Since I work at PetSmart and am a trainer, I have a unique interest in what foods people use for their dogs. One of my training modules is on canine nutrition and I'd love to hear what folks feed and why they chose the brand they use.
EVO is a super premium food, and one that I'm considering later on when I hopefully get Charlie into agility. The protein level is extremely high (over 40%) versus most puppy and dog foods (25-29%), so I think it may be too much protein for a puppy. Everyone has different opinions on food, so mine is based on my own research. My opinion is that you do not want puppies bones to grow too fast, as that can result in a higher incidence in hip displasia and other bone problems, which Corgis are predisposed toward. I switched Charlie from puppy food to Canidae All Life Stages between 6-7 months which had a slightly less protein to slow his final months of growth a bit.
The bones over growing too much is more for Larger breeds. Mochi is about 8 months already. I think it should be fine. I hope. She hasn't done much growing in the past couple of weeks.
You should never feed "cooked" chicken bones because they do splinter. I feed them raw, they are much safer that way. You should also try to remove as much of the skin and fat as you can because the extra fat is not good for them on a regular basis. The bones really help keep the teeth cleaner.
River has been on Hill's Science Diet Sensitive Stomach formula for almost a year now. She is prone to digestive upset, and other foods we tried her on really made her sick. I've been considering a raw diet for some time now, but I don't know where to do my research. What should I feed her? What vitamins need to be added to the meats and veggies, if any? And would a raw diet be easier on her stomach than the kibble?
Permalink Reply by Lisa on March 26, 2008 at 12:24am
Hi Katie, sorry to hear that your corgi has some tummy problems. The great thing about Raw diets is that you can easily discover what works with your dog and what your dog doesn't digest well, since you will start out feeding one protein source at a time. Most people start out with chicken, just simply because it is a blander meat. You slowly introduce different meats/organs as time goes on and that way if there is an upset stomach, digestive problems, you can easily pinpoint the source.
I really do believe that a raw diet is beneficiary to dogs having any sort of digestive problems. SCience Diet's first ingredient is typically corn, and cooked no less. Dogs cant digest corn, and for many pooches cooked food can cause even more stomach upset.
I personally don't suppliment my dog's diet with any extra vitamins, although many raw feeders do suppliment with either Vitamin D or E (I forget :P), I personally don't think it is neccesary, they can get everything they need from various meat and organ sources. Although, something i would suggest supplimenting with regardless of whether you are feeding kibble or raw is a probiotic for your pup just because of her problems digesting. Most health food stores sell probiotics, i would ask for one that was lactose free (dogs are lactose intolerant). These probiotics just place helpful enzymes assist in digesting food and really do help ease tummy problems (I have some stomach problems myself and helped myself to my dog's probiotics when i had him on them in the begining).
If you would like some resources for getting started just let me know :D! It may seem overwhelming at first, but really it is a piece of cake! Whatever route you want to go, best of luck with everything!
My corgi eats Eukanuba maintenance small bites. It works great for him. No diarrhea, great coat and skin. He's very healthy. I also give him lettuce, cucumbers and carrots as snacks. They don't cause any stomach upset.
I never give any human food because the seasonings and salt is not good for dogs. Also, you never know if there is ingredients that are toxic in there. Never give onions, raisins, grapes, or chocolate to a dog.
I would really love to feed both of my dogs a raw diet, but it's a little too expensive for us right now. Both Griff and our German Shepherd, Zelda, eat dry Nutro Max Beef Meal & Rice.
I started Griff on Natural Choice Lamb & Rice, but he hated it. I think at one point I noticed he stopped eating it and realized that wasn't very Corgi-like behavior! I switched him over to Purina Dog Chow (ick) and he loved it but pooped a lot.
When we adopted a Neapolitan Mastiff, she had been eating Lamb & Rice small bites, so I thought Griff might like the smaller pieces...but to no avail. I switched them both over to the Nutro Max, and Griff LOVED it. He actually ran to the bowl to eat it instead of filling up on whatever scraps he could beg off of us :D
His coat is very healthy now! His fluffy coat tends to be rather downy and mats easily because of that, but with the Nutro Max and regular Furminatings he looks good (even with less trips to the groomer!)
Wow! Everyone thanks for your posts! I've learned a lot from each of you. Although, I have to admit to be squeamish about feeding raw and whole prey. Eww! (Thinking like a human again.) I hope as people join us they'll post their thoughts, too.
By the way, adding a little fresh parsley can help with the bad breath problems. And a bit of plain yogurt can help curb the gas. :-)
We feed our cardiagan welsh corgi Natural Balance Potato and Duck formula. The breeder we got him from 2 years ago had him on Iams but then our dog stopped eating it one day....it turns out it was one of the dog foods recalled so then my vet switched him to the Natural Balance and he immediately got his appetite back and loves it.
Bringing up an old post, but for some reason this food thing has really been weighing on me the last couple of days. I had Grover on Puppy Chow, because until the last few days I had no idea how bad it was for dogs. I didn't realize how completing lacking in nutritional value most of the ingredients are! So I did some research and thought I'd put him on Blue Buffalo or Canadai (or whatever...) But when I went to Petsmart, they only carried the Blue Buffalo. Now, I'd decided that I was going switch our cat over too. He's 9 years old, and like a said, until resently I didn't realize that supermarket name brand foods really weren't all they say they are. I had him on Purina Indoor Formula. Which is AWEFUL aparrently. So I thought I'd just put them both on Blue Buffalo and Blue Spa (the cat version). Well when I got there, I realized what a small selection our Petsmart has. I ended up talking it over with a girl working there (although she didn't seem all that knowledgable, but I'd been doing my own research so I felt a little better about this). VERY LONG post short (sorry) I ended up going with Nurtro Max Puppy and Nutro Max Indoor Cat. How'd I do? I went to a few places that someone had suggested on line to check out these products, and they seem to be a middle of the road food. Not the very best, but not Ol' Roy from Walmart either. What do you guys think? (did I mention I just graduated from grad school and don't have a job yet, and therefore have TOO much free time?)