What do your dogs eat?

[Leafmite]

The main food for the dogs is various flavors of Rachel Ray's brand of dry dog food. I have no idea how great it is for them but this is the only dog food I have found that does not give the American Eskimo stomach issues. We have tried nearly everything else. The raw food diet would be out because feeding the Eskie meat makes the Eskie violently ill.

We give our dogs Greenies for their dental health and the Eskie has no issues with them (Only the actual Greenies, though, as the other brands of dental bones made the Eskie sick). We also get the dogs Bark Box, a subscription box that has treats and toys. The Eskie has not had any issues with the treats even though at fourteen, the Eskie is done fetching or shredding so the toys go to the Malti-poo and my daughter's Westie.

Chocolate. While I know it is terrible for some dogs, thirteen and a half years ago, I had no idea it could cause issues and the Eskie really loves it. So, the Eskie and Malti-poo get a little chocolate if I have some. It is one of the few people foods or dog treats that doesn't make the Eskie ill.

The dogs also like peanut butter but forget trying to hide a pill in it. They eat the peanut butter and spit out the pill.

The Malti-poo is a picky eater but she rarely ever gets sick on any food. She willingly eats the Rachel Ray food which makes life easy. She also likes the Bark Box treats (unless they are sausage or pepperoni flavored) and loves the Greenies.

Currently, while my daughter is doing a residency, she and her Westie are staying with us. Her Westie needs a wheat-free diet. Fortunately, the treats in Bark Box are safe and Greenies makes treats without wheat and, though she eats a special dog good (that makes the Eskie ill), I have been buying the Rachel Ray food without wheat just in case the Westie gets into it.

Lastly, the kids and spouse love to feed the dogs at the table (which usually makes the Eskie ill).

So, that is what we give our dogs. I think they have a pretty good life, food-wise. Love-wise is another matter. The Eskie loves my youngest daughter more than anyone in the world and she is usually away at college. So, the Eskie is feeling rather abused. Nothing I do can make up for this terrible tragedy. Only my youngest, walking through the door, brings sheer joy to the Eskie. :|

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

The main food for the dogs is various flavors of Rachel Ray's brand of dry dog food. I have no idea how great it is for them but this is the only dog food I have found that does not give the American Eskimo stomach issues. We have tried nearly everything else. The raw food diet would be out because feeding the Eskie meat makes the Eskie violently ill.

We give our dogs Greenies for their dental health and the Eskie has no issues with them (Only the actual Greenies, though, as the other brands of dental bones made the Eskie sick). We also get the dogs Bark Box, a subscription box that has treats and toys. The Eskie has not had any issues with the treats even though at fourteen, the Eskie is done fetching or shredding so the toys go to the Malti-poo and my daughter's Westie.

Chocolate. While I know it is terrible for some dogs, thirteen and a half years ago, I had no idea it could cause issues and the Eskie really loves it. So, the Eskie and Malti-poo get a little chocolate if I have some. It is one of the few people foods or dog treats that doesn't make the Eskie ill.

The dogs also like peanut butter but forget trying to hide a pill in it. They eat the peanut butter and spit out the pill.

The Malti-poo is a picky eater but she rarely ever gets sick on any food. She willingly eats the Rachel Ray food which makes life easy. She also likes the Bark Box treats (unless they are sausage or pepperoni flavored) and loves the Greenies.

Currently, while my daughter is doing a residency, she and her Westie are staying with us. Her Westie needs a wheat-free diet. Fortunately, the treats in Bark Box are safe and Greenies makes treats without wheat and, though she eats a special dog good (that makes the Eskie ill), I have been buying the Rachel Ray food without wheat just in case the Westie gets into it.

Lastly, the kids and spouse love to feed the dogs at the table (which usually makes the Eskie ill).

So, that is what we give our dogs. I think they have a pretty good life, food-wise. Love-wise is another matter. The Eskie loves my youngest daughter more than anyone in the world and she is usually away at college. So, the Eskie is feeling rather abused. Nothing I do can make up for this terrible tragedy. Only my youngest, walking through the door, brings sheer joy to the Eskie. :|

My vet is seriously old school, and he says that while it is indeed poisonous, a bit of chocolate is good for an older dog's heart. The same could be said for most medicine.

[Leafmite]

Originally Posted by Subrosa

My vet is seriously old school, and he says that while it is indeed poisonous, a bit of chocolate is good for an older dog's heart. The same could be said for most medicine.

I think at our Eskie's age, it would just be cruel to deprive her. She deserves the little perks in life as she is really a great dog.

Pills. I do the same (shove it down their throats and then give them a treat). They must be able to smell them even with the 'disguise.' Thankfully, except for the rare time or two the dogs have gotten injured or ill, it is only once a month (heartworm).

[Mountaineer370]

I have two dogs, both Dobermans, a female who is ten and a male who is nine. When the male was a youngster, he would get regular digestive upsets, and we worked a long time to find food that worked for him. I actually ended up making my own home-made dog food for about a year. Fortunately, he kind of outgrew the digestive issues and I didn't have to do the home-made anymore. I would have done it forever if I had to, but it was very time-consuming, and fixing and storing home-made food for two large dogs took up a lot of space in the freezer!

I now use dry food as a base, and have for many years, but I use lots of different toppings and add-ins. My female has a chronic heart condition and takes several pills both morning and night. She's not too bad about taking pills, but I do have to at least put it in something tasty. So in the morning, I usually add a couple spoonsful of either yogurt, cottage cheese, or even sour cream (their favorite!) and just press the pills into that soft stuff.

For the evening meal, I supplement the dry by splitting a can of wet food between them, or I may top it off with The Honest Kitchen (a dehydrated food that you make by adding water). Again, the moist stuff makes the pills palatable for her.

I tend to try to give a variety of add-ins and toppings on a regular basis. They get a variety of good stuff in moderation (what some would call people food but which I like to call just good food), like vegetables, fruits, cheese, certain leftovers from our meals, scrambled eggs, sardines or mackerel (watch the salt content).

My feeling is I'd hate to think of eating the same exact thing every day of my life, so I'm not going to subject my dogs to that either. Plus, I feel like I'm hedging my bets nutritionally, since I don't trust any commercial dog food manufacturer to provide every micronutrient my dogs may need over their entire lifetime.

It's been mentioned already, but I think it's worth repeating. Certain foods like grapes, raisins, chocolate, onions, and others can be poisonous to dogs. It's easy to find out which ones on an Internet search. Also be sure they don't ever get a hold of any gum or other substance with the artificial sweetener Xylitol. That stuff is very toxic to dogs.