Does it matter what a dog eats ?

Question

My nans next door neighbour says she made
her new dog starve until he would eat the
cheapest dog food she could get and he wouldnt
eat it at first but now she says they are both happy.
I think its cruel but nan says its dog training and
Mrs. *** is not rich.

The lady is a widow and she does love him. I'm sure the dog understands but I still think it was cruel to do it.

Answer 1

Don't care what a dog eats as long as it's not my dinner.

Answer 2

Would you want to eat Mcdonalds when you can have steak? The dog should be able to eat what dog food it wants to, it shouldn't be forced to eat to survive, it might as well be in the wild. Dogs are pets, and should be treated with respect. The dog probably hates eating the food it's eating. That dog food is the cheapest for a reason. Before getting a dog, make sure you can afford all of it's needs, including the food!

Answer 3

this is cruel, think about it! if a dog is hungry it will eat its own poo, this is not a lie! if she cant afford to feed her dog 1 she shouldn't have one or 2 dogs love left overs, why didn't she feed him on her left overs? dogs only need 1 meal a day but it needs to be substantial enough for the dog, small dogs need a coffee cups worth of food once a day medium dogs need a mugs worth and big dogs need 2 mugs worth this doesn't seem alot but it all the need to survive and if a dog is over weight it will have other problems.
you can buy good cheap pet food from your local pet shop dry food is better because its full or vitamins and minerals also cheaper then tinned if you but a big bag it will last ages like 12 months for a small dog for the price if 12- 20 pound you cant tell me that's expensive, most tinned foods are full of crap and have no nutritional value whats so ever plus is about 4-5 pound for say 6 tins which might last a small dog less then 2 weeks i am mad what that women did to her dog when you can buy good food so cheaply. all living things needs a good diet, would you eat poo? think about it you would have to if you were starving and were going to die. and you would die if you wern't fed just like dogs would

Answer 4

I think your question should have been "Does it matter more to the owner, what a dog eats".
When people are starving in parts of the world youre worried about the quality of your dogs food?
Who were the the dog's previous owners, the Queen?
there are owners who buy expensive and owners who buy cheap. Theyre all fit for dogs thats why there are companies selling it and people buying it.

You said it was starved? how starved was it, hours or days without food?
im not condoning her starving method but it can manage easily on water and snacks until it eats the food.

Answer 5

If you can afford it you should feed your dog a premium dog food because the ingredients are always the same. In cheap foods the vendors use what ever is cheaper at the time as ingredients. If rice is cheaper they will throw that into the food, but if corn is cheaper the next month they will use that. Premium food's that are highly recommended are Science diet, Eukanuba and Iams. All these brands use a specific recipe every time to give your dog a healthier life.

Answer 6

if this lady isn't rich then maybe she should not have the dog. Some foods are really not healthy for certain dogs. Just like babies and formula, the right formula must be found, or the baby will get sick. And that really is not right to starve an animal, I would call the Humane Society. Its not really right to hurt something that didn't deserve it.

Answer 7

Yes it does matter what a dog eats.
But since the person is providing food it is not considered abouse.
I see many people who feed a crappy dog food but they either don't care or they think becasue they saw an ad on tv it is a great food.
I feed avery high quality diet that has no corn or wheat or soy and no by products in it. I encourage my clients to look at the food label and compare it to thiers and let them choose for themselves.

Answer 8

This sounds gross but the cheapest dog food is covered in fresh chickens blood to make the dog eat it. Most usually love it over the good stuff. Kind of like us Hamburger vs tofu bar. Anyhow yes it matters. If you ask a vet they will ask how compact his poop is. If it is fluffy that is bad. Should be dense. Most cheaper dog food uses lots of corn which will dry out there skin and make them itch.

Answer 9

No it isnt cruel. A dog will eat eventually. As long as the food is down on the floor it is the dog that is being fussy. It is not like she is not giving it anything.

Answer 10

It does mater what an animal eats, if it wont eat a kind of food starving it is not how you change a dog's diet. Mixing the old with the new and slowly increase the amount of new is how you change a dog's diet.

Answer 11

Does it matter what YOU eat? Of course it does. No one would think about (I hope) feeding their children only candy and soda and expect them to be healthy. Yet people do the equivalent with their dogs.

Dogs are not robots. They are living creatures. Just like humans, all other living creatures need the proper food to survive and be healthy. Yes, a dog might be able to live eating Ol Roy or similar crap, just like I know a few people who survive eating nothing but Doritos and chocolate bars, but you can't expect them to be healthy and you can expect them to develop diseases and die a lot sooner than they would otherwise.