Good diet for small dog?

Question

my dog is about 13lbs, and she usually eats 3/4cup dog food (usually purina or pedigree). We also give her some veggies..she LOVES steamed broccoli. She also likes whole wheat bread, some cheese (just a little as a treat.. quarter sized piece), we let her lick clean the yogurt cups, little bits of hard boiled egg, and lots of fruits: banana, orange, pear. (no grapes) We give her some cooked pork bones sometimes..no chicken bones. and ofcourse some chicken meat. And maybe once a week, we give her brown rice instead of her dog food.

She doesn't really like her dog food, but we give it to her because we know its a balanced nutrition, but as treats we like to give her bits of these other foods. My family eats a healthy diet, so the food we give her is healthy as well. whole grains, veges, fruits, meat.. is this good for her??

i understand that it may make her picky or whatever, but id think that natural foods like vegetables and fruits and whole grains would have better nutrition than processed dog food? everyone knows that processed food are really bad, so im thinking that giving her nutrition straight for the source would be a healthy alternative (once in a while) to giving ONLY food that is processed

Answer 1

Actually, as others have already stated, dogs are naturally carnivorous. The only reason they act omnivorous in domestication is because we've domesticated them to do so - with tactics like this. Many dog food brands will claim they are the best - some lie, some are true. I have to say that Purina and Pedigree are terrible grade foods because of the ingredients. If you read through ingredients on dog food packages, the higher up (closest to the beginning) things like corn, grains, vegetables, byproducts, meat "meals", and salts are, the worse they are. It's all commercialism.

Look for foods like, as said, Innova EVO (fantastic brand - recommended by many long-time dog owners who noticed dramatic change in dog's coat, teeth, alertness, and overall health), and where a true meat (no byproduct or fat crap after it) is the first ingredient, and preferably comes after the first ingredient to follow more and more down the list. The more real meats, the better. Foods like the brands you are buying have high grain ingredients are of poor quality because dogs do not digest grain the way we do. The diet you currently have your dog on is fantastic for people and other truly omnivorous creatures, but dogs and cats naturally eat meat strictly. Most of what you are feeding her, including the kibbles, are known as "filler" products. They fill the dog and have little to no nutritional value to the system.

Fruits, vegetables, and grains won't necessarily hurt your dog, but they are virtually useless in her system and take space that she could be filling with healthier (dog-wise) choices. You definitely are working hard for her, even a little too hard. I suggest switching to a better rate kibble (the biggest hint the kibble sucks is if you can find it in a grocery store or a WalMart or something - high quality kibbles are in specialty pet stores) and if you're going to supplement her diet, use meats. Cooked meats are good if there are no bones, as cooked bones can splinter and get lodged in the dog's throat. Raw meat is also good, and raw bones can be chewed on that leave teeth very healthy and pearly white.

Answer 2

Nutra makes a great food called Innova EVO which is kibble, but formulated as close to the RAW diet as possible.

Also, you should NEVER feed your dog any bone that has been cooked. Raw bones are okay, but NEVER ANY bone that has been cooked. Cooked bones can splinter and cause an array of nasty issues.

Whatever you decide to do, whether it feed RAW, or BARF, or Innova EVO, make sure you STICK WITH THE PROGRAM. Don't keep changing things up. Your dog will hold out for the better tasting food even if it's less nutritious.

Also, pitch the Purina or Pedigree - ack. That's like feeding your dog McDonalds everyday - gross. Go with Innova EVO, or Artemis, or Wellness - all wholistic foods which is what it seems you're aiming for.

Pick and stick... that's the best plan for your pet.

Answer 3

Not really, but it could be worse. Dogs are carnivores, they need meat products...no veggies, no fruit, no grain...meat. Dogs' teeth are designed to tear flesh, not pulverize grain (compare your molars to your dogs molars). They lack the digestive enzymes needed to break down plant material, and they have a short intestinal tract compared to the intestinal tract of herbivores. Commercial dog food is actually not balanced nutrition, despite what it says on the bag, and purina and pedigree and among the lower end kibbles out there. They are more grain than anything else...just look at the ingredient label if you don't believe me. They also use 4-d meats (that's meat that is unfit for human consumption because it is diseased, disabled, down or dying). Plus, the grain can be moldy and still be considered fine to use in pet food. If you are going to feed commercially prepared dog food, there are many better brands out there. If you want to feed better than commercially prepared dog food, look into the homemade diets and/or the raw food diets.

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Despite what some people think...wolves DO NOT eat the plant material in the stomach when they bring down a moose or deer. They shake the contents out and then eat the stomach muscle according Mech and other top wolf researchers.

Answer 4

First, I would cut back on the carbs. A serving of brown rice instead of dog food?? Dogs need more protein than that. I would suggest just a little rice mixed in with lots of meat and some veggies, and I don't think the bread is a good idea either.

Overall, there's nothing wrong with giving her human food as long as it's balanced. There's no dog food in the wild, and there was no dog food for thousands of years when domesticated wolves at the table scraps of their human hunters. Dry dog food is NOT some 'perfect' dog diet that should be bowed down to above all others; natural dog diets are perfectly acceptable, and a lot of breeders prefer it to commercial diets.

DON'T listen to the person who said dogs only need meat! In the wild, if a wolf eats a deer, he eats the deer's stomach as well, which contains- VEGETABLE MATTER! Dogs do need some carbs and vegetables in their diet, they just need it to be more meat than carbs/veggies.

Second, Purina and Pedigree are BAD crappy dog foods, you shouldn't feed her that, or Iams, Eukanuba, or Science Diet. If you give her dog food, make it a GOOD brand: Artemis, Merrick, Verus, Wysong, Wellness, Canidae, Chicken Soup, Fromm, Nutro Ultra, Innova, etc. You can find them at natural pet stores or online at www.petfooddirect.com. Anything you can buy at a supermarket and most things you buy at Petsmart/Petco are crap.

Here's a list of good human foods you can feed:
Chicken, beef, venison, rabbit, pheasant, turkey, lamb.
Oatmeal (raw or cooked plain), brown rice, bran, whole wheat pasta (small amounts.
Broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, green beans, peas, pumpkin.
Boiled egg, cottage cheese, hard cheeses (very small amounts), plain yogurt.
Fruit is okay, but it's high in sugar, so use it sparingly. Try cranberries and blueberries, they're high in useful antioxidants, and cranberries naturally reduce the risk of urinary problems.

It's also a good idea to buy dog vitamin tabs, either feed them whole or crush them into food she likes. Also, flaxseed oil is in most dog foods, and you can buy it separately and add it to her natural foods. It's very important for a healthy coat.

Answer 5

This sounds like an OK diet. but not superb. You should probably switch to a higher quality dog food like Nutro(you can get it at most bigger name pet stores). Purina and Pedigree are full of fillers like corn and flour.
Never feed your dog cooked bones. Alot of people are afraid to feed chicken bones because of the idea that they will break and kill your dog. this is WRONG. Only cooked bones can hurt your your dog. Cooking them weakens the bones and they turn brittle and break. It is actually very safe and incredibly good for your dog to eat raw meat bone and all. All three of my dogs are on raw diets (raw chicken, usually leg quarters, yes, whole, it's good for their teeth. also organ meats and other things for treats like chicken feet for marrow) Feeding raw helps prevent heart worms and even fleas. It also makes the dog's coat shinier and stay a healthy weight. What i like most about it is their teeth.. My dogs no longer have bad breath and we never have to bruch their teeth, chewing the bones does it for you. I could look in my dogs mouth right now and not see any junk on his teeth.. Feeding raw also helps prevent gingivitus. If you are interested in feeding raw it's a great idea, as gross as it may seem, it's very good for your puppy, and because your dog is not picky the meat you feed is uaually pretty cheap.. we feed all three of our dogs for about the same cost as we did on kibble. If you are inerested do your research. As for feeding her rice, i'm not sure if thats a good idea, have you ever heard of wild dogs eating rice? All animals live best and are happiest eating what they were made to eat. Humans were made to eat fruits, veggies, and meat. dogs were made to eat meat and a few veggies. not corn and flour. good luck in your food search! if you decide to feed raw, do some research and ask some more questions!

Answer 6

it seems that before there were processed dog food brands, there were still people who had dogs. if you prefer to feed your dog a food diet, i would suggest talking to her vet to clarify what foods are best for her, and what should be avoided. i know that with my mother's dogs, when they have been ill, the vet suggests chicken and rice, so that seems like a safe bet. remember that a dog's system is different than a human's, and have different dietary needs. a vet could better tell you what meats, how they should be cooked, and what vegetables are ok.

Answer 7

Your dog would be much better off health wise if you would just feed her a good quality dog food (the ones you mentioned are good ones) and leave off the other stuff. She will eventually get to where she doesn't want to eat the dog food at all which is better for her than the other stuff. A little treat once in a while is ok but not all the time and not so much.
Also pork in any form, bone, etc. is very bad for your dog.

Answer 8

I think it's fine except for the pork bones.Dogs shouldn't eat cooked bones,as they can splinter.You should give her large,raw beef or lamb bones instead.

Answer 9

no , even though it is healthy for you and your family it is not for you pup , there areu substitutes from the iams company that are sauces that will add flavor and smell to the dry dog food , they are just like use if it doesnt smell good then most likely they wont eat it. also switching to a higher protein food , most of them are a little more pricey eukanuba is a great choice on the other foods are packed with sugar so she is burning it off quicker than what she would on the eukanuba , feeding 1/4 c 2 times a day will be fine

Answer 10

Dogs are omnivorous like us. The problem that can come about is that because of the people food, she may become a picky eater. The choice is yours. Have a great year.