Senior dog feed

[HappyBox]

I feed kibble and my dog will soon be turning 7 do I need to switch him to a senior feed? He shows very few signs of aging and is in excellent condition but I know dogs are considered "senior" at age 7. He is as active as ever and in very good health. Do you think it's necessary to start a senior feed?

[CRISIS]

i would.....senior dogfoods tend to me less fat n protiene but higher in calcium, glucose, condroitin, ect.

[No Quarter Kennel]

I can't for the life of me understand why someone would feed anything but a RAW natural diet. I've got dogs 10 and up who absolutely THRIVE on a good, balanced RAW diet. I had a dog, about 8, that I had to send to a reputable breeder for about a year. She started to decline in skin and general health. After being at her new place, it got worse. After the year, I picked her back up, and at this time, I had switched to RAW. I bring her home and in 4 months, this bitch looks better than she has in 5 years.

I understand the cost and convenience, but if you commit to RAW, you will never go back.

[CRISIS]

i just switched to raw, all my dogs have the shits and cant hold it down......the only one who seems to be doing better on it is my 5 month old pup.....im still supplementing with a cup of kibble as a filler just for a piece of mind...

[act284]

the mixing of the two could be the problem...give it a week...add some yogurt and canned pumpkin for fiber

[skipper]

Just look at Jacks videos on how to feed. If you follow his example you can't go wrong. As for older dogs, the difference is never bigger between kibble and raw as it is on older dogs. You can literally add years on a dog with a proper raw diet.

[HappyBox]

I currently feed this food I get from work for free and am quite happy with the results. What do you guys think? I have always been happy with the results I have had with high quality kibble. I get two 30lb bags of dog food a month from work... Its hard not to pass it up

http://www.merrickpetcare.com/consumer/products/product.jsp?id=19&page=1&view=list&sort=category_3&order=asc&name=Real_Lamb_Brown_Rice_+__Apple_Recipe&categories=Dog-Classic-Recipes-Dry&age=Adult_All_Breeds

[HappyBox]

This is a pic of my dog a few months back on kibble. I think it was Orijen at the time.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/8578/kaimanjan1.jpg

[http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/3315/final1k.jpg

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/3518/final2mh.jpg

[Officially Retired]

I can't for the life of me understand why someone would feed anything but a RAW natural diet. I've got dogs 10 and up who absolutely THRIVE on a good, balanced RAW diet. I had a dog, about 8, that I had to send to a reputable breeder for about a year. She started to decline in skin and general health. After being at her new place, it got worse. After the year, I picked her back up, and at this time, I had switched to RAW. I bring her home and in 4 months, this bitch looks better than she has in 5 years.
I understand the cost and convenience, but if you commit to RAW, you will never go back.

Couldn't agree more ...

[Officially Retired]

i just switched to raw, all my dogs have the shits and cant hold it down......the only one who seems to be doing better on it is my 5 month old pup.....im still supplementing with a cup of kibble as a filler just for a piece of mind...

Then you're doing something wrong ...

If you feed a good raw diet, your dogs' shits will be harder than kibble-fed dogs ...

[Officially Retired]

This is a pic of my dog a few months back on kibble. I think it was Orijen at the time.

His coat looks dry and brittle to me ...

[R2L]

i just switched to raw, all my dogs have the shits and cant hold it down......the only one who seems to be doing better on it is my 5 month old pup.....im still supplementing with a cup of kibble as a filler just for a piece of mind...

i never had any problems switching a dog to raw, but for some dogs it can take a few weeks.
u never give kibbles and raw at the same time. u either feed kibbles or raw.

i would just keep feeding raw, just like i dont give puppy food.

[Officially Retired]

http://youtu.be/lvCwLmjGO5A

Anyone who says their dogs' stool is "runny" from feeding raw isn't feeding a good raw diet.

The above is a long-ass video ("The Associated Benefits of Feeding Raw"), but if a person takes the time to actually watch it, the difference in "stool quality" (and kennel maintenance costs!) between feeding raw and feeding kibble is clearly night and day.

Jack

[CRISIS]

everything i get is store bought (if that matters)

1.beef tripe
2. chjcken gizzards
3. beef liver
4 boned chicken quarters
5. brown rice
6. cracked egg
7. 1 measuring cup of kibble...

2 dogs doin good- 2 not so good!

[HappyBox]

His coat doesnt seem dry to me but the one problem I have had is his coat being washed out. He has a super dark dorsal area then the rest of him is a like washed out lighter fawn. And the food I have the most success with darking his coat was the Orijen. Do you think raw could really make a difference here or could it just be him?

[scratchin dog]

everything i get is store bought (if that matters)

1.beef tripe
2. chjcken gizzards
3. beef liver
4 boned chicken quarters
5. brown rice
6. cracked egg
7. 1 measuring cup of kibble...

2 dogs doin good- 2 not so good!

A couple of things I noticed:
Do you feed liver every day? If so, that can cause loose stools.
Kibble and raw digest at different rates. That can cause stomach issues.
When you say boned chicken quarters, do you mean you take the bones out? Dogs need the bones for calcium and it will also keep the stool hard.
If you feed everything on that list every day, you may just be feeding too much.

I'm not sure if you feed that list every day so those are just some suggestions. ;)

[pig mad]

I still feed a mixture mainly because i got a full pallet of kibble im not going to throw it away but i do find different types of meat go better for instance if i fed a dog kangaroo that has never eaten it they shit like a black tar and fart like nothing else hahaha... If i feed fresh warm pig meat most will throw it up i have to freeze it first. I tried feed em big wild bird the other day no one would touch it.
But to answer the original question i have a 8 year old dog i still feed him a high protein high fat kibble no way would i cut a dog back to old man kibble unless he was retired and i wanted him die off quicker to free up some chain space...

[CRISIS]

let me get my lap top and ill elaborate on the routine a bit more...

[CRISIS]

ok...so heres how i feed em...

i boil about 4 cups of brown rice (= about 8 cups of rice cooked) and set it to the side.

then i chop and serve each in about 1 part.
1part beef liver
1prt chicken gizzards
1part beef tripe

i then mix that with the rice after the rice is cooled

i then put 1 measuring cup of that mix into the feed bowls

i also put 1 boned chicken quarter (bone,skin,everything)

i put 1 egg shell n all

and 1 cup of kibble (1/2 for the pup)

and mix it up........


at first they didnt want it, now they tare it up.....but like i said i now have to keep em in crates at night or theylle paint my carpet! im going to give jacks video a gander and keep on it for a few weeks and see how it works.

in all honesty i didnt know about the digestion rates, and the differences...hell, im cert. in canine nutrition from my old job and i didnt even know that, although...we never sold any raw product (or anythin but kibble for that matter)...but anyhow i kept the kibble for 2 reasons initially....1. not to switch to a different diet completely cold turkey, and 2. im really hesitant about new things, almost as if im fearfull of it "not working" or being nutrient deficiant somehow.......eventhough i know folks who do it, I myself have never done it.... so i guess the kibble being high calories and protiene was just a peice of mind for me and i thought would act as an additional filler.

like i said im going to watch the above video and see whats up, but at this point i think the thing i plan on changing is cutting out the rice, and using sweet potato as a source of carbs......

[Abe]

I waited years to try raw for all the reasons you said crisis then i picked up CA JACK book and dvds and my 9 month old female was raised on it strictly following what jack lays out. She looks better then her litter mates hands down. Litter mates are feed a great kibble and look great but without question there is a huge difference. If a pup can grow and develop properly then i fill that an adult will get all it needs. Ive switched a couple of dogs that have come thru here for some work to raw and the owners couldnt believe the difference. Had loose stool for 1 or 2 days after switching cold turkey.

[No Quarter Kennel]

I feed chicken quarters every day. For all my adult dogs, I feed them the following, every other day, in the morning:
Yogurt
Chicken Liver
Gizzards
Eggs

I feed my pups the same mixture EVERY morning and a chicken quarter in the evening. That's it. Simple as hell. I've fed the same family of dogs for 17 years and can honestly say, they've never looked better than they have in the last 6 months since I switched, completely cold turkey, to RAW. I don't even pick up their shit any more as it won't last a freakin 2 days on the ground. Hard as hell, dries up and gone in a day or so. Breath is 10x better and their dental health, real important, is supreme. I've had dogs eat Kibble for 9 years of their life, switch to this and look better than any other time and their teeth are cleaner than when they were 2 years old.

If you are having problems of any kind, you are doing something wrong. It's not hard. STOP MIXING THAT DAMN KIBBLE WITH THE RAW - WHAT THE HELL IS THE POINT?

[tasoschatz]

I have heard that for those insisting mixing kible and raw, they should at least grind the kible so to reduce absorption time, do not know if it works. Also adding some water, again for the same reason.

[CRISIS]

im giving my kibble to my cousin!

[No Quarter Kennel]

good move
kibble sucks

[MEAUXTIVATION]

Feeding your dog raw is the truth. Ever since I got The PitBull Bible, I been hooked on feeding raw. Jack breaks it down to the tee in the book. I feed my 5 month old gyp a chicken leg, rice, yogurt, an egg, salmon oil, and a vitamin. Going replace the rice with gizzard and chicken hearts once finish with my bag of rice. I can see a difference in the way she looks and how she acts. If it ain't RAW it ain't RIGHT.

[pig mad]

If i had a supermarket or enough land to grow the greens id go raw but no place here to buy bulk..

[Texas]

kan somebody lay out a good raw feed plan after I finish my dog food I wanna try just wanna buy it ahead of tyme thx ...

[Abe]

Get the Bible is gonna be the response