A stick for our own backs ?

[trekmoor]

Are we now doing just a bit too much for our dogs with regard to what we feed them on ? When I was a boy many dogs were fed on scraps from their owners tables plus shop bought dog biscuits. I did not have a gundog back then but in my early teens I did have a border collie bitch and she was fed in that way . She was very fit and healthy , I would have known if she was not because I had her out chasing rabbits and rat catching almost every day of our lives.

As the years went by I began to notice that as the various dog foods on the market increased in numbers so did the dogs with delicate stomachs increase in numbers. Grain allergies became common and yet the staple diet of many farm collies for many years had been porridge plus scraps plus whatever the collie could find on the farm.

People began to take their dogs to vets who proscribed grain free diets of very expensive brands of dog kibble or perhaps a change to a rice based dog food. I myself had two dogs who could not even tolerate rice. I fed those dogs a very expensive dog food of salmon and potato but I persisted with other foods too and both dogs overcame their inability to digest grain by about 14-16 months of age.

I like feeding kibble, it saves me and my wife a lot of bother but I am not too sure that we are doing the long term best for dogs by having so many varieties of it made to better suit delicate stomachs. I have a feeling we are mollycoddling our dogs too much simply because we can. These dogs then get bred from and the problem is continued onwards.

My present crew of dogs can and do eat cheap dog kibbles and are still very healthy and active. It costs me very little to feed my dogs and no visits to the vet either. I'd be happy to breed from any of them knowing they would not be passing on stomach problems.

I'm beginning to think we make rods for our own backs the more we can "cure" a dogs stomach or gut problems by feeding them differently ....and expensively ! We could be building up problems for the future.

No reply is necessary .....this was just a thought that came after reading about feeding problems on a couple of forums.

Wullie

[Alice]

I totally agree Wullie, I think the kibble industry and its advertising has a large part to play in this, we are all gullible to fads of the latest 'in thing' (dare I say Kronch?!) food, and I think we all worry a lot more about our dogs than people in the 'olden days' did- I know I do! Kibble manufacturers play into that worry about doing the best for the animal. I have a friend who is a retired vet who openly says that a particular brand of 'scientifically designed' food was sold in his practice almost exclusively to little old ladies who were neurotic about their dog. I do think owners pass these neuroses on to the animal!

Having said all that, I feed raw, which I'm sure is probably another fad, but it works for me and my dogs. Then again, so did cheap kibble, so maybe I'm the fool?!

[Ada C]

I agree too! Once upon a time, a poor do-er just didn't 'do' and so was effectively removed from the gene-pool. Likewise, a dog with an unstable or nervy temperament.

I was horrified a few years ago, when I was researching several breeds, to find one breed site stating that a delicate stomach was a 'feature' of the breed.

I'm afraid I have to stifle a giggle when I see that latest breed-specific foods at places like the pet superstores. Mind you, when a friend of mine went into one such place to ask about food for a lactating bitch, she was met with blushes and giggles from the assistant, who scrurried off to ask someone else. Then a young man marched out confidently from behind the shelves and said, "Is that for a cat?"

[Springfield Pointers]

More and more people are realising that the vast number of problems dogs have, especially in their later years, are all food related.

[Judy]

Gosh, sweeping statement! Guess there's much more to it than that.

[Naj]

And less of the 'WE'!

I've fed kibble & now I feed mainly raw. My butcher is more than happy to give me all the bones I can take for free so that's a bonus. All my pups have come from kibble fed kennels & have had no problem switching to raw & however they've been fed & wherever they've come from I've never had a dog with a sensitive stomach (wots that mean?? ). Am I so unusual?

Strikes me that many owners think more about their dog's 'perfectly balanced' diet than they do about their own. You just have to look at the threads on here about what's best to feed or what is going to be the miracle diet that will somehow boost performance in a dog that only gets out once or twice a week. Feed what you like & feel comfortable in feeding. When you consider that many of the early formulations of dog meal were based upon 'waste' from the breakfast cereals industry & sweepings from mills you can see that it's not rocket science.

Naj

[kent]

I often wonder as a non fussy eater who has personally developed a very real food intolerance later in life if its what is happening to our food and how far it is traveling etc.
I feed Kibble now I used to raw feed and had issues, I found blue string and other obvious sweepings and trash etc in some that wasn't on the packaging and certainly wasn't listed in contents but they all say percent this that and t'other so I only buy the high quality stuff. I wouldn't feed a pup on kibble despite the "puppy" brandings etc. I prefer to know exactly what I am giving a fast growing dog so I cook up my own.
The thing is when you yourself have a food intolerance develop to foods you once ate and enjoyed you realise its not all about hypochondria, marketing, breeding weaker stock etc. Its the food and what is happening to it either during growth, processing, packaging or transportation.

[newf]

Chatting to my father just recently about my grandfather working dogs in his day was interesting and revealing about how far we have come. Common scene were big, hairy dogs either tethered or penned in many backyards. They were not cuddled and worked hard hauling firewood for their owners. Many treated their dogs roughly and the idea of a 'pack' was not a debate if met by a stranger or another bunch of dogs on a narrow trail. However at the end of the day, their reward was likely pickled herring or table scraps tossed amongst them promoting snarls, attacks and frenzied gulping to ingest as much food as possible.

They survived the wintry nights and worked hard hauling so only the fittest survived and produced more pups of the same grit. But then my grandfather was a strong man...but I may be too far from his strength, so likely I'm too cuddled and intestinally weak to have survived his hardship for more than a few weeks. Thank God for stuffed chicken breast and italian spaghetti and a job that did not require much exertion.

I believe, there is much truth in what you say Wullie but it seems we are cornered into trusting and depending on advertising who have their own scientific gangs to back up all their claims. We are nothing but mere puppets to trends with new enlightened data produced by special interests.

[Naj]

Physical strength won't get you very far without mental 'toughness', whether dogs or people, & mental toughness more than compensates for any lack in physical strength. If you think our dogs aren't as tough as they used to be, which is debateable, then it's perhaps more a result of us requiring less of them.

Naj

[newf]

Naj, you always have to come in and throw common sense in on the commotion.

My addition was more for effect of how things have changed. Certainly, we have changed for the better when it comes to treating our dogs, there is no denying it. But I guess, food issues can be troublesome to many and the advice is usually a secret formula with a price that hurts. It just makes one ponder why aren't things vastly improved ?