How long have your dogs lived and what did you feed them throughout their life?

[Anonymous]

We are having a really hard time deciding which dog foods to feed our dog, and I'm curious to see what others have fed their dogs and how long their dogs have lived.

[Anonymous]

Royal Canin
Lab mix 12 yrs
Shepherd 10 yrs

[Anonymous]

10lb dogs. We feed her Fromm. I figure for the 1 bag of dog food she eats every 6 months, the more expensive bag is worth it. They've lived anywhere from 13-18 years.

#1 thing is to not feed your dog good quality food and then pig out on dog treats. A dog treat is like a chocolate bar to a human. Dog treats also decrease the amount of quality food your dog is getting since they eat less real dog food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10lb dogs. We feed her Fromm. I figure for the 1 bag of dog food she eats every 6 months, the more expensive bag is worth it. They've lived anywhere from 13-18 years.

#1 thing is to not feed your dog good quality food and then pig out on dog treats. A dog treat is like a chocolate bar to a human. Dog treats also decrease the amount of quality food your dog is getting since they eat less real dog food.

oh and normal weight dogs live longer. Obesity takes years off a dogs life and hurts their joints/organs in their final years.

[Anonymous]

Very true about not adding too many poor quality dog treats and keeping dog's weight correct. You should always be able to feel abit of ribs, not skinny but not fat.

[Anonymous]

The best food for your dog is the one they do best on.

I tried dozens of high quality kibbles that gave my dog a horribly upset GI system. I finally found Taste of the Wild salmon, and even though it's manufactured by the "evil" diamond, it's the only food that gives her decent bowel movements. She's now 10 years old, and constantly mistaken for 2 thanks to her beautiful coat and agile-ness.

I like dogfoodadvisor for ratings and suggestions.

[Anonymous]

our bearded collie lived to 15. He was on Fromms his entire life. he was healthy and active (well, with the usual age issues like lumps and slowing down) until his last day (literally).

Our Dane is now 10.5 and going strong. She's been on a range of foods her entire life due to GI issues, including two years on BARF. She's currently on Orijen, but we also supplement her kibble with some lean ground turkey, pumpkin, and brown rice. She's very healthy and still in perfect coat/ weight/ muscle other than some weakening in the back end that is not arthritis. Our vet often comments how "young" she is for such an old lady.

To agree with another poster - keeping them in lean weight is key their entire life. This is especially true when they're young and their bodies are growing - growing them slow will help them later in life. You'll have less joint issues, cardiovascular issues, etc. just like people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best food for your dog is the one they do best on.

I tried dozens of high quality kibbles that gave my dog a horribly upset GI system. I finally found Taste of the Wild salmon, and even though it's manufactured by the "evil" diamond, it's the only food that gives her decent bowel movements. She's now 10 years old, and constantly mistaken for 2 thanks to her beautiful coat and agile-ness.

I like dogfoodadvisor for ratings and suggestions.

+1

Our dog is 9 and eats Acana. It's a great food.

[Anonymous]

Op here and thank you for all the comments. Our dog is 5 with severe food allergies and we have tried many foods with him, but he continues to have skin issues. We also use dogfoodadvisor. I think the next food we are going to try is The Honest Kitchen. It is real dehydrated people grade food that all you have to do is add water to.

[Anonymous]

The Honest Kitchen is top-notch. If your dog likes it and it fits your budget there's nothing like it. They have trial sizes before you commit to a whole box.
What works well for my dogs is adding doggie probiotics to every meal. I was initially skeptical but they have had zero gas or upsets since I started. And the poops are solid and well-formed.
I buy the NaturVet pre+probiotic powder on Amazon, but there are plenty of options. My vet likes the Florasil spray.

[Anonymous]

Cheap dog food - 15yrs

[Anonymous]

I would not do honest kitchen for an allergy dog. I would do raw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here and thank you for all the comments. Our dog is 5 with severe food allergies and we have tried many foods with him, but he continues to have skin issues. We also use dogfoodadvisor. I think the next food we are going to try is The Honest Kitchen. It is real dehydrated people grade food that all you have to do is add water to.

Have you done an allergy panel on him? The skin issues could be environmental in addition to/instead of food related.

I'd make sure you are going grain free and try a novel protein (something like kangaroo or rabbit) and see if they continue. If they still do, I'd do the allergy test.

Also, some of the independent pet stores in the area allow you to return partially used bags of dog food if it doesn't work for your pup. When we were sorting out digestive issues for my dog, it was a budget saver for sure. I know the pet store in the shopping center by king street/395 allowed this before, on the off chance they're near you!