longevity and dog food??? - Page 3

Not sure will help answer the question but I think it might and will address the question of the science behind raw feeding and high protein low carb diets for dogs.  This site, the articles and the online books (free to download) are by a DVM Tom Lansdale, who believes in a raw diet for dogs.

http://www.rawmeatybones.com/

also the 'white pages'  for the commerial dogs Orijen is interesting to read

http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/products/

As far as the chicken allergy..   that seems to be my old boy too.   His kibble was a chicken & corn based product his first couple of years.   He definately reacts to chicken raw also,  and to a lesser degree turkey,  and duck. 

Our new vet said something about the quality/chemicals in the chicken making an association in his immune system that causes it to react to chicken.  I wasn't completely sure what she meant,  and it wasn't his appointment (just came up in conversation).   But I took it to mean that what started the sensitivity wans't the chicken itself but an association that came with the poor quality chicken and contaminants being used in the food.

Just the same,  no chicken or turkey for him,  duck in small amts.   Oh,  and red food coloring too.   None of that.  I find it interesting that he CAN have eggs though.  We never did allergy "testing"  just elimination diets over several years, and trying to reintroduce foods.

He gets beef, fish, lamb, pork,  and exotic meats, yogurt, eggs,   etc.

S.O.A.B!!!!  Where are you getting that from that it's cheap enough to feed to dogs and do they ship?  LOL

Am in the UK and I get it from out local Morrisons Supermarket where for 38p I can get a small sausage of the stuff.  Mixed in with all the other things or kept separte it dosen't then break the bank.

BTW mine get it because being a veggie it's of my radar (vbg).

Jess

ROFLMAO!  We're not swimming to pick it up.

LMAO more.  "veggie". 

Too very funny, Jess.  I guess my greed (cheapest way possible and not break the bank) and enjoyment of the black pudding with breakfast showed.  

Good deal you're getting.  Good on you.

lol my grans jack russel terrier lived to 25 on a diet of bread and gravy (due to allergies)

lol my grans jack russel terrier lived to 25 on a diet of bread and gravy (due to allergies)

Yeah.  Right.  And Noah had a speed boat and not an arc.  Boy was I told wrong.  Of course I didn't see him start to build it, never saw him working on it, wasn't there when it stopped running. 

There's this place called the Improv.  People there pay good money for good stand-up.  Not saying yours would qualify but ya just never know.

The OP asked a valid question.  Why the comedy routine?

no joke he was 25 when he died normal dog food would give him dreadful rashes and stomach upsets so she started giving him brown bread and gravy she gave him some supplement of cod liver oil and cheap vits but he looked fine and was reasonably healthy. the last years were hard as he had cancer so she had to say goodbye i cant remember if he got anything else i will find out from my father, and i have a pic somewhere too. sorry lurkin no joke

she also had a cat who lived to 19, i hope i have inherited some of her luck

Yes there is a secret to longevity in GSD. It is called genetic selection. GSD's should at a minimum live to be 12 to 14. In the past they lived as long as 16 years.  In 1978 I saw a probem w/ longevity in GSDs and put healthy longevity high on my selection list. The bitch I bought lived to 14 as did most of her progeny and grandprogeny. I asked a lot of questions about how old the dogs in her pedigree were when they died and also what diseases the line carried. We need to pay attention to things like bloat and DM ( especially the early onset variety) and epilepsy and hemangiosarcoma ( seems to have a strong genetic component and often stikes between 6 to9) and cancer and immune problems and dogs dying young w/o an explanation being given.

My personal opinion is that a healthy diet can only help as does moderation in and reflective use of vaccines combined w/ titer levels. I can not help but believe hitting a pups immature immune system w/ some of these 9 in one combo's can not be healthy and that vaccines are better given 1 or 2 at a time and seperated in space and time.

Re diet. We had an old collie/golden ret cross that was allergic to most foods known to man and beast. What worked for her was a can of ALPO ( horrid smelly stuff) and a bowl of cornflakes (I know I know but folks we had tried virtually everything) and of course the occassional tablescraps. She lived to be almost 17 years old so go figure. But keep in mind she also was a house dog not a kennel dog AND had plenty of "free time" to run free and exercise and be a dog ( a component missing in many modern dogs lives).

So, you weren't there when she got the dog or when she fed the dog?  OK.  That explains a lot. 

I had a cat that lived to 17 on a raw diet and one that lived until almost 18 on raw for only part of its life.  Longevity in the cat isn't the question.

When you ask your father ask him what kind of bread and what kind of gravy and what the dog was allergic to.  Hell, you might consider switching your own if they live that long on bread and gravy. 

Regarding TIG's post about genetic selection and longevity. Is there any place to find out how long the dogs lived in a pedigree? or what was the cause of death?