Switch to dry dog food?

I have thru trial and error found a dry dog food that works well with my dogs. No recalls, no allergies, etc. I add a little cooked chicken to it, so they clean it up in no time. That eliminates problems in a multi-dog household. The Mastiff would eat until all food was gone-you can not just leave her to self-regulate her consumption.
That being said: I have known dogs that have absolutely refused to eat certain foods. They can get very ill, bloat, etc. A truly, stubborn dog, with a fussy appetite can be quite a challenge. Sometimes, you have to pick your battles.

Chicken and Rice Recipe Just Food For Dogs Recipe

or delivered to your door Home made dog food :h

One of the best dog foods I've used was passed along to me by a kennel owner that raised guide dogs and also kenneled dogs. All dogs seemed to thrive and enjoy this mix:
Inexpensive dry food
A cup or two of milk replacer (calf blend sold at farm stores)
Water
Eggs occasionally
Chopped beef almost daily.
The last two ingredients were tailored to the dog's physique and coat condition. The mix or gravy was not so moist that the dry food was totally saturated, it allowed for some "crunch" so that teeth and gums were involved.

mike mck wrote:
If you check the nutrition info on the dry food or with your vet you will find many dry foods that give the animal all the nutrition they require.

A few servings of highly fortified breakfast cereal and milk a day would likely give me all the nutrition I need. But I certainly don't think it would be a healthy way to eat, nor have I ever heard a doctor or nutritionist recommend that any human eat that way.

I have had many dogs over the years, more years than I care to admit and not 1 has refused to eat to the point of health issues.
Have you had a dog that refused to eat to the point of health issues?

I've never had a dog who wouldn't eat anything put in front of them. However, my knowledge and experience base extends well beyond my own dogs, and I know that there certainly are dogs who will refuse to eat to the point of causing themselves problems. To not take that possibility into consideration when offering advice over the Internet is not something I'm ever going to do.

Pawz4me wrote:
I'll leave the brand suggestions to others.

In general I don't think free feeding is a good idea for dogs. It can work in a single dog household, but I still don't think it's ideal. I think leaving food out is an invitation to pests like ants and roaches. Plus it makes it a bit harder to gauge how much the dog is eating. It also makes it more difficult to keep the dog on a routine potty schedule.

For a dog who is finicky with canned food, I wouldn't be very optimistic that she would eat dry food well. If you want to try I suspect you'll have to take a tough love approach -- pick two set feeding times per day, offer the food for 20 minutes or so and then take it up. Don't offer again until the next feeding time. This relies on the theory that when the dog gets hungry enough he/she will eat. It's not a method I believe in for several reasons, the chief being that some dogs will refuse to eat to the point of causing health issues.

I would never feed a dog nothing but dry kibble. IMO it's incredibly unhealthy.

Pawz

I have a somewhat different method. I let the dogs determine their potty schedule as well as feeding schedule. I have a 50 lb tub of food available at all times. They eat when they want, and no they don't over eat. Potty schedule is easy. Doggie door allows them to go out when they want. I have the luxury of a 7000 sq ft back yard so I don't need to control their potty timing to when I can take them out for a walk.

Where I respect your opinion I take issue with a couple of your statements. If you check the nutrition info on the dry food or with your vet you will find many dry foods that give the animal all the nutrition they require.
I have had many dogs over the years, more years than I care to admit and not 1 has refused to eat to the point of health issues.
Have you had a dog that refused to eat to the point of health issues?

Of course to each his own.

Well I'm sure there will be opinions all over the board on this one.
Well here's mine.
I have been feeding my dogs Old Roys for years. Lost my last Malamute at 16.
Dry food only. I now have a 6 yo female Husky and 8 yo Malamute. They do not over eat and eat when hungry.
Cafeteria feeding. 50 Lb tub available when ever they want it.
I am amazed when I hear a dog is a picky eater. If dry food is what's available dry food is what they will eat.

I had an english bulldog growing up. One day it caught a snapping turtle alive. I thought nothing of it, I figured the dog would never be able to mess with it. I came back later and the only thing left of the snapping turtle that was about 18 or more inches long from head to tail was a small part of the shell and the head. My bulldog which was the nicest most calm dog had eaten the entire turtle alive minus some shell and the head.

Try to keep my boxer boy, Cody, out of the asparagus patch. You cannot eat a banana without sharing with him. He drools over apples too....broccoli, cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, potatoes, beans...there's not much that he doesn't enjoy.

Both boxers will eat several pears per day as soon as the pears are marble sized. They love to pick their own pears from the 2 ancient trees in our backyard.

Here is the goober wanting inside to eat his pear:



And enjoying a banana!

OL' ROY!!!! :B .

I would totally agree that a non-meat/fish diet isn't best for our dogs and particularly cats.

Being obligate carnivores means that cats have to have meat in their diets. Conversely that does NOT mean that they can't eat vegetable material and derive benefits from eating them.