08-5-2011 at 2:25 AM

I don't own a dog, but if I did I'd buy Blue Buffalo for them just like I do for my cat.<br /> <br /> There's something about my cat that seems to cause a problem when on any low to medium quality of food, he has increased fur loss and his ears start becoming fur-less looking. I adopted him and they had a lot of cats in the shelter so they most likely didn't really look into a possible food allergy.<br /> <br /> I buy Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon, it doesn't have chicken or poultry by-product meal, artificial preservatives or corn, wheat or soy. I haven't had any problems once I switched, he still loses fur but I'm sure it's the normal amount. He doesn't act like his nice, clean ears are itchy anymore. He didn't like the taste of the food at first, but he likes it now.<br /> <br /> I rarely feed wet food to my cat, the water content helps the cat with hot days if he doesn't want to actually drink his water.<br /> <br /> I think the only problem with finding good cat food for a cat is the fact that many foods out there don't have Taurine which is a REQUIREMENT for cats in order for them to be healthy.<br /> <br /> I do have rabbits, it's fairly easy to get medium quality rabbit for for a fair/cheap price. I usually buy Small World rabbit food, but recently I found a Purina Mills Rabbit Chow supplier which makes rabbit food without corn. Which is what I've been desiring for a long time. Purina Mills is a very, very good maker of high quality show/pet/brood rabbit food products.

08-3-2011 at 6:57 PM

my cousin gives her dogs raw food, they get chicken legs, we probably would too if we could affordbut at the moment both the cat and dogare on lidl's opti- range, despite it not being a major brand and it not being raw, it's suprisingly good for them, their coats are alwas shiny and they seem full and happy after they've eaten the guidline amounts for their weight and they never really seem to get sick nor are they over or underweight ^^

08-3-2011 at 4:48 PM

Right now for ease of use my Mini Dachshund is eating a mix of Blue Buffalo Wilderness and Simply Nourish. Hes never had wet food. I used to feed mt previous dog raw but don't have time now to prepare it for this guy. He seems to be doing well on it.

07-23-2011 at 8:25 AM

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/brand/

02-2-2011 at 9:56 AM

Ol' Roy and Alpo are probably the worst foods out there, but foods like Kibbles and Bits and Beneful are almost as bad because people are conned into thinking their pets are eating healthy when they're actually filling up on empty carbs, sugars, and artificial colors and preservatives.<br /><br />As far as bones go, it doesn't matter what kind- just remember that the bone percentage is that of EDIBLE bone, which is bone they actually consume, not just that they chew on. Some bones are too large or hard for cats to eat- for example, I've given my cat bone-in lamb stew meat and the lamb bones were too hard for him. My main source of raw meaty bones comes from chickens- necks, breastbones and backs are all cheap and they're fantastic- good sized and easy to cut, very chewable and easy for cats to eat too :) But whatever your cat will eat is fine. ^^ Don't get me wrong, inedible bones are awesome too- they're a great dental workout and can certainly do a good job keeping cats entertained, but the percentages should be made up of only bones that are 100% consumed. ^^

02-2-2011 at 2:13 AM

An increase in bone? Hmm. I'll definitely try to add more :D but when you say that, do you mean a specific sort, such as, say ribs or knuckle bones? or do you mean just about any bone?<br /><br /><br />And yes, I know how you feel, Celestial, except that my most hated food is Science Diet - it killed my previous cat :( <br />

02-1-2011 at 10:01 PM

I plan on feeding my dogs raw in the future. But for right now I feed my dogs Taste of the Wild. (Dakota gets raw knuckle bones once a week)<br /><br /><br />I strongly dislike most store brand foods, Ol' Roy probably being the one I dislike the most.

02-1-2011 at 4:32 PM

Raw is fantastic :) t a prey model raw cat myself. Although I should warn you- it can be quite dangerous for a cat to eat both kibble and raw in the same 12 hour period because of the speed at which they digest the different foods.<br /><br />I started out by just eyeballing the portions with my cat- what seemed about the same amount as what he was eating before, whether he was a bit chunky or ribby, and how hungry he was after.. Now I find that the right amount for him is slightly more than I can hold in my fist, and this is about the same size that most pre-portioned raw foods come in :) It all comes down to just watching your cats and seeing if they look to be at a healthy weight, and if they seem ravenous after they eat. <br /><br />The 80-10-10 percentage for prey model is important, but I find that while I keep the organ percentages as exact as I possibly can, the muscle/bone ratio is more subjective- bone is higher fiber than muscle and will fill them up a bit more, but shouldn't predominate the diet either because muscle is higher in nutrients. But if your cats are the sort to constantly want more food and never be satisfied, upping the amount of bone you feed can help :) Increasing bone will also help with soft stools. ^^

02-1-2011 at 4:17 PM

Well, Personally, I like raw food for my cats - I feel it keeps them reasonably stimulated and possibly prevents food behaviour related problems. That being said, I think it's difficult to know how much my cats should be eating, which is why I also keep dry food out for them at all times. And I don't really feed wet food, (I've heard it's mostly water?) so I have no opinion on that.