Please help! What do you feed your dog and why?

[Anonymous]

What kind of dog do you have OP? Some breeds/mixes can graze all day while others, like our lab, will eat as often as food is available. We use a grain inclusive food, Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy. She’s approaching one year so we feed her twice a day but since she has acid reflux we have to give her a small amount shortly before bed to prevent vomiting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our 11yo Tibetan Terrier gets Hill’s Science Diet. I know it’s not that fancy or anything, but he’s thrown up any other food we give him (though he weirdly is fine eating table scraps).

We just keep his bowl full and he eats when he feels like it.

12 year old hound mix gets Science Diet, too. He seems happy, the vet seems happy - I don't see any reason to switch him.

[Anonymous]

We adopted a large dog just as he was transitioning to adulthood. Our vet recommended Purina Pro Plan or Royal Canin or Hill’s Science Diet, and he recommended that we not feed grain-free food. We use the salmon Purina Pro Plan for sensitive stomach and skin because our breed seems to do better on salmon than chicken or beef. He does very well on it. He wolfs down food as soon as he gets it and could always eat more. We feed him twice a day and add water to the kibble because he doesn’t drink enough to be adequately hydrated. He gets a meal of 2 cups of kibble with 2 cups of water added, and he eats twice per day. We end every day with a Dentastix at bedtime, which my dog absolutely loves.

We reward him with tiny, low calorie dog training treats throughout the day, but he also gets a bite of human food here and there (banana, apple, watermelon, mango, carrot, broccoli, cheese, meat, eggs, peanut butter). For special, occasional treats, he gets an edible Nylabone or a sausage flavored dog treat. If he’s clearly hungry but it’s not mealtime yet, he gets a celery stalk. He loves it because it’s big and crunchy and requires some chewing, and I love it because it’s barely any calories and is good for his teeth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What kind of dog do you have OP? Some breeds/mixes can graze all day while others, like our lab, will eat as often as food is available. We use a grain inclusive food, Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy. She’s approaching one year so we feed her twice a day but since she has acid reflux we have to give her a small amount shortly before bed to prevent vomiting.

She is a mix, most likely Lab, Pit, and Hound.

[Anonymous]

Border collie fed a raw protein diet of beef/organ/bone blend alternating with bone in chicken and sardines in water one day per week, coupled with green beans/spinach, blueberries, and raw egg. Baby carrots and apples for treats. Dr. Bob’s daily health nuggets for dogs daily too.

Healthiest dog I’ve ever had, gorgeous healthy coat and incredible energy levels. Wish I’d gone raw with my previous dogs. A little research is all it takes to get it right and cost is about equivalent to super premium kibble diet. The added cost is worth it as a hedge against future chronic disease.

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP who uses Natural Balance and Purina Pro Plan for our dogs. They also get lots of fruit and veg throughout the day. For example, if I slice up an apple they each get a piece. Same with banana, carrots, even spinach. As a treat they might get a swipe of frozen peanut butter or a spoonful or two of wet dog food frozen in a kong.

[Anonymous]

Ask your vet what they recommend. Ours specifically listed three big brands (that you would recognize), which they prefer because they are large enough to have excellent funding for research and have a long history.

We used to leave the day's food out at once because our pup was a picky eater. Now he has developed a habit of gobbling food if something exciting is happening (like walk preparations), so I put it out in smaller increments. I think the recommendation on our bag of food is to split it into half and serve twice a day.

[Anonymous]

Our dogs eat Kirkland Signature Nature's Domain Organic Chicken & Pea Dog Food. They love it. No issues. Affordable organic brand for feeding 2 65lb. dogs. They each get 1 cup twice daily, a minty dog breath bone in the afternoon, and a large Mother Hubbard's biscuit before bed. They also get fresh vegetable scraps from whatever I'm making for lunch and dinner.

[Anonymous]

I used to pretty much free feed and dog was slightly overweight (vet said she should be 40lbs instead of 45lbs). She now gets 1 cup of food 2x a day plus treats. The vet gave me a recommendation for how many calories she should get and I used the calories/cup formula on the bag. She (the dog) doesn't gobble it down or anything and will often ignore it. I just make sure I put another cup in the bowl AM and PM. Previous dog would have eaten immediately regardless of amount. Current dog is now correct weight and seems content with eating plan.

After repeated paw/ear infections I did an elimination diet with her and she ate royal canin hydrolyzed protein food during that. She loved it (I thought it smelled gross). I get it now for her sometimes as a treat but it's too expensive for full time, considering it didn't help her issues.

She now takes an allergy pill (I believe she's allergic to dust mites and mold, since her allergies flare up when my SILs do) which resolved that problem. She eats mostly the Costco "nature's choice" salmon and sweet potato, but when I can't get that, she eats whatever kibble I find in a flavor I think she'd like- I buy a small bag to see if she likes it before committing. She gets scraps of meat or cheese or an egg or veggies or a frozen yogurt/berry thing or peanut butter or something as treats occasionally and usually a greenie or similar as well.

When I switch food I use the calories/cup on the bag to make sure she's getting the right amount. She gets 100-200 calories from treats per day so I subtract that off.

She eats twice a day, approximately when I eat. When she was a puppy it was 3x a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kind of dog do you have OP? Some breeds/mixes can graze all day while others, like our lab, will eat as often as food is available. We use a grain inclusive food, Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy. She’s approaching one year so we feed her twice a day but since she has acid reflux we have to give her a small amount shortly before bed to prevent vomiting.

She is a mix, most likely Lab, Pit, and Hound.

My dog (the one who did the elimination diet and was 40-45lbs) is also a Lab/Pit/Hound mix. She's pretty much a mutt. The vet should give you a recommendation for calories and you can use the info on the bag to calculate. Everyone's going to have an opinion on what's best for a dog to eat. Just make sure whatever you choose it has all the right nutrients and vitamins. Some of the weird whole food/raw food diets aren't necessarily checked for that. Also, modern dogs evolved alongside humans - they can actually access more nutrients when their food is cooked. They're used to eating food close to human food.