I am wanting to give my new Puppy the best diet that i can, i have been advised to feed him on, 1 raw chicken wing, a small amount of tripe and 1 raw egg a day. Please could you tell me if this is ok or offer me alterantive foods for him. Thanks, Caren.https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,517#msg-517Sun, 31 May 2026 12:04:41 +0000 Phorum 5.2.23 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,856#msg-856 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,856#msg-856
Richard]]> Richard Allport Ask The VetThu, 19 May 2005 21:07:29 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,848#msg-848 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,848#msg-848I am not sure that I agree with your defintion of 'REAL FOOD', but I think that maybe this discussion has gone on long enought.
Walter]]> Walter Beswick Ask The VetThu, 19 May 2005 08:14:29 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,845#msg-845 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,845#msg-845
Yes, not a question of great minds thinking alike on this matter! I'll try not to bore on the topic again but I will reiterate - a diet based on raw meaty bones, which doesn't mean giving nothing but RMB, but includes offal, eggs, vegetables and other ingredients is perfectly balanced.

The problem with convenience foods (in my view) for animals or for humans is that they are just not as healthy and nutririous as real food.

And finally - it's simple to freeze a batch of RMBs (or you can buy them already frozen) and defrost as required - no need for unappealing storage in fridge/pantry.

With all good wishes

Richard]]> Richard Allport Ask The VetWed, 18 May 2005 21:19:21 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,842#msg-842 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,842#msg-842I can see that we are never going to agree on this.

My experience ( and I was veterinary superintendant of a quantine kennel for 20 years) is that dogs prefer to eat the food that they like, and are suspicious of frequent changes of diet. Hence a regular diet must be well balanced - and in my book a diet of 'raw meaty bones' is NOT balanced.
Commecial diets are as much 'convenience' foods as anything, and as long as they are complete and nourishing, and the animal likes it, where is the problem? They certainly make life easier for the owner. Keeping raw meaty bones and suchlike in the refrigerator or pantry along with food for the family is unlikely to be appealing!

I also suggest that human tastes are rather more sophisticated that are dogs'

If you take up my suggestion and visit a pet food manufactory, I think you will be surprised on two counts, first, the quality of the raw ingredients, and second the health and happiness of the animals kept long term for observation of the effects of feeding the prepared diets over the animal's lifetime. I have seen dogs in their late teens as fit and well as any pet kept in a home environment.

Again, I emphasise that my comments come from my own observations. I do not have, nor have I ever have had, any links with a pet food manufacturer.

Walter]]> Walter Beswick Ask The VetWed, 18 May 2005 20:18:38 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,837#msg-837 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,837#msg-837
In my reply of 04 04 05 I said I had opened one can of tinned food in a week. I'm not suggesting I never eat processed food, or that dogsshould never eat processed food, but that I would never eat a diet composed solely of processed food, and neither should dogs.

The pet food factories may well be very clean, but that doesn't mean the food that goes in the cans and packets is as healthy for the consumers as real fresh food. Can you honestly say that you would be happy to eat nothing but tinned and dried food for the whole of your life?]]> Richard Allport Ask The VetTue, 17 May 2005 22:27:24 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,836#msg-836 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,836#msg-836have you ever been to a commercial pet-food factory and actually seen for yourself what goes into the cans?
I have, and I think that you might get a surprise if you went and saw the quality of the ingredients (none of which have been condemned for human consumption) and the standards of hygiene - there is no risk of MRSA there!
Walter
PS You did not answer my question I asked if you never eat any 'processed' food. W]]> Walter Beswick Ask The VetTue, 17 May 2005 07:24:59 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,835#msg-835 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,835#msg-835 Richard Allport Ask The VetMon, 16 May 2005 22:12:34 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,834#msg-834 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,834#msg-834Did you not see that pea and spinach flavopured ice-cream is now available to get children to eat their greens?
Would you allow a child to choose what it wants to eat on the grounds that it knows best what it needs in terms of noursihment? I am sure that many prefer a bag of crisps and a Coke, or even turket twizzlers, to a well balanced diet. Pups are much the same.
As one elderly lady client said to me in Glasgow many years ago - "You have to look after your dog - after all, they're only human"!!
Walter]]> Walter Beswick Ask The VetMon, 16 May 2005 08:53:55 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,832#msg-832 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,832#msg-832 Richard Allport Ask The VetSun, 15 May 2005 23:07:31 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,831#msg-831 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,831#msg-831Nearly right, but by adding chicken breast (protein) you may have unbalanced the Pedigree Chum Puppy Diet, which is carefully balanced in terms of protein, fat and carboydrate, as well as a correct proportion of calcium ( a growing pup, particularly of a large or giant breed needs a large quantity of calcium for bone formation - compare how many times a pup doubles its birth weight by the time it is one year old, compared with a human baby!)
I suggest that you add the same weight of biscuit meal as of fresh chicken breast to bring the diet back into balance.
Walter]]> Walter Beswick Ask The VetSun, 15 May 2005 16:09:07 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,830#msg-830 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,830#msg-830 chris Ask The VetSun, 15 May 2005 14:54:15 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,797#msg-797 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,797#msg-797A balanced diet containg plenty of calcium is ESSENTIAL for a growing dog.
She clearly has not been properly cared for if she is such a picky eater.
You would not let a child dictate to you what it is going to eat.
Put down a small quantity of a proper puppy food three times a day, and lift what she has not eaten after a quarter of an hour. DO NOT give her tidbits between meals. She will eat when she is hungry enough - you are not being cruel to her doing this.
W]]> Walter Beswick Ask The VetWed, 04 May 2005 18:58:02 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,792#msg-792 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,792#msg-792We have been given a 5mth female staffordshire bull terrier 4 days ago
her name is Sasha, she loves playing, the problem is she doesn't like
dog tinned food, we bought for her chicken, rabbit and lamb, she just
licked at the jelly, but does not eat the actual meat.

We then gave her some cooked chicken pieces with rice, she ate the
chicken and left the rice. I would like her to eat dog food, how do I
go about it.

She loves milk, (but which milk is good for her,)

Please advise me what I need to give her, (I am a new owner)

Thank you for your help]]> Meena Mootoosamy Ask The VetWed, 04 May 2005 12:33:14 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,760#msg-760 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,760#msg-760Thanks for the advice,
Caren.]]> Caren Edmead Ask The VetWed, 27 Apr 2005 22:01:12 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,758#msg-758 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,758#msg-758Walter]]> Walter Beswick Ask The VetWed, 27 Apr 2005 16:45:38 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,727#msg-727 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,727#msg-727Thanks Walter,
Caren.]]> Caren Edmead Ask The VetTue, 19 Apr 2005 16:45:08 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,724#msg-724 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,724#msg-724W]]> Walter Beswick Ask The VetTue, 19 Apr 2005 13:37:15 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,721#msg-721 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,721#msg-721I was going to feed my Puppy (Bailey) a raw diet, until gaining advice from Walter suggesting that this isn't a good idea.
Then i was going to feed him Iams Puppy complete meal.
Since then i have decided to feed him "Natural choice Puppy" (Lamb and Rice): made by the company "Nutro".
Bailey loves this dried food and is thriving on it.
I'm not an expert, but as a first time puppy owner, i would suggest using this food.
Hope this helps.
Caren.]]> Caren Edmead Ask The VetTue, 19 Apr 2005 12:44:04 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,720#msg-720 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,720#msg-720 steve Ask The VetTue, 19 Apr 2005 12:10:20 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,596#msg-596 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,596#msg-596You have it wrong - almost all the ingredients which go into commercially prepared food ARE fit for human consumption - absolutely no meat which has been condemned in an abbatoir is used by the reputable manufacturers in the UK. (I have no personal knowledge of overseas producers, but I suspect the same rule applies).
I am sure that if you asked the major UK producer if you might have a tour of their factory to see for yourself - as I have done - they would welcome you.
I repeat that I have absolutely no connection with any commercial pet food manufacturer, nor have I ever had. I am only concerned with what I truly believe is the optimum type of nutrition for the household pet.
Walter]]> Walter Beswick Ask The VetTue, 05 Apr 2005 07:42:04 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,595#msg-595 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,595#msg-595
Oh, come on now, I never said the majority was ALWAYS wrong, just often wrong.

Yes, I do equate Turkey Twizzlers with most commercial pet foods, they are both made up of things like 'mechanically retrieved meat', 'meat by products' and all the other debris derived from real food. There are some perfectly reasonable commercial foods such as James Wellbeloved and Burns (to answer your query in another part of the thread, Caren) made from good quality food with few preservatives, colourings and flavourings.

If these are fed alongside some real fresh meat and bones, that's fine. Dogs should have a variety of foods. But not tinned/dried food as their sole diet.

Yes, I occasionally use tinned food, but if I do, I look closely at the ingredients. In the past week I have opened one tin - a can of organic chopped tomatoes, to make a pasta sauce.

Tell me honestly, would you be prepared to eat NOTHING but tinned and dried food for the whole of your life? If not, why should your dog be expected to! But it's not just a question of taste and aesthetics, it is a question of health. Pet owners who feed their dogs on fresh food do so because it keeps their pets happier and healthier.

I used to propound the party line that Hills/Eukanuba/ Pedigree was fine. But I realised that this just isn't true! Give real food for really healthy dogs.

Richard

Richard Allport BVetMed, VetMFHom, MRCVS
]]> Richard Allport Ask The VetMon, 04 Apr 2005 22:30:19 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,594#msg-594 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,594#msg-594I would just like to comment that it's great to see all these threads, and all because i asked a question, lol.
I would also like to add that i brought my new puppy (Bailey) home this evening and that he is adorable.
Very interesting to read everyones views on this subject,
Caren.]]> Caren Edmead. Ask The VetMon, 04 Apr 2005 18:40:30 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,593#msg-593 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,593#msg-593 Michael West Ask The VetMon, 04 Apr 2005 16:36:55 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,592#msg-592 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,592#msg-592 Ken Evans Ask The VetMon, 04 Apr 2005 16:15:43 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,591#msg-591 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,591#msg-591Thanks for that. I agree, I cannot see much of a difference between 'breed disposition' and ' genetic tendencies' !
Giant breeds, as you probably know, are not long lived, most dying of cardiomyopathy at about 8 years old.
I hope that yours is the exception that proves the rule!
Walter]]> Walter Beswick Ask The VetMon, 04 Apr 2005 14:11:06 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,590#msg-590 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,590#msg-590Maybe we gave the impresion that he had gallons which was certainly not the case.
As a note to the other Vets here who have excellent cases for pro 'natural verus commercial' It will be interesting to see what our Wolfie eventually dies of and if a contributary factor is diet. He is on and has pretty much always been on his bulk food of a commercial diet...He is 3 years old this month and is in very hard condition and more active than 99% of his peers. So we shall wait to see what age he reaches. Thanks for the reply I shall continue to study all the responses.]]> Ken Evans Ask The VetMon, 04 Apr 2005 13:07:28 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,589#msg-589 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,589#msg-589The causes of OCD are 'multifactorial'. I think it unlikely that too much calcium in the diet would be one of the factors.
If my memory of biochemistry and intestinal physiology serves me correctly, there is a very clever mechanism which prevents more calcium than is required being absorbed into the body. XS vitamins A & D, on the otherhand, can be positively harmful.
However, if you see earlier comments, a commercial diet - such as puppy giant breed Eukanuba is designed to provide ALL the nutrtional requirements. Adding other ingredients on a DIY basis - in your case," milk, evaporated milk, rice pudding, tripe etc " could upset the balance of nutrients.
Walter]]> Walter Beswick Ask The VetMon, 04 Apr 2005 11:00:34 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,588#msg-588 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,588#msg-588So...can you give too much calcium?
Don't worry about major replys as I am now doing this for self education and for fun in my spare time. We have had major dealings with horse nutrition but not dog. Our dog is deserving the absolute best in everything hence our obsessive stalking of this site.]]> Ken Evans Ask The VetMon, 04 Apr 2005 10:45:45 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,587#msg-587 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,587#msg-587All veterinary students receive scientifically based information on dietetics during their Animal Husbandry course. On top of that, in their Clinical Medicine & Surgery the various deficiency diseases which result from an inadequate diet are considered. Jane's contribution above describing a deficiency case she encountered does not need a PhD in Dietetics to recognise.
The worst deficiency case which I ever saw was in a six month-old tiger cub, fed only on raw meat - surely a 'natural' diet for a tiger!- from the age of 6 weeks, whose legs collapsed beneath it. X-ray showed that the bones had folded like drinking straws because of calcium and vitamin D deficiency.
The late Professor James Campbell when wishing to study hip dysplasia in German Shepherd dogs almost 50 years ago, before commerically produced ( or 'processed' ) dog foods were available, could not find 'normal' 12 week old GSD pups! All showed deficiencies in bone formation and needed calcium supplementation.
Walter]]> Walter Beswick Ask The VetMon, 04 Apr 2005 07:32:56 +0000 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,586#msg-586 https://www.vetclickforum.co.uk/read.php?7,517,586#msg-586 Michael West Ask The VetSun, 03 Apr 2005 22:03:24 +0000