Pet Food or scraps?

[fett]

I have had pet dogs for decades. As a kid, my parents would feed our dogs Skippy canned dogfood. That was supposed to be the worse shit in the world to feed a dog. Both dogs lived very long lives. As an adult, I have had two dogs. Each lived a very long time eating table scraps. I would occasionally buy dry dogfood. But, both dogs were happier than a coon hound with one treed eating human food. Science Diet, my ass.

[dg]

I'd go with good quality pet food unless I did research to make sure I was giving my pets a balanced diet & nothing that was bad for them. I had a roommate years ago who made all his dog's food, and he might as well have had a kid to take care of. A major PITA, plus that dog had some of the worst gas ever! Fuck that.

[Jack Napalm]

I feed my two dogs, a golden retriever and a husky, Iam's for their 'meals' but they both know that they get the last bites of anything I eat. Except chocolate.

[Ace]

It takes a lot of chocolate to kill a dog. There are as many kinds of dog owners as there are dogs. I've known people who've read every dog care book, set a million rules for their dog, follow every guideline as to how to train, feed and discipline their dogs. I've also known people who feed their dogs off the table, let them sleep at the foot of the bed, and smacked the shit out of them when they screw up. Guess which dogs and owners were happier? I personally used to feed my dogs dried dog food, along with whatever was left from dinner. They were my best friends and went everywhere with me. More loving and loyal than any human I know. Dogs that get treated like they're going to be Senators are usually neurotic and confused.

[sully]

the whole chocolate thing depends on how much the dog weighs, how much and what kind of chocolate it ate. dark, and bakers chocolate are the most dangerous for dogs to eat. because of the diets that they had when they were at the track, my dogs have to have specific things, which means they get a high quality dry food. sometimes they get veggies and little bits of cooked chicken, but that's pretty much it.

sully

[fett]

When I was living at the House from Hell, if I even thought about giving their neurotic black Lab a bit of real food my stepson would freakout. They even checked the poor dog's stool to make sure she wasn't eating just dry, how big can she make her turds, dog food. The idea of giving the dog a steakbone was out of the question. The dog is a basket case.

[Axewielder]

My dog can really wolf down (no pun intended) leftovers from dinner. He eats so fast, it's hard to believe he can taste anything. But, somehow, he does. If he gets something in his mouth that he considers nasty, like broccoli or mushrooms, he instantly spits it out.

[JACKSONFREAK]

Dry and canned pet foods are so much better these days. They are better balanced and designed for a dogs life in stages. From puppy to senior dog. Although we may want to give them what we feel is the best for them. Like table scraps. A pet is best off with eating a mixed diet of dry and canned foods. The premium foods like Iams, Eukanuba, Nutro science Diet etc.. are much better and usually use a natural preservative like vitamin E or Ethoxaquin. The Core foods like Pedigree, Kibbles and bits, and the like typically use BHT or BHA as preservatives. BHA BHT have caused cancer in people and animals. Although Purina has moved from BHA to Vtamin E and other natural preseatives. It was guilty of that for a while. Anyway. Our pets are best off eating a balanced diet of canned and dry food. for thier life stage. The occasional table scrap is ok but it shouldnt be the sole source of food for the pet.
Gil

[fett]

Have any of you guys been around long enough to watch a dog go from a puppy to youth to middle age and be old? I have. The one dog I raised from a pup to death, lived about 14 years. Maybe, 16. He ate what I ate for the most part. The only time I took him to the vet was for an infection on his little dick. He really loved it when I had to stroke the ointment it.

[MartinBarre]

Pet food from tins apparently causes all sorts of bad shit to happen to pets. Well, I read it in Nexus magazine so it must be true.

But whatever, I started feeding my dog Oscars stuff a while ago. It's "human grade" food and it's doing him no harm. He's 14 and fit as a fiddle, whatever that means.

[fett]

I have no idea what "Human Grade" food is. I can't afford to eat that.:ROTF: That begs the question. If you eat Human Grade food, why not just feed the dog the same food you eat?:ROTF: And no chicken bones.

[Ace]

Because WE don't eat human grade food for the most part. And I am sure your dog loved you and you did the right thing with the ointment, but please old buddy, spare us the details. And if you want to get a dog to stop begging, do what I do. When they beg at the table, hand them a chunk of onion. Or a turnip. They'll get the idea. My ex-girlfriend's dog used to beg from me all the time when I would eat. However I am vegetarian, so I would stick whatever I was eating right in his face. He soon realized that he didn't want what I ate, so he stopped begging me.

[JACKSONFREAK]

I have no idea what "Human Grade" food is. I can't afford to eat that.:ROTF: That begs the question. If you eat Human Grade food, why not just feed the dog the same food you eat?:ROTF: And no chicken bones.

why? because there are certain vitamins and minerals dogs and cats need that are not in our food. Human grade food means its fit for human consumption. Pet food manufacturers used to use all kinds of fillers and crap literally to make up the foods. Then the pet food regulatory commission put limits on what can be put into foods. So they have changed for the most part and have improved greatly over the last decade alone. And yes Fett i have been around long enough to watch a pet grow from kitten to senior cat and die of either old age or illness. Ive had cats that lived to be 18 years old. And a siamese that lived to be 14 when they're supposed to not live that long. I've had cats since 1988 continuously. I've worked in pet stores for 6 years and was a certified pet food consultant at one of the large pet supply companies.
This is a debate that has gone on as long as the chicken and the egg debate. Science has proven a pet will do better on a proper pet food diet. Than it will on a human food diet. Although some of our experiences differ in this area. Just do what works for you.
Gil

[fett]

I had happy dogs. There is nothing more gratifing then trimming a piece of beef and tossing the scraps to, in my case Joey and Cisco, and watching their eyes for the next toss. I don't think I would like to be a nowadays dog. "No bones? WTF is up with that? I'm a carnivore. That's why I have the jaws to break your frigging, I have to eat grain with flavors, leg":ROTF:

[Axewielder]

Another problem with processed "human" food is massive calorie content. A dog's small size and heroic eating abilities mean they can quickly devour many many times the calories they need if you let them. With dog food, you can easily measure out the same number of cups each day and be fine. But, as long as you are aware of that issue and enforce moderation, table scraps can be fine IMHO.