[Donna5503]

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone only feeds Dry Food, without anything else.

I was always feeding my guy Dry Food w/Chicken or Beef & fresh veggies mixed w/Broth. I've been seeing alot of post stating that they need the Dry Food for vitamins - and lately he's been leaving the Dry Food & only eating the other food.

So the last two nights, I've only given him Dry Food, and he eats it, but it's me that feels bad....it looks so bland. But I want to do right for him. So I was just wondering

Thanks

 

[kafkabeetle]

I feed kibble as a staple with a raw dinner a few times a week. If your dogs are eating *only* the extras, I would stop feeding them until after they eat their kibble at each meal. The dry food is only needed "for vitamins" in the sense that the extras most people feed are not nutritionally balanced. But they can be if you do your research. People have perfectly healthy dogs on exclusively raw or home cooked diets, but you can't just give chicken, beef and veggies without running into some deficiencies.

So anyway, I would recommend either instituting the 15 minute rule with plain kibble (dog has 15 minutes to finish a meal, after that it's taken away until the next meal-- this teaches them to eat when food is offered) OR researching raw or home cooked diets.

 

[Losech]

My two mixes eat mainly dry food, but whenever I add in extras they never leave the kibble. If they did, I would only give them kibble, and give them the extras after they finished the kibble, or as a treat some other time in the day.

The Shiba usually eats whole foods/homemade/raw/whatever you want to call it, and only gets kibble when he's being uber picky, like right now.

 

[Hambonez]

My pup gets kibble or kibble mixed with a few tbsp of wet food + water ("gravy"). He was sick a few weeks ago and was on chicken and rice for a few days, and since then he's been a bit of a fuss pot about eating his kibble. Now he's back on JUST kibble with few treats 'til he's eating it well again. Last night he ate a little but wouldn't eat the rest, then this morning he barfed foam, refused to eat his breakfast, barfed foam again (stubborn puppy! eat your kibbles!), so I gave him a few spoonfuls of wet food which he wolfed down, stopped with the empty stomach yaking, and wolfed his kibble down tonight! I'd like to make it more 'interesting' for him -- but not to the point where he's refusing to eat unless he has special food mixed in.

 

[LuvMyAngels]

Buster only gets kibble for meals. When I want to give extras, I do so after his meal (or mid day) in a separate dish. If I mix meals and treats he gets picky and refuses his meals.

 

[rouxdog]

Dogs do not have the same concept as dietary monotony and blandness as we do. There is a school of thought that says that mixing up various types of foods might give them indigestion as the fibre from your vegetables digest at a different rate from the meat and kibble. This causes runny stool and gas.

 

[MishaMeesh]

I mix some wet food in my pup's dry food. That'll probably help it! Because it 'is' healthy and important for them to have dry food, either that or raw feeding... whichever.
Hope that sort of helps. <3

 

[Gina_1978]

If I mix meals and treats he gets picky and refuses his meals.

This happens to mine too.
When we switched our yorkies from royal canin to Acana,they ate it fine the first day,then they refused it all together after that.I started mixing it with other things to spice it up and eventually,they were just picking out the soft food from the kibble.
Also,if I mix their kibble with anything else what so ever (even regular wet dog food),Milo gets sloppy poop.

Now,we´re going to make sure they only get kibble and any treats will be given after they eat it instead of during.

 

[InkedMarie]

I'm on my tablet and don't have the link but any wet food is better than dry. Dry is actually the worst you can feed. Raw is best, pre made raw, canned, dehydrated then kibble, if I remember correctly. You need to make sure your dog gets the dog food first, veggies later. Why not mix it all up with some canned?

 

[UF Girl]

Mine only get kibble. I do rotate the kibble, usually every 3 months. Every now and then I add a raw egg but that is at best once a week.

 

[Mieya]

I've heard that feeding your dog only wet food is bad for their teeth because they need to chew to clean them but I've never heard that dry only, assuming its nutritionally complete, will harm your dog. I can only imagin is like eating Saltine Crackers for the rest of your life though, at some point you're just choking it down.

 

[Gina_1978]

I'm on my tablet and don't have the link but any wet food is better than dry. Dry is actually the worst you can feed.

I´ve never heard that before.I have never been able to feed any of my dogs wet dog food (canned) because it always (every brand and every kind with every dog) makes their poop runny..and then there´s the gas lol.I actually tried a very reputable dog food (that came in a small sachet) this time around when Milo & Bella woudent eat Acana,and although they loved it,their poop was runny and RANCID

Vets here always try to push against it with the excuse of it being very unhealthy for their teeth.

I can see how that´s not an issue with fresh raw food though,with all those bones,they keep their teeth clean

 

[Gally]

I've heard that feeding your dog only wet food is bad for their teeth because they need to chew to clean them but I've never heard that dry only, assuming its nutritionally complete, will harm your dog. I can only imagin is like eating Saltine Crackers for the rest of your life though, at some point you're just choking it down.

Dry food cleaning dogs teeth is just a myth. Most dogs don't chew their kibble at all so there is really no benefit for the teeth. With dry or wet you need to take care of your dog's teeth either with chew toys, brushing/drops, or raw meaty bones.

 

[kafkabeetle]

Dry food cleaning dogs teeth is just a myth. Most dogs don't chew their kibble at all so there is really no benefit for the teeth. With dry or wet you need to take care of your dog's teeth either with chew toys, brushing/drops, or raw meaty bones.

I agree. At best the dog swallows the pieces whole so it has no effect on their teeth. At worst it coats their mouth in sugar (carbs) making tartar more likely to form. If you think about it, eating dry cereal or hard crackers does nothing for our teeth...why would it for a dog? At the end of the day only 3 things will keep a dogs teeth in shape; raw meaty bones, brushing or dental cleanings by your vet.

 

[Kathyy]

Here is one vet's ranking of different diets. I suspect the one mentioned is the one in a video by Dr. Becker.
http://www.drmarty.com/feeding.htm

 

[Gina_1978]

If you think about it, eating dry cereal or hard crackers does nothing for our teeth...why would it for a dog?

My new dentist would disagree
I have had a toothache for MONTHS now,so I havent been able to chew on my left side (wisdom tooth).I changed to a new dentist and the first thing she said to me when she looked,was "You dont chew on your left side do you".Not using my left molars to chew anything has created a huge build up of plaque (brushing alone doesnt prevent this),and now I´m going to need that side cleaned (under the gums & all) I´ve had that done before and it HURTS!
Anyway,I´ve been told that when I´m all fixed (molar out,teeth and gums cleaned) I have to get used to chewing with both sides to stop plaque from growing over them all again.So yeah..chewing does actually help keep plaque from taking over your teeth and riding up into your gums

 

[kafkabeetle]

My new dentist would disagree
I have had a toothache for MONTHS now,so I havent been able to chew on my left side (wisdom tooth).I changed to a new dentist and the first thing she said to me when she looked,was "You dont chew on your left side do you".Not using my left molars to chew anything has created a huge build up of plaque (brushing alone doesnt prevent this),and now I´m going to need that side cleaned (under the gums & all) I´ve had that done before and it HURTS!
Anyway,I´ve been told that when I´m all fixed (molar out,teeth and gums cleaned) I have to get used to chewing with both sides to stop plaque from growing over them all again.So yeah..chewing does actually help keep plaque from taking over your teeth and riding up into your gums

Except that dogs don't really chew their food (when it's a bunch of little bits as opposed to hunks of raw meat). As carnivores they are not equipped to, because their mouths only open up and down like a hinge. They are incapable of grinding food around in their mouths like people do. But anyway, even if kibble does have an effect, I can safely say its not enough to keep a dogs mouth healthy by itself. Our family dog that died sooner than he probably had to due to overwhelming dental degradation was exclusively kibble fed. So to me it's kind of a mute point since they're going to need dental care of some kind regardless. Too many people don't understand that and believe that the kibble will take care of it. I've witnessed the suffering that comes as a result of this misinformation.

 

[Mieya]

Agreed teeth cleaning is a must! Dogs hate it but the next day they seem to show off their teeth. When their teeth are being done your vet will also look for rotten teeth so they can be removed, bad teeth are very bad for their heart among other things.

 

[InkedMarie]

I've heard that feeding your dog only wet food is bad for their teeth because they need to chew to clean them but I've never heard that dry only, assuming its nutritionally complete, will harm your dog. I can only imagin is like eating Saltine Crackers for the rest of your life though, at some point you're just choking it down.

Kibble cleans a dogs teeth as well as granola would clean ours

 

[InkedMarie]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aTWHxvjI_as


that should work, I hope