Dog health & food thread

[Name Redacted]

Come on guys, pick a favorite and be an asshole about it. That is the TGR way dammit.

[XXX-er]

Come on guys, pick a favorite and be an asshole about it. That is the TGR way dammit.

Well just like every asshole is different

every dog is different

[XXX-er]

Come on guys, pick a favorite and be an asshole about it. That is the TGR way dammit.

Well just like every asshole is different

every dog is different

[CascadeLuke]

Good info shared. It’s giving us food for thought. Including adding a dog..

[SkiLyft]

Echoing the sentiments shared above. Previously had our guy on expensive high protein grain free kibble from those specialty pet food stores.

Due to the nutrient density had to feed him less quantity. This meant that was STARVING and constantly was nabbing table scraps.

Ultimately, we switched to Costco about a year ago and our guy dropped 10lbs, had way more energy, and was far less hungry. With our N of 1… I’d recommend you buy a mid tier kibble and don’t think twice.

FWIW another friend was feeding her Golden 100% raw (eggs, beef, chicken). Similar thing happened, the dog became obese.. she’s moved back to a mid tier kibble and her pup is doing way better.


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[nickwm21]

So - mid tier is ok…

Begs the question - what is mid tier? Is the brand name big bag at the store mid or low tier?


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[SkiLyft]

Great question;

Rocking Kirkland Signature Fish/Sweet potato here.

Curious who actually makes it.


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[anotherVTskibum]

My dog gets The Honest Kitchen dog food (grain-free "clusters" because they don't want to call them kibble; plus a couple variations of wet food--"stew" and "paté"), chicken (cook up a package of chicken breasts, we eat a little and he gets the rest), and selected table scraps (we try to be conscious of quantity and also limiting things that, while not toxic, are certainly not healthy). He's also a huge fan of dried mango, which he prefers torn into very small pieces so he doesn't get it stuck on his teeth.

He will eat too much mango and throw it up (and then, being an optimist, try to eat it again), or if he's feeling like he's in competition for food he'll wolf it down first and decide if it was a good idea later, but otherwise he's pretty good about self limiting. He's also picky as all get out; every type of fancy dog food I tried, he got excited initially and then after a week or three, he starts ignoring it. Same deal when I actually tried cooking chicken consistently--he got bored or whatever and stopped eating it. Bring it back a month later and he's all about it again.

FWIW, I went with the grain-free clusters because he gets a fair bit of people food and other dog treats that have a fair bit of grain; my theory is that there should be grain in his diet but not a ton.

My experience is also affected by a previous dog (of my then-GF) that was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma at 9 and given six months, tops, by the vet. She got some prednisone, some herbal stuff to support her system, and went to a raw diet that was mostly organic; I forget exactly, but she made it to at least 14, and I want to say 16.

One anecdote isn't statistically valid, but it's enough for me to feel like human-grade food with listed ingredients is a reasonable target. The Honest Kitchen is on ExpertVoice, so I gave it a shot and it seems to be reasonable overall. It does help that my dog is 25 pounds and not 125.

[whyturn]

A lot of salmon for me in diet changes so the dogs are liking it also Of course rotisserie chicken Want to add brown rice and carrots


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[Toadman]

We do Science Diet for our yellow lab. He gets chicken scraps and fish skin whenever that's on the menu. He seems to eat grass every once in a while. Not sure what that's all about. When that happens its sweet potatoes and brown rice. He also loves bananas, apples and strawberries.

[Jax]

Depending on breakfast or dinner, a mix of raw chicken w/bone, Honest Kitchen pour-overs- all flavors, Nature's Logic kibble w/grains + Steve's Real Food- ground beef, beef hearts/liver, kidney, broccoli, romaine lettuce, goat's milk, carrots, apples, coconut oil, salmon oil, flaxseed, green lipped mussel, eggshell. He also loves rice, spinach & bell peppers. Oh and fresh grass with the perfect amount of morning dew. lol

[snapt]

Here a good podcast that covers dog nutrition, aimed at sporting breeds, but if you have an active dog it’s applicable. Covers nutrition, bloat, protein metabolism etc. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas...=1000649066975

I feed purina pro plan salmon based and it has eliminated skin hot spots. Every dog is different and finding the right protein base is super important. I have a setter who got wrecked by giardia and the only thing that cured it was RX Royal Canin dry food, 140$ a bag and worth every penny. He still gets half a scoop with every meal to avoid GI issues. Costly but it works so I don’t completely balk at bougie food brands.

Understanding protein metabolism is key to keeping a high energy dog healthy and also a solid stomach. I know a ton of folks who feed crazy high protein content food 24/7 and wonder why their dog has never taken a solid shit and needs their anal glands drained.

Glucosamine is a waste of money. Any quality food for sporting breeds has more than enough. The best supplement you can add is a quality probiotic.

I do annual rattlesnake vax’s. The data is sparse but vets I’ve used in snek country anecdotally swear by it and its cheap with minimal side effects in my experience.

The best thing you can do to provide a long healthy life is not let your dog get fat.

I like dags.

[irul&ublo]

Here a good podcast that covers dog nutrition, aimed at sporting breeds, but if you have an active dog it’s applicable. Covers nutrition, bloat, protein metabolism etc. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas...=1000649066975

I feed purina pro plan salmon based and it has eliminated skin hot spots. Every dog is different and finding the right protein base is super important. I have a setter who got wrecked by giardia and the only thing that cured it was RX Royal Canin dry food, 140$ a bag and worth every penny. He still gets half a scoop with every meal to avoid GI issues. Costly but it works so I don’t completely balk at bougie food brands.

Understanding protein metabolism is key to keeping a high energy dog healthy and also a solid stomach. I know a ton of folks who feed crazy high protein content food 24/7 and wonder why their dog has never taken a solid shit and needs their anal glands drained.

Glucosamine is a waste of money. Any quality food for sporting breeds has more than enough. The best supplement you can add is a quality probiotic.

I do annual rattlesnake vax’s. The data is sparse but vets I’ve used in snek country anecdotally swear by it and its cheap with minimal side effects in my experience.

The best thing you can do to provide a long healthy life is not let your dog get fat.

I like dags.

Have used Royal Canin in the past, and like it. Fucking expensive though. My vet likes Purina Pro Plan and also Avo-Derm.



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[muted reborn]

My dog is a vegan so he eats a lot of organic kale, tofu, humanely grown beans, and whole grains from seeds 1000 years old. If I buy a bag of vegan kibbles, I'm fine spending $90 on a 20 pound bag because dogs are family! Family that eats it's own poop and throw up, yes, but I want that regurgitated meal to be organic, vegan, humanely sourced, and delicious.

[ötzi]

You could use that poop as fertilizer for your garden and kinda close the circle.

[Buster Highmen]

My dog is a vegan so he eats a lot of organic kale, tofu, humanely grown beans, and whole grains from seeds 1000 years old. If I buy a bag of vegan kibbles, I'm fine spending $90 on a 20 pound bag because dogs are family! Family that eats it's own poop and throw up, yes, but I want that regurgitated meal to be organic, vegan, humanely sourced, and delicious.

You forgot 'free range'.

[californiagrown]

My dog (7 yr old border collie/jack russel/pitt mutt) is remarkably healthy. he has lived his whole live on Kirkland brand dog food, and in the last couple years has supplemented his kibble with cleanup duty under the toddlers high chair/booster seat. The vet keeps telling me that i should switch him off anything with grain in it, but that stuff is much more expensive, and why fix what aint broken? My BIL has a dog 1 year younger who he pampers the shit out of and its developed all sorts of fun minor ailments over the past year. so, who the hell knows?

He used to get a shitton of exercise (and look pittbull jacked) until about age 4 when my kid came along, and now he gets a few walks a week and free run at a park/woods maybe once every six weeks. But, when he does get his opportunity to run, he still has better speed and stamina than most. Pretty impressive how high his base fitness level has remained actually.

[shera]

I work in feed formulation software and made a web app with the help of veterinary nutritionists that allows you to create balanced rations for dogs and cats from human food. It's free to use, please check it out! www.MixitHandy.com

Personally I feed my gsd and two oriental cats a raw prey model diet, all meat. I also eat mostly meat, so we all eat the same thing pretty much except I also eat some fruit and potatoes and dairy.

Anyway, please look at the web app, keen for feedback.

[Mofro261]

Another interesting point he made was that one of the best things you can do for your dogs overall health....get another dog, no joke.

I'm inheriting my daughter's dog in a few weeks, she finished up at UofU and is moving out of the country (to London) next month.





Atlas is 4yro a rescue mix that my daughter and her room mates shared in college and my girl Maisy is crazy about him. They got him somewhere around 6-8mos but they were his 3rd owner, he's super sweet and friendly but a bit of a runner unfortunately so can't be trusted off lead.

[altacoup]

I work in feed formulation software and made a web app with the help of veterinary nutritionists that allows you to create balanced rations for dogs and cats from human food. It's free to use, please check it out! www.MixitHandy.com

Personally I feed my gsd and two oriental cats a raw prey model diet, all meat. I also eat mostly meat, so we all eat the same thing pretty much except I also eat some fruit and potatoes and dairy.

Anyway, please look at the web app, keen for feedback.

Cool link. My lady has been home cooking food for our 10 year old bulldog for the last 6 months. She’s turned into a lean mean cuddling machine. Dropped 8lbs, and more energy since the day we rescued her from a puppy farm 7 years ago.


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[shera]

Cool link. My lady has been home cooking food for our 10 year old bulldog for the last 6 months. She’s turned into a lean mean cuddling machine. Dropped 8lbs, and more energy since the day we rescued her from a puppy farm 7 years ago.


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Thanks for looking. Home cooked ftw!

[CascadeLuke]

Wondering if anyone has dealt with fixing red rusty eye tear type marks? Or however you describe it. My dog has a minor issue with it mostly on one eye.
Wife wants to handle at vet but thought I’d try and run it by the group first. We’ve upped to some premium food and it’s helped some. Thoughts?

[PB]

Probably nothing serious, but a vet check is still recommended. Pretty common in older dogs, especially small, light colored ones. Our 17 year old JR has it and we just regularly wipe them with specialty eye wipes (Optixcare).