STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

greendiamond wrote:

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Nature's Variety Prairie and Instinct dog food has done wonders for my dog. We give her Instinct duck in a can, and then Prairie Lamb for dry. She mostly gets the canned food in the winter to keep her skin fron drying out (along with dry food too).

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I stood at the store for like 20 minutes, trying to decide between the NV Prairie Lamb and NV Instinct Rabbit (dry). I ended up getting the Instinct Rabbit. I've only just started adding it into her old food, but she seems to like it. The guy at the store said I could return it if she didn't. I also got her a can of the Instinct Duck, but it seemed really watery. It also seemed like a congealed blob, not sure if I got a bad can. I like wet dog food that's chunky (Merrick is chunky, but they seem to have quality control issues with their cans - there are always tons of dented ones when I go to the store). The ones that look like one solid mass always look so suspicious - I can't tell the protein source from the veggies, and the congealed blob reminds me of cranberry sauce from a can.

We tried the Instinct Rabbit, and my dog didn't care for it as much, so we switched her back to the lamb. It is better for her, any ways, she tends to not do too well when her diet is too protein-y.

As for the duck, duck is very fatty, so that what I think the "congealed blob" is. It sure has helped my dog's coat though. We mix a 1/2 can of wet food, a handful of dry dog food, some ground flaxseeds, some cranberry supplements and some salmon oil and she is one happy pup!

One thing also to remember is that the amount per day listed on the back of the actual dog food bag/can is totally off, in most cases. Depending on the amount of exercise that your dog gets, adjust the amounts as needed.

Wetbandit42, puppies actually poop more than adult dogs. As long as the poops are productive and not too wet, it shouldn't be a problem.

Rawhide is notoriously bad for causing obstructions, as are pig ears.

Buford gets several items to play with, and his playing is all chew so I have to be careful of what he can actually chew and swallow.

He really likes the Air Kongs, these look like they are made out of tennis ball material but are much tougher. The football shape lasts the longest (as does the bone shape) because he can't really get an end to chew on. Both of these last several months.

He also has a red Kong (the kind for dental chewing, it's ridged). But he's almost killed it, I have to watch carefully to make sure no large bits are coming off.

He has two Nylabones. One regular bone shape which he only somewhat likes and a dental chew Nylabone that has little spiky bits on each end of the bone. This he likes much, much better. I'm guessing because it's rougher than the smooth Nylabone.

The only things that he's allowed to play with while we aren't home are the Air Kongs and the Nylabones. Most of his toys are for supervised play. I've spent a ton of money though, on figuring out what will actually stand up to his chewing. To figure out the three or so toys that work, I've probably gone through 10 or so other types of toys. How rough is your dog on chewing? Would she chew through a softer-toy? They make those large rope toys, maybe that could work? Buford's jaws are just too strong for most toys and unfortunately, his mouth is simply too large for a lot of toys as well.

For food type chews, we've tried the bully sticks but he destroys them in three seconds. I've tried cutting them into smaller pieces but I haven't been able to do that and if I try to take away the entire piece it's really gross. It's wet and sticky and it smells absolutely revolting. I've only tried the foot-long pieces though, because I'm afraid of him just completely swallowing the smaller pieces.

As for bones, basically any uncooked bone is fine. It's only cooked bones that are a problem because cooked bones tend to flake off in splinters. Dogs can, for the most part, completely digest an uncooked bone. People who feed RAW often mix in entire pieces of meat, bone in. But again, same problem as the bully stick, you have to be able to give them the entire piece otherwise you are left with a smelly, smelly piece of toy.

Thanks ladies! I might try coming back to rawhides when she's a bit older. Right now, she just likes to chew too hard and she's sneaky. You turn your back for one minute, and she's trying to swallow small chunks of rawhide. Bad idea for now.

Relrel, I have a rope toy, but she never seems to like chewing on it. Once in a while she'll bring it out of her basket, but she quickly abandons it in favor of something more stimulating. I'll have to check out those Air Kongs and the spikey Nylabones. She has a little rubber bone that's got different textures which she chews on a lot, so I suspect she'd like a spikey Nylabone as well.

Thanks for the heads up on the smell that Bully Sticks create. I always thought they just looked gross, but now I know that the smell? I think I might pass on those.

Elle, my dog is the same way. There's no way I would ever get her to eat the recommended amount. She's a light eater, and getting her to eat enough is a challenge. Plus, it's probably healthier for her to be a little too skinny than a little too fat.


-- Edited by wetbandit42 on Wednesday 12th of August 2009 06:00:43 PM

that is great to hear yogurt worked so well with your dog. my friend is also feeding chicken soup for the dog lover's soul adult formula and they have had a lot of success with it, her dog loves it!