Let's Talk About Alternatives Here... - Page 1

Okay now that we're all leary of dog food products,what can we safely and nutritiosly feed our dogs?I'm considering boiled rice and chicken but is it nutritionally complete or will I need to suppliment with vitamins?Let's hear from those who cook for their beloved pets.I need some ideas please,especially now I have aquired an adult female who rather starve than touch any dog food.

Iwould add to your rice and chicken. Yogurt, cottage cheese, blended vegetables, throw in some beef, beet pulp, but hold the twinkies

I am cooking for Blitz using recipes from Pitcairn's book. Yes, you do need to add a lot of vitamins, etc to make a balanced diet for a dog. Blitz's diet consists of rolled oats, cooked veggies, raw ground meat, Pitcarin's Healthy Powder (bone meal, lecithin, kelp and nutritional yeast). I'm not sold on this diet due to so much grain, so am looking for something else. I like what I've read about the Innova EVO and will probably give that a try as soon as I can order a bag. It's hard to find around here. I believe there are currently quite a few recipes on the net to choose from. Until you decide on a diet you like, I don't think it would hurt to feed rice and chicken with a daily Pet Tab. Longterm you might want to go with something more balanced. If you're like me, you just want to get away from commercial food for the time being.

Blitzen- I used the EVO on a couple of my dogs and both did well at first then blew their coat in a matter of a week! I think the protein is too high for a sole meal. I have been considering the cooking thing and adding a cup of EVO to the ration. You might want to consider another "premium" food. I found that some of my sensitive dogs will eat this too. Canidae "All Stages" My 72 pound female will eat only 2 cups a day. The've been on the food for 39 days now and looking good and not losing weight on that amount. I had a 10 month old pup on 3 cups but it proved too much for her too so all my girls do very well on 2 cups a day. Maybe Blitz being a male may need more but gradually as it will give dogs poops! Birdy...

I was about to ask the same question. My kids split a rotisserie chicken again last night. (Only $5 at Cub Foods and the meat literally falls off the bones.) I've been supplementing the chicken with a few scoops of dry dog food but am looking for other ideas like rice, etc. How about scrambling an egg ot two and tossing that into the mix? A friend of mine has been feeding his dog tuna (along with dry) but my guys don't care for the tuna much.

tuna is very good. try sardines. Chicken is better for them raw. They can eat the bones if it is raw..I feed mine frozen drumbsticks and they love em! That way you dont have to take the time to de-bone it. Why scramble the egg? Do they like it better? Seems like a lot of work for a dog.

Birdy, I've been looking at the Van Patten food too, Duck and Potato. Do you know anything about that one? It's easy to find and the ingredients seem good. Since we are on the road a lot and will be fulltime RV'ers in a few years, I need to find a food that is available at national stores like Petco. Canidae is harder to find around here. I've been feeding him RC GSD24, might just go back to that after the dust clears. For now I'm scared of any commercial food. Blitz weighs almost 100 lbs and looks like a knockwurst on toothpicks. He could stand to lose a few pounds.

NO GRAINS (rice)! Meat, Meat, MEAT.....read a BARf book or go online and do some research if you are going to do raw. If you are doing dry - go holistic....stay away from anything with corn, rice, wheat being the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th ingredient.....go to http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com I recommend anything by Canine Caviar and "Innova EVO RED MEAT", but there are many other great dogfoods out there that should be great - just do your homework...and read some past threads on this sight. There are only 5 million on dogfood! :)

Oh, also - I just got this letter from Canine Caviar this week... Canine Caviar would like to take this time to express our sympathy to those affected by this recall and assure you that our food is now and has always been a safe and healthy diet for your pet. Canine Caviar's diets have always been wheat and corn free. Our kibble is processed at a private plant in Texas where we check all ingredients before they are allowed in the facility. Our canned diets contain nothing but the source of protein and are grain and gluten free. These diets are not manufactured at Menu Foods. All of the ingredients used in Canine Caviar diets are consistently sourced from U.S. companies and farms. Additionally each ingredient has been inspected by the USDA and approved for human consumption. For more information on our diets and the ingredients we use please visit our website at www.caninecaviar.com/blog. Canine Caviar was founded in 1996 by Jeff Baker. The food was originally formulated to address the needs of Moguls, Baker's Great Dane who passed in 2003 at the age of 17. Today, Canine Caviar's line of products includes canine and feline dry kibbles, canned diets, raw frozen diets, treats and supplements. Canine Caviar is dedicated to providing the best product possible at an affordable price. To find out more about the company and its products, visit www.caninecaviar.com.

I had my dogs on the Van Patten dry few years back, I did not like the way they looked, so I changed to 1/2 RC and 1/2 solid gold. again that was a few years ago, I would try it and see how they do, If you do not like it, change. I changed to Egale Pack Holistic, they are loving it and coats look good only after a few days, on the rottie and the gsd is slowly showing signs of improvement on the coat I got them off RC immed and 1/2 solid gold and 1/2 Eagle pack, no problem with poops. I am weaning off the solid gold. If your going to travel, alot of the web sites for the food have the stores listed that carrry their products. You can just look in advance where to get it at your next stop. So I would look for one that has them listed.