, not at all, nmost especilly I would not touch salmon or any fish marketed for dogs). The cooked diet, which included multi vitamins) was 40% rice, 40% chicken, 20% fresh veggies. The chicken was pressure cooked, so the dogs ate the whole carcass, bones and all, which were pulverized by the cooking process. There were always chickens cooking, the house always smelled of chicken… the dogs loved it and looked great. After two years my family was sick to death fo the smell, I said "screw it" and went back to Pro Plan. The dogs still looked great.

If we lived closer to Bob and Cheryl, I'd beg Cheryl to make up feed for my dogs too... what they are doing is excellent... but they have access to quality meat products that we do not have... and Cheryl was a body builder and can really tweek with the diet depending on what is available on a given day.

[katdobemom]

In my lifetime, I have tried most every diet out there. Twenty-five some years ago, when I lived outside of Seattle, I cooked for my Giant Schnauzers… everything in their diet was of high end quality, for human consumption, from a very pricey Natural Food Co-op. The chicken was all free range drug free, the rice was chemical free, the vegetables were organic. It cost a fortune, but I trusted the quality of the products I was using. (Frankly, having watched food companies come and go over the years, I would not touch meat that is marketed for dogs… I would not trust the quality of the product, not at all, nmost especilly I would not touch salmon or any fish marketed for dogs). The cooked diet, which included multi vitamins) was 40% rice, 40% chicken, 20% fresh veggies. The chicken was pressure cooked, so the dogs ate the whole carcass, bones and all, which were pulverized by the cooking process. There were always chickens cooking, the house always smelled of chicken… the dogs loved it and looked great. After two years my family was sick to death fo the smell, I said "screw it" and went back to Pro Plan. The dogs still looked great.[/QUOTE]


Elaine
I still do the cooked after having my second dobe have allergies.
My vet suggested rather than trying every food out there to see what may be causing his issues, stick with a basic cooked diet.
Over the years the cooked food I prepare has def changed.
My two reds look nice and shiny with no skin issues at all.
When we brought Carly here in Aug, her coat was nice but I saw a difference on the cooked within weeks. Much more sleek and shiny. She had previously been eating Chicken soup dog food.
I don't trust the food companies in that every turn we are hearing of recalls, etc and altho its truly a PIA to cook all the time, I like it. Of course I am only cooking for 2 tho :)
I use alot of chicken, ocassional beef, and alot of fish.
I add rice, egg, spinach, carrots, greenbeans, sweet potato, and truly just about any veggie except corn. Def vitamins daily as well.
Additionally my two get yogurt, banana's, apples and low fat cottage cheese.
I love the results, but it is time consuming.

[Elaine]

Your diet sounds yummy. :)

Btw, we do not give advice on what to feed… rather, we tell you what we’ve fed, and the individual can decide for themselves based upon the condition of the dog in front of them. AS for seeking advice on nutrition from a vet, sorry, I would never do that.. not ever. They simply haven’t a clue what they are talking about. They usually recommend whatever they sell in their clinic, which is often Science Diet. YUCK!!! At best, if they are breeders, they can relate what works for them, but when it comes to nutrition, they know even less that a medical doctor, and that is pathetic, yet they give advice. Of all the lousy advice one gets from “their vet,” advice on nutrition is at the bottom of the heap… after:

Breeding advice;
Whelping advice;
Vaccinations protocols…

[andyhilt27]

I feed Eva Pro Plan Performance. Her coat does best on this. Any other commercial dog food that we have tried has resulted in a bald spot. Even other Pro Plan formula's resulted in a bald spot if i remember correctly.....it's been so long. Actually the common thread with the foods creating a coat issue may be the fish....rare in dogs I know.

The other three eat Taste of the Wild. Joy's(Doberman) coat looks great on this. Her stomach is extemely sensitive and has had no loose stool with this food. SuzieQ(TFT) is in the best condition she has ever been in. Tabitha(TFT) is now overweight for the first time in her life. Eva can not eat this....she gets a bald spot(again maybe the fish).

What is the advantage of feeding once per day?

[Elaine]

What is the advantage of feeding once per day?

keeps your dog from becoming obese :D And Andy, when you call Bill Shelton (as I suggested on the other thread), ask him about “the Ranch” and Sylvia’s dogs. Arguably Bill put Sylvia on the map… he helped define 'the Skansen look" of the late 80's... with Special’s like Shotzi… he knows the stories inside and out.

About Ahb, and feeding once a day, we keep our dogs trim, fit and healthy. Ahb (Brentina) will be six in March, she is still built like a brick house… muscled and firm and can run the legs off of any dog. We noticed that as she gets older, Brentina requires much less food… and if we feed more than once a day she gets fat.

If we want to understand nutrition, we’d all do well to seek out Sylvia Hammerstrom of Skansen Kennel. Back in the late 1990’s Sylvia claimed that she had bred over 1000 champions. We did some calculations based on numbers Sylvia supplied in flyers she sent out back in the 1990's. Back in 2000 we figured that she’d bred something like 50,000 dogs over 50 years. When I knew her (the late 80's - mid 90's), she had about 100 adult dogs on the ranch at any give time, and had since about the 1960s. She had god only knows how many litters on the ground at any given time. (She used to ship on Tuesdays, every blinkin Tuesday, I sort of recall that she even got a discount from the Airlines, she used to take Master Card and Visa… you get the picture… a HIGH volume breeder.) Whatever else you can say about Skansen, Sylvia knows more about nutrition than any vet, and she has a larger breeding population, over more generations than any study ever conducted. Sylvia used to feed a home made diet. She was one of the first to be openly critical of commercial pet foods. She felt that a dog’s digestive track was designed to be empty, she fed once a day, and not at all on Sunday. She had healthy dogs.

[doberdogsfd]

I do not feed anything that is remotely produced by the Big Companies! Most dry foods are full of rice and little meat. Not good.

I do not think a company that produces tooth paste or dish soap is who I want telling me their product is good and safe for my dogs to ingest. All the while they are purchasing a basic product from a country that has no value of quality control for what goes in to their dog’s diet!!
I believe we all remember the issues a few years ago when a few thousand dogs/cats were poisoned, right?
If you can buy it at Wal-Mart or the food store....RUN!!!

The rice is needed to remove moister from the foods....no way to do it with out it. You can freeze dry it but a lot of the Big Companies mass produce the product and it is cheaper to do it the way they are.

A very small amount of glycine (which can be found in small amounts of white rice) needs to be in the food to balance out insulin releases. Insulin is the primary issue with humans and dogs in this country. A diet high in high glycemic foods (processed grains or what is SIMPLE SUGARS) creates a spike in an animal’s insulin release.

That is not a good thing at all! As humans, the weight comes....dogs same thing. It is also damaging to the pancreas. So many humans, dogs and cats in this country are diabetics do to crappy diets. Diets high in simple sugars and foods they can not digest, like vegetables.
Feed a dog a carrot...it comes out the other end looking pretty much like it did going in! They can't break it down to get the value from it that we as an omnivore can and do.

Finding a company that produces on a small scale with high quality control is the optimum. Cooking and doing your own food is also optimum. There are some very fine small companies that have been producing super premium foods for 30+ years. Quietly going about their business with some of the top specialists in the world plugging away at it.

Dogs do not need veggies. They do not need corn or grains. They aren't cows and they aren't humans. They are carnivores.
Feed them meat and make it high quality and you should be good to go.
A rotation of clean, high quality proteins is the best.
Variety will help to give your dog a source of nutrients that are specific to each type of protein.

Human grade salmon, mackerel, tripe , beef, lamb, rabbit, chicken, turkey, buffalo and a few others that if you email me privately I will give you a list I use for my crew.
I feed everything raw and have for many years. Cook it...it is fine, but remove the bones if it is. They become too hard and sharp for them to break down and then that will cause your dog an issue.

It is the long haul I am interested in. My guys look slammin' good and are in great condition. Like a body builder wants to look, their muscle bellies are full and hard. I can give different proteins and there is not sensitive stomach issues, no skin, coat or in general allergy issues.
I want them looking that way after they are in the ring and retired. At 12 yrs old, Flex looked amazing.
Let’s give them the advantage to live into double digits with some foundational things like food.


Akshay, I have a very strong back ground in human and canine nutrition. I would be glad to chat with you privately if you are interested.
I would not ever go to 1 x daily feedings for a young dog that is very active and needs a lot of calories. The dog is taking in far too much food to keep his weight up at one time. He is a big guy and needs a considerable amount to keep it up...especially on Pedigree.
You run the risk of bloating your do with that.
Some dogs, perhaps like Brentina, like only the 1 meal....Elaine may feed it to her in a small amount.....not sure. She may also get snacks throughout the day. Emma like Brentina is eats much less than she did when she was young. We still do twice a day with her just smaller amounts inpart because Emma would be depressed if she did not get to eat dinner with Vaako.
I had a friend who is a vet and only fed her senior girl 1 meal a day. But she also gave her bits of meat and snacks through the entire day, so it turned out to be a very small meal in the bowl at that point. The bitch is 11-12 yrs old now.

Keep in mind...most vets are clueless about food. They have to go through an 8 hr course to get their degree! Unless they specialize in Nutrition, they sell you what they make profit on. Science Diet! Yikes!!!!
In reality, a Nutritional Specialist isn't quite as sexy as being a surgeon, right? LOL!

Also THANKS Elaine for the compliment about our feeding program!!! I wish we did live closer so I could do the food for your dogs!!! Plus we would have Bob cooking for us...LOL

Cheryl

[andyhilt27]

And Andy, when you call Bill Shelton (as I suggested on the other thread), ask him about “the Ranch” and Sylvia’s dogs. .

Don't think I don't have his number right in front of me.

[andyhilt27]

About Ahb, and feeding once a day, we keep our dogs trim, fit and healthy. Ahb (Brentina) will be six in March, she is still built like a brick house… muscled and firm and can run the legs off of any dog.

When you come to the Indy Winter Classic in Feb. we'll see if she can hang with SuzieQ.:cool: A picture comes to mind.....A semi trying to out corner a Porsche.


There is absolutely no way I would feed Eva with her current caloric intake in one feeding. I'd have to buy two bowls....:D

[Elaine]

When you come to the Indy Winter Classic in Feb.


no way in hell is this happening :cool:

[Akshay_Bondre]

Thanks everyone for replying!
My net connection is not working :( .. will reply and read the posts once it starts.

[Akshay_Bondre]

Alright people, first of all, thanks a lot lot lot!!! for replying so elaborately to this thread.

@ Elaine : So, now you feed your dogs dry food only. Hmm, thats great if it works for you and your dogs.

@ Katdobemom : WOW!! You surely can cook a lot. Great job with figuring out so many recipes to keep the dogs interested in eating. I wish I had so much time to do stuff that you do. (But again I wonder, whether I would ever like to cook so much). You are class apart, for me atleast. Total respect \m/

@ Cheryl : You seem to be having a PHD in dog rearing man :p .. messaging you immediately after I finish writing this post.

--
To be frank, I can't cook a lot and I don't get much time after taking Brutus for a daily morning hill run. So, looking for something which can be done in as much time as I am already devoting for him on daily basis and can improve his health too.

[Elaine]

@ Elaine : So, now you feed your dogs dry food only. Hmm, thats great if it works for you and your dogs.



Yes, and we absolutely would not feed raw, unless the meat was frozen first and then thawed (to eliminate the risk of things like Neosprosis), but for now, for us, it’s kibble only. And when I look at the overall fitness and the superb muscle mass of dogs like Warkant, Flip, Brentina, Claire, etc… compared with what we see, we’ll stick with what we’re doing. :)