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Originally Posted by ChocoMilk  I'm sorry to hear that Bella had problems with her liver! Glad she is okay now.  I def know what you mean when you say your yorkies aren't athletes, thats the thought that I had when I was considering switching them to a high-protein diet. Do they really need that much protein? But people do say that they've been eating meat for thousands of years so it's only natural for the.. but yes. after reading your post and others on YT, I've decided that I'll stick with solid gold puppy for now and after one year, then I will reconsider. I've noticed people really stopped feeding Solid Gold around here though. When I was on YT few years back most were feeding Solid Gold. WOnder what happened?
Also, how do you keep your dog from eating from different bowls? I haven't tried but it's hard getting them to eat from their own plate, even though they all have their own. THanks for your response! |
I'm not sure about the Solid Gold either...you're right, though, it does seem to be mentioned a whole lot less than before. (As I said, I've been in my liver disease bubble, and have tuned a lot of it out because it doesn't apply to us at all anymore!
) I just want to say very briefly, YES dogs have been meat eaters for thousands of years.....but dogs aren't really carnivorous, they're basically scavengers! (Cats ARE carnivorous.) So, while I would agree that the typical dog/wolf of thousands of years ago probably ate mainly meat, I would argue that it didn't make up his entire diet. (Just a side note, a lot of "grain-free" foods contain a variety of vegetables, and I think that's great! I do believe, though, that dogs have always eaten grain.....one of the reasons so many dogs are allergic to certain grains, like corn, wheat, and soy. The allergy to those grains that many dogs, but not all, have has been genetically handed down to them by their parents. Allergies are developed over time, meaning after long term exposure, and then get passed down. Anyway, I think if you do choose to go grain-free, it would be worth looking at something that included a healthy amount of vegetable matter as well!)
Before I started feeding my girls on separate plates, I honestly didn't believe it would work (which is why I fed them on the same plate for awhile). I was very surprised at how quickly they learned which was their plate! Yes, they both still try to steal food off the other's plate now and then (we've only been feeding them this way for a month or so), but they both KNEW which was there plate after just a day or 2 of feeding them that way. I put their plates in our living room...mostly because we don't have a space for them in the kitchen but also because that's where we spend the majority of our time, so I could monitor them. Right off the bat, I put 2 plates down, about 9-12 inches apart and then set each one in front of the plate I deemed "theirs". (The plates are identical....I just decided that no matter where there plates are, Bella's will always be the one on the left and Maya's will always be the one on the right!) When they would go to the other plate, I would make a verbal correction and put them back in front of theirs. I talk to mine like their people, which I think most of us probably do, so they understand sentences not just commands!
I'll say, "Aaah! No, maam, that's not your plate. The other plate is yours!" Usually they look at me like, I don't know what you're talking about, but then they go to their plate and eat.
They DO know what I'm talking about, they just like to be innocent!
If I put anything high value on their plate, like pumpkin or oatmeal or whatever, I watch them more closely because they'll finish theirs and then try to steal what's left of the other's. I also try to pay attention if one of them is eating because the grass is always greener, so sometimes they'll eat off the other's plate even though their plate is full (kibble, so nothing special.....identical in every way, they just want what the other has...just like kids! They're that way with toys too. There can be 2 of the exact same toy, but they both want the same one, lol!) BUT, it isn't a battle AT ALL....most times they go to their own plate whenever their hungry and eat and leave the other one's plate alone. Pretty amazing that within just a day or so of making sure they understood what I excpect (for them to eat off their own plate), they oblige almost all the time!! I truly expected it to be a nightmare, but it really wasn't at all! At least with my 2, all it took was consistency and correction, so it took paying a LOT of attention for that 1st day or so, but now they just know and I don't have to correct very often at all.
(Sorry I'm so long winded!!!!)