Dog roll vs dog biscuits...

[adfel]

I have been told something similar... I was told that dog meat and rolls are the equivelant of eating a large mcdonalds meal everynight of the week.
I did a lot of research, as my dog has a skin condition which is irritated by things he eats.
We buy a brand of food called "Bonnie" which comes in a 20kg bag and is AUD40.00.... we usually give him a raw egg on top as this is an enticement for him to eat the biscuits and it is a really good way to keep moisture in your dogs coat....
Fresh vegetables are always good as well (except corn it gives dogs wind).

I hope this helps

 

[Ramsayi]

Our dog gets a raw diet predominately made up of minced chicken frames,beef,lamb, offal and some chopped veg with some bakers yeast, fish oil, and egg.Along with raw meaty bones and chicken necks and sardines occasionally.
I asked the breeder about kibble and she came back with this " We use as little dry kibble as possible,if we must we use Supercoat Puppy,there are better ones carried by vets but I think generally it is not the best food no matter how much it costs."

 

[glassless_mind]

You know it's against the law to feed dogs offal right? Because of the risk of Echinococcus granulosus. Horrible parasite. Huge parasitic cysts form, particularly in the liver. They can exist in you for decades before you know anything about it, and they can rupture... It's not pretty. Feeding offal is against the law for good reason.

 

[KaotikJezta]

Your kidding right?

 

[Ramsayi]

I reckon I might have a tapeworm cause I'm always hungry :?

You know it's against the law to feed dogs offal right? Because of the risk of Echinococcus granulosus. Horrible parasite. Huge parasitic cysts form, particularly in the liver. They can exist in you for decades before you know anything about it, and they can rupture... It's not pretty. Feeding offal is against the law for good reason.

Can you link me to that bit of legislation?

 

[Jay84]

Against the law????

 

[glassless_mind]

ok I can't find it, thought it's what I've been told, it may not be true (although I have little internet quota and am not going to use it looking up legislation, feel free to google it ) However, it is a REALLY bad idea. Hydatid disease is nasty. If the offal is completely cooked through then it's fine, as is the stuff in commerical dog food, as it is cooked. Uncooked = hydatid disease. Don't do it!

 

[KaotikJezta]

It is apparently illegal in Tasmania, well I'll be.

DPIPWE - Hydatid Disease

I think the risk is very minor and you have more chance getting it from fleas than human grade offal but each to there own I guess. Cooking it defeats the purpose of feeding a raw diet. If it was such a huge problem would dingoes and foxes not be dropping dead all over the place from tapeworm. I actually had a dog that once had severe tapeworm infestation and was on commercial dog food, go figure.

 

[slim6y]

Hydatids has virtually been wiped out in NZ. So there's no issue here with offal.

I actually had a dog that once had severe tapeworm infestation and was on commercial dog food, go figure.

Doesn't mean that's where the dog picked it up from though - commercial dog food - or is that the point you're trying to make... Not quite sure there.

My dog chooses to eat cat poo. Not sure exactly how risky this poo behaviour is - but I believe if the cats have worms, he'll contract it too. But I have wormed him already. Not 100% sure if the worming pills a re systemic or just instantaneous. Does anyone know the answer to that. I couldn't get the answer from two vet nurses - but I haven't asked the vet directly yet.

The packet does say treatment and control (including E. granulosus. But does that mean that the dose actually continues to kill new cysts eaten after the pill was taken?

 

[Kitah]

KaotikJezta, the hydatid and flea tapeworms are different species. Dogs and cats do indeed get a tapeworm from intesting fleas, however it is a species that remains within the gastrointestinal tract of the host and just sheds segments in the faeces to reproduce. The control for hydatid tapeworms is mainly in place to protect humans, not the dogs themselves. And feeding offal in Tasmania is banned because they have managed to eradicate the hydatid disease, and they do not want it to arise again. Hence the legislation, and the requirement to have all domestic dogs going to tasmania to have written evidence from a veterinarian that the dog has been treated appropriately to kill off any hydatids prior to entering Tasmania.

Slim6y, intestinal wormers don't really have a prolonged, carry on effect, which is why you need to keep treating your pets regularly, pups every 2 weeks to start off with, and adults at every 3months unless otherwise indicated.

 

[KaotikJezta]

Hydatids has virtually been wiped out in NZ. So there's no issue here with offal.



Doesn't mean that's where the dog picked it up from though - commercial dog food - or is that the point you're trying to make... Not quite sure there.

My dog chooses to eat cat poo. Not sure exactly how risky this poo behaviour is - but I believe if the cats have worms, he'll contract it too. But I have wormed him already. Not 100% sure if the worming pills a re systemic or just instantaneous. Does anyone know the answer to that. I couldn't get the answer from two vet nurses - but I haven't asked the vet directly yet.

The packet does say treatment and control (including E. granulosus. But does that mean that the dose actually continues to kill new cysts eaten after the pill was taken?

No I wasn't saying it was from the food, sorry I didn't make that clear.

KaotikJezta, the hydatid and flea tapeworms are different species. Dogs and cats do indeed get a tapeworm from intesting fleas, however it is a species that remains within the gastrointestinal tract of the host and just sheds segments in the faeces to reproduce. The control for hydatid tapeworms is mainly in place to protect humans, not the dogs themselves. And feeding offal in Tasmania is banned because they have managed to eradicate the hydatid disease, and they do not want it to arise again. Hence the legislation, and the requirement to have all domestic dogs going to tasmania to have written evidence from a veterinarian that the dog has been treated appropriately to kill off any hydatids prior to entering Tasmania.

Slim6y, intestinal wormers don't really have a prolonged, carry on effect, which is why you need to keep treating your pets regularly, pups every 2 weeks to start off with, and adults at every 3months unless otherwise indicated.

Sorry, my bad, I did mix the 2 up.

 

[Kitah]

No problem, there's so many parasites and they get quite confusing to be honest. I hate parasitology

 

[Ramsayi]

ok I can't find it, thought it's what I've been told, it may not be true (although I have little internet quota and am not going to use it looking up legislation, feel free to google it ) However, it is a REALLY bad idea. Hydatid disease is nasty. If the offal is completely cooked through then it's fine, as is the stuff in commerical dog food, as it is cooked. Uncooked = hydatid disease. Don't do it!

I am not going to google it as it would be a waste of time.You made a statement that it was illegal now you are not too sure.Maybe a Taswegian told you?

 

[KaotikJezta]

I don't get why people can see that big companies don't care about feeding us junk, hence the reference to rolls being like McDonalds, yet think the big companies that make pet food actually care about our pets health. Here is a link to who owns what and I wouldn't call any of the major players ethical or healthy.

Dog Food - Ethical Consumer Guide

 

[slim6y]

Dog Food - Ethical Consumer Guide

So - I randomly pick Hills. It gets a cross by its name.

Here's one reason why:

Animal Testing (funny that, considering it's a pet food company owned by Palmolive-Colgate)

"Record of testing products on animals. Listed on PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals, USA) 'Companies that test on animals'."

Well, now there's a solid backing that I rely on

I think I can be quite happy that Colgate-Palmolive make food for my dog and have a HUGE funding for it too. Plus, the food that comes from Hills has had YEARS of testing (on animals) - plus the Hills website helps debunk some myths (although just as bias as the myths that were made). And on tip of that - I think it's time people realise that the internet is 'open' - therefore anyone can write anything. The research that backs up these myths is done by professionals.

Hills passes my pretty strict regime for a company I will buy from

I agree that dog roll is like McDonalds.

But I don't agree that dog biscuits (such as Hills Science Diet) are unethical nor bad for the dog. In fact, my findings (so far) are quite the opposite.

 

[KaotikJezta]

The only thing I said about Hills was their food is mainly corn and meat byproducts which you can see for yourself is on their website in the ingredients for the food. It is not a myth, it is the truth. As for the whole PETA thing, I hate PETA but I am also not naive enough to think that a huge company that makes soap, shampoo and cosmetics doesn't test on animals. That, however is irrelevant with regards to dogfood. At the end of the day it is everyones own personal choice what they feed their dogs, I won't feed Hills as my dog had a severe allergic reaction to it and I don't think a dogs main diet should be rendered cornmeal. Funny thing is when I returned it to the pet shop and said I would be feeding my puppy a raw diet the girl said that puppies cant handle raw meat, I thought that was pretty funny. I was just putting forth the side of the argument that the dogfood companies don't tell.

 

[Ramsayi]

Trouble with all the studies done on dog food is that the vast majority of them have been commissioned by the companies themselves.It's all about marketing and it is a huge business.Bottom line as I see it is that fresh,unprocessed is a much better diet for any animal.

 

[slim6y]

Trouble with all the studies done on dog food is that the vast majority of them have been commissioned by the companies themselves.It's all about marketing and it is a huge business.Bottom line as I see it is that fresh,unprocessed is a much better diet for any animal.

The real issue is the regulating bodies - it's AAFCO - and that's all we have.

"Although AAFCO has no regulatory authority, the Association provides a forum for the membership and industry representation to achieve three main goals:

Ensure consumer protection
Safeguarding the health of animals and humans
Providing a level playing field of orderly commerce for the animal feed industry."

Who else will be forking out the money to do independent studies?

 

[Firedrake]

I was told the strangest thing by a friend (who by the way knows nothing about canine metabolism), that you can't feed raw meat after the age of two or your dog will turn savage...

 

[slim6y]

I was told the strangest thing by a friend (who by the way knows nothing about canine metabolism), that you can't feed raw meat after the age of two or your dog will turn savage...

Did he also tell you your dog could lie next to you out stretched to test if he can swallow you whole?

I have been looking at raw food companies in NZ (K9 K9 Natural | Best Raw Dog Food for Healthy Dogs ) - while I think they mean well, and I am sure some of their ideas are correct. They don't seem to base their ideas that our dogs don't live in the wild. They also make a fair few over biased mistakes and they sound a bit 'fundamentalist' as well.

I think if they eased up on the whole 'nature made it that way' they might be a fantastic food company. However, they are one of the fastest growing companies in NZ.