Taste of the Wild vs. Blue Buffalo

[Leigha]

I think I'm just going to have to suck it up and start giving my dogs "real" food--after they finish the food I just bought (no new running shoes ).

[Fundog]

I hear you, Leigha. That's what I want to do-- stop buying "dog food" altogether, and just feed them "real food." But I have not been able to convince Mr. Fundog. We went the rounds again, just this morning. He picked up the bag and showed me a square on the label that says something to the effect of, "This food meets federal regulations and guidelines to provide a complete and balanced diet for adult dogs." In his mind, that's good enough. Grr...

[mselisabs]

Fundog - perhaps a compromise? Half and Half And make it in really large batches so he doesn't think you're constantly cooking for the dog and not him! Hah!

[Fundog]

LOL, yeah, I tried subterfuge already. Being former military, he's too smart for that-- he caught on to what I was doing right away, and just didn't say anything for a bit-- and then one day he had a little tantrum and told me I had to stop. He's okay with me putting leftovers and a spoonful or two of broth and stuff from our own dinners, but he doesn't want me to do anything more than that. For example, we have some fish fillets in the freezer that have been there for a long time because my guys don't want to eat them. So I cooked one up to put on the dogs' breakfast. Mr. Fundog saw me and complained, even though he and boys really don't want to eat it themselves. Mr. Fundog contends that the dogs should be fed just "plain old" generic dry dog food, and not the expensive kind, and nothing else, for the rest of their lives. He likes to point out that when he was a kid, the cats and the dogs all ate generic dry dog food, out of the same dish, at the same time, and did "just fine." He now understands, after talking to our vet about our cat (since passed), that cats do not do "just fine" on dog food. But I'm having a hard time convincing him that generic dog food is not a good food for our dogs. He is very confident that if it wasn't good, they wouldn't be able to sell it. I tried to argue with him that our federal laws regarding pet food are inferior to the laws governing people food. We did not finish the argument, but rather, ended in a stalemate. He is a very stubborn man (and getting more and more stubborn the older he gets). He requires irrefutable evidence to change his mind on any subject.

Of course, there is one more mitigating factor in play here: money. Mr. Fundog is still recovering from spinal surgery, and has been unable to work for several months, and still has another two months of recovery ahead. Even then, he will not be going back to what he did before the surgery, so will most likely not earn as much as he did before. So money has been a concern. It only costs fifty cents a day to feed the dogs on generic dog food. (sigh) It's just so frustrating. I want to feed them better, I really do. But I practically have to bust through a brick wall every day to do it.

[maximoo]

Maybe you can cook the rest of the fish at a friends house

[Fundog]

Maybe you can cook the rest of the fish at a friends house

LOL! Now, there's an idea!

[Nettle]

Fundog, have a )))))))))))HUG((((((((((

How about offering a project? A month on proper food, and see the difference? But that's only if Mr. Fundog is not stressing about his surgery, and money, because he won't be thinking rationally if he is, and nor would most of us.

Tell him from me that there is a helluva difference between being fine as in okay still alive and without bits dropping off, and fine as in fanbloodytastic glowing with health.

And that goes for us too!

Is he thinking subconsciously that the dogs should eat what they are given and be grateful? Lots of people think that way and then get kinda embarrassed when people like me remind them that they don't eat what they don't like.

But none of it is worth major upset. You are making ground gradually, and that is a military strategy also

[Fundog]

Victory! Okay, so Mr. Fundog went with me to the store (it was a "date," lol). While we were there, we talked again about dog food. He was willing to consider getting a higher quality food, and not feed "people food" at all. However, I knew that if I pushed too hard (as in telling him that nothing at the store is "good"), that he would get frustrated again. So I started by countering that with the idea of eating the same dry food, day in and day out, for fifteen years-- ugh! He conceded to that one, admitting that would be unpleasant, even for a dog. I again reiterated my fondest wish, to stop buying dog food altogether and just give them "real food." I also qualified that with the caveat that not everything we eat is good for them: pre-packaged ready meals, hot dogs, etc. So we have come to an agreement: We picked up a bag of dry kibble, a kind they do like quite a bit, and we will actually use the kibble as a supplement to the people foods and leftovers we feed them, to ensure they don't get cheated out of a vital nutrient our meals might not contain and when we don't have suitable other foods on hand to give them. And wherever possible, I will help to cut down on the amount of food we might otherwise waste, by giving it to the dogs. For example, those fish fillets we have sitting in the freezer. And... Mr. Fundog himself has compared the prices of a bag of rawhide chips to a package of raw meaty bones, and has concluded that a package of raw meaty bones is quite often a better price, and better for them. So on this trip to the store he actually checked on a package of ribs for them while I looked at something else. Unfortunately, the price was considerably higher than usual this time, so we didn't get them. He also looked at getting a package of pork neck bones, but he said they had too many pointy parts that would not be safe. But we have finally come to an agreement, one that I can be happy with, and I should not receive any more objections. So the verdict is, I will continue feeding my baby girls a combination of home cooked, raw, and kibble. That's the best we can do at this time, so I'm happy with it for the time being.

[Nettle]

WOO HOO Result!!!!

That is an excellent compromise - well done both of you (It's hard for a man to back down ).

[josie1918]

It is mind boggling, we all, I think want to do what is best for our pets, and it is almost scary. Personaly, I think the old adage "everything in moderation" might be the key. Too low protien can cause crystals to form in the urinary tract, too high can be harmful to older, more tired kidneys.
(This is according to the AVMA, beliefs vary from country to country based on the test data) Of course puppies do need a higher protien level due to growth. I have found the 20-25% range to be what I would call moderate. And just because........................I have to say this, be sure that your dog does not have any underlying health issues, which may affect your decision on what to feed.

[Nettle]

High protein is not really good for puppies although dog food manufacturers would like us to think it is essential. It can make them grow too quickly, or grow too large.

Consider: every wild mammal in the world, once weaned, eats exactly the same food as a babe that it does as an adult.

[josie1918]

I also believe that QUALITY of protien has a lot to do with it as well. Although certain dog food companies claim that protien is protien be it "cooked corn" or animal. I am just NOT a believer. I think the quality of the protien served is much more important than what pet food companies want us to think. But this is my own personal 2 cents.

[Nettle]

I also believe that QUALITY of protien has a lot to do with it as well. Although certain dog food companies claim that protien is protien be it "cooked corn" or animal. I am just NOT a believer. I think the quality of the protien served is much more important than what pet food companies want us to think. But this is my own personal 2 cents.

I agree with you available protein and protein are two different things.