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What do you feed your dogs?


HappyHeart

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How much a week does it cost to feed a medium sized dog ?

 

Looking at 2 dogs for my daughters:

Small - Cavalier king Charles spaniel

Medium - French bull dog

 

Although being a realist I will be the one doing the walking and looking after.

 

I'd be wary of a Frenchie as they are well known for iffy tummies and need a well managed diet. You can't feed them supermarket crap. Also they are smaller than Cavs in my book. Lovely dogs but hard work (and potential for expensive in vet bills) as pets with skin care, eye problems, overheating issues and diet etc.

 

I'd get a couple of Cavs personally. Same exercise requirements whereas a Frenchie is going to differ to a Cav and potentially make more work for the person exercising. Also breed pitfalls are going to be easier to deal with than the Frenchies.

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Guest The Pom Queen
How much a week does it cost to feed a medium sized dog ?

 

Looking at 2 dogs for my daughters:

Small - Cavalier king Charles spaniel

Medium - French bull dog

 

Although being a realist I will be the one doing the walking and looking after.

If you are going to get a cav please go to a registered breeder who tests for the following:

SM - Syringomyelia

MVD - Mitral Valve Disease, I have seen so many Cavs succumb to this.

Also check hips and patellas.

 

As well as the ones above the other biggest issue for cavaliers is Entropion.

 

I know the guidelines issued use to say no cavalier could be bred until they reached 5 years of age, this was to ensure they were free from MVD

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If you are going to get a cav please go to a registered breeder who tests for the following:

SM - Syringomyelia

MVD - Mitral Valve Disease, I have seen so many Cavs succumb to this.

Also check hips and patellas.

 

As well as the ones above the other biggest issue for cavaliers is Entropion.

 

I know the guidelines issued use to say no cavalier could be bred until they reached 5 years of age, this was to ensure they were free from MVD

 

Having read this I'd be wary of getting one of these too :eek: I thought Frenchies had enough breed related medical conditions, Cav's seem to rank up there also.

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Guest The Pom Queen
Having read this I'd be wary of getting one of these too :eek: I thought Frenchies had enough breed related medical conditions, Cav's seem to rank up there also.

I didn't want to go against your advice on the thread but personally I would opt for a Frenchie for health over a cav, although Cavs are the most adorable and cuddly and child friendly, you just need to check the breeder.

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Guest Guest66881
How much a week does it cost to feed a medium sized dog ?

 

Looking at 2 dogs for my daughters:

Small - Cavalier king Charles spaniel

Medium - French bull dog

 

Although being a realist I will be the one doing the walking and looking after.

 

Go with the [ATTACH=CONFIG]24278[/ATTACH] very funny eaters at times, can go without for a day or two, then have a good feed, daft as brushes great with the kids excellent guard dogs, (well they shout louder than they actually are):wink:

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I didn't want to go against your advice on the thread but personally I would opt for a Frenchie for health over a cav, although Cavs are the most adorable and cuddly and child friendly, you just need to check the breeder.

 

But still Frenchies have lots of breed specific conditions and are well known for eye, skin and breathing problems. Not the easiest dogs to keep as pets, as lovely as they are. I love the breed and they have long been on my wish list, even with what I know about them and their health issues, but the health aspects continue to have me steer away from them.

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Guest The Pom Queen
But still Frenchies have lots of breed specific conditions and are well known for eye, skin and breathing problems. Not the easiest dogs to keep as pets, as lovely as they are. I love the breed and they have long been on my wish list, even with what I know about them and their health issues, but the health aspects continue to have me steer away from them.

Very true, although a lot of breeds are the same that's why you need to check parents have been tested.

Maybe @Sustain is better looking towards another breed.

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I am not a lover of commercial animal food and my dog - a Chocolate Lab who now has kidney issues because he is a food thief and the bunch of grapes he stole poisoned his kidneys - is fed a totally home made diet. He has to have a low phospherous/sodium diet and is not allowed any commercial biscuits or tinned food. He has one meal a day in the morning of rice, raw human grade meat (whatever is on special... mince, beef, lamb, pork, chicken... raw chicken without the bones), steamed vegies (whatever is available but not potato), 6 fish oil tabs, and some water to sloosh it up and keep his kidneys working. Some days he has a tin of sardines in oil instead of meat, or a portion of Green Tripe. He sometimes has natural yoghurt or a small amount of grated cheese mixed in, but he is not allowed eggs anymore.... his fave so he misses out now. He is only allowed a marrow bone every three weeks - too much phospherous in the bones.... He has always had a semi home cooked diet, but the biscuits had to go with the kidney issue earlier this year. I found a book on Book Depository called "Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs" by Lew Olsen, and it has become my bible. Rolo's new diet is actually costing less than the old one and he is so much healthier.... so much so my Vet is now referring the above book to other dog owners, and is feeding her animals a non-commercial diet.

 

 

Rolo and his Union Jack collar.jpg

Rolo and his Union Jack collar.jpg

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I see sardines are a common theme...they are so cheap and good for dogs, in oil which is a good bit of fat. My dog has chicken skin and bits of fatty meat which I think is important. Cooked pasta and rice too which is super easy. Its actually not hard to feed dogs human food, so much better than the animal by products on offer in a tin imo...cheap cuts too. I used to buy hearts but hate cutting them up and she wont eat them raw....do dogs need veggies do you think..Im not sure on that one..mine has them but only when having dinner leftovers usually

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My dog loves pasta ( no sauce) with a sprinkle of parmazan cheese. Only small serves maybe once ever 2 weeks as it can wake on the weight.

 

Sardines are good for the dogs coat and a bit of oil helps clean out any bits of fir from the gut, that dogs swallow when grooming themselves. Tin food (despite all the advertising) has a huge water content, and is full of all sorts of preservatives and colouring.

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My dog loves pasta ( no sauce) with a sprinkle of parmazan cheese. Only small serves maybe once ever 2 weeks as it can wake on the weight.

 

Sardines are good for the dogs coat and a bit of oil helps clean out any bits of fir from the gut, that dogs swallow when grooming themselves. Tin food (despite all the advertising) has a huge water content, and is full of all sorts of preservatives and colouring.

 

So really could put aside similar meat and seafood to human and make specific from scratch meals (similar to what we feed our girls).

 

Lucky I own a chain of supermarkets

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So really could put aside similar meat and seafood to human and make specific from scratch meals (similar to what we feed our girls).

 

Lucky I own a chain of supermarkets

I only feed sardines not other fish because of the bones. They are also very inexpencive. I also buy a full box 12kg of chicken necks and put them into individual portion bags then freeze them. Take a new bag out each morning and put it in the fridge to thaw then it is ready to feed the following morning.

If you own a chain of anything you are very lucky.

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  • 1 month later...

My choccie lab gets taste of the wild pacific stream http://staging.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/mobile/product-single.php/dogs/dry_food/pacific_stream_canine_formula/

 

its good stuff - natural ingredients, grain free - not like the crap vets try and fob you off with coz they're working on commission! It's not cheap but you don't need to feed as much as there are no nasty fillers in it. She has less wind (always a good thing!), lovely shiny coat and good muscle tone and is happy and healthy. She seems a lot more levelled out on it too with less nutty fits! Aside from that she gets the odd piece of banana, apple, carrot etc and has a dentastik a day for her teeth.

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