Best Dog Food & Cat Food Options for Your Healthy Pet!

I have a 5 yr. Yorkie (under 10lbs) and he will not eat dog food. I have tried every brand, type, wet, dry. He will eat bologna, hot dogs, but I know this is not good for him to continue, so I boil chicken. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

First of all, definitely STOP ALL people food! People food is NOT healthy for dogs (except the occasional RAW veggie or fruit and boiled chicken or hamburger with a little white rice if they have diarreah). Make sure you check this ASPCA link for a list of foods that are toxic to pets:

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/people-foods.aspx

Try a higher-quality/better-quality/grain-free dog food. I feed my dog the Taste of the Wild brand and she loves it. If you go to a higher-end pet store they sometimes carry sample packets of the better dog food that you can try with your Yorkie.

NOTE: when switching dog foods remember to switch the food gradually. For example, if you currently feed your dog 1 cup of food twice a day, then start with @3/4 cup of the old food PLUS 1/4 of the new food twice day. Do this for @ 1 week, then the next week, continue to lessen the old food and increase the new food. Make sure to contact your vet if you have any questions about your dog's reaction to the new food (you may need to get a different new food, or the vet may recommend something else).

You might also try mixing dry food with a little bit of wet food (the same brand) OR adding a little bit of hot water to the dry food and stirring it up to make a sort of gravy. I know my dog loves it when I do that.

You could also get canned UNSALTED green beans from your supermarket and add a couple of tablespoons in with the food. This adds bulk to the meal, but no fat or calories.

Again, contact your vet, even with a phonecall and talk with a vet tech to save money, if you have further questions or concerns.

Re: aspca- foods not to feed..... many vets, breeders, and pet parents feed raw food to thier dog. Aspca says do not. I am not sure aspca is not being 100% truthful. I would research a bit more regarding raw food diet for dog. If I give My dog cooked meat, or carb loaded dog food she always gets serious skin issues that take forever to heal. Just a suggestion.

In response to Brenda's post, I also wanted to add that when you switch your Yorkie's food to ONLY dog food, don't start feeling sorry for her and start feeding her people food again if she doesn't eat the dog food right away. Hold your ground and be vigilant! If she ignores the dog food, that's fine! She'll eat it when she gets hungry enough. Don't cave in!

To say you shouldn't feed people foods isn't;t quite right, after all, most people foods are natural foods, dogs are (were) slightly omnivorous when scavenging and they would have eaten all sorts in the wild and their digestive system is tuned for it.

Yes, they are mostly carnivorous, but some of the first pieces of prey they would eat would be the stomach, intestines and contents, and this would normally be full of vegetable matter.

Therefore feeding many of the foods we feed is OK in moderation.

For instance, check out the lists first here: http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/10-people-foods-dogs/1896 and here: http://www.labradortraininghq.com/labrador-health-and-care/can-dogs-eat-apples-tomatoes-eggs-bread/

They list many human foods dogs can eat, along with the reasons why :-)

WARNING!

Just wanted to take a moment to make sure pet owners had seen the latest pet food recall. It's a voluntary recall of kibble products from one particular company and a few of its products.

My dog was affected by this recall. I am done feeding her kibble. I am cooking rice and either turkey or chicken along with a few veggies. My vet recommended a good multi vitamin to help supplement her food.

I wanted to let others know that humans have been affected by tainted dog food.

Here is the CDC link with information

http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/dog-food-05-12/index.html

Hi there, I love the EarthClinic site - I think that it is great that knowledge about natural remedies for people and animals can be shared widely despite the Big Farma's hegemony.

My cat Figaro is an old boy (18/19-years-old) and was diagnosed with the renal failure several months ago. At that time my vet suggested special diet and medication against the possible intestinal ulcers. Figaro was vomiting quite regularly at that time. I went against the vet suggestions and got him on the semi-raw meat diet (the leanest beef mince mixed with canned food). He seemed to improved greatly for several months but recently started vomiting again and has been losing weight. I went to see my vet again and this time I gave in and have put him on the kd renal formula biscuits and wet food. He refuses to eat the wet food but has been eating lots of biscuits but consequently much less of the semi-raw wet food. He also has been losing weight since the change of the diet. I am worried that since he enjoys the biscuits he is less interested in wet food which is probably not that great for a cat with kidney problems.

I also have been rubbing into his neck apple cider vinegar (diluted) every day and adding the Aloe Vera juice to his drinking water (though he is a bit reluctant to drink it). He seems in a better space over the last several days. I am realistic and appreciate that 18/19 years is pretty good re cat's age but I would like to make sure that I have tried everything possible to keep him healthy and comfortable. I would appreciate your suggestions/comments regarding my approach. Best wishes. Piotr

I have an 8 yr old 60 lb shepherd mix that has developed a problem with overeating. She receives 3 cups of a high quality dog food daily and acts likes she is starving all the time. She spends a couple of hours a day searching the backyard for dead bugs, worms, whatever to eat. When she is off of her radio collar she will bring home whatever dead animal she finds in the woods to eat. Vet has ruled out cancer/tumor, blockage, parasites, other major problems. Nothing has changed with her home routine. Her stomach is visibly bloated. Anyone experienced anything like this with their dog?

Lokismum... I've been feeding my dog raw now for a couple of years. When I started I fed raw bones but then the homeopath that was treating the dog said, "no bones" unless she catches the animal herself. She said that carcasses we get from the grocery store already have rigor set in and can splinter and cause trouble. Since you have been feeding raw for so long, what kind of bones do you feed? Do you feed vegetables?

My name is Susan I live in Cape Breton, N. S. Canada, I adopted a 3 year old full bred Akita she is now 4. I took her off of commercial dog foods & started cooking steak, kidney livers, & just pkg liver with organic baby food veg, fruits, & sweet potato & she loves it but this is day 4 on her new diet & I think I pulled her old food too fast!

Last night she started having what I call explosive diarrhea she only vomited a tiny bit no more then 3 times last night, so the big concern is the diarrhea! (DEHYDRATION) She has never had this before & I am so terrified I am going to lose her! Last night I ran to the grocery store & picked up gatorade, water, & kaopectate, she started eating & drinking water today but still has diarrhea but it has slowed down. Does anyone know what I did wrong? The last thing I gave her before she got so sick was liver that wasn't cooked all the way, & steak that was cooked rare with a tiny bit of garlic powder ( I was told that her food is better if not cooked all the way) with organic baby food peas, carrots, blueberries & apples along with some organic sweet potato over a period of 2 days. Please keep in mind she runs over 80 lbs. PLEASE HELP! DID I GIVE HER TO MUCH TOO SOON & NOT COOKED ENOUGH??. FR: terrified Akita lover in cape breton.

For anyone that has a dog with itchy dry skin use cod liver oil human vitamin it works great with my Akita I also give her omega 3 fish oil vitamins- very inexpensive. Thanks, susan

Hi, I want to thank you all for the excellent advice for dogs with diarrhea, I tried the white rice with boiled chicken & it worked! I just can't believe it, white rice & boiled chicken! Boiled hamburger will also work for bad diarrhea & vomiting but if nothing works take your fur-sib to the vet. Thanks Akita lover from cape breton

WARNING!

I'VE 3 LITTLE DOGS & ALMOST LOST ONE LAST WEEKEND. USED EC TO PULL HER THROUGH BUT SHE WAS ALMOST DEAD. STARTED THEM ON RACHEL RAY SUPER PREMIUM DOG FOOD. LOTS OF VOMITING.

PLEASE CHECK GOOGLE FOR NEWEST DOG FOOD RECALLS. SURE ENOUGH, NEWS FROM REUTERS & TODAY SAYING IN HUMAN FOOD, "AFLATOXIN". PLEASE RESEARCH & POST (THIS QUICK POST), CAUSES SEVERE LIVER DAMAGE INCLUDING LIVER CANCER. NEARLY KILLED MY DOG!

Got 6 Rhode Island Red Hens and and now feeding them mineral salt so they will drink lots of water and lay lots of eggs. Can anyone improve on this?

====ROBERT HENRY============

If a dog licks up alot of her own blood will it make the dog sick?

I just adopted two seven year old cats, they are so beautiful, but they have been on an iams diet for that amount of years, they have ended up way over weight & one is so big I can barely see her feet, the other isn't quite as heavy and very out going, today I have been searching for a rich but low balance food. I hope to help these cats back to normal health & save their lives, before they get any sicker.

Here is some thing really great I would like to share; I read during my search, I have read this many times before from different people/pet lovers/owners etc.

http://www.rawlearning.com/worming.html

There is so much more of the truth out there on how we are treating or allowing our pets to be treated by vets. "Please read"I am for sure going to make greater changes for my pets now.

Also no animal has to have all these shots after a certain age. I do believe two shots ARE rabies & distemper. "AND those shots most times if they are subcutaneous they can be bought at agway and/or any feed & grain store, its just a light pinch on surface skin & inject fluid. I save so much money from all of this rather than the run around like a merry-go-round.

I recently mentioned to my vet via a phone conversation if he could give me a little bit of advice over the phone as to what & how to rid a cat of mange(?) he says bring her in and I will check her thyroid(?)it just doesn't make any sense to me.

During the time when every one lost their pets due to iams products, every one of mine died; I never knew that friskies or 9 lives was an iams product, now I try my best to find the best food ever to save my pets, and those that care to. I find that most raw food diets are as affordable as iams, or any other low grade products, I feel my animals deserve that much. Thank you all.

My sons dog pee's on the grass which leaves brown burn patches. His friends all seem to have the some problem. He bought something to add to his food. That's no help so he wants to find something nautral, reading the post on the pet clinic there was something on acid.

Well, the ideology presented by Ted seems rather logical. Despite how it may sound, the argument is not backed by science and actually poses many flaws that will be harmful to your pet. I do agree that the mainstream pet food sold to owners is actually biologically contradictory to their needs, but they are much more balanced and safe than a fish and salt water diet. Felines did not and do not naturally consume sea food of any sort. See a lot of big cats in the ocean? This notion began during the Great Depression, because it was a cheaper alternative. Since cats aren't biologically engendered to eat fish, this results in vitamin deficiencies and a disease caused by an inability to properly break down a form of the fat found in high concentrations. As for salt water, it is the same scenario. Felines have never been salt water consumers during any point of their evolutionary path. It is potentially hazardous for humans and animals. If you're determined to add something to your cats water, add a tsp or half tsp of apple cider vinegar to their water.

I have a Cavapoo puppy who is 11months old now. I have never been able to find a dog food he likes. I haven't changed his dog food too frequently because I know it's not good to do so. He seems happy and healthy. Very playful, but he is skin and bone! I'm thinking of trying sweet potatoes added to his present food since reading this forum it seems a popular item that dogs like and prevents diarrhea. He's only about 10 pounds, is 2T mixed in to his food too much? Does anyone have any other suggestions? I've tried wet as well. I "feed" him the Blue Buffalo right now. He will eat it if I hand feed him, something I started.

WARNING!

STOP feeding your dogs and cats CORN based foods! They are carnivores and require MEAT. Corned filled kibble leads to numerous health issues and endless vet bills.. Why else do you think the leading CORN based food is "Recommened by veterinarians". My suggestion is a raw meat diet mixed with a high quality meat based kibble that does not contain, CORN, or POTATO fillers.

Hi Monadz,

Oh Wow, does your post bring back memories! I had a Malamute who had exactly (and I mean EXACTLY) the same issue... I loved him so much, but oh what a rascal he was. Oh the stories, the stories! You can't believe what I tried to get him to eat (well, maybe you can). He would usually eat a few bites of his food, but then no more. At one point I put him on a homemade, mostly raw food diet and that worked (though not all the time, I must admit). He lived to be quite old, but getting him to eat was a constant battle. He basically hated any type of dog food period. Human food, okay.

I now have my two dogs on a mostly home cooked (not raw) diet now, so if you'd like the recipe, I'll post it. Each time I prepare a new batch of food, I change the type of meat I use, so the dogs are loving it. My golden retriever has a hard time losing weight (borderline hypothyroid), so my vet gave me this recipe... basically brown rice, meat protein and vegetables. Takes about 20 minutes to make... If you make large quantities of it for your St. Bernard, you'll want to get a rice cooker and food processor to speed things up.

This is so funny because I have a dog like this. Only he is so not a big dog! He is a chihuahua mix! He is 11 years old and yes I cook for my doggie!!People tell me to leave dog food down for him and when he gets hungry enough that he will eat it. I tried that once a long time ago and he did not eat for almost two days! There is no way that I am going to do that to him. He is 11 now,so I guess we are doing something right! I have 10 cats also!!But, they get cat food ,there is no way that I can afford to get them started on people food. But,they do get treats of salmon or chicken or something like that sometimes!

Due to long term unemployment I wasn't able to barely afford even the "good holistic" food for my girl. I found a way, thank to God for provision. I finally got a p/t job and some extra $ from family members. I switched my 12.5 year old German Shorthair Pointer girl to Sojo's Veggie mixed with Basmati Rice as her health was failing.

I could not afford the Vet. This food plus some vitamins and herbals for her made a major difference. In a month she lost about 8 lbs (she really wasn't overweight) but this helped her back and hind legs/knees as well. I can say that I will do whatever I can to always keep her on this food.

I now add some fresh ground meat (cooked) to her food. She acts like her old happy, playful self. Her bloated belly is all gone, ear wax/funk is all gone and she is just happier and I am as well.

WARNING!

My vet has informed me that raw eggs are not good to give to your dog, he mentioned it could have a detrimental effect on the liver. I have seen other posts where people have recommended raw eggs for pets though.

All of my life (that's a long time) we have fed all of our dogs raw eggs. It makes their coats shiny and good for their skin. The thing you don't want to do with raw eggs is seperate the whites from the yolks. There is a chemical substance in the white of the egg that the yolk counter acts against. Could be vice versa. I can't remember the name of the substance but as long as you keep them together, raw eggs are fine. I also beat them a little to make sure they are getting the yolk with the egg. I don't give them everyday though. I'm sure there are others who give them more often. When I run across the article that tells me the name of the breakdown of the whites and yolks I'll post it. Sorry, I can't remember the name of the substance. I think that if you don't give your dog just all whites, or all yolks, you won't have any problems unless their allergic to eggs. Lol. This could have been another "garlic" type of issue. I have used garlic for years and now all of a sudden it's bad for your dogs. I still use it. My dogs also have always eaten onions and grapes too. No chocolate though. The onions, raisins and grapes is a new one on me. If you get anymore info about the eggs hope you post it. It's always about keeping the four legged kids happy and healthy. Blessings, Cg

I just adopted a teeny, weeny, 3 lb 6oz, Chihuahua. I KNOW that commercial dog food is not healthy for my little girl. I would definitely like to go raw, but because of her size......I am a little nervous. Anyone have any suggestions as to what might be best for her? I rescued her from the Humane Society...she seems a little on the skinny side, but appears healthy otherwise.

I am a huge ACV fan, so I would like to put a few drops in her drinking water or mix it with her food and am really looking for suggestions on type of food and amounts. I feel like one wrong move with as small as she is....well, you understand.