Pumpkin, anyone else feed it? - Page 2

I'll be the odd voice out, if I'm having to feed something like this, something else is wrong and I'm at the vet. Healthy dogs don't need this kind of supplementation.

I do not have to feed pumpkin, I simply just do. I feed a lot of things.  Helps to have hens & cows.  :)

 

I'll tell you what I do not feed, is anything pig, deer or fish.

 

I give occasional pork, venison, and fish, but almost never use pumpkin because I never seem to have so much trouble with diarrhea that I need a 'fix-it' supplement. [I don't feed Raw regularly.]  I find a 24-hour starve normally does the trick. I expect I could find some canned, & unadulterated, if I needed to; or I could usually find fresh ones and cut it up myself. But while I am aware of the remedy, have seen it discussed for years, and therefore keep it in the 'back corner' of my mind, I don't usually feed it. Honestly, the one time I did (and this is a long while ago now) I wasn't all that impressed by the results.

Yes fasting...! Not necessarily a fix it supplement, but a source of fiber helpful to digestion of animal proteins. Maybe even a counter intestinal parasite supplement. I’ve fed actual pumpkin chunks but canned unflavored purée is enjoyed by mine when added to regular feed periodically. Same effect IME with cooked sweet potatoes or fresh avocado.

Can I ask how often your dogs suffere with, diarrhoea and stomach problems that it is necessary to store this remedy. Iv only had this in my kennels once last year and that was the first time in so many years I can't remember the time before that. Anyone with constant problems are doing something very wrong. Imo

@bladedge, if the question was aimed at me, my house dogs, or any ranch dog that are temporarily kept at the house don't suffer from diareha & stomach problems. I dunno, maybe because I do feed canned pumpkin upon a regular enough "schedule?"

My dogs diets actually varies quite a bit too.

I still pick up my own dog poop out in the yard, so I know which dogs are pooping what. I am rather fanatical at looking at poop. Same for the horses. Yes, I just said I am fanatical at looking at poop. One can tell a great deal about animal health by their stool.

As for stomach problems, I have known the ranch dogs to vomit sometimes after they found something dead (to roll in) & eat. Though cannot say it is common. Dogs will be dogs & I have no control where mother nature decides to take its last breath.

I "store" as I live in a rural area. WalMart is 25 plus miles away. Target & Aldi are over 50. The grocery store I shop at is 13 miles away in the next county. I do not just run to the store because I get a whim/hankering I want something. Besides, it is just good financial sense to buy for a $1 a can in season, verses the $2.59 a can at the grocery store.




 

Thatwasclose it was not directed at anyone in particular. Just a question.
Regards mat

I absolutely will not feed deer/venison due to the potential Prion issue.

I am Biblical about pork.

Fish, you know some species carry tapeworm that can be passed to humans & other mammals? Salmon, bass. Salmon can also be loaded with other specie of worm too. Leave that salmon you just caught & filleted yourself out on on a platter & wait & see if little tiny worms crawl out to the surface of the the meat. White fish, cod, pollock, halibut & flounders are loaded with worms. I have no idea what pet food industry laws are for fish for animal feed. I just do not feed it. BTW, if your pet food bag says something like "sustanably" raised or caught, that is code word for farmed fish.

 

Just my personal preferences. Ya'll can do whatever you want.

 

 

Even the little pet fish you brought home from the store for your aquarium is probably loaded with parasites/worms. There are some excellent YouTube videos of how to rid them. I'm sure your pet fish would be thankful, & live a longer, happier life.

As others who have been around here for some time will know well, I am not 'Biblical' about anything ! ;-)

Seriously, I for one do not have problems in occasionally giving different feeds to my dog(s) because our UK standards on food production, even for animals, are generally pretty good. OK pork isn't often a component of any manufactured dog food here, but plenty of pork products ARE sold as chews and treats; venison is almost exclusively for human consumption here so I guess dogs won't risk much if fed it; and fish, [salmon, trout, whitefish - rather than anything from an indoor tank or garden pool] is used in a frequent variety of kibbles. EG Salmon & potato is an excellent substitute for beef or chicken with grains. Very good for some dogs with problem tummies. And when not fed raw, I guess the parasites problem is mostly solved by baking / extrusion processes.

However, I was serious about never having experienced huge digestive difficulties in ANY of the many dogs I have owned and worked with over the decades, (and yes I give the output serious study too !) so I assume I and others around me are getting something right. About the only things my mentor taught me to add regularly to kibble were raw green tripe and raw scraped beef; and I don't even do that these days. As Jill said, if I think I have a problem, I spend my money and energy at the vet, rather than on whatever supplements are being lauded; usually works out better that way for me & mine ...

Re the not wanting to open a can of packed pumpkin for just a few day's worth of help with some loose stools [which does happen on occasion, and I'll fight anyone who swears they've *never* had a dog that has had a less-than-perfect stool]:

If I need to feed a day or two of bland diet, I'll open a can of pumpkin, spoon about half the can into an ice cube tray, cover the tray with plastic wrap and pop into the freezer. After the pumpkin freezes, I'll take them out of the tray and store them in an airtight container in the freezer. No need to waste anything.