Ok, me again.
When I adopted Horace I was told he had to be kept on wafcol, a hypoallergenic diet, he has the salmon and potato one. Apart from being ridiculously expensive, he wouldn't eat it. Ok, maybe I didn't give him long enough, but I don't like just feeding dry food, so I mixed a little Naturediet in with it, and he ate it then. I would like to change completely to Naturediet, but still have something to mix in with it to make it more interesting. Horace had a gastric torsion as a puppy (unusual for his age and his body shape and size), so I do have to be a little careful. I am not quite ready to try raw, as I am not entirely happy with the idea and it would not be very easy right now as my freezer and fridge are on the blink.
So, any ideas for a mixer that is natural and yummy? He cannot eat pork or beef as it upsets his stomach, he seems to tolerate chicken ok, but not fantastically, and he has eaten fish jerky with no problem but was awful on the Naturediet fish and tripe - supposedly the sensitive one. He was bad on Nature's Menu chicken and veg, but is so far fine on Naturediet Chicken and veg. Having said that, he has refused breakfast for the last 2 days, which is in a bowl, but he does still enjoy his tea, which is in a kong or a toy.
Or any other suggestions? I want to keep everything natural for behaviour purposes apart from anything else.
I need a mixer
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
There is a natures menu mixer I think, have you tried that?
I do feed raw, and I cannot say anything other than it is awesome... (less so with no fridge/freezer though i have to say...).
Do you really need a mixer? It is only extra carbs = extra fatness, and will create more poo, and not that interesting to eat either.
Why not give him chopped up raw veggies as munchy interesting things in his food, and have you tried tinned sardines/pilchards?
Chunks of veg will not add on any weight (and will come back pretty much as they went in tbh, to get the food value out of it it must be pulped/blended fine), sardines are very tasty and its a rare dog doesnt like them, go for the ones in tomato sauce though rather than oil.
I do feed raw, and I cannot say anything other than it is awesome... (less so with no fridge/freezer though i have to say...).
Do you really need a mixer? It is only extra carbs = extra fatness, and will create more poo, and not that interesting to eat either.
Why not give him chopped up raw veggies as munchy interesting things in his food, and have you tried tinned sardines/pilchards?
Chunks of veg will not add on any weight (and will come back pretty much as they went in tbh, to get the food value out of it it must be pulped/blended fine), sardines are very tasty and its a rare dog doesnt like them, go for the ones in tomato sauce though rather than oil.
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It must be you, with your slinky Ocelot ways, confounding the internal mice and making the belt drive slip on the interwebulators lower sanctum wheels.
Its camels already are lame... if we have to provide them with crutches or wheelchairs I fear we may grind to a halt!
Horace's mum... praps not the natures menu mixer then (never tried it, my dogs are grain-free, except when they steal the rat food) - I would just add variety with healthy table scraps, sardines, veggies etc. If you do that as a matter of course, rather than as a 'oh please dear god eat this food its the last brand on the earth' tactic, you wont create a fussy dog.
Its camels already are lame... if we have to provide them with crutches or wheelchairs I fear we may grind to a halt!
Horace's mum... praps not the natures menu mixer then (never tried it, my dogs are grain-free, except when they steal the rat food) - I would just add variety with healthy table scraps, sardines, veggies etc. If you do that as a matter of course, rather than as a 'oh please dear god eat this food its the last brand on the earth' tactic, you wont create a fussy dog.
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If he doesn't eat what's there, he doesn't get anything else, I have already been down that route with another dog and learnt from it!!emmabeth wrote: If you do that as a matter of course, rather than as a 'oh please dear god eat this food its the last brand on the earth' tactic, you wont create a fussy dog.
I suppose really I was asking whether it would be a reasonable diet to feed Naturediet chicken and rice every day, but add little things like veg, fresh chicken, fish etc to make it more interesting. It wouldn't upset him too much or throw the balance out or anything? I will have to experiment with what he will tolerate. At the moment he will have wafcol added simply because I have 15kg of the stuff, and it is too expensive to waste. And it does seem to help keep him more "solid". What are the best biscuits to give him, in his dinner or as treats - something like the shapes you get in pet shops, but without the "meat derivatives".
I would - variety is the spice of life after all, and I actually dont buy into the idea that you unbalance something by adding a wide variety of scraps/other foods. Not in the way you describe anyway.
Honestly - asides from using up the Wafcol, he really needs no biscuit at all, hes not designed to get much nutrition from it and theres not much nutrition in it anyway, just things that are likely to trigger skin problems, and bulk indigestible material to create poo.
Not even very good for cleaning teefies.
Honestly - asides from using up the Wafcol, he really needs no biscuit at all, hes not designed to get much nutrition from it and theres not much nutrition in it anyway, just things that are likely to trigger skin problems, and bulk indigestible material to create poo.
Not even very good for cleaning teefies.
Merlin my Greyound has had bloat and I feed him and all my others on Burgess Sensitive dry food. I do add things to it to make it more interesting, tuna, sardines, mackeral and veg. sometimes it is a teaspoon of tinned dog meat. I also soak the kibble for a couple of hours before giving it to my dogs, it quatruples in size so they think they are getting a lot more than they are.
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Ok, so once the wafcol has gone (give me a few months!) I won't put biscuits in his dinner. Next question, what do you all use to keep teeth clean? I don't buy in to the whole biscuits keeping teeth clean thing, because Horace swallows them whole more often than not, but having worked as a vet nurse I have seen the state mouths can get into. At the moment I have a box of dentastix, but don't have much faith in them as he eats them too quick, and they are full of junk as well. He has very occasional pigs ears, and a large rawhide chew to gnaw, but what else works? I would rather not resort to using a toothbrush!
Yes, I know a BARF diet deals with this, but it is not an option for me right now!!!!!!
Yes, I know a BARF diet deals with this, but it is not an option for me right now!!!!!!
Ahhhh but.... couple of chicken wings, couple of times a week - that will do wonders for his teefies, and you can buy some of those in supermarket and they will keep in the fridge for a few days (or if you have a meat market like i do, just buy a couple a week).
There is a homeopathic remedy, Fragaria that deals with plaque on teeth and preventing build up of it I think also.
There is a homeopathic remedy, Fragaria that deals with plaque on teeth and preventing build up of it I think also.
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