Hi, Charlie is 9+ months old and is on dry kibble since he is with us (Royal canin, drools focus) I haven't faced any issue till now related to his health but now a days few of my friends started saying that i should feed him human food like chapati or rice or veggies and pulses. As per them these dog foods are not pure and good whichever brand u pick they all are same and its better for a dog to feed him home food which we humans eat. Pleass let me know is dry kibble so bad?? Or should i start feeding him other things now? If i opt for home cooked food what are the best options that i can give him so that his daily nutritional needs are properly met.
Hello, it seems quite common in countries like India to feed dogs on largely vegetable diets, chapatis and the like. This really is not a good idea. Good dog foods (such as Royal Canin) are nutritionally balanced for the needs of your dogs. Vegetable based diets are not. The only real alternative to feeding kibble or a wet dog food is feeding raw, which can, if you choose, include vegetables but must be mainly (or wholly) comprised of meat, bones, internal organs etc. Here is some more information: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-puppy-feeding-faq/
Human food is not a suitable diet for a dog particularly when compared with a food specifically formulated to provide all your dogs nutritional needs.
Ok so as per this article im not doing anything wrong feeding him royal canin and he will live a happy and healthy life touchwood People told me these foods contains fillers and can reduce your pups health and life blah blah and i was very scared. So this means im doing right feeding him kibbles right? [Just need to be assured again ]
Yeah right I was told that dog foods and dry kibbles are all scraps and all and one shouldn't feed this to dogs so got little scared.
I feed my dog on kibble, and this is because I believe that it's the best thing to feed him. I also feed Royal Canin. When people say this food is full of 'fillers' they usually mean that kibble is based on some form of carbohydrate and dogs do not need carbohydrate. This is true, most (but not all) kibbles have a form of carbohydrate in them. This does not mean that there is anything harmful about this. The one I feed has tapioca in it but rice, maize and potatoes are often used. Some people think it is much better to feed a dog on raw food, but there is no evidence that it is better.
Rice, veggies and pulses are popular fillers in kibble. Many folks think there is an advantage to having more personal control over them by feeding raw. Well the rice and pulses you would cook yourself, or buy canned, thereby rather removing the raw, self control aspect. WE fed raw till Oban got sick. WE are back on kibbles again but different from the ones he got sick on in the first place. It was more expensive and a lot more work for me but I liked how he looked on it. I have friends who home cook but say they don't see how they could have managed the time and planning aspect if they weren't retired. One thing you might consider is rotating kibbles. Lots of us do that for various reasons. One is to have an alternate in case of recall. My reason is to avoid buildup in the dog's body of the crap that is associated with producing a main protein and filler.
You are doing the right thing in continuing to feed Charlie kibble. The dog food manufacurers want you to keep buying their food so they make sure it is good for your dog. I also think they know a lot more about dog nutrition than I do. I have used kibble for over 20 years and have had happy healthy dogs. You say you feed Charlie dry kibble, have you tried giving it to him with water? You can even leave it to soak in water so it is softer.
Yes i give it to him dry as water soaked or adding some water is what he never seems to like. But i have seen him getting bore of his food sometimes so is there something that i can do to change his taste and make his food look more tasty to him?
I tried rotating the kibble brand but he never looked that interesting in his food with others than royal canin and when i gave him fermina N&D he got sick so as of now i want to stick to Royal canin only (hope its not bad for him)
Raw is something i cannot cope up with due to my office and study and all. You too feed royal canin so does it contains too much fillers or carbohydrates?? Or it is a good dog food kibble for him and i need not to worry about? I can work a bit more to get a better brand if there is some?
Royal Canin is a very good brand. If he eats it, then stick with it. You say he looks bored sometimes, that may be because you're switching around a bit too much and he's starting to think that if he doesn't eat his dinner, something better will come along. Stick to feeding just the RC.
Fillers are not necessarily a bad thing. It can mean rice and vegetables, which are good things. We humans, all eat fillers, rice, bread vegetables they all bring good nutrition to our diets. Molly eats a good quality kibble but it is only 26% meat the rest of it is rice, vegetables etc. Yes they are fillers but they are good food.I fed my last dog on it for thirteen years. She was very healthy. Personally speaking, as a human, I would get very hungry without my fillers like bread and vegetables.
Our breeder advised us to feed Pongo mainly on kibble (we use CSJ) because this will give him the best balanced diet and everything he needs; but also to add a little "something" to most meals, for interest. This is what she does for all her dogs and puppies. The "something" might be an egg; or some gravy; or some leftover veggies or meat. The only thing she strongly advised against was pig-meat of any sort (bacon, pork, ham). So Pongo gets two meals of kibble per day (with water); and usually a few scraps on top. He also gets titbits from us during our mealtimes (yes, I know, bad habit!). He seems to be a healthy boy. For treats and training he usually gets tiny little cubes of cheese. I don't understand the pig-meat thing, but sure enough if he gets hold of any pork or bacon we can guarantee that the next day he has a seriously upset stomach. You will be doing the very best thing for your dog if you feed him a good, high quality kibble - like Royal Canin. It will give him everything he needs, in the right balance.
When we got Hattie from the breeder she was on a BARF diet which we stuck with for about 18 months - yukkkk!! couldn't handle it not with 4 children too so we switched to kibble. Like @Rosie Hattie & Charlie are kibble fed with scraps, veggies the odd egg and every other day they get a tin of sardines in olive oil, ocassionally they get totally consumable raw meaty bones and chicken carcases, turkey necks etc. and they are both extremely fit and healthy Poor Pongo no piggy for him then Charlie can't have any lamb or he has an upset stomach. Hattie has cast iron guts and can eat anything.
Our dogs are kibble fed. I do vary things slightly...boiled veggies (broccoli is good..) with a raw egg on top, instead of the kibble, helps keep the calories down. Maybe a meaty bone from the butchers. Occasionally they may get the odd meat scraps, Sunday mornings they get a mini cooked breakfast..black pudding, bacon, hash browns with a raw egg
