BG, where do you buy your pet supplies?

[zoobernut]

There are plenty of vets that really do their nutrition research, but for many vets it isn't on the agenda.

Oh yeah for sure. Human doctors are like that too. Some really care. Others just do it for the money.

[quannum]

Quannum, we just switched to something Arm & Hammer brand, and the smell is completely gone.

thx

[Caiyuo]

The benefits that come from vets selling big companies' food is definitely a part of it, but I dunno.. my last 2 bosses knew very little about what was actually healthy. Owners would tell us they fed Beneful and Meow Mix and Pedigree and they'd reply "Oh that's a pretty good food". Owners that told them they fed Orijen or Wellness would get a look like they just spoke in an unknown language.

There are plenty of vets that really do their nutrition research, but for many vets it isn't on the agenda.

I've encountered that before and the only explanation I could come up with aside from just not knowing what the fuck was that the cost seemed too prohibitive for the owner, or that they felt the owner would start having to decide between a great food or supplies and meds. Just a guess, but I don't meet many pet owners who are willing to pay much for a pet's food.

With that said, Orijen is really highly rated and my dog loves it, but pretty expensive. I don't even bother buying treats outside of bones considering I can train with the kibble. What I would recommend is using Orijen's site to locate pet stores near you that carry it as the chance of them also carrying other genuinely healthy brands for both dogs & cats is high, plus you'll probably meet some awesome Mom & Pop types running it, lol.

Also, just as a general suggestion, hit up a tractor supply or equivalent for a cheap food container if you're going to be buying in bulk. From what I've seen the chain stores both charge more and don't offer very large containers whereas I was able to get a really hefty container on wheels that leaves plenty of room after emptying a 30lb. bag into it.

Oh and congrats!

[Lyrai]

For those of you that feed your dog/cat Eukanuba, they're going to be long-term out of stock after all the recalls. They closed one of their plants and are in the process of rebuilding. I'd stock up on what you can and change over to a different food, because we're being told it's going to go on until the spring. Some Iams formulas are under recall too. If you're on PetSmart's mailing list, they sent out $5 off coupons for people, and mentioned the long term out of stock.

http://www.eukanuba.com/en-US/product-recall.html

[Boyiee]

My one dog is being really stubborn about eating his food lately. There seems to be no rhyme or reason except the fact that he is an asshole and is just being stubborn.

We've taken the food away for over 24 hours even, he just wants different food and he isn't going to get it.

I'm going to try making a home-made gravy or something to put on it, the dog food is dry and I think if it's more appetizing he'd eat it. My other dog gets wet food from a can, and one time I mixed in some of that and he ate it immediately... any other ways to get him to eat it other than the methods above? He was eating it at first but has become more and more stubborn lately.

He eats healthy food btw. I know he just wants the bad stuff or table food or what the other dog has.

[Caiyuo]

I've heard of soaking dry food/kibble in water for dogs who are older or have problems with their teeth, but I'm not sure if there are any important considerations or hazards in trying it.

Not sure if it was this thread or another, but I've also heard of people cracking a raw egg over kibble as well purely for taste, but again, it could very well be a bad idea or add more calories to their diet than you'd expect, I'm not sure.

[Boyiee]

He's only 2yrs old I think, the older dog (13) is getting the canned food right now.

There really is no reason for him not to eat it, and it really really REALLY pisses me off.

[Swarley]

I have to find it extremely odd that Eukanuba and Iams continue to recall food for salmonella, while my dog is fed a raw diet and hasn't had a single bacterial incident. Something's not right there.

Boyiee: Do you feed the two dogs at the same time and same area? Is it possible for you to feed them in two separate rooms? My sister's cats had these problems, one of them needed wet food because of her teeth and the other cat would attack the older one so she could have her food instead. We ended up putting the greedy fatass one in the bathroom for meals.

Gravy should work or anything else that is equally tasty or stinky. A little ground burger (cooked) mixed in might help entice him.

[Amelya]

One of my dogs is a picky eater as well, we started adding some water to his kibble and he seems to be more interested in it. Personally I'd try to hold out and not give in, if he's a normal healthy dog he's not going to starve himself to death.

I wouldn't recommend putting raw eggs on dog food too often; once in a while is fine, but it shouldn't be an every day thing. I think the dog can end up with biotin deficiency.

[Salodin]

Dogs are a lot like small children in that If they see their sibling getting something like extra attention, or even better food, they'll whine and bark for some too. I had this problem when the girlfriends family got a new dog and the older lab started barking at me and nibbling on my arm cause she didn't like that I was giving the new dog attention over her.

Fast forward a few years, the same happens when her inside dog sees me feed her outside dog wet food but only put dry food in her bowl. Her indoor dog will refuse to eat her dry food for a short while (until shes starving really), after which she'll gobble down and not go hungry again until the next time she sees me whip out the wet food that she is not getting. It's probably worse for some since, like children, some are more stubborn then others.