Do your dogs eat better than you do???

[imported_Chimama]

We have tried a bunch of dog foods,and just decided to feed homemade meals for one meal a day and sometimes I feel like to dogs are eating better than we are! Maybe its cause I'm tired of cooking by the time I get done with the doggy dinners! :wink: Anyway I was curious to see what everyone else thinks about homemade dinners and what kind of dog food you feed.
Marley is on Pro Plan for large breeds and a stew type of homemade dinner and Paige is on a toy breed specific dog food and the same stew as Marley just smaller portions!!LOL! ( easily entertained today! Once again I drank to much coffee this morning!)

[JaquelineC]

I can say with 100% certainty that all of my dogs eat better than I do! I feed [url=http://www.canidae.com/]Canidae[/url] All Life Stages dry food mixed with Canidae canned Chicken, Turkey, Lamb and Fish + [url=http://www.greentripe.com/]Green Tripe[/url]

All of my dogs LOVE their food and are in EXCELLENT condition. I have never seen their coats so shiny and lustrous.

However, I spend more on their food than I do on mine... And take probably twice as much time preparing it. My BF always gives me sh!t about taking better care of them than I do myself...

:roll:

[mydogroxy]

i make this same comment alllll the time. i spend so much time searching for good meat and veggies for the dog. plus the preparation! i spend a fraction of the time for myself. she eats shrimp, beef, buffalo, lamb...while i'm chomping on a mcdonald's hamburger. i should try to emulate her diet!

[mouseatthebusstop]

my dogs eat better than I do BUT I would not like the same meal day after day

[izzy]

[quote name='mouseatthebusstop']my dogs eat better than I do BUT I would not like the same meal day after day[/quote]

Totally agree mouse! :)

[mydogroxy]

[quote]my dogs eat better than I do BUT I would not like the same meal day after day
[/quote]
rox gets a lot of variety, probably about as much as i do. so HANDS DOWN she eats better than i do.

not to mention the 20 minutes i just spent hand filing her nails. :o

[imported_Chimama]

I agree with the 'not wanting to eat the same thing everyday' comment I try to switch up what kind of veggies and friuts the girls get every day to everyother day.

[Sharpeigirl]

My boys eat better then I do, they get chopped stew meat, mixed with Diamond dry, and scrambled eggs, veggies & fruits. And if I grill a steak on the grill I cut one in 2 and give them each half. They also like cottage cheese.

[Aroura]

I can definatly say that my dogs eat better than I do - I do eat very well but I don't think anyone could eat better than my dogs!

They're not stuck with the same boring meal each day either, they get as much variety as I can offer, with sardines twice a week and the occasional meal of scrambled eggs. I mix different things in each day to balance their diet over a few days, flax seed oil one day, canola another, cod liver another and extra virgin olive oil on another day so each meal tastes different. They also get varied offal and different veggies in their meals each day.

The reason I can say the dogs eat better than I do is firstly that they don't get any junk food, all their food is fresh, and I do their shopping before I do my own so that if I ever run out of money it is me that is going without, not them.

Josh said to me the other night "you spoil that dog so much, you never make ME meatballs!" :lol:

I told him he could have one of Monties if he wants :wink:

[courtnek]

well, being as I had a PB sandwich for dinner, I would say yes...

My dogs both get Purina ONE lamb and rice. Their coats are beautiful, glossy and shiny. the lamb and rice seems better than most purina brands. the #1 ingredient is the meat. Of course, I cut a little canned food into it, and appropriate leftovers...so dont know if its the dog food, or the leftovers...

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[MajiesMom]

Magic eats well and to think I made her eat Pedigree Mealtime when I first adopted her. Currently she eats Innova and Nature’s Link, which we’ve settled on now because she does well on it. She likes it and is not allergic. Nature’s Link is a modified barf/raw diet– the meat and eggs are lightly steamed to kill salmonella and all the bacteria. It’s also organic so she certainly eats better than I do.

[Guest Anonymous]

Ooooh! This is something my partner always complains about. :oops:

My dog has been on homecooked diet for more than a year now. He gets 2 different (freshly prepared) meals per day. Today, it was steamed fish with spinach & baby carrots for breakfast. He'd be getting grilled chicken, sweet potatoes & sweet peas for dinner. :oops:

I skipped breakfast, had fast food for lunch & will likely heat up a can of soup for dinner. :oops: :lol:

My family thinks I'm nuts... it's either that, or my dog brainwashes me. :o :lol:

[Aroura]

[quote name='Kiwi']Not realllly, as my dogs are on Raw Food. I sure won't be fighting them for their raw chicken carcasses, fruit, vegies and yoghurt, all mixed together :o Ick.. :lol:[/quote]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Thats true, though sometimes I'd rather eat that than have to think about eating Mc Donalds! :o

[imported_Cassie]

I try to eat just as healthy as my pets.
For my dogs they have a variety in their diet, fish, raw meat, cooked meats, veggies, yoghert, some fruits, I also supplement their diets with herbs and some vitamins and minerals, flax seeds ground at home, pumpkin seeds etc. I also feed them kibble, mainly wellness or solid gold, my dogs usually have either canned food mixed in with their kibble or veggies etc.
I try to ensure all foods are organic, I try to pick up all of my meats from a friend of mine who raises chickens (free range), sheep, and cows...he some times raises pigs as well and pheasants. I know what his animals have eaten and I am sure they have not been pumped full of antibiotics and pesticides or growth hormones. In the summer I grow my own garden and through out the year I grow my own herbs. I also grow my dogs their own wheat grass and barley grass to nibble on at all times.

I try to be careful with the foods I eat and what my pets eat. I try not to eat our at fast food restaurants, I will only get salads or fish when out at a restaurant; nothing deep fried, I try to stay away from red meats and eat more fish and chicken (free range). My dogs and I also enjoy free range eggs...yum. I also try to stay away from milk and drink soy mild instead..I was weaned along time ago, I don't need milk any more :lol: :wink: I get my calcium from green veggies, goats cheese, yoghert etc.

So yes, I try to eat just as good as my dogs...although we do have our weakness for tim hortons coffee and bagels. Very evil weakness :evil:
I have been know to purchase toasted buttered bagels for my pooches and myself every so often...I can't help myself when going through the drive in and I have 6 dogs drooling over the smells coming in the vehicle from tim's...I do have my weakness.

[Aroura]

Guest1 - your dog sounds very spoilt... but is this all they get? I'd be worried about deficiencys if it is. Its nice to give your dog a nice meal once in a while, thats fit for human consumption and is presented better than if you were to go to a resteraunt! I give my dogs scrambled eggs occasionally and will sometimes cook them up yummy meals like you mentioned, but as a general rule veggies should be raw and pureed, that way they keep their vitamins and minerals and the cell wall is broken down so the dog can digest it. Horsefeathers will probably be able to give you some good advice for home cooked meals - I myself feed raw which is different again :wink:

[Guest Anonymous]

I'm not about to make a gourmet meal and give it to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum...well maybe just a taste...okay a bite....okay TWO bites, but that's it!....okay, half!!....aw heck, I'll just make them their portions! :D

Actually my dogs get raw and the majority of their meat and fish is organic that we get from a supplier who specifically works with dog food for spoiled raw fed doggies. That said, he sells it much cheaper than we can get organic meat for ourselves, so we get the steroid injected mad cow for dinner while the dogs dine on organic.

We share our fruits and veggies, I just gave half my apple to Shenanigans. They also get pizza bones, yogurt, honey, supplements etc etc etc.

It pays off in the long run, I have two very giant, very healthy dogs.

[courtnek]

what in the world is a "pizza bone"???????


:o :o

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote]but as a general rule veggies should be raw and pureed, that way they keep their vitamins and minerals and the cell wall is broken down so the dog can digest it. [/quote]

[b]Aroura wrote,[/b]

I always thought the veggies should be lightly steamed before being pureed. The nutrients are made available by slightly cooking them. I always steam my carrots, broccoli sweet pototoes etc. and then puree them for my dog.

[quote]Cooking makes some foods more digestible; it also breaks down natural toxins that are in some vegetables and seeds. If you're not feeling well, raw vegetables can make things worse. They are especially hard on an irritated colon. There are also a surprising number of toxins in foods. Peanuts and peanut butter often have traces of aflatoxin, a potent carcinogen found in a mold that grows on the nuts. Alfalfa sprouts contain a toxin called canavanine. Celery harbors toxins that may sensitize us to sunlight and damage immune systems. (Highest levels occur in celery that has brownish patches, which indicate a fungal disease called pink rot.) Raw spinach, chard and beet greens contain oxalic acid, which robs the body of calcium and iron. Cultivated white mushrooms contain several carcinogens. Members of the cabbage family also contain toxins. In general, these natural toxins are destroyed by cooking, especially cooking in water. To me this seems to a be a strong argument against a diet of all raw foods. But never overcook foods. That will lower nutrient content and cause other undesirable changes. For instance, charring foods creates carcinogens.

There are some vegetables I would never eat raw: peas, beans, alfalfa sprouts, lentil sprouts, mung bean sprouts and mushrooms. Beans, lentils, chickpeas, and eggplant are best when cooked a long time. Many leafy green vegetables such as chard, spinach, collards and mustard greens are much better for you when cooked.

There are some foods that should be eaten raw, such as raw garlic. Raw garlic is a potent antibiotic. And some vegetables are just fine raw: lettuce, arugula, radicchio, watercress, cucumbers, radishes and buckwheat sprouts. [/quote]

[TDG]

[quote]I always thought the veggies should be lightly steamed before being pureed. The nutrients are made available by slightly cooking them. I always steam my carrots, broccoli sweet pototoes etc. and then puree them for my dog. [/quote]

if you puree them, it's not necessary to steam or otherwise cook them. the pureeing breaks down the cell walls enough to make the nutrients available for the dog.

on the other hand, if you steam them, the cell walls are also broken down and you can skip the pureeing step. just cut them up into manageable pieces.

as a general rule, the less you process the vegetables, the more nutrients will be preserved. heat is damaging to many of them, so if you feel it's absolutely necessary to cook the veggies, keep the time short and don't throw out the leftover water, since it will have some of the nutrients leeched into it.

[Horsefeathers!]

They eat just as good as I do. Frapuccino and Pop Tarts (pastries) in the mornings and Dr. Pepper and doughnuts in the afternoons. They share it with me. 8)

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote]Guest1 - your dog sounds very spoilt... but is this all they get? I'd be worried about deficiencys if it is. Its nice to give your dog a nice meal once in a while, thats fit for human consumption and is presented better than if you were to go to a resteraunt! I give my dogs scrambled eggs occasionally and will sometimes cook them up yummy meals like you mentioned, but as a general rule veggies should be raw and pureed, that way they keep their vitamins and minerals and the cell wall is broken down so the dog can digest it. Horsefeathers will probably be able to give you some good advice for home cooked meals - I myself feed raw which is different again [/quote]

Thanks for the concern Aroura. :wink: I'm not comfortable with feeding raw veges or meat as I live in a city & can't totally trust the produce (even the organic stuff) I get at our supermarkets - they've just been passed through too many hands for me to feel comfortable feeding raw. Well, except for fruit, which we scrub like crazy. :wink:

I'm also aware of doggie's nutrition needs - going fully homecooked was a decision I made only after much research. :lol: Of course, his big gooey eyes and happy dances were what really did me in! (Like I said, I think I might be brainwashed...) In addition to the huge variety of fresh meat, veges and fruit in his diet, he also gets supplements in the form of flaxseed oil, fish oil and calcium (crushed baked eggshells.) I do try to steam his food at least half the time as it best preserves the nutrients. :)

If anyone thinks I might be missing out on something, please let me know! :)

[Shenanigans]

You don't know what a pizza bone is? You simply haven't lived unless you tried one. ;)

It's just a weird term for the crust of the pizza. *G*

[Pumpkin the musher]

During race season last year my guys got rice or pasta cooked with their kibble(always warm meals in the winter) plus a 1/4 lb each of some type of meat- last year was fresh frozen salmon that I got from a seafood importer that had deemed it "freezer burnt" so couldn't sell for human consumption. Worked for me! I've also used ground beef, ground turkey and venison.

[Aroura]

Good to hear that you know what you're doing Guest1 :wink:

So many people start home made diets without researching first, their dogs get ill and the pet food companys say "I told you so" and use your dog as a demonstration as to why not to feed home prepared meals. I heard of a Eukanuba pamphlet one time using a dog that was about one year old and going to die from every disease and growth/bone/brain/eye etc problem under the sun as a result of feeding a "BARF" diet - what they didn't mention is that this dog was probably not fed a properly balanced "BARF" diet at all, and was probably given a diet of meat and liver its whole life - hardly credible.

I always say to people before going into a BARF diet is to weigh up the pros and cons and make an educated decision, this is obviously what you did and decided on home cooked instead :wink:

Guest, can I ask where you got that information from? I want to look into it more...

[courtnek]

[quote name='Horsefeathers!']They eat just as good as I do. Frapuccino and Pop Tarts (pastries) in the mornings and Dr. Pepper and doughnuts in the afternoons. They share it with me. 8)[/quote]


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[quote]You don't know what a pizza bone is? You simply haven't lived unless you tried one.

It's just a weird term for the crust of the pizza. *G*[/quote]



*whew* ok then my dogs get "pizza bones" too...


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: