Spy Car Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 (edited) Wolves do not nap on the couch and snuggle under the covers. Costco is perfectly fine for my darling beloved mutt. What big eyes you have :D Look, given the opportunity a wolf could inter-bred with your mutt (or eat it) assuming the dog were fertile, and the offspring would be fertile. They are the same species in that regard. In evolutionary terms their nutritional needs are very similar. Some dogs have aquired additional genes for producing amylase in their pancreas, which aids in digestion of starches. This allowed for survival when dogs scavenged human waste piles. But starches are not optimal for dogs nutritionally as a fuel source. Bill Edited December 9, 2015 by Spy Car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcmommy Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Poor Pop. she would be eaten in a heart beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Poor Pop. she would be eaten in a heart beat. Pop might die happy :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolatechip Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 I find topics like this a little depressing. We love our dog, but we can't even afford to feed the humans in the family boneless skinless chicken breasts on a regular basis. We feed Costco brand; no issues to date. Our last dog lived for 13 years (Australian shepherd mix). We have an 8 month border collie puppy now. Sorry about the threadjack, OP. Wish you the best of luck finding something that will work for your doggy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cera2 Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 The Kirkland brand Salmon grain free is one of only two foods my "affected by everything" dog can eat. It is around $35 a bag (30ish pounds) and lasts my hundred pound dog a month or so. They also have a chicken based food that is grain free. Our other option is a special hypoallergenic food that can only be ordered through the vet and costs $110 a bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 I agree that "optimal" is often not a choice. Better a dog be loved and fed grain based food than left in a shelter (where it would also eat grain based food) or euthanized. If we limit dog ownership to only those that can afford premium food we would have a whole lot of homeless dogs. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 We feed our pup Taste of the Wild and use Stella and Chewys mixers to mix in with the kibble. It brings up the protein and fat content. We also feed her pig ears or the like as her treats. We don't have a huge budget, but these items are all fairly reasonably priced and she is a very healthy, happy girl. I do like the sound of what Spy Car feeds his doggie -- it just sounds like lots more work and money to put those meals together for pooch. We try for a happy medium in terms of budget and time. Maybe when our girls are off on their own, I'll have the time and money to spoil my fur baby like that. :001_smile: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 (edited) I was just looking at the supplments you can get to add to homemade food, as I know if I'm not using bones I need to add calcium. Dear lord, that stuff isn't cheap! I'll happily just buy the calcium. My dog doesn't need all those freeze dried veggies, if I want to give veggies I'll give actual veggies! edited to add: Unless I get a pressure cooker for christmas. If I do, i can pressure cook a whole chicken and have the bones, meat, organs, etc ready to go and not need to add calcium. That's what my parents used to do, back in the day, to feed our dogs. Edited December 10, 2015 by ktgrok 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 I was just looking at the supplments you can get to add to homemade food, as I know if I'm not using bones I need to add calcium. Dear lord, that stuff isn't cheap! I'll happily just buy the calcium. My dog doesn't need all those freeze dried veggies, if I want to give veggies I'll give actual veggies! That is why feeding raw bone-in chicken pieces is so nice. Chicken is inexpensive. bone is a great (easily absorbed) source of calcium, chewing the soft raw edible bone keep the teeth really clean, and the dogs get psychological benefits from the gnawing and chewing. Many advantages vs a powdered supplement. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 We feed our pup Taste of the Wild and use Stella and Chewys mixers to mix in with the kibble. It brings up the protein and fat content. We also feed her pig ears or the like as her treats. We don't have a huge budget, but these items are all fairly reasonably priced and she is a very healthy, happy girl. I do like the sound of what Spy Car feeds his doggie -- it just sounds like lots more work and money to put those meals together for pooch. We try for a happy medium in terms of budget and time. Maybe when our girls are off on their own, I'll have the time and money to spoil my fur baby like that. :001_smile: Time I will give you, but sourcing items well (at a good price) like I do is far less expensive than Stella and Chewys cost per pound. Like small fraction of the cost. I'm not spending more than people pay for higher end kibbles. It is more work. I must say that everyone who sees my dog, which is a lot of people as we are regulars at the well-visited unofficial off leash park, comments on his condition. It really makes a huge difference. Even more than I expected. Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 I was just looking at the supplments you can get to add to homemade food, as I know if I'm not using bones I need to add calcium. Dear lord, that stuff isn't cheap! I'll happily just buy the calcium. My dog doesn't need all those freeze dried veggies, if I want to give veggies I'll give actual veggies! edited to add: Unless I get a pressure cooker for christmas. If I do, i can pressure cook a whole chicken and have the bones, meat, organs, etc ready to go and not need to add calcium. That's what my parents used to do, back in the day, to feed our dogs. I home-cook for my dog. It's not hard at all although he is a little guy and doesn't eat a lot. Supplementing consists of crushing up a human calcium supplement and a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement and sprinkling over his food. Not exactly difficult. I've toyed with the idea of getting a pressure cooker, but it seems like more work for little benefit. And another appliance to store. BTW, he's 4.5 years old and a breed that's notorious for bad teeth. His are fine and dandy, and -- I shouldn't admit this, but -- I never brush his teeth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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