Is this an okay diet for my dog?

Question

I dislike all low-quality pet foods, but since I'm young my mother refuses to feed our dog anything other than Beneful or Purina. Right now, shes on Beneful.
First I'd like to ask on which one is better, even though they both aren't great. I'm well aware of all the junk that goes into pet foods and am appaled by it; but, it /is/ my mother's money we're using.

Anyway... to try and give our dog some nutrients, I've began to cook her food. I cook half an egg with 1 cup of dog food and add in some lightly steamed carrots. In the morning after her walks, she gets 1/2 a cup; and at dinner, gets the other 1/2 cup. Is this okay? Will it do anything to her health? Any benefits from it?

I'm also wondering if 1 cup a day is good for a 20 pound Cockapoo female. Thank you very much!

Answer 1

Adding the egg and carrots is a wonderful idea, but you don't even need to cook the carrots, they are more nutritious raw.
Here is a great website that rates dog foods. Maybe you can find a decent one that isn't so expensive:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
1 cup a day is great as long as she isn't putting on weight. All dogs are different and eat different amounts, so just adjust the amount if she seems under or overweight.
Oh, also inform your mom that more expensive foods are more concentrated so you feed much less, and in the long run, you really aren't spending much more, and there is much less poop to clean up!

Answer 2

Kibble isn't a particularly great food for dogs but most of them are reasonably good and will keep your dog alive and reasonably healthy. Kibble is made by chopping and cooking and steaming and fortifying and extruding and spraying and drying. All kibble is highly processed.

I think a home cooked diet is the best for dogs. Even though each and every meal isn't homogeneous like kibble, the nutrients will even out over time. Our meals aren't homogeneous and 'complete' either but, if we eat a good variety of foods, the nutrition evens out over time for us as well.

Kibble is a fraction of the price of fresh human food. It runs about $1-$1.5/pound (give or take) in its final, cooked state while fresh, raw beef runs at least $2.99/pound and broccoli is around $1.50/pound. Kibble is convenient and cheap.

You are right to be skeptical about kibble. IMO, much of the bad breath of dogs comes from eating bad smelling kibble.

I think dogs deserve fresh food at least some of the time. Fresh food is not the same as table 'scraps' but food prepared as a meal. I would stick to fresh, cooked meats and green vegetables along with some carbs like potatoes.

A dog fed chunks of raw carrots may not be digesting them. You can check to see what comes out the other end and sometimes it includes chunks of carrot, corn kernels and the like. Since I'm skeptical about the state of the grocery industry, I don't like the idea of raw meats and I think lightly cooked vegetables are more digestible than raw.

Some fiber is good but I don't think excess is required. It doesn't seem to affect their appetite. I also think that fat has gotten a bad reputation but, when given a preference, dogs prefer protein and fat to carbs.

My two cents.

It is a controversial subject but I have dogs with no fleas, no skin problems, no doggy breath and no extra pounds.

Answer 3

I hope youre feeding the eggs and carrots in addition to the food. Those two foods won't provide your dog with enough nutrients. Purina is a premium dog food brand also, I don't think you need to be worried. If you want to add a supplement, even though it can't replace nutrients from dog food, PetTabs is an excellent vitamin, maybe you can compromise with your mom and get the PetTab and purina.

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_petnutritionnutrients

Answer 4

I am not going to jump on you about the food.. But let me help you if I can ok??

If you can tell your mom.. that good quality foods seem like they are more.. Your dog will actually eat far less food over all. They get their nutrition faster and easier out of good quality food.. They need less because the food is easier to digest, better quality ingredients, and the body is able to use the food much better.. They digest it better so they use it properly and get what they nee out of far less food.. So they eat less, and the good news, they poop less..
Not only that, but these and both Purina and Beneful have ingredients in them that cause allergic response from most dogs.. So those ear infections, and those coat problems.. GONE when you feed good food.. So you end up seeing the vet a whole lot less.. No Benedryl like you see so many people on here giving to their dog.. No bathing all the time due to dry skin and coat and a dog that smells.. Good food, healthy dog inside and out and you have no doggy smell in the house..

Someone has done the price per pound thing and if you search on it, you'll find it around here somewhere.. But pound for pound the Canidae and other good foods are the same if not cheaper than both the Purina or the Beneful.. Overall you are doing much better and are farther ahead feeding the Canidae for example..

I can do better than that even.. You are cooking for your dog,, likely some meat, egg and carrots.. You will NOT need to do this if you feed a good quality food.. In fact it's not a good idea.. When they are eating a good quality food, they are balanced in their diet, you dont' want to be adding a bunch of stuff, cause you'll throw that balance off..

I can't even begin to stress to you how important quality dog food is..
Let's say you eat a chocolate bar for supper.. and a Coke.. Maybe some ice cream.. Tomorrow you have a zit.. Same type thing happens with the dogs.. You eat garbage food with ingredients that aren't any better than candy, tomorrow they might have a zit :) But they have stuff in their system that will affect them negatively.
When I tell you that foods with the Synthetic K cause birth defects.. Among other things.. I am not kidding you, I am not saying it because I read it somewhere, I am not saying it because it's a joke.. I am telling you this because I have been researching this, talked to vets and have had them admit to me that this Synthetic K causes birth defects. Yeah you won't breed your dog, but if it causes birth defects, you know it causes other problems in a growing dog. The copper sulfate is a fungicide.. It's used to keep fungus from building up in pools, on farms etc.. It has no business being in dog foods..
I have talked to 4 people who have litters now with puppies with missing limbs due to the Synthetic Vitamin K.. I have talked to a woman whose friend had a litter born with puppies who ALL had ONE EYE.. ONE EYE.. I talked to Purina back and forth for months, when I asked them about this.. They suddenly ignore me.. Why???

Answer 5

Your best bet is to check with a veterinary clinic. Some clinics also have different types of healthy pet foods that you can buy from them.
We had a dog for 14 years that had digestion problems and our vet. gave us a diet to follow. We cooked everything at home and he did well for several years on it. You have to be carefull and not give your dog to much food that is high on the glycemic index such as carrots.

Your vet. knows best.

Answer 6

Look on the side of the dog food, the frist ingredient is the main food you are giving the dog. Carrots usually make a dog have lose bowel movements. AS long as the frist ingredient is not corn meal Your dog food is fine, With a little left overs as long as your not not a fried food diet. You should give the dog milk a couple of ounces every other day.

Answer 7

I thinks it's great what your doing both respecting your mother and caring for your dog. You may want to check out this website it may even give you more ideas of other ways to feed your girl. http://www.happydogfood.com Stay with Beneful, just because she is use to that food going to Purina may upset her tummy. Once you see Happy Dog Food you may want to make your own. Also you can check out http://www.dogcatradio.com They have food diet ideas for dogs on that and it shows you how to make the food. All the best;~)

Answer 8

It's great to add fresh food.

You are right that the carrots should be cooked. About 1/4 cup per day would be the right amount.

You can give the egg raw - and your dog might want to eat the shell too!

You can give your dog plain yogurt, pure canned pumpkin, canned mackerel, raw meat (or cooked, if you worry about it).

Never feed smoked or cooked bones! Never feed onions, grapes, raisins, chocolate.

Answer 9

It soundsgood, yet watch the egg. additionally, i don't think of the olive oil will do too plenty good for her. once you're changing the biscuits too, then get some thing it is greater common, because of the fact she has all the different stuff in her nutrients habitual already. try Kirklands, they have each and all the essential factors and is powerful for healthful bones. Or try Pedigree. yet not something with a great number of distinctive varieties of meats and greens and despite.

Answer 10

My dog eats better than my husband and I do! We even got word from our vet that he was impressed with the range of food. While we do supplement his dry food (Eukanuba brand) with table food, we are very careful what we give him and how much.

Because of this our dog does like veggies (weird, huh). And we did temper him a little bit on chocolate (even though most dogs can die from overexposure). The point is more that if you don't want to rely simply on dry/wet dog foods... You need to talk to your vet about alternatives. You do not have the ability to know what is best for your dog without discussing it with your vet.

Some breeds can't handle certain things. And some are predisposed to illnesses that can come from eating table foods. It is more responsible for you to feed the dog dry/wet dog food until you speak to the vet than to arbitrarily feed him table food without knowing what it could do.

Please see the vet. And not all dry/wet dog food is bad. Your vet will know better which brands will do the best for your dog.