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Can you feed a dog cat food?
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On kind of the same topic, for the last few years I've taken to soaking the dogs' food. It started when they were on Robbies, which is dehydrated. We got into the habit and it stuck. I was apprehensive at first because I thought the food would stick to their teeth and that it wasn't natural for a carnivore to eat mush instead of something they can get their teeth into!
I know everyone says it's bad for their teeth but I honestly can't see it. My oldie still has a great set of gnashers - no tartar and no gingivitis and she hasn't had a dental in about four years I'd say.
I don't think it's natural to feed a dog a dry food, any more than it would be natural for us to live on dry cereal and crackers. I know that's not very scientific, but it can't be nice for a dog to always have to slake their thirst after eating. I think this line the manufacturers push that dry food helps keep teeth clean because of its abrasive action is baloney, tbh. My lads get Plaque Off in their food daily and Dentisept on their gums once or twice a week and that does more for them than eating sackfuls of dry food, in my opinion! Plus they get dried tripe and things like that for some chewing therapy.
One boon with the soaked food is that it fills the dogs up better and makes them more satiated than if the food were dry. It also slows them down, so no regurgitating minutes later! Now it's cold out we've been using hot water to soak the food so it's reasonably warm when they eat it. Again, I can't say it's in any way therapeutic, but it feels like something nice to do for them. If we've cooked veggies or if I've cooked up some liver for them, I'll use the broth instead of water, for added flavour. I was at a Royal Canin talk once where the rep insisted that dogs don't have very discriminating taste buds and can eat the same dry food for a lifetime. This despite questions from the floor like "why do my dogs go mad for tripe, then?" I do think dogs enjoy a variety of flavours in their diet. Again, not scientific but it makes me feel good to provide that!
The amount of water added to the dry food wouldn't meet their daily fluid intake requirements, but they do drink a lot less from the bowl now.0 -
On kind of the same topic, for the last few years I've taken to soaking the dogs' food. It started when they were on Robbies, which is dehydrated. We got into the habit and it stuck. I was apprehensive at first because I thought the food would stick to their teeth and that it wasn't natural for a carnivore to eat mush instead of something they can get their teeth into!
I know everyone says it's bad for their teeth but I honestly can't see it. My oldie still has a great set of gnashers - no tartar and no gingivitis and she hasn't had a dental in about four years I'd say.
I don't think it's natural to feed a dog a dry food, any more than it would be natural for us to live on dry cereal and crackers. I know that's not very scientific, but it can't be nice for a dog to always have to slake their thirst after eating. I think this line the manufacturers push that dry food helps keep teeth clean because of its abrasive action is baloney, tbh. My lads get Plaque Off in their food daily and Dentisept on their gums once or twice a week and that does more for them than eating sackfuls of dry food, in my opinion! Plus they get dried tripe and things like that for some chewing therapy.
One boon with the soaked food is that it fills the dogs up better and makes them more satiated than if the food were dry. It also slows them down, so no regurgitating minutes later! Now it's cold out we've been using hot water to soak the food so it's reasonably warm when they eat it. Again, I can't say it's in any way therapeutic, but it feels like something nice to do for them. If we've cooked veggies or if I've cooked up some liver for them, I'll use the broth instead of water, for added flavour. I was at a Royal Canin talk once where the rep insisted that dogs don't have very discriminating taste buds and can eat the same dry food for a lifetime. This despite questions from the floor like "why do my dogs go mad for tripe, then?" I do think dogs enjoy a variety of flavours in their diet. Again, not scientific but it makes me feel good to provide that!
The amount of water added to the dry food wouldn't meet their daily fluid intake requirements, but they do drink a lot less from the bowl now.
anytime I feed dry I do the same now. I believe its a myth about dry food being good for teeth - I've watched my dog and cats eating dry food, they crunch once at most before swallowing. And if you've ever had a dog throw up its dinner, you find lots and lots of intact pellets.
I don't feed much dry food now, but when I do I soak it in warm water and add an egg or something.0 -
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Plaque Off rocks!
And nothing gets rid of tartar, except descaling. I never heard of tartar coming off on its own? If it did, I'd save a fortune on visits to the dental hygienist! Mo60, did you mean that the Yorkie had a lot of plaque and inflamed gums? That'd probably make more sense.
My greyhound had bad breath and some gingivitis when she came to us, and a bit of tartar build-up along the gumline. We've fed her soaked food and Plaque Off from the start and it all really improved. She had a dental last Friday at the same she was spayed, so her teeth are now gleaming It'll be interesting to see if that continues and how long it lasts. 0 -
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Plaque Off rocks!
And nothing gets rid of tartar, except descaling. I never heard of tartar coming off on its own? If it did, I'd save a fortune on visits to the dental hygienist! Mo60, did you mean that the Yorkie had a lot of plaque and inflamed gums? That'd probably make more sense.
My greyhound had bad breath and some gingivitis when she came to us, and a bit of tartar build-up along the gumline. We've fed her soaked food and Plaque Off from the start and it all really improved. She had a dental last Friday at the same she was spayed, so her teeth are now gleaming It'll be interesting to see if that continues and how long it lasts.
This proves how good Ascophyllum is. Soaking food gives dry fed dogs even less chew friction. Ascophyllum triumphed despite. Great stuff. Asco successfully prevents any new tartar from forming. But dogs with poor dentition need more chew, not less!0 -
I can't feed bones any more, now that Boo's got kidney disease it's not fair to give them to one doglet and not the other. My crew always went nuts for raw meaty bones. I have to say, Boo did get slab fractures but I think that I was giving them the wrong kind of bones, initially - mostly beef shin bones. Started treating them to lamb shanks and they never had a bother after that. I'd take them off them once they'd picked the meat off and before they got down to shards. Dogs really do have a very strong need to chew, tear and gnaw - it's what they're built for. 0
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I can't feed bones any more, now that Boo's got kidney disease it's not fair to give them to one doglet and not the other. My crew always went nuts for raw meaty bones. I have to say, Boo did get slab fractures but I think that I was giving them the wrong kind of bones, initially - mostly beef shin bones. Started treating them to lamb shanks and they never had a bother after that. I'd take them off them once they'd picked the meat off and before they got down to shards. Dogs really do have a very strong need to chew, tear and gnaw - it's what they're built for.
Lamb shank - is that what you ask for at the butcher? I'd like to start giving my fellow the odd bone, has anyone a guide of which bones are safest? As a veggie for more than 20 yrs I don't have a clue what to ask for at the butchers. I keep standing at the meat section in the supermarket looking at chicken legs, oyster thighs, chicken wings - and I don't know what kind of bones are in them, and if any are safe, so my dog gets none:( what's a good bone that a large enthusiastic dog is unlikely to choke on???0 -
Lamb shank - is that what you ask for at the butcher? I'd like to start giving my fellow the odd bone, has anyone a guide of which bones are safest? As a veggie for more than 20 yrs I don't have a clue what to ask for at the butchers. I keep standing at the meat section in the supermarket looking at chicken legs, oyster thighs, chicken wings - and I don't know what kind of bones are in them, and if any are safe, so my dog gets none:( what's a good bone that a large enthusiastic dog is unlikely to choke on???
I don't know if there's a "procedure" as such PlanetX, but I'll tell you what I did
I got chicken wings, and held onto the thick end, allowing my GSD to chew on the wing-tip with her big carnassial teeth out of the side of her mouth. Now, I will warn you, I had to hold on for grim death, but I gradually allowed her to move on up the wing until I was sure she was really giving the bones a good old chew before swallowing. For a big dog, even if she didn't chew the wing brilliantly, it's small and soft enough to slide on down.
Then I graduated her onto chicken legs, doing the same thing at first. She's a very skilful bone-eater now. My Westie, on the other hand, is an utter pig, and I have to cut the wings into sections, or hold on as above, because I've seen the daft bugger swallowing them whole, and whilst the GSD would be okay doing this, he's too small. Damn Westies
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Tesco do big chicken legs which have a huge amount of meat on the top, they even have a wee bit of the spine still attached, usually in packs of 4, sometimes 5. They are much adored by Mrs. GSD, but I've also found a butcher who's doing turkey legs for a reasonably good price, so Mrs. GSD is in for a treat one of these days!0 -
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Boomerang, perhaps you can answer this: how would Boo get on with other natural chew products to "replace" bone in the chewing department.. the likes of cow's ears, dried tripe, pizzles, dried tracheas etc? Trachea has cartilage in it... is this a problem? Just curious as to what you've found out 0
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Boomerang, perhaps you can answer this: how would Boo get on with other natural chew products to "replace" bone in the chewing department.. the likes of cow's ears, dried tripe, pizzles, dried tracheas etc? Trachea has cartilage in it... is this a problem? Just curious as to what you've found out
Hey DBB
Dunno about the cartilage in the trachea or the ears! Great question! My problem is that there's so rarely any nutritional analysis on the packaging. I'd say the pizzle is a non-runner, on account of the os penis? I have no idea!
Have to check that out! She has never had the slightest interest in Nylabones. Not a big fan of those anyways, myself. Or pigs' ears. Why are they so greasy? Heard they can be contaminated with some pathogens, too? She doesn't get excited over those dried sweet potato chews, either.
Tripe is fine because it's bone-free and it's got moderate phosphorus, so I give the girls both dried tripe treats and frozen tripe mince as often as I can get it! Only one supplier of Prize Choice left in Limerick now and they're always out of the feckin' stuff whenever I call in!0 -
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I'd say the pizzle is a non-runner, on account of the os penis? I have no idea! Have to check that out!
Oops! I forgot about the os penis in bulls (I can see a few google searches being done after these posts are read). Think I'd have to stop short of going looking for horse penis instead
Pig's ears, ick, never feed them, wayyyy too fatty.
Don't zooplus do a range of dried animal chunks along the lines of dried tripe? Might be something in there to give Boo a change to beef tripe! Any of this type of stuff I've bought from zooplus has some nutritional analyes on the packaging, though I'm not sure is it detailed anough for your needs. But good point, the lack of analyses on a lot of these things is worrying... I will never, ever buy rawhide products unless it specifically says the species it comes from :eek:
Edited to add: Awww, look at the two of them with their bones They have that lovely look of intense concentration on their little faces that only a good chew can bring on 0 -
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