Concerned Mama

[VeatchsMama]

Hey there Dog Food Chat! I'm a first time furmom of a one year old Labrador Corgi mix... and I'm going CRAZY! Crazy about what you ask? About dog food... and which is best for my furkid/hunting buddy. After a tragic loss of my familys big dog (cancer was the culprit) I adopted this little love mutt from a wonderful organization and have become obsessed with providing him the best life I humanly can. Being an active dog I have such great concern on trying to find the best quality dog food (while keeping a reasonable cost in mind, I'm willing to pay but not have to take out a loan) for my little man and all of my dog food research is driving me crazy. When my fuzzbutt was adopted he was on NurtoMax.... diarreah, vomiting, lathargic, terrible gas, and an uninterest in food.... I switched him to Science Diet after a vet ($$$) consulation... and although there have been many improvements I credit a portion of that to his "special sunday" homemade meals... groud beef, eggs, cottage cheese, carrots, apples, and a handful of his regular dry food. Special sundays are never missed and are quickly consumed... I recently have been looking into Innova and Evo.. but with the new ownership and recent bad reviews from other furmoms.... I just don't know where to turn... I'm here to get some guidance on what would be the best kibble to put in my boys bowl... to keep him healthy and happy, and to put my mind at ease... Thanks!

[DaneMama]

Hello and welcome to DFC!!!

[hmbutler]

Welcome you've come to the right place thats for sure!!

If you wish to stay with dry and/or canned food, definitely check out that section of the forum - I know there are quite a few threads going on currently about which is best from a list of big name brands. I'm sure the people there who have done their research can help you greatly :)

The other option is to check out the Raw and BARF feeding forums, and see what you think of those options. If you think your "special sunday" meals have greatly helped your Lab/Corgi, it's quite likely you would enjoy feeding a Raw or BARF diet, and see further improvements to your pups health it's what we're all here for, after all!!

And of course, as always, I must request pics of your furbaby hehe labrador corgi mix sounds super cute!!

[xellil]

I second everything hmbutler says. You will learn alot about all kinds of feeding styles here.

[cprcheetah]

Welcome, glad you are here. As others have said that you will learn a lot here. Glad to hear you know there is something better than Science Diet. Most vets are not very educated when it comes to nutrition.

[swolek]

Welcome to DFC! :) I'm sure you'll find a great diet for your pup here, there's a wealth of information on this forum.

[VeatchsMama]

I've thought about feeding Raw or BARF but I don't have enough information about it to be completely confident yet. Something I plan to check out in the forums. I know there are supplements involved and I'm a little concerned about cost and time simply because I'm so limited. That and my hubby isn't quite on the same "feed him like a king" page that I'm on. So I've for some stuff to learn and try out. But thanks for the reccomendation!

[xellil]

I've thought about feeding Raw or BARF but I don't have enough information about it to be completely confident yet. Something I plan to check out in the forums. I know there are supplements involved and I'm a little concerned about cost and time simply because I'm so limited. That and my hubby isn't quite on the same "feed him like a king" page that I'm on. So I've for some stuff to learn and try out. But thanks for the reccomendation!

Actually, with PMR there aren't any supplements except fish oil if you don't feed enough raw fish. It's very simple. Being lazy, I would be very reluctant to try try BARF or home cooking because i doubt I could keep up with it over time.

[VeatchsMama]

Actually, with PMR there aren't any supplements except fish oil if you don't feed enough raw fish. It's very simple. Being lazy, I would be very reluctant to try try BARF or home cooking because i doubt I could keep up with it over time.

Interesting point of view. Time isn't really on my side when it comes to cooking meals. So with the fish is it filets? I'm assuming the small bones are a hazard. I've read guts are good though as long as you check for metals. And the bones are confusing me as well. I'm guessing they are okay because there not treated or cooked in any ways?

[xellil]

You should read this, created by the folks who run this place:

Why PMR? | Prey Model Raw

Bones are an essential part of raw feeding. They aren't a hazard - many people feed entire fish, guts and all.

And yes, it's the raw bones that are good. Most people have an aversion to feeding their dogs bones (and getting over that emotional hump is sometimes difficult because it's hard to hand your dog a bone the first time) but dogs digest raw bones just fine.

NOT cooked bones. Cooked bones are bad.