4DOGS

maximoo · Post by **maximoo** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 10:50 pm

My friend has 4 dogs
A GS/Lab mix 9 yrs old & weighs about 70 lbs
A PitBull/Hound? mix-5 yrs old about 55 lbs
A poojon 2 yrs old--8 lbs
A chihuahua 1 yr old-7 lbs

All the dogs are trim in good shape. She wants all the dogs on the same food if possible. The biggest problem is the chi, as she eats so fast she practically chokes herself & gags so she needs very small kibble. (This girl once stole a whole raw chicken & ate the whole thing!) I think the 9 yr old might need a senior food

but someone here on the board once said dogs don't eat differently b/c they are pups or seniors. It is humans who make the distinction thus marketing food under these categories.

Can anybody suggest a high quality dog food that all 4 dogs can eat?
Sometimes she can buy good food & sometimes she buys crap (Gravy Train, Pedigree, etc) I want to help her out for the mths she is forced to buy the cheap junk.

Nettle · Post by **Nettle** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:50 am

Unless there are health issues, all her dogs could eat the same food, just in different quantities. Different foods for different life stages are, as you say, a marketing strategy.

I suggest the chi is fed on its own, well away from sight of the others, so it does not feel the need to bolt its food, and is fed in one of those specially-designed bowls that have raised shapes in the bottom to make it harder for the dog to eat fast. If fed dry, its food could be soaked.

I'll let others recommend brands as you know what I think of dried food

Mattie · Post by **Mattie** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 3:52 am

I feed all mine the same food even though Joe has a lot of food alergies and Merlin a sensitive stomach. Tilly was fed this when she arrived here at 20 weeks old, I thought the puppy foods were all to high in protein which encouraged fast growth which I didn't want. I prefer animals to grow naturally as possible and not fed food to make them grow. I once saw a foal fed to encourage his growth, he had feet problems for all his life because of it.

Gracie was also fed this up to when she died at 17.5 years old, all my others are betten these ages.

Unfortunately I don't think you can get the food I feed in the USA, it is http://www.burgesspetcare.co.uk/product ... itive.html

maximoo · Post by **maximoo** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 9:46 am

We don't have that brand in the US.

The chi's mouth is so small she can easily inhale the food from around the bumps. I'll tell her to put rocks to make spaces even smaller. I gave her KONGS for her dogs but I don't even think she used them

I think the KONG is best for the chi. Anyway, I was trying to save time researching a food suitable for all 4.

Mattie · Post by **Mattie** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:15 pm

I have several dogs that hoover up their food then choke so I soak it, it takes them longer to eat and they think they have eaten a lot more.

maximoo · Post by **maximoo** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 7:49 pm

I think Wellness 5 Mix will fit the bill. Kibble size isn't large like Chicken Soup. Good reviews. I have $4 in coupons, but it is still a bit pricey.
I will see my friend tomorrow so I am still open to suggestions for a less expensive food that has small kibble.

springermomx3 · Post by **springermomx3** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 8:49 pm

Taste of the Wild or Natures Logic would be good choices.

maximoo · Post by **maximoo** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 9:29 pm

I was hoping you'd post springermom! You always have great answers about food

Thx! If the kibble is small enough for the chi I'm sure one of those will be a winner. My friend is always in a hurry and will be very inconsistant at soaking the kibble so it has to be small.

maximoo · Post by **maximoo** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 9:42 pm

Just chkd to see if nature's logic is sold nearby--nope over 20 mi away. I know where to get totw so I guess that will be the one.

Mattie · Post by **Mattie** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:20 am

Small kibble can choke a bigger dog, she may need to soak the kibble if she intended to feed all her dogs the same food. Being in a hurry all the time isn't an excuse for not taking the amount of care of her dogs that she should. It only takes me 2 minues to measure out eat dog's food and add water to it, if that is too long she shouldn't have dogs.

maximoo · Post by **maximoo** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 4:41 pm

Umm....how can small kibble choke a big dog

4 dogs is overwhelming for her sometimes, but it's such a long story. In a nutshell she would rehome the chi but her little girl (age 10) bought it herself right after her father died (48 yo!--melanoma) so it's very hard for her to let the dog go. The chi helped her cope with her father's loss. The chi has separation anxiety & is a nervous dog. (and eats like a horse if you let her)

And she feels nobody wants a 9 yo old dog (they had since a pup) as he may begin to have medical issues as many senior dogs do. The pit bull/hound mix is really not any trouble but she can be distrustful of strangers (was abused as a small pup, was rescued @ 5 mths) She snaps. I was thinking of taking her myself but Max is still a handful, and hubby wouldn't want to take on another dog. The poojon is her 'baby' would never in a million yrs re-home her. She loves all the dogs but now as a single mom she has new struggles. I am just helping out where I can. They never miss a meal or anything but sometimes she will just wet the food & need to leave. She can't always soak it for 10 mts but she does when she can. So a small kibble is definitely needed.

Taste of the Wild is what we will go with for now.

Mattie · Post by **Mattie** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:04 am

maximoo wrote:Umm....how can small kibble choke a big dog

It did with Merlin my Greyhound, in fact he did it several times before I started to soak it. Just because it is small doesn't mean it can't choke a bigger dog, if they take enough up in one go it can get stuck and choke a dog.

In a way I can sympathise with her, I had 3 dogs and a hubby who couldn't do anything for himself apart from use a spoon. He needed 24 hour a day care and often I would be up during the night as well. He saw a dog and wanted it, like many stroke patients he had tantrums if he didn't get his own way and they were a night mare. Think of a child in the terrible 2s but is 6ft tall.

Bonnie was a nightmare, she had been confined to a crate because both her back legs had been broken and was bouncing off the walls when she came here. We were the wrong family for her but the rescue, which is supposed to be a good one, lied to me about her so she wasn't going back to them and I couldn't rehome her because it was a condition I had her.

I also had a brain damaged dog with lots of alergies, seizures and was incredibly nervous to cope with. He was so bad it took me 4 years to find the key to his recall because he had been badly beaten but I did eventually.

I had to find the time for Bonnie, no time wasn't an excuse, if you really want to do something you WILL find the time but it does mean you taking a good hard look at your life and how you manage it. I am sure if this lady was to do this she may get a surprise. She will be able to get rid of the baggage she is carrying round unintentionally and willl probably have more time for herself, daughter and dogs.

It isn't easy to look hard at your life and do something about it but it can be done. It took be a while to get there but I did it and so can she. I am speaking from experience and not from what I think should happen.