Feeding your dog

[Bunter]

A dry, complete dog food that contains no artificial colours, additives or preservatives, so allergies are less likely to emerge is a good basis to start. There are very many brands and varieties to choose from. What suits one dog may not suit another.  Hypo allergenic food is readily available, although some dogs may still be allergic to it.

Anything containing colourants can be the equivalent of feeding a child with E numbers, so best avoided!

Processed, human food is really not good for dogs  .  It does not contain the right nutritional balance that a dog needs and will make them unhealthy.  An overweight dog is not a healthy dog and can lead to all sorts of problems such as joint problems and diabetes.  I see so many overweight, unhealthy dogs that are being killed with kindness  

I tend not to feed wet food as many are not actually very good nutritionally, yet your dog will eat it regardless of whether he is hungry or not.  Perhaps as a dressing to tempt the more fussy dog to eat what's good for him?

You may also find you will need to change your dog’s food as he gets older and the amount of exercise he has changes, along with a possible decrease in liver/kidney function.  High protein content often equals high energy.

Dogs shouldn’t be exercised for at least an hour after feeding, or fed immediately after exercise as it could lead to bloat – an often fatal condition.


Interestingly. what you feed your dog can affect not only his general health, but also his behaviour.  There is strong anecdotal evidence to suggest that some dogs become itchy on some foods, it can affect their joints, make them appear hyperactive and perhaps even aggressive.  I have heard of dogs also losing weight on some foods. A change of diet often seems to help.


Poo   - not a nice subject to talk about but can be a good indicator of whether your dog is being fed the right food for him.  Consistency and quantity!  Poo should be easy to pick up and 'kickable'.  it should be - well - poo coloured.  A dog should go around 3 or 4 times a day normally I would say.  Anything outside of that then you may want to look at what you are feeding your dog - he may be allergic to something.


NB - a stressy dog often has explosive bottom syndrome  .  Many of the fosters that come in may take a while to settle down as they will quite naturally be feeling stressed and insecure, so I would not necessarily assume that they have an allergy. It may be something to consider though.  Same with itchiness.  Stressy dogs scratch - or it could be fleas/mites, or it could be a food allergy  

[Bunter]

Raw Feeding

This is often known as the BARF (biologically appropriate raw food, or bones and raw food) diet.

This is going back to the idea of feeding a more natural diet to our dogs of meat, bones, vegetables and fruit.  I know many people have switched to a raw diet as it is easier to exclude ingredients to find out which ones affect your dog, plus it is less likely that a dog will have allergies or behavioural issues when feeding raw.

There are several websites where you can find information about feeding raw.  You can also buy meat, bones and even ready made frozen nuggets of the BARF diet.  Many people (including me!) are put off by needing to keep quantities of frozen meat, plus fruit and veg that all needs preparing and storing.  I am switching Taffy onto a raw diet in an attempt to help him with any behavioural issues that may stem from feeding him processed food.  I buy the complete nuggets so I do not have issues about prepration and storage.

Here are a couple of commercial websites with some information about raw feeding:
Natural Instinct
Our family dogs have an evolutionary and genetic history designed for eating raw meats and bones. They do not have the necessary stomach enzymes to break down some commercial dog foods that may contain up to 70% grain as filler, and in some dogs this can lead to all sorts of skin and ear infections, organ damage, weight problems and even early deaths - not to mention large soft stools of indigestible ingredients all over your garden.

Nature's Menu
Why feed Raw
* Minerals are more easily absorbed
* Vitamins are more bio-available
* Natural pro-biotics and antioxidants are present
* Amino acids are more bio-available
* Clean fresh breath
* Clean, shiny, white teeth
* More stable energy (less hyperactivity)
* Less 'doggy' odour
* Decreased itching and scratching
* Degenerative diseases do not exist in the wild as they do in pet fed "100% complete" processed foods
* Easier to digest
* Reduction of allergy symptoms

Prize Choice

UK BARF Club

Nature's Menu, Prize Choice and UK BARF Club are pretty much the same company I think.

Darling's Real Dog Food
Dogs and their wolf ancestors have been eating raw food for over a million years. It is what their teeth and digestive systems are designed for and, as you can imagine, they thrive on it.

Benefits include a glossy coat, healthy skin, lean muscle tone, robust immune system, sweet smelling breath, healthy teeth and gums, increased energy, better digestion, strong heart and more energy and vitality.

Dogs eating a raw food diet can be expected to live longer and to suffer less illness and disease. Indeed, if your dog has any health issues now (even minor problems such as allergies, dry skin, bad breath and what the Americans refer to, euphemistically, as ‘gas’) it is quite likely that a switch to a raw food diet will clear them up.


There is also a Yahoo Group about feeding raw, which is supposed to be very helpful BritBarf

[Bunter]

Back in the Bad Old Days, picking up your dog's food bowl while he was eating used to be considered the thing to do -to 'show him who's boss'.

When your dog first arrives, he will naturally be feeling insecure and so may feel the need to guard his food from you and other dogs too.  Once he settles in and realises that there is no need, then he will probably relax and no longer feel the need to guard.

This is - as long as you have given him no reason to ..................  If you pick his food bowl up while he is eating then you have reinforced the need to guard.  You may inadvertently teach your dog to become a food guarder by giving him a very good reason to guard it!  If you take no heed of the warning your dog gives you (growling) and continue to remove his food, the only likely outcome is that your dog will escalate his guarding behaviour as the warning didn't work.

There are plenty of dogs that have been given up to rescue as they are said to be food aggressive.  They would only have become food aggressive as they have been taught they need to be 

I normally feed new dogs away from both other dogs and people until they settle, relax and trust me and the other dogs not to take their food.