Therefore I need to feed them.
I have to buy dog food or buy people food and cook for them.
Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
I have one friend who cooks for her bassett hound.
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| Dumbledore! |
She makes chicken, rice, and vegetables and feeds this combo twice daily.I admire her for being willing to do the food shopping, storing the ingredients, cooking the ingredients, separating the cooked food into individual portions, freezing the meals, and then thawing the meals, warming the meal, feeding the meals, and washing up after the different steps.
Whew............ I get tired just thinking of it! Her bassett eats about one cup per day. My dogs eat 6-8 cups per day total. I cannot imagine the trouble and effort it would be for me to feed my greyhounds the same diet that she feeds her bassett! I cannot do it.
So I buy commercial dog food. Then I have to decide which dog food to purchase. My RV life takes me to more rural areas rather than to urban areas.
So sometimes I need to determine what to buy according to what is available.
I've had pet owners say that I should feed all raw food, but as a nurse I think of the parasites found in raw foods(ugh), and the storage needed for refrigeration ( I have a small RV fridge).
Other pet owners say they mail order their dog's food! ( heavy food costs a lot in shipping) ( I move around a lot, so different shipping addresses)
Other pet owners say they shop at feed stores, and/or Petco or Petsmart!
(I am seldom within 50 miles of a pet store, and each feed store carries different brands of dog feed.
I found this site to check out ratings of commercial dog foods. They also have email alerts to advise of recalls for dog foods.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com What do you think? I'm happy to hear all ideas.
I feed a raw diet, but I don't full time, althoughh I have fed it even when on long trips. I buy whatever is on sale, ususally chicken legs with back attached. The 3 dogs are healthy, have good strong clean teeth, great coats, and fresh breath. Sure it is a bit more work, but not tons. They get a few bits of raw veggies, but some schools of thought say they don't need even that. My dogs are 8, 7, and 5 years old.
ReplyDeleteWhen I do feed kibble I feed a grain free one - 70lb dog gets 2 cups per day - much less than when filling up with grain - and less poop!
But it is a commitment. On the plus side, you can get meat anywhere! Friends feed kibble, with a few raw days a week. Perhaps a good comprimise.
Must be hard, as space is tight for you.
ReplyDeleteI feed Polly (and I did the same for Song) shops own cheapy complete dog food. I add either some tinned dog food or Weebox. Occassionally I will put a tin of sardines in.
We feed all our dogs Iams. But I have to admit that our daughter's Great Dane gets homemade chicken broth and chicken on her food every night. SHE not me, makes homemade due to the sodium in store bought. The other dogs don't get it though, just dry food. Our vet (which I adore and have used for over 20 yrs) recommended Iams or Eukanuba
ReplyDeleteGood luck hope you can figure out what works best for you and the dogs.
I can see where finding food would be a concern with a traveling lifestyle. If I change Truly, Maggie and Walker's food, upset tummies occur. I stick with Nutro, with turkey necks (raw) once a week. That's a lot of kibble.
ReplyDeleteI feed our Papillons home made food (ground turkey or chicken, brown rice, chopped broccoli, carrots and sweet potatoes) in the morning and Three Dog Bakery chicken kibble in the evening. They love it and they are healthy. I worry about the commercial dog foods since I lost my little Sparky because of bad dog food.
ReplyDeleteWhat dog food to feed can definitely make a person crazy!
ReplyDeleteWe have two dogs, a 9 year old 120 lb boxer/mastiff and a 10 year old 60/shepard mix. I had them on a weight management dry, California Natural with EVO canned topper and I switched to a higher protein/fat Innova Senior Plus and they eat less due to a higher quality food, also a $$ savings for us.
No store bought treats, only treat they get is homemade icecream that I make with plain fat free yogurt and smooth peanut butter blended together and put into invidual cups and frozen and the dogs love it.
A better quality food is easier for the dogs to digest and they will require less food. Each dogs tummy is different our boxer/mastiff can not digest much fat, he actually gets reflux, so the food they get has 26% protein and 14% fat...good luck I am sure you will do right by your fur babies.