[Chico's Mama]

Well , after all the research I did trying to find the "best" food for Chico, and also priding on the fact that he is not a typical "picky" eater, I feel I have made a fool of myself...lol. Chico hasn't really come to like the new adult food I bought for him.

Now, I refuse to feed him dog food with by-products, corn or corn fillers, wheat, things like that, and the only food I found that does not have those things in them is the food he doesn't really like. I mean, sure, he will eat it, but only if I feed him from my hand and then lure him over to his bowl. So, I give up on dog food, and this is my question.

Where can I find a site about a diet for Chi's consisting of "people" food. A woman my husband works with has a Chi, and she says she only feeds hers ground beef mixed with rice, veges, cheese, etc. Now, this woman was transfered to another dept at his work, so he can't get in touch with her to get more info...so I need your help.

I would really appreciate any help on this matter, because Chico has become a picky Chi...lol. Also, I think a diet consisting of "people" food would be cheaper, and most importantly, probably healthier. Thanks everyone!

 

[KB]

Look on the internet for BARF diet. You must be careful to get all the nutrients needed when you do this and it is alot of work.

 

[Boogaloo]

I feed mine Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul. It is really good for them! Have you tried that brand before?

I know someone who feeds their Chi the BARF diet. They swear by it but they do say it is a lot of work.

 

[janiebabes]

Barf diet? doesnt sound very appetizing lol I get the immage of someone with a hang over with their head in the toilet

 

[Kristin]

^^ LMAO!!! That's what I thought when I first heard about it lol. My vet says it's not so good for them as people say, but I think it depends on the person and the dog.

Boogaloo- where do you get the Chicken Soup?? I can't find it, but then again, I probably walked right past it lol Do they have it in PetsMart?

 

[Chico's Mama]

ty all...the main thing im worried about is not giving him the right amount of nutrients. i will re-research dog foods i guess...and i'll look into the chicken soup dog food. thanx!

 

[chimom]

There is a very informative article on the Barf diet in the Chi Articiles forum that Nate posted earlier this month.

I personally am not a fan of the barf diet, and when I asked my vet about it, he was pretty negative also.

I know how difficult it is to find a really quality food they will like and eat. I have that problem with Jasmine - the best I have found thus far is the Royal Canin which she seems to like- at least most of the time.

 

[PeanutButter]

i know most people will disagree.. But my Vet told me that Purina Dog Chow is becoming one of the best dog foods there is...
Now i know its VERY cheap food and all... but he said that there has been some research done and i think that it has become one of the better dog foods.. I did not want to feed Peanut that brand because i though that it was a very bad brand but he says otherwise...
Also, the reason why he recommended this brand to me was because Peanut is also picky and i have tried foods such as Science Diet, Nutro, Iams, Pedigree.. Probably most brands and he did not like any of them.
I was also told that the least amount of Human food given to a dog the better.

*Something else that the Vet told me was that foods that have different colored kibbles are really bad for dogs.. Such as Kibbles and Bits etc. because they use very low quality ingredients and some other things i cant really remember. :lol:

 

[janiebabes]

OMG kibbles n bits! my chi's will starve if they dont eat that. Rut ro Im changing diets ASAP. I am heading to the feed place and reading all the dog food labels to see what is in them getting a sample of the good one and keeping my fingers crossed i can wean them off kibbles n bits! Thank you for sharing

 

[Chico's Mama]

Well, Chico ate Nutro MAX puppy since the time i got him up until last week, when he turned a year old, and he LOVED it. So i just went to look at the ingredients for the Nutro MAX adult food, and it has "wheat" in it, and when compared to his Nutro MAX puppy food, THAT had wheat in it too! I always thought chi's could develope allergies from wheat products, but I guess Chico is one of the luckier ones *knock on wood* (sorry, bery supersticious) so I guess I'm gonna have to go buy the Nutro MAX adult food, seeing as he liked the puppy food so much. Hopefully he will like the nutro max adult, because I really don't want him to get hypoglycemia. thx for your help.

 

[Helen]

There's a list of "places to buy" the chicken soup food here:

http://chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/

My two cats, three hedgies, and my lab mix are all on that food. Tansy will be switched over to it as soon as I can without making her sick. Our 40 pound lab mix, the big bag for $30 lasts her two months. I love it, I don't think I'll ever feed anything else.

 

[luv4mygirls]

i just read an article, in the magazine i got that came with chiwi's akc papers and it was about dog foods. well it was interesting to read about the cheap foods one part that atuck out said something like not every bag of the cheap food contains the same amount of nutrients, somethings get lost in packaging from bag to bag :shock:

 

[Armando...]

I feed mine Wellness and they love it, but I know everydog is different. Have u tried the raw diet foods? I've heard they r one of the best way to feed them and most of the dogs love it. Maybe u could give it a try
Mando

 

[alysajanel]

i'm feeding my 3 chi's innova evo...its a good food low carb high protein dog food...it's the first dog food without grains...try it and your chi will love it even he or she is a picky eater..they'll love it..

 

[ilovesadie]

Chico's Mom and others, I really urge you guys to seek the help of a veterinary nutritionist (start with your local one, and seek http://www.petdiets.com/ if you need additional help) if you want to start homecooking meals for your dogs. I have read a load of research and heard opinions from so many vets on why this is a bad idea unless you know exactly what to do. Here is a lengthy quote regarding BARF diet and homecooked meals from the staff veterinarian at Best Friend's Animal Sanctuary, I hope it helps you make a more educated decision about this topic:

From PetDIETS. Com ( a site run by Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists)

"Unfortunately, most homemade diets are flawed even when followed exactly and consistently. One survey found that 90% of the homemade diets prescribed by over 100 US veterinarians were not nutritionally adequate for adult dogs or cats.

There are many published homemade recipes for dogs and cats, and few, if any, have been properly tested for nutritional adequacy. These recipes should not be assumed complete and/or balanced for any dog or cat simply because they are published in a book or because they have been fed to someone else's pet who appears to be healthy. A computer using the average nutrient content of specific foods has only crudely balanced most of these recipes. The palatability, digestibility, and safety of these recipes has not been adequately and scientifically tested in animals.
Rarely are homemade foods balanced for micro minerals or vitamins, and adding veterinary vitamin/mineral supplements rarely corrects the deficiencies. There is no one veterinary supplement which can be added to homemade recipes for dogs or cats that will meet all the micro mineral and vitamin requirements adequately. A common error made by pet owners is to eliminate the supplement because it is inconvenient, expensive, or its importance is not understood. These published recipes,once crudely balanced diets-become grossly unbalanced when owners eliminate the supplements.
Inappropriate food substitutions are another common error made by pet owners formulating their own pet's diet. People are taught that eating a variety of foods is nutritionally sound, and the food pyramid helps them choose between the various food groups. Pet owners can extend this principle to their pet's nutrition. Some recipes in print are complete and balanced; however, many owners then make their own food substitutions, selectively omitting items due to personal preference or convenience, and make preparation errors that can result in an unbalanced formulation.
Owners mistakenly feed their pet according to current and popular human nutritional guidelines such as avoiding fat, cholesterol, and sodium. That, too, does not constitute a complete and balanced food for the pet.
Owners' use of uncooked meat and eggs in their home foods can be dangerous; uncooked meat and eggs can harbor pathogenic bacteria that would be killed during cooking.
Making homemade foods requires knowledge, motivation, additional financial resources, and careful and consistent attention to recipe detail to insure a balanced intake of nutrients. The best recommendation to pet owners wanting to make their own pet food is to be sure a recipe has been properly formulated and to get regular veterinary check-ups for your pet.

One of our receptionists ' mom has a dog that has suffered major liver problems because of an unbalanced home made diet- one that was prescribed by a local veterinary holistic practitioner!

The BARF basically haven no clue about correct and scientifically sound canine nutrition. They just came up with a fad diet catering to the growing mania for things "natural" that's all. The BARF diet has not undergone exhaustive feeding trials like the name brand commercial foods have. I doubt if they even bothered to analyze it to see if it meets the NRC and AFFCO Nutrient Requirements of Dogs. That requires a lot of hard science and that's something they don't believe in.

There are a lot of legitimate concerns over the feeding of Raw diets to dogs.

First there's the Public Health Concern as raw meats and foods carry the risk of disease..

Public Health Concerns Associated With Feeding Raw Meat Diets To Dogs
J Am Vet Med Assoc 219[9]:1222-1225 Nov 1'01 Public Veterinary Medicine 56 Refs

* Jeffrey T. Lejeune, DVM, PhD, and Dale D. Hancock, DVM, PhD
* Food Animal Health Research Program, Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691-4096
A large number of commercial pet foods are available to provide excellent nutrition for dogs. Clients who wish to supplement their animal's diets with additional meat-based protein should be advised to adequately cook it before incorporating it into the feed. Because of the numerous risks outlined previously, veterinarians should not recommend the feeding of raw meat to dogs. Personal hygiene of pet owners is critical in preventing transfer of pathogens from pets to humans. Unfortunately, it is often the individuals with the lowest level of personal hygiene (e.g., young children) who are most susceptible to these infectious agents. Supervising children during pet feeding and subsequent hand washing may be beneficial. Veterinary recommendation of raw meat feeding may result in serious legal ramifications. On the other hand, recommending good hygienic food safety practices for pets and educating clients can advance the veterinary profession by benefiting pets, agriculture, and people.

The VIN message Boards are FULL of incidents of anemia, puppy deaths, spontaneous bone fractures, thyroid disease and pancreatitis in dogs fed BARF diets. Specialists in Internal Medicine and Nutrition on VIN agree unanimously that the diets are dangerous. They are unbalanced, plus the bones create a real risk of GI obstruction. The raw diets carry the risk of Salmonella and E. Coli infection, both of which are transmissible to man and potentially fatal. As stated in one reference:

Preliminary assessment of the risk of Salmonella infection in dogs fed raw chicken diets.
Can Vet J 43[6]:441-2 2002 Jun

Joffe DJ, Schlesinger DP
This preliminary study assessed the presence of Salmonella spp. in a bones and raw food (BARF) diet and in the stools of dogs consuming it. Salmonella was isolated from 80% of the BARF diet samples (P < 0.001) and from 30% of the stool samples from dogs fed the diet (P = 0.105). Dogs fed raw chicken may therefore be a source of environmental contamination.

Things like tapeworms, and toxoplasmosis can be transmitted in raw foods. Toxo is particularly risky because of what can happen to unborn human fetuses if the mother is exposed.

There is also NO credible information to support the idea that any breed of dog does better on any particular ingredient. As Dr. Rebecca Remillard ( prominent veterinary nutritionist) posted: "Simply put, the liver of any dog cannot differentiate the source (ingredient) of any nutrient presented to it from the small intestine. The liver simply requires that all the essential nutrients are present in some optimal balance/ratio to function properly."

The BARF diet is SO bad.. Yet it's supporters are FANATICAL about it. Why? Because quackery sells! ( to read more see the qwackwatch website) So much so that even some veterinarians get involved. One of the biggest BARF proponents is a Dr.Billinghurst. A veterinarian. He runs a big BARF site ( barfworld).Never mimd that it could be considered to be malpractice to recommend such a terrible and potentially dangerous diet.. It SELLS and people believe it as if it were Gospel.

Margaret Muns DVM
Staff Veterinarian

 

[janiebabes]

I still don't understand why they would recommend or name a food such a repulsive word for foods that are supposed to be good for the diet ewwwwwwwwww BARF!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chico's Mama]

I have changed my mind about the fresh/raw foods diets. I'm going to stick with dog food because they do provide the right amount of nutrients, and I'm afraid I will screw it up if I try, and Chico is to important to be "experimenting" with, ya know what I mean? I'm going to stick with this food he has, it's Solid Gold brand, he has only been on it a week, maybe I did the switch from his puppy food to the adult food to fast?

I was thinking about trying Wellness brand, the Super5Mix chicken, but the ingredients said it has garlic in it, and I heard garlic is bad for Chi's...so I don't wanna chance it. I dunno, I'm paranoid about what I feed him, because I had a very bad experience with the puppy I had before I had Chico. It didn't have anything to do with food, but it was pretty tramautic for me to say the least. I just want Chico to live the longest, healthiest life possible, the same as what all of you want for your Chi's.

So, like I said, I'll stick with this food and see how he does on it. How much is he supposed to eat a day anyways? I leave his food out all the time, but never more than 1 1/2 cups, because he is used to having food available all the time. And if there isn't food available all the time, he will drag his water bowl around, spilling water everywhere, telling me to get him some food...lol.

 

[xx-nathalie-xx]

I still don't understand why they would recommend or name a food such a repulsive word for foods that are supposed to be good for the diet ewwwwwwwwww BARF!!!!!!!!!!

hehe my thoughts exactly i wouldn't feed them like that ,just for the name's sake alone :wink:

kisses nat

 

[Armando...]

Are the commercial raw diets bad too? I thought those were good.

 

[luv4mygirls]

I have changed my mind about the fresh/raw foods diets. I'm going to stick with dog food because they do provide the right amount of nutrients, and I'm afraid I will screw it up if I try, and Chico is to important to be "experimenting" with, ya know what I mean? I'm going to stick with this food he has, it's Solid Gold brand, he has only been on it a week, maybe I did the switch from his puppy food to the adult food to fast?

I was thinking about trying Wellness brand, the Super5Mix chicken, but the ingredients said it has garlic in it, and I heard garlic is bad for Chi's...so I don't wanna chance it. I dunno, I'm paranoid about what I feed him, because I had a very bad experience with the puppy I had before I had Chico. It didn't have anything to do with food, but it was pretty tramautic for me to say the least. I just want Chico to live the longest, healthiest life possible, the same as what all of you want for your Chi's.

So, like I said, I'll stick with this food and see how he does on it. How much is he supposed to eat a day anyways? I leave his food out all the time, but never more than 1 1/2 cups, because he is used to having food available all the time. And if there isn't food available all the time, he will drag his water bowl around, spilling water everywhere, telling me to get him some food...lol.

the back of the bag of food is a guideline as to how much to feed. my pointer was recomended to eat 3-4 cups a day on her food bag but that wasn't enough for her she needed 5 1/2 cups a day to maintain perfect weight, whereas my friends dog was recomended to get 3 cups a day and he could only get 2 to maintain perfect weight. so watch your dog not the bowl, if he's fine on 1 1/2 and not getting fat then that is good for him, but if he is getting fat cut it back 1/2 cup and see how that goes.