Dutch Shepherd Forum

johninny wrote:an enormous effect on the biological ability of people in advanced societies to reproduce.

Um...good...?

maybe.

though distribution of its effects around the world is the opposite of what would help stabilize populations. still, fewer people EVERYWHERE would not bother me.

but could really bother someone [ to say the least ] at the individual family level, but would require extreme caution from early in life to avoid

Yeah, yeah. I get it. You took me a bit too seriously. (Or rather, my evil twin, Stella. I would never say anything that was, uh, not in favor of indiscriminate breeding, even in advanced societies.)

Love you, John. I've said before I want to come back as one of your dogs. Even Stella agrees. And she's tough.

The short answer for canned vs kibble and teeth is this: dogs really don't get any benefit from chewing kibble because it's not the same as gnawing on a bone. In fact, kibble can leave particles behind that can get stuck in the grooves of the teeth and cause tartar build-up. Dry dog food can actually contribute to dental issues because most problems are at the gumline and kibble doesn't scrape at gum level. Also, because kibble has a higher percentage of refined carbs, they can actually increase plaque and tartar levels.

Going further...with canned food, the nutrient contents are closer to their natural state. Also, the protein and natural fat contents are higher, and carbs are lower. And then there is the moisture content...in canned it is obviously higher which means that the same amount of nutrients occupy more volume and make your dog feel more full.

There are several brands who are BPA free:

Blue Buffalo, Fromm, and (John's favorite...woo-hoo!!!) Merrick.

AS of 2010, there were several brands who were phasing out BPA in the larger can sizes:

Evanger's (BPA free in 5.5 and 6 oz with miniscule amts in the 13 oz. and working to repackage the 13 oz size.)

Natura - includes Innova, EVO, and California Naturals (5.5 oz are BPA free, working on repackaging the larger cans)

Wysong (5.5 oz BPA free, working on repackaging the larger cans).

All of this to say that canned food is a great option if you can afford it.

EDIT *something else to remember and consider when feeding: over time dogs can develop allergies to a specific protein if they are fed only that protein (e.g. chicken), so it is good to rotate proteins whether you feed kibble, canned, or raw.

excellent John!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DIdnt think of inside of dog food bags. Hoses is another place for BPA as well. I do use glass containers and I havent used my microwave in years, except to hide brownies.

All great reasons to go raw

We have a big bin that we put the kibble in, it holds 50 lbs.
It's plastic, but I just can't get too worked up about it.

Dutchringgirl wrote:All great reasons to go raw

Come on over to the wild side, Lisa!!!

Stacy_R wrote:

Dutchringgirl wrote:All great reasons to go raw

Come on over to the wild side, Lisa!!!

IM already there

All the great info on this thread has me panicked now. Thanks, John and Stacy....

Lisa - I thought you fed Orijen...when did you switch?!?!?!

Sharon - You bet...happy to help...LOL... Seriously, no need to panic. You brush Thor's teeth. He'll be fine.

Lisa's been raw forever.

Yeah, I brush his teeth but they're yellowing a bit and I can't get the bits of plaque off that I see on a few of his back teeth. (He'll be six in December.)

I broke down and bought a elk antler. I was worried he'd chip his already-chipped lower canine, so I kept my eye on him, but he doesn't like it unless I smear it with coconut oil. Once the oil is gone, he loses interest.

I gave him a beef marrow bone years ago, but I think it chipped off a bit more of that canine.

His breakfast and dinner is separated by 14 hours, so what about kibble for breakfast (TOTW bison, GF) and a raw chicken thigh or drumstick with bone for dinner?

Or...keep breakfast and dinner to TOTW and a raw MEATLESS chicken thigh/drumstick bone a few times a week?

Chances are he wouldn't chew on a meatless chicken bone - chomp, chomp, gulp is more like it - so you wouldn't get any benefit from it. Part of the dental benefit of raw is the gnawing through the meat...nature's toothbrush. If you want to do 1 meal kibble and 1 meal raw, I would start him off on a chicken leg quarter (it has meat, bone, and some organ meat...you need all 3) . How much does he weigh?

There's also a product out there called Petzlife. It comes in a gel and a spray and is all natural. http://www.petzlife.com/catalog/oral-ca ... rmint.html

i go between Orajen and raw. Depending on what I have in the house. I try to do raw as much as I can but during the summer with the kids and activities, I cant always get to the health food store, and I wont buy meat from the regular grocery store.

I just ordered more antlers from ELK usa. they are down to two bones and of course, they want the same one.

Dutchringgirl wrote: I just ordered more antlers from ELK usa. they are down to two bones and of course, they want the same one.

Of course they do!
LOL

SO...............my antler order came...........4 antlers.............FOUR.................they still want the same one!!! Gotta love em.

Lol im gonna bring this convo way off topic with a update.... So after the info I was given I went and bought a bag of Merricks.... I got him the small bag of the buffalo flavor.... he ate it but was not into it... so thennnn I got the small bag of merricks chicken flavor.... he seemed to like it more... which led to me buying the big bag... but it caused him to have weird crap even though he was fine with the little bag... and yes I slowly mixed the food together because he has a sensitive stomach. So I gave up on buying him expensive healthy dog food. I went and bought him a bag of Naturals chicken and rice and its a hit YAY (for how long who knows haha) I guess he prefers the junk food over healthy food.... *tisk tisk*

Are you talking about Diamond Naturals Chicken and Rice?
Diamond isn't horrible. It's about average...better than most, but not as good as your Merrick's, Wysongs, Acana's, Orijen's, and Wellness's, and it's usually reasonably priced. Junk would be 'Ol Roy, Grreat Choice, Alpo, Beneful, Kibbles n bits, Pedigree, and, yes, even Purina can be sketchy...

Diamond Naturals chicken & rice gets a 4 star rating on Dogfoodadvisor, so I would put it at above average for sure.

Can of tuna over the kibble after mixing the kibble with warm water. They'll eat.

Mark77 wrote:Can of tuna over the kibble after mixing the kibble with warm water. They'll eat.

Can of tuna has an awful lot of sodium in it...typically 180-200 mg per serving.