Feeding a Great Daine

[TheZoo]

Even if you left a great dane confined to a small area for 24 hours, you're bound to have one, if not two to three huge stinking piles of poo... each pile being more than a chihuahua could put out in a week.

Im going :OT: but I just HAD to say: feed your dogs and cats raw and you wont ever have to mess with big stinky piles of poop again!!! My German Shepherd outputs once a day and seriously, it looks very similar to rabbit poop. A bit larger, yes, but very compact, totally not stinky and they dont hang around nearly as long as kibble poop does. I know of someone who raises Great Danes on raw and her dogs poop is very similar. So, not to blow your analogy totally apart, but, I just had to say it! Oh....never ever ever feed a cooked bone to your dog or cat, they will splinter and could cause serious internal damage. Search the net for more information on feeding a biologically appropriate raw diet!

[TheZoo]

This post was moved without my consent. BTW, its spelled Great DANE. And it applies to all dog breeds, not just danes. And cats too.

read this for background info:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80643

[YoFishboy]

I have a friend that breeds and shows dogs that feeds "natural"....she swears by it...makes sense....dogs are opportunistic omnivores...a few notches above goats, digestively speaking....most dog food is the slag at slaughter houses, with chemicals....less processed food is good for us too!

By the way...don't sweat the move....things will settle down around here...just enjoy the reason we are here...to have fun sharing info. about our hobby and the occasional "off Topics" ;)

[Roan Art]

The breeder we got two of our collies from (they're 4 years old now) raises all her puppies on RAW diets. To keep them on what they were used to, we moved our 7 year old collie to a RAW diet as well.

I could not BELIEVE the improvement he had in his energy, coat and skin. He always had skin problems, those went away. He always had a over-abundant amount of wax in his ears -- that went away. His severe hip dysplasia improved and he was able to get around better. After a year on RAW, I moved them over to Breeder's Choice and Neura and the improvements stayed. We feed them raw meat and bones as a treat now.

We now feed them Natural Balance and will never feed "grocery store" brand foods again. Especially since they all contain sub-par ingredients and known cancer causing agents.

Roan

[kjf91004]

Shopping for petfood is like shopping for people food. LOOK AT THE LABEL!! Any meat product "mechanically" processed is pretty much gross stuff ground off of the outside of bones, and in my opinion should not be fed at all.

I think high quality is the key. It really does make a difference. In addition what ever diet you feed, it should be supplemented with healthy treats such as veggies and fruits. (Just no grapes or onions)

[RockabillyChick]

i agree. i feed my pets a dry food diet, but i researched a long time to find a really good one that was still affordable. and if i had the resources i would feed RAW too. both my cat and my rats get Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul. they have Kitten, Adult cat, Senior Cat, Puppy, Adult dog, Senior dog formulas. all the ingredients are natural and there's no corn fillers. the first 3 ingredients are meat that is never frozen. i feed the cat the "adult cat" formula, and the rats get the Senior dog formula, plus and organic grain mix and fresh fruits and veggies.

[TheZoo]

K, Im not drunk (and pi**ed!) anymore so back to the raw topic!

Yeah, I cant believe the difference in my dog since getting her on raw. Shes about 7 years old, a German Shepherd, but acts about 2. A neighbor recently told me that shes seen the years fall off of her since starting the diet! Its a shame I didnt research it sooner, couldve avoided some skin/fur/ general stinkiness issues. Now the only trick is getting her stuff out and defrosted in time! Im working on getting my cat switched over but hes SO picky. Need to invest in a food grinder, Ive been told that might work.

[SubluxT7]

Ahh..the BARF diet (that is what most people call it). BARF = Bones & Raw Foods. Ive never tried it with my dogs, but have always been tempted. Maybe have to give it a go!

Sandy

[TheZoo]

BARF is actually a trademark of the Aussie vet (Dr Killinghurst) who made it popular. You can also call it Bones And Raw Food, or just raw.....