Hello from a newbie in Norfolk, UK There is so much conflicting information!!! I have researched many premium dry complete dog foods and the majority (apart from cereal FREE) contain either oats or barley. From my understanding oats are classed as cereal therefore not recommended. It also seems that many mixers contain a high percentage of oats. I was considering feeding Natures Menu raw frozen complete, but also wish to serve with mixer kibble for cleaning teeth. Can anyone shed some light........ Many Thanks.
Re: Feeding CEREALS - corn bad, oats good ????? Hi there, and welcome to the forum Strictly speaking, dogs do not need to eat carbs. Most pet foods however, use carbs as a filler. How much effect this has on a dog's health, longevity etc is hotly debated and you will find supporters and detractors for 'raw' or 'natural' feeding systems. It is possible that some dogs are intolerant to, or even allergic to, some cereals. But it is also true, that most dogs consume cereal based kibbles without any adverse effects. It is possible/likely that some types of cereals are more likely to cause allergies or digestive upsets than other types of cereal. So if your dog were allergic to wheat for example, you might want to look for a kibble that excludes this ingredient. There is a lot of information on the various arguments for and against raw feeding or using cereal based foods, in the sticky at the top of the raw feeding board. With regard to teeth, I have seen no evidence that consumption of kibble reduces the incidence of dental caries, despite being crunchy. Though there is much anecdotal evidence to suggest that the regular consumption of raw bones in the absence of kibble/carbs (i.e. raw feeding by prey model) may be beneficial to your dog's teeth. Hope that helps
Re: Feeding CEREALS - corn bad, oats good ????? Welcome to an utter minefield. Find something that sits well with your dogs stomach and stick to it. Both methods of feeding have advantages and disadvantages which are all over the internet should you wish to fry your brain. I feed a lamb and rice kibble to all my dogs. 2 of my dogs are approaching 5 and have no issues to report
Re: Feeding CEREALS - corn bad, oats good ????? If its any help.....and I agree you can fry your brain with all the info on feeding on the 'net........humans who have wheat gluten intolerance may also have intolerance to oats, and if you are looking for gluten free for dietary reasons then you also need to avoid spelt, barley, rye and triticale (a rye/wheat hybrid). I have no idea how common a true intolerance is in dogs though, and whether the avoidance of ALL gluten, as is recommended for very serious health complications in human's with Coeliac disease, bears any remote resemblance to any intolerances in dogs. That's the vets department
Re: Feeding CEREALS - corn bad, oats good ????? I think my Sam was intolerant to wheat, he seemed to itch a fair bit , plus he also poo`d a fait lot which showed me that he wasnt getting much goodness from his former food . I changed him to a Salmon and Rice kibble , within a short time he stopped scratching , poos went to one/two per day , shiny coat and all well with the world, but yes, it is a minefield :
Re: Feeding CEREALS - corn bad, oats good ????? Absolute minefield Harley is intolerant to wheat - after undergoing lots of tests and periods on rice and chicken we have now found a good, natural kibble called Bob and Lush. I would decide on a food and stick to it, unless, like we found out, your dogs tummy does not agree with it. Good luck
Re: Feeding CEREALS - corn bad, oats good ????? from a tiny black 5 1/2 year old Lab known as The DivaDog and her pet human
Re: Feeding CEREALS - corn bad, oats good ????? Most if not all kibble feed is processed in a mill in Yorkshire along with a lot of breakfast cereals , I would always pick a dog food without any artificial additives colourings or preservatives . Also after visiting a Gundog Trainer last week he noticed Jakes urine was quite dark which he said was a sign of to much Protein , Dogs do not process protein very well at all . Protein is a sugar which in turn is not so good for your dog , We were advised to feed Jake a food with 18-20% Protein , His current food Autarky has a 22% protein so a little high . A lot of premium dog foods have up to 30% protein including one that is for Labrador's , So we will be changing his food quite soon . Mike
Re: Feeding CEREALS - corn bad, oats good ????? [quote author=Mike link=topic=5210.msg66748#msg66748 date=1396878322] Most if not all kibble feed is processed in a mill in Yorkshire along with a lot of breakfast cereals , I would always pick a dog food without any artificial additives colourings or preservatives . Also after visiting a Gundog Trainer last week he noticed Jakes urine was quite dark which he said was a sign of to much Protein , Dogs do not process protein very well at all . Protein is a sugar which in turn is not so good for your dog , We were advised to feed Jake a food with 18-20% Protein , His current food Autarky has a 22% protein so a little high . A lot of premium dog foods have up to 30% protein including one that is for Labrador's , So we will be changing his food quite soon . Mike [/quote] I'm interested in your comments - could you give more detail about what you mean by 'dogs do not process protein well'? I would have thought that as carnivores they were rather better set up for metabolising protein than carbohydrates. My understanding is that protein is not a sugar, it is made up of amino acids. Carbohydrates are easily broken down into sugars, whereas protein is only converted to sugars in gluconeogenesis, which occurs only in times of intense exercise or starvation. It's not my area of expertise though, so I may be wrong.
Re: Feeding CEREALS - corn bad, oats good ????? Sorry Sorry Sorry Quickly read a small article and misinterpreted the info i have very little knowledge in this area and the internet is a dangerous place . Anyway i have now looked at a number of articles relating to protein in dog food and what i have learned is that despite dry dog food ranges containing meat it does not mean that the majority of protein content in kibble is meat derived , The protein can come from the cereals etc So a high protein content in dry food is not always a good thing to much protein will be excreted in your dogs urine . Our Jake is also fed raw beef meat bones 3-4 times a week along with chicken wings and vegetables and fish , Protein from more natural varied sources is much better . But as a lot of people today we all have a budget and cheaper dry dog foods or more expensive seem not to totally reflect the beneficial quality of the foods . My wife and i cant condone spending money on the more expensive dry foods as we have budget so we do our best to provide Jake with a varied healthy diet ensuring he is fit and healthy which is all any of us dog owners/lovers can do is our best . Mike
Re: Feeding CEREALS - corn bad, oats good ????? Oh right, yes I see, no problem. It's a minefield, feeding, isn't it? As you say, it does seem like a varied diet is probably the way to go if you have a dog with a fairly robust constitution and no obvious allergies or sensitivities.
