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#1
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What are the healthiest prepackaged [oxymoron?] human foods out there for dogs?
I've been wanting to look mix Hunter's menu up a bit for quite a while now. As mentioned in one of my threads a couple of weeks back, Hunter no longer wants to eat Solid Gold (unless there's ground beef and a *bit* of yogurt -- thanks technodoll ).
This showed me how important variety is to pets (and I suppose Hunter is just extra picky ), so I would like to buy some extra foods for Hunter so he'll have variety, but I may not always have the time to properly cook for him. I know that almost all veggies can be easily prepared and have no real problems, but what about meats such as....sausages? or canned tuna/salmon? Are there any brands of prepackaged human food out there with very little added stuff like seasoning or preservatives, etc. that you recommend? (I suppose I can always go through all the ingredient labels in the aisles, but this would definitely save me some time ) Thanks!
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#2
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I (and Layla) give a big to tuna. even the juice drizzled over the food. Sausages are reaaally high in fat, so they may not be a good idea.
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#3
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here are some ideas:
-any canned fish, packed in water (tuna, salmon, sardines, mackeral, etc) -make your own broth some rainy weekend, add in some pasta or rice and some ground meat (beef, pork, chicken, turkey...) and veggies and remember NO onions but go crazy on the garlic... put in containers and you have a soup(er) addition on your hands for months to come, at a very low cost to you -those lipton noodle or rice packets (or rice-a-rony) at the dollar store come in chicken, cheese, romanoff, etc flavors and dogs love them! boil some water, dump in the contents again with ground meat and it makes a bunch of very savory kibble addition, it freezes well. or do it with Mac n'cheese! -you can make the ground meat & yogurt mixture in big batches & freeze in small containers, it will save you time and you can rotate with the above mixes for variety and added nutrition -if you don't mind "the stinky", here is something dogs go crazy over... bake a bunch of liver (beef, or pork, or chicken, whatever is on sale) in the oven on a foil-lined cookie sheet for about 20 minutes (sprinkle on some garlic powder first if you want). let cool, then puree in the blender with watered-down broth and some yogurt. It's messy but it will last a long time, freezes well, and it very nutritious and rightfully smelly. -canned green tripe & other holistc foods are great, mix a couple spoonfuls with warm water to make a "gravy" for the kibble -i have other "recipes" if you want As you have maybe read in the other Solid Gold threads, their recipes have changed for the worse and many people will not feed it anymore (some have already reported gastric troubles with the new stuff). good luck! and i think your boy is very lucky to have such delicious, varied and nutritious meals! you'll see his health will glow
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"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine" Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. :love: ~Akitas Are Love~ :love: |
#4
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Thanks, HunterXHunter! I was going to post a similiar question so I'll post here to save opening a new thread (and it's relevant, so I won't be threadjacking, I hope!).
My guys have had really dry skin lately, so I've added canned salmon to their food. Anyone have any ideas of how often it's OK to do so and how much is too much? They haven't had any digestive issues with it, and they just about turn somersaults when they smell the stinky fish! It's been pink salmon, and I reduced the amount of kibble in the bowl since my husband decided that a whole can apiece wouldn't hurt them. (They are about 55 lb and 75 lbs). And how much tuna, Puppyluv? I have no problem with alternating fish sources. I've seen recommendations for sardines, too. I think that was Technodoll. Any thoughts?
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The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.~Joseph Campbell~ "You can't have a good day in bad underwear"- Fruit of the Loom ad |
#5
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you can give any canned fish every day if you want, it's excellent pure protein (but tuna, once or twice a week only due to the mercury issue).
As canned fish is high in salt, you may want to drain the liquid, refill the can with water, let stand 5 minutes and drain again to help de-salt the fish. Canned mackeral is excellent, as are sardines, etc. Check your dollar-store for cheap fish, they carry the same brands as in your local grocery store but at much better prices oh i forgot EGGS! serve them cooked, raw, half-cooked, raw frozen, scrambled, hard-boiled, poached... most dogs love eggs!
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"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine" Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. :love: ~Akitas Are Love~ :love: |
#6
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Thanks, TD. Great info, as always.
The pups love eggs-actually, I haven't run into a food yet they DON"T like! Just one Granny Smith apple that was a little too sour and hard for Bronwyn. They likes their fruit and veggie treats.
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The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.~Joseph Campbell~ "You can't have a good day in bad underwear"- Fruit of the Loom ad |
#7
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I thought too much garlic was bad as its part of the onion family? Its fine to use in moderation though?
Eggs are great to put in a Kong. Block off the hole and crack a raw egg and put inside. Then toss it in the microwave for 30sec or so. Carefull not too long as it will shoot out like a canon lol. Then cool off and let em have it! |
#8
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wow the Kong possibilities are endless, LOL!
garlic is only bad if consumed in very large amounts, and the benefits of feeding garlic far outweigh any negatives (same family as onions, but a different food altogether). a few cloves in a pot of broth will do no harm
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"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine" Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. :love: ~Akitas Are Love~ :love: |
#9
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I love this thread! Harley's not really picky, but I love putting extra things in her kibble. Typically, its leftovers from whatever we've been eating for dinner, but this really gives me some ideas.
Great suggestions, Technodoll! Keep 'em coming!
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I used to have a Multiple Personality Disorder, but the doctor says we are fine now. Harley - 8 year old Beagle x Dobie Jet - 10 month old Labrador Retriever |
#10
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I agree. Just when you said "go Crazy with the Garlic" it kinda made me raise an eyebrow lol
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#11
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__________________
"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine" Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. :love: ~Akitas Are Love~ :love: |
#12
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ummm, errr, No |
#13
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awe crap!
__________________
"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine" Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. :love: ~Akitas Are Love~ :love: |
#14
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Oh wow! Thanks for all the great input! I guess Hunter will try some tuna tonight then.
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And yes, dogs definitely love eggs, but should I leave out some/all of the yolk because it's high in cholesterol? (personally, I LOVE eggs -- I used to make myself 4-5 egg omelettes 3-4 times a week and after a body checkup a couple of years ago, my doctor told me to cut down on them becaue my cholesterol level was almost 2.5x that of a normal 22 year-old and for this reason I've given Hunter egg whites, which is high in protein)
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"The internet: where men are men, women are men, and little girls are FBI agents" -read it somewhere... |
#15
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Short of a kosher hotdog please don't give your dogs hotdogs. They aren't very good for you, and the salt content alone isn't good for them.
People will use chicken dogs as training treats.. but if you spice up your dogs food indefinitely with random stuff, you may have no high value enough anything left to try to use with your dog later on when you need it.
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#16
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sausages also contain tons of preservatives, MSG, etc even *I* won't eat them, LOL!
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"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine" Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. :love: ~Akitas Are Love~ :love: |
#17
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Meatballs? (Hamberger, rice or oatmeal, & eggs.) Technodoll, the thing about Ramen noodles is that they're pretty high in hydrogenated fats and salt. They're pretty convenient and cheap. But pretty awful nutritionally. Angie loves hard boiled eggs, but won't crack the shell herself. She's sooo much trouble! |
#18
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"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine" Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. :love: ~Akitas Are Love~ :love: |
#19
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love, love, love the dollar store for Buster's little treats!!
i get canned salmon, tuna, sardines ( ), chicken, turkey...etc..etc!! I also rinse out the meat to 'desalt' it a bit. I also keep the fat when I cook ground beef (i drain the fat before I add spices). I put it in a tupperware in the fridge (where it congeals back into solid form--yuck!) and I'll add a teaspoon on buster's food once or twice a week. Don't keep it for too long though, because it does go rancid!! This is especially helpfull in winter when Buster's coat gets a little dry (we heat with wood, so the house is mega dry!!)
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Marie-Eve and Buster (5 year old-ish rescued Boxer) Deep thought, by Jack Handey : "I think my new thing will be to try to be a real happy guy. I'll just walk around being real happy until some jerk says something stupid to me." |
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