Question about dog food Hey, I'm new around here (and a first time owner as well!!) My yorkie is a year old and lately i've been noticing that she is getting very picky with her food. When she was a puppy she used to gobble down the dry kibble we gave her (Innova for puppies) but then around 6 months her interest in Innova puppy started to decline so i switched to another food this time Canidea (sp?) and she loved that food. But now as usually she's starting to dislike it...to the point where she won't eat for two days (just eat a mouth full and leave the rest). So now i've switched to wellness and she's been on that for 3 months but i'm once again noticing shes beginning to lose interest (in a sense). I don't know what to do cause I keep switching foods. i've even gone back to innova and canidea with no success. I add warm water to the food sometimes to stir her appetite and make the food more enticing but with no success. I've even brought wet food and mixed it with the dry food, but she licks up the wet food and spits out the dry food. (sry this is so long...but i've tried everything) I was thinking about just feeding her wet canned food but i've heard people say that canned food is not as good (it isn't good for the teeth, makes the stool softer, has higher water content so not as nutritious etc) and i'm not sure if those rumors are right. I'm also hesitant on getting her on a raw diet. So basically what i'm asking is what else can i do (because i would like to keep her on the kibbles) and is wet food a good substitute (i don't want her to lose any nutritional value)? As you can see i'm an apprehensive first time owner but I only want to the best for her. Thanks!! |
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First off, it's a myth that wet food is worse.. it is actually better because it has gone through one less step in the processing (removing the water). It is closer to the original foods that went into making it than kibble is... so i would recommend wet food.. you just have to brush her teeth every day which i do anyways. You can also home cook.. which i do ... or feed raw which MANY on here do and in my opinion it is THE best thing you can do. If you search RAW on here you will see many opinions and the various brands that people use. I would feed Layla raw but i can't even get her to lick it :p If you want help on home cooking i'd be happy to help. I've been doing this for Layla for a year and a half and every 6 months i have a full blood panel done to make sure she is getting all the nutrients she needs. |
I'm glad to hear that wet food is better. I have some wellness wet food that i recently bought and i feed it to her this morning. She gobbled it up. (when she saw it she got really excited and just sat next to me and waited...for once she was actually excited for her food). So it's okay to feed her wet food? I will start brushing her teeth...though i don't really know how. I'd appreciate it if you could give me some pointers. I'm hesitant about the raw diet, but I am interested in home cooking and would be glad if you could give me some pointers. But for the time being I'm just glad that she actually finish eating all her food. P.S. on another note, i've also heard that dry food is better cause it excerises the jaw whereas wet food doesn't. is this true. (i know i'm paranoid but i don't want to sacrifice her health/well being). Thanks for everything. |
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yes keep with the wet if that is what she loves. as for brushing her teeht. You can go to the drug store and get an infant tooth brush and you can get toothpaste at Petsmart or somewhere like that... let her lick the brush and chew on it if she wants.. then slowly start introducing it into her mouth. i put Layla on her back... let her lick the toothpaste off the brush and then start pulling back on her cheeks and scrub her teeth. little by little.. she'll get used to it Home cooking is EASY!!! you pick a meat and a veggie.. always mixing things up.. i just boiled some extra lean ground beef for Layla and right now she is eating a mixture of carrots, cauliflour and peppers that i put in a food processor. once a month i make up her food and store it in the freezer in small amounts. Layla also loves baked fish (Salmon, talapia, haddock) chicken is great for them.. as long as the skin is off. Yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, fruit (no grapes) veggies (no mushrooms or onions) are ALL great.. but you HAVE to suppliement. I make my own... but you can also buy it... if home cooking becomes more than half of her diet.. you NEED to suppliement. but if she has eggs for breakfast and kibble or canned food for supper you are fine. If you go 100% home cooking you need to get a blood panel done at the vet at least once a year to make sure she isn't missing any nutrients. If you want info on suppliements let me know :) if you have more questions you can always PM me.. i'm so happy to help! |
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I would not feed raw at all (from what I have read, I would not be comfortable with it at this time). Homecooked, in my opinion, is just fine and you don't have the bacteria concerns of raw (which would only be a concern if your dog has a compromised immune system). I also would not give bones. When homecooking you do have to supplement with vitamins/minerals. As far as exercising the jaws, I give Ellie raw vegetables to chew on. To brush your pups teeth just get some dog toothpaste (not human) and a toddler toothbrush or finger brush (sold at pet stores) and brush jsut like you would your own (being cautious not to push too hard on the gums). I recommend once a day but any amount is better than nothing. You could also use Petzlife Oral Gel but I wouldn't really recommend it. Be careful when picking out a toothpaste. One oral rinse (that you put in their water) made by CET contains xylitol which is very toxic to dogs. I don't know why they use it but I would not chose that product. Some of the toothpastes contain other artificial sweeteners. Usually most anything but xylitol is considered safe but it is best to avoid sugar substitutes entirely. |
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I meant to mention that about the toothpaste.. i use a 'natural" toothpaste which honestly doesn't work AS well.. we just have to do it more often.. i too wouldn't recommend Petzlife. we have it.. i only use it if its been a while since i've done Layla's teeth and she has a lot of tartar.. its' a gel that you put on their teeth.. it works but i odn't think it is good for them from what i've read. |
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I have had some concerns about it and I really don't use it anymore. Toothpaste is better in my opinion. |
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so what brand of toothpaste do you use/recommend. or what should i look for in a good quality toothpaste. thanks!! |
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