A thread just for discussion of dogs and cats.
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A thread just for discussion of dogs and cats.
Everyone, I was wondering:
what are your favorite food/treat brands? Right now, ours get Acana Grasslands. 1/2 cup twice a day. We buy it because it's grain free (never mind that we let them eat bites of our sandwiches, share our popcorn with them, and let them finish the last bites of sushi), contains human-grade protein (chicken-free!) and because it is manufactured in one factory in AB. We used to feed Titus Orijen (same parent company) but it gave him nasty poo so we switched to a food with slightly lower protein/fat content.
I'm asking because I've been toying with the idea of switching them to a raw diet a few times a week. We just joined a meat CSA and they sell mixed organs, meat and bone for $3/lb.
Anybody feed raw? Or, if not, is there another brand of food I should know about?
Thanks!
(PS: for treats, they get Natural Balance limited ingredient biscuit, dried liver, raw fruit and vegetables, and hooves and steer trachea to chew on.)
Man I am getting hungry just thinking about chewing on some steer trachea!
The company we buy them from calls them "Toobles" and says that one of their selling points is their "crispiness."
We've been giving Ella the Blue Buffalo kibble. She's been doing well on it and seems to enjoy it, although it's hard to tell how much because she eats just about anything we give to her. And only 1/2 cup twice a day?! Jeez... I wish we only had to give that much. Ella's a good weight right now and she's getting over 3x that!
Her highest motivating treats have been shard cheddar and bits of leftover oven-roasted chicken--little hand-pulled bits, no bones, of course. Peanut butter is also VERY high motivating, but it's too messy to use for training. She does seem to particularly like the Old Mother Hubbard "P-Nuttier" cookies more than any other.
She also loves chew toys. It goes in cycles what her favorites of those are, although bully sticks are always high on the list. She also like the Himalayan Dog Chew/Treat, which lasts a pretty good while. It's yak cheese that's smoked to the point of being hard as a rock. The outer edges get a very strange texture when it gets wet with slobber, but the inside stays hard. Like I said, she seems to love it and it lasts a while. She also seems to really like deer antler and moose paddle, but sometimes we have to boil those in beef stock to give them a little extra flavor. And finally, we rotate in some pork skin rolls, as we've found that if she gets the same thing over and over, she figures them out and finishes them off more quickly.
Did I mention that even though she has a "soft mouth" that she can chew through things like you wouldn't believe? We have to be careful what types of toys we let her play with because she'll rip some to pieces very quickly.
Badger! This made me think of you: http://i.imgur.com/VjNoF.gif
Aww. So cute. I'm sad to say it but the gentlemen corgis are not so cute (or so gentlemanly) at mealtime. They are very excited that their Citizen Canines shipped on Tuesday, though! Hector can't wait to have a purse for his tasty steer hoof.Quote:
Originally Posted by Katy
A second vote for Blue Buffalo. Our ACD is getting 1c 2x daily, and the mini aussie is getting 1c 2x daily. They seem to like it, no poo issues. Mrs and I are both vego, so a raw diet doesn't pass the gross test in our kitchen. They don't seem to mind the kibble, but I think they are a little sad around thanksgiving. I may be projecting.
On a local NPR call in show the other day, the two veterinarian hosts were trying to talk a caller out of the idea. They said to try a commercial brand. They indicated that it would be extraordinary difficult to get the diet right. I have seen some high quality pet food in the refrigerator section of our local pet store.Quote:
Originally Posted by Badger
Our eldest cavie, Buddy passed away this morning. His memorial service and burial was shortly after noon when Rocky got off work. The children have been mourning. He will be missed.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3111/5...74c820bc8b.jpg
Buddy was Charmie's piggie. He's taken it the hardest.
RIP Buddy, we will always remember you!
eta, I hope it's OK I posted this here. He's one of our companion animals, though he obviously isn't our dog or cat.
I'm sorry for your loss, Dorayme. It's easy to see how special a companion that Buddy is. What a nice picture of him.
Susan
So sorry for your loss, dorayme :(
So sorry Dorayme, please tell Charmie that all Pets Go to Heaven, it might soothe the heart of the whole family, just a little.
Dorayme - so sad for the children especially! What a lovely picture of little Buddy - and at least they can remember him in pictures and memories. It's never easy to see the loss of a beloved animal, especially for the young children and at this time of year too! No matter how small they may be, all pets take a little piece of our heart with them when they go.
It is not easy to lose a pet, they really do become part of the family and an integral part of our lives. My son still mourns the loss of one of our cats that passed away this time two years ago. Perhaps it was the wrong thing to do, development wise, but when the opportunity to rescue brother and sister kittens presented itself, six months after, we didn't hesitate.
Not to diminish the pain and suffering you are going through now. It will never be the same, but it will get better.