courtnek Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 I feed my dogs Purina Lamb and Rice...and have had excellent results with it. I know some people dont like Purina, but to each his own. A friend at work gave me a 20 lb. bag of Iams, her dog couldnt eat it. I thought "I have issues with IAMS, this will last a week, lets see what happens..." Freebe showed no bad affects at all...Laurel, however, had to get up every day to go at 4:30 a.m., which she never did on Purina, had accidents in the house. and was more hyper than usual...She needed much more trips outside than usual, and seemed less happy after feeding. I realize it was only a week, but the change in her behavior was amazing. I put her back on Purina, and she's back to normal. AFTER TWO DAYS!!! Freebee is a mix, mutt, whatever. I personally believe they are less prone to feeding issues than purebreds. Laurel is a purebred. She couldnt handle IAMS, and I will never do that to her again, even if it IS free... I feel like a bad mom..I tested this food, and she suffered...I am against IAMS anyway because of testing, but it was FREE...serves me right... I feel so bad.... :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendalyn Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 You're not a bad mom! You tried it and it didn't work so you're not giving it to her anymore. I'm sure she's forgiven you! :-) I'm like you, I hate to see something wasted. I probably would have given it to Buck too. I agree with you though about the purebred vs. mutt feeding thing. Buck can eat anything and doesn't have a problem. Kody, my Standard Poodle (passed away) did not do well with food changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taurus and Jada Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 I agree with the statement " to each his own" as you said. We feed our dogs Iams.... well Eukanuba. They both do great on it. They have shiny coats, healthy teeth, solid stools...... Sure, Im sure that there are probably better foods out there that we could pay double what we're paying with Eukanuba, but Im a firm beleiver in if it aint broke, don't fix it. Also, Taurus doesn't seem to do well with diet changes, so I wouldn't want to put him through that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malamum Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 You are not a bad Mum at all. You had no way of knowing that the new food wouldn't agree with her. Also, the flip side of that is it could have been better for her but you wouldn't have known unless you tried. I have been quite lucky with Indy, he seems to have a pretty tough tummy and can eat any food. I went through four different types of kibble with no issues until I finally decided on BARF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDG Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 what about the fact that there are higher quality foods out there that are not as overpriced as iams or eukanuba? other than that, aren't you concerned about the contamination that could cause health problems in the long run? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendalyn Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Contamination? I really doubt feeding Iams once is going to have much of an effect later on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendalyn Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Oh, yeah! That makes sense :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 ok first, T&J, I was not knocking the fact that some people have good success with Iams...I have a problem with their testing practices, but I feed Iams to my cat because its all he can keep down, so I have no issues with you (or anyone else) feeding Iams. While I dont like the things that have been found about their testing, I'm not gonna let my cat die because of it. Second...WHAT long term affects? this is really news to me.... :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDG Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 i mean long term effects on a pet's system like what is caused by all the chemicals used to denature meat when it is condemned as unfit for human consumption, the contaminants of lesser quality grains, synthetic preservatives used on such ingredients as poultry fat (that do [b]not[/b] have to be declared by the manufacturer, because they were already in the fat when they bought it from a supplier), contamination of feed-grade calcium and phosphate supplements due to chemical processing and high amounts of salt (most iams and euk formulations have more salt in them than e.g. flax meal or other more beneficial ingredients). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 would that not be true of most commercial dog foods? It's true to an extent in most people foods....or is Iams different, worse then most? Most of the fast food people buy is somewhat bad for them..but you cant expect people to create special diets for themselves or their pets..there's still real life to deal with... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 [quote]would that not be true of most commercial dog foods? It's true to an extent in most people foods....or is Iams different, worse then most?[/quote] it [b]is[/b] true for most commercial dog foods, and especially the kind that is sold in grocery stores and mass-retailer type department stores. that's why i find it is such an important thing that people educate themselves about commercial pet foods and learn how to distinguish good and bad products. it also pays off to read about things that most pet food manufacturers won't tell you about, like for example the federal meat inspection act. people foods have very stringent rules about how many parts per million of specific chemicals, heavy metals and other substances are allowed. there are only very few such restrictions for the pet food industry, and they are often the same for livestock (which usually goes to slaughter before 2 years of age and sometimes even just after a few months or weeks) and for companion animals that should have a lifespan of 10+ years. think about the potential for build-up in the body and stress on internal organs like liver and kidneys and then apply it to an animal that livs for a few weeks or months and one that is very likely to spend a decade or more with you. [quote]Most of the fast food people buy is somewhat bad for them..but you cant expect people to create special diets for themselves or their pets..there's still real life to deal with...[/quote] fast food is mostly "bad" for people because of excess fat (which contains a lot of calories and is rarely worked off by sufficient physical work or exercise) in combination with excess carbohydrates, and because of cholesterol issues. it's not bad because it is contaminated the way animal feed materials are. though there is the point to argue how healthy a burger is for you when it is made from meat of some steer that was fed for example discarded bedding of poultry growing operations (including the feces...). there are a few pretty ugly sides to factory-style farming of animals. that aside, keep in mind that most dogs eat the same food every day, often for years. that way, and because of their (for the most part) smaller body mass compared to humans, they are a lot more exposed to the harmful chemicals in those products than humans eating a very varied diet. also, of course human food items are tested, graded and inspected, so even the poorer quality stuff is still far above any non-human-grade materials used in poor quality pet food. i'm not asking anyone to create special diets unless they absolutely want to. even if you don't want to do much cooking for yourself, let alone for your pet(s), you can still read the labels and make healthier choices. that doesn't really take a lot of time out of your day. "real life" is an issue for the majority of people on this planet, but eating healthier or feeding your pets better quality food takes little to no extra effort. if you want to stick with a commercial food, all it takes is a few hours of educating yourself, making label-reading a habit for human and pet foods alike, and maybe a change in your shopping routine. it doesn't take creating a special diet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDG Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 well, for some reason i can't seem to stay logged in today. the above was me - once again. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 well, I stand by my post. I am a single. work full time mom. On top of that, my son and myself are diabetics...junk food is OUT.. I try my best to cook the best food I can, for my son and myself. I use the dog foods that show the best results..health, coat, stools. Purina has provided that. Some people may disagree, but Purina has given me dogs that live to 12 and 13 years old...without issues....large dogs, all of them. I often add the food I make for my son and myself into their dinners. Its' home cooked, not fast food. maybe that helps, I dont know. But a little "extra" in their dinner, by my cooking, has never hurt them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDG Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 [quote name='courtnek']well, I stand by my post. I am a single. work full time mom. On top of that, my son and myself are diabetics...junk food is OUT..[/quote] i don't understand what there is to "stand by". a lot of very simple steps to improve the overall quality of your diet doesn't take much time out of your day, even if you have a busy schedule. it's just a question of adapting, as a diabetic you should know that. :) and even feeding a raw or homemade diet doesn't take up a lot of time, maybe an hour of preparation for a week's worth of meals. i know what all this is like from experience, plus being self employed and often not able to rely on a routine 9 to 5, 5-day a week schedule, because sometimes a customer's problems just can't wait until the next day or after the weekend. see, due to that fact that you are diabetic and have a diabetic son, you and him are already eating healthier than many other people out there. i think you are really misunderstanding what i am trying to say here! [quote name='courtnek']I use the dog foods that show the best results..health, coat, stools. Purina has provided that. Some people may disagree, but Purina has given me dogs that live to 12 and 13 years old...without issues....large dogs, all of them.[/quote] while i don't think that purina is a particularly great food, i'd still rate it as better than iams, plus purina has better business ethics. 6 years ago you wouldn't have heard me complaining about iams/euk either, because back then they were an independent company and used quality ingredients to make good products - that were [b]not[/b] sold at grocery stores. i remember feeding one of my dogs iams puppy food 12 years ago, it actually smelled pleasant and did not make you gag from the stink of poor quality ingredients like it does now. and purina was a notch up the ladder too, before nestle bought them up. take that into consideration when you are looking back at what you fed your dogs in the past. [quote name='courtnek']I often add the food I make for my son and myself into their dinners. Its' home cooked, not fast food. maybe that helps, I dont know. But a little "extra" in their dinner, by my cooking, has never hurt them.[/quote] and there you hit the nail on the head. supplementation with some less processed, better quality things [b]does[/b] make a difference. your dog actually gets some food that has [b]not[/b] been cooked pretty much to death! the old wives tale that feeding table scraps is "bad" for your dog is just something the pet food industry wants to make people believe, because they want to sell their product. and i bet my bottom dollar that most dogs who do [b]not[/b] get any extras and eat only poor quality foods all their life aren't going to be the ones living to a ripe old age. and you would probably see even more drastic improvements if you fed them more homemade stuff! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taurus and Jada Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 So I guess my question is, should I be thinking of switching foods if Taurus is doing well on Eukanuba? I certainly do not want to shorten the life of my dog , however, Taurus' stomach is very sensitive, and he doesnt adjust well to food change. Eukanuba is the food reccommended by our vet, so that is why we stuck with it... Also, dog food is pretty expensive allready, honestly, I dont know if we could afford more then we pay allready. Jada is groing like a bad weed, shes allready 90 lbs.... 8 months old. She eats quite a bit. We buy her a 20lb bag of food every 2-3 weeks @$34, and Taurus a 20lb bag every 3-4 weeks @$30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDG Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 well, nobody can make you feed your dogs something you don't want to feed. the decision is ultimately up to you. if you feel that euk is appropriate and you don't think your dogs could do better on something else, don't switch. if you aren't sure, do some research ([url=http://www.mordanna.com/dogfood/]here's a good place to start for example[/url]) until you feel confident to make a decision. the health aspects aside, i think eukanuba is rather overpriced for its type of quality. i don't feed it and don't know how much local prices vary, but $30 to $34 for a 20 lb bag of euk seems very expensive to me, and i live in a place where everything is expensive. feeding cost isn't equal bag for bag for different types of food. you have to figure out how much your daily feeding cost is by the amount you have to feed of a specific type, and how much it would increase or decrease by having to feed more or less than of the euk. if you let me know how much each dog eats per day and which type of food you are feeding, i can post a calculation on averages for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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