# What do you feed your chi?



## Lottie (Apr 13, 2005)

My little girl Angelica is very changeable and I am throwing lots away.

I have tried (complete dried food) IAMS, NUTRO, 

The breeder had her on PEDIGREE PUP, and occaisionally CEASER as a treat

She allowed her to chomp on the occasional bakers complete biscuit to help her teeth.

She's very fussy though and was more interested in my sons pate on toast left overs, which I cut up for her.

I am also giving her lactol, but she doesn't have loads or anything.

She's 12 weeks old.

I am worried about her getting a balanced diet though since I prefer a complete dried food such as Hills or Eukanuba. I was looking through a book in the local pet shop with the owner and it was suggesting scrambled eggs, and some vegetables and stuff like that.

I want to do the best for her, so what do you all recommend?

thanks for tips - love Lottie


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## Nona (Mar 27, 2005)

Hey

I know how you feel, Lexi used to be happy eating Pedigree or Science Diet dry food, with the occassional wet food pouch, but lately she's been really picky and picks at her dry food like she isn't even enjoying it.

It really bothers me because I've tried about 4 types of food now, she's currently eating James Wellbeloved dry food, but she never seems to enjoy it much.

I don't want her just eating wet food because I've heard it's not so good for their diet. I wish there was a food that had all the benefits of the dry complete food, but was semi-moist and more appetising!

Try James Wellbeloved, it seems better than Pedigree anyway and the pieces are nice and tiny for Chi's. They have a website, you can get a free sample. 

http://www.wellbeloved.co.uk/


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## Lottie (Apr 13, 2005)

Thanks Nona, it's just that she's barely having 3 teaspoons a day now.

i will give that a go, but like you I prefer a whole complete food so that it keeps her teeth clean, and I know it's fortified with all the vitamins.

My vet said the processed wet food is like MacDonalds for dogs.


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## *Andrea* (Jan 30, 2006)

I use Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul. Junie seems to really like it since she eats quite a bit of it. :wink:


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## my3angels (Apr 15, 2004)

> My vet said the processed wet food is like MacDonalds for dogs.


lol yeah my vet said the same thing about wet and most dry.

There is a wet food on the market called Merrick

http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/canned_dog_food.php

http://www.merrickpetcare.com/

my girls LOVED this stuff and its very healthy. The bonus is that its wet food and usually more appealing to picky eaters then dry. Might want to give this a try.


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## Lottie (Apr 13, 2005)

I'm in the UK :?


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## my3angels (Apr 15, 2004)

awww....they dont sell that product in the UK....bummer. Sorry


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## princess_ella (Jun 4, 2005)

you may want to add some fresh chicken broth to the dry food.or small chicken well grinded.


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## LadyBelle1 (Sep 10, 2005)

I use the Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers Soul.


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## Linariel (Feb 21, 2006)

Chicken Soup, Premium Edge, Wellness, Timberwolf(www.timberwolforganics.com[url]) ar... got a decent store of knowledge built up. :D


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## ~Jessie~ (Oct 30, 2005)

I agree. I'm not an expert, but I feel as if I know a good bit about dog foods (which has gotten me into "arguments" on here before) :lol: .

I feed Innova and Wellness, but neither one of those brands are available in the UK (to my knowledge).


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## my3angels (Apr 15, 2004)

I have also spent about a year looking into dog foods and totally agree with what you said. I am not a doctor so I will never claim to be an expert in anything, but I do know what doctors have told me and that is the info i share online.


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## newf (Jan 28, 2006)

I have never heard of these foods before...wellness, Innova. Can you only purchase them online?


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## Lottie (Apr 13, 2005)

Linariel said:


> Chicken Soup, Premium Edge, Wellness, Timberwolf(www.timberwolforganics.com[url]) ar...till have no idea what to feed the pooch tho!


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## peanutnpepper (Nov 8, 2005)

I too use Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul. They seem to really enjoy it.


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## Linariel (Feb 21, 2006)

Lottie-can you tell us which formula you feed? Then I can get you the ingredients list.

It's not that you're doing anything wrong-it's just Hill's has so much marketing behind them. The name sells, while the ingredients are sub-par.
The main problems being- Very little if any real meat
Corn
Artificial preservatives.

With Hill's, you gotta realise vets don't receive nutritional education in college. Their canine nutrition seminars and books come from the Hill's company! They also receive kickbacks, vacations, and commission on the product. There's a small conflict of interest there.

On another forum I frequent, there are a couple of vet students. They are the ones who confimed that for me. They also get an awesome discount on their food while in vet school. They pay like thirty cents a pound. So if you're used to feeding your pets something, you're likely to recommend it.

Hill's is pretty expensive for what you get. For the price, you could probably feed a generic store brand with the same results. Ol' Roy's ingredients(wal-mart) is very similar to Hill's, at half the price.

Lottie, your specialty pet store might do special orders! The independently owned stores are generally very good about getting you what you want. 

A good food will end up being cheaper. I was feeding my dog-a Staffordshire Terrier- 3 cups a day of Premium Edge to keep her just on the lean side. With Timberwolf, I only feed a little over one cup.


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## Linariel (Feb 21, 2006)

Here is the ingredients for Oral Care for cats:

Ingredients
*Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat (preserved mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Ground Whole Grain Corn,* Powdered Cellulose, *Chicken Liver Flavor*, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, DL-Methionine, *Iodized Salt,* Vitamin E Supplement, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Taurine, Calcium Sulfate, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Beta Carotene, Rosemary Extract. 

Chicken by-product is leftovers. Everything that you don't see on your grocery stores shelves for humans is in the by-product. EVERYTHING. Beaks, feet, feathers, intestines, droppings, etc.

Brewers Rice is not very digestible.

Corn is the number one cause of pet allergies, and is very hard on their digestion.

Animal fat comes from rendering plants. Rendering plants get leftovers from slaughterhouses, expired meat from supermarkets, sick animals, and worst of all, euthanised animals from the vets. Most foods with animal fat on the market today tested positive for Phenobarbitol-used for euthanasia.

If it said 'chicken fat'-you'd know it was *probably* from chickens. But animal fat is exactly what it says.

Chicken liver flavour doesn't have to be real chicken. AAFCO standards say as long as the flavour is close enough to convince the dog it is beef/chicken/etc, it can be called 'flavour'. So it's usually an artificial flavour, but they don't have to list it as such.

Salt is totally unecessary.

This food won't do anything to help teeth and gums. If anything, it will make them worse. Carbohydrates tend to rot teeth faster than anything. The bacteria that eats away your tooth enamel feeds on carbs primarily. It's easiest for them to break down.

You're much better off brushing their teeth a couple times a week, even if you have to deal with a screeching devil kitty.

It's a myth that dry food cleans teeth. If that were true, you could go eat a bag of potato chips and some cereal in lieu of brushing daily.

Personally I think Felidae and Chicken Soup are good for kitties. I like Felidae better but sometimes has to be special ordered. There's only one grain in it.


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## colleen13 (Jul 10, 2004)

we've tried canidae and california natural but the canidae was too rich for her (made her gain weight) and the CN gave her gas :fart: so now she's on reduced calorie natural balance and she loves it. i go for the more human-grade foods over foods like iams, pedigree, etc. just my preference..... :wave:


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## tuckasocki (Jan 14, 2006)

we started with eukanuba and switched to royal canin. i am VERY pleased with the royal canin, as is tucker. he has gained weight nicely and he really seems to like it. i think you just have to go with what works for you. i didn't know that eukanuba was bad until i joined this forum. same with iams...my childhood pet ate that and lived a healthy, happy 14 years.

i went with royal canin because it was a step up from eukanuba, easily found at petsmart and a decent value. a lot of the food that is used on here would be hard for me to get.

there has to be some personal preference involved because royal canin was suggested to me here and yet others say they wouldn't feed it.

hope you fnd something that works well for you. once tucker was eating well and gaining weight, i was more at ease.


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## Lottie (Apr 13, 2005)

Linariel said:


> Here is the ingredients for Oral Care for cats:
> 
> Ingredients
> *Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat (preserved mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Ground Whole Grain Corn,* Powdered Cellulose, *Chicken Liver Flavor*, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, DL-Methionine, *Iodized Salt,* Vitamin E Supplement, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Taurine, Calcium Sulfate, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Beta Carotene, Rosemary Extract.
> ...


 :shock: :shock: :shock:   :x 

Thanks *so much *hunny - I have been paying a fortune for this for years because I love my cats so much.

I still haven't got a clue what to replace it with though as the listed products you mentioned are not available in the UK.

Hmmmm :?

And I'm still not any closer to finding some new food for Angelica either.


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## Linariel (Feb 21, 2006)

No problem Lottie!

I fed Science Diet for awhile too, and I wasn't happy with it. My kitties fur was dry-though I didn't realise it until I switched foods and it got super soft and shiny. Also, they acted like Science Diet was crack! I had to lock up the bags or they would chew through it and gorge themselves. It was wild. I found out that cats and dogs get addicted to carbs just like we do. That's why sometimes they prefer cheap food like Meow Mix over the stuff we think is good. And that can make it hard to switch them.

But trust me, they're not stupid and they won't starve themselves. I'm a fan of tough love when it comes to switching foods. I can outlast my cats.  

I know everyone wants the best for their pets, but it takes a ton of research and time to learn what that is. It's something I'm really interested in though.

Lottie, you said you have a specialty pet store. Can you contact them and find out what foods they have available? It takes a few minutes but maybe you can go there and check out the varieties of food and write down some brand names. Or just call and find a helpful clerk that can list them for you. Then you can come home and look up ingredients lists online and compare. That way you're not stuck at the store for an hour, toting around bags of food.

If you have any questions about any foods, feel free to PM or email me.

I posted on another forum asking if anyone could recommend good foods in the UK. I think you can get most anything but have to order it online...

Can you tell me what you've seen available at your pet store?


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## Lottie (Apr 13, 2005)

Your help is invaluable and very much appreciated. I know they have Nutro - Jelly won't eat it as yet tho (my Chi) and also they stock a product I think is called natures way, but I will have a chat with him in there and see what he says. Ultimately he makes a lot of money out of me as I buy everything in there, so I anticipate he'll try to recommend other stuff he sells and that may not be the best. he may order stuff in for me if I take details to him tho.

I can't tell you how relieved i am to have had you show me the light as it were!


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## Linariel (Feb 21, 2006)

I'm really glad I could help you out.

I wouldn't bother with Nutro. It's not horrible, but there's a lot of grain, some salt, and beet pulp. Another thing to stay away from. It has a lot of sugar, and is a stool hardener. Foods made of mostly meat won't need beet pulp to make your dog produce firm stool. The pulp also makes the stool painfully hard sometimes. Like passing a brick.

I'm having a very hard time finding any good UK pet foods online. Probably because I don't know what I'm looking for! Most of the brands aren't familiar to me.

If you could get ingredients and names, that'd be best. Then we can compare!


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## BonnieChi (Aug 12, 2005)

I switched to Royal Canin a couple months ago, and it's been working out great. Bonnie seems to like it and her coat has been much shinier and softer. I switched to it too because people on this forum recommended it...but it seems some people don't like it. But, it works for me and my dog


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## Tucker-N-Jasper (Aug 6, 2005)

Tucker's on Royal Canin too. Jasper is on Nutro at the breeders but I'll be swtching him over. Tucker hated nutro.. he's very finicky. even on the RC he won't eat the adult mini, loves the puppy and tolerates the adult chi. I want them both on the same brand in the long run so I'm hoping Jasper will take to the RC.


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## Linariel (Feb 21, 2006)

> But, it works for me and my dog Smile


that's what's important!


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## Nona (Mar 27, 2005)

Linariel said:


> I would never feed Iams, Eukanuba, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Hills Science Diet, Purina, Kibbles and Bits, and a whole host of other foods. If you can buy it at the grocery store, it's probably not good for your dog.


Gosh, is there any UK food that's ok for our Chi's then? Most of these are in our shops, and I've tried a few of them. None of the ones you said were ok are in our shops to my knowledge :? 

I wish there was an international Chi food that was ok to give to our babies!


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## holly&peanut (Feb 18, 2006)

i'm completly lost with this food thing now, hes such a fussy eater only wanting human food.
im gonna ask my vet what to do. someone reccomend eukanuba to me then someone else has said its not good fo them, i'm completely lost!
it seems like the US has a better choice of dog foods that are healthier for dogs. and we are stuck with rubbish like pedigree.
i could be wrong though! :shock:


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## Lottie (Apr 13, 2005)

Nona and Holly&Peanut you have noth said exactly what I was going to say!

I was considering giving Angelica human food with vitamin suppliments after reading this thread.

Is there a balanced diet book for the breed that recommends what food you can mix up to make your own?

our household has 2 veggies and 2 carnivores so I am flexible to cook for a tiny Chi in addition to everyone else.


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## Nona (Mar 27, 2005)

I used to feed Lexi Cow&Gate baby food, things like the Caseroles etc. The vet once told me to try those with her as he said Pedigree were not a good brand.

I'd like to try cooking Lexi foods like scrambled egg but I would need instructions specifically for a Chi! So if anyone's tried this with good results, or with other cooked human foods, please help!  

I have to get new food really soon, and I'm not keen to go get a big sack of food that says it's good, but probably isn't.


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## AEROMarley1983 (Sep 12, 2005)

Don't know waht to tell ya there. Tito eats Nutro Lamb/Rice small bites. So does Marley. They LOVE IT! ANd it was the only thing that Tito would eat good portions of!! I tried like five different foods!


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## holly&peanut (Feb 18, 2006)

At the moment peanut eats scrambledeggs for breakfast, then other meals he has boiled chicken with rice or pasta.
the person i bought him from told me to give him weetabix for breakfast and pedigree for other meals! she said if hes a bit off his food he will eat just weetabix with milk! 
he wouldn't eat anything!!! i told the vet and he said thank god hes not eating any of that rubbish.
i don't mind carrying on with his food that he eats now cos he loves it he just needs to get his vits and minerals somehow.
i would prefer to give him dog food cos it would save me constanly cooking but i don't mind either way as long as he eats!
i tried to look on the internet for human foods i can feed him but didn't have much look- there lists of stuff he can't have but not one of stuff that he can and that is good for him!


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## MyTank (Sep 8, 2005)

Is there some kind of gravy or something like that that you could put on top of the food to make it more enticing? Maybe add a little water to the dry food or maybe a little soft food to the dry.


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## Linariel (Feb 21, 2006)

> At the moment peanut eats scrambledeggs for breakfast, then other meals he has boiled chicken with rice or pasta.
> the person i bought him from told me to give him weetabix for breakfast and pedigree for other meals! she said if hes a bit off his food he will eat just weetabix with milk!


HollyandPeanut, what you're feeding your dog is not a balanced diet.

Cooking for your dogs is fine, but only if you are following canine nutrition book recommendations. You might not see any problems now, but chances are the diet is deficient in some way.

If you want to cook for your dogs or feed raw or BARF, you need to do tons of research! Dogs just can't be healthy on chicken, rice, and eggs..They need muscle meat, meaty bones, organ meat, and sometimes pureed vegetables. Please please don't feed your dog a home made diet that hasn't been proven!

Feeding low quality kibble is probably better than an unbalanced human-food diet. At least the kibble has the right calcium/phosphorous ratio, and vitamin and mineral content.

If you keep feeding your chi this stuff, he will never learn to eat kibble because he doesn't have to. They're not stupid and won't starve themselves unless they are really sick. So if you have a healthy dog, just put down dog food and don't give in. They will eat it eventually.

I know it sounds mean but if you don't know how to cook for them it is much better this way.

I have been unable to find good UK available dog foods.

I would like someone to help me by getting me a list of available brands, and if possible ingredients lists. If you can't get the ingredients I *might* be able to find them online.

I'd love to help you all find a good dog food, but I can't do that unless I know what you guys can get.


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## canadiandawn (Jan 11, 2006)

Shiver is on Natural Balance. When she went for her shots last night the vet was very happy that she's on that food.


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## Linariel (Feb 21, 2006)

Natural Balance is pretty good! I think it's kind of expensive though, because you're getting two ingredients that aren't very good-tomato pomace and potatoes. Tomato pomace is the ground up stems and leaves of the plant, which can be toxic in large quantities. And potatoes aren't good for dogs on a daily basis.

But I don't think all their formulas have that...

It's nice to see vets understand better foods!


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## holly&peanut (Feb 18, 2006)

linariel i know what im giving him ain't good im just giving him what my vet told me too while he had an icky tummy from the pedigree and that why im asking advice!


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## tiny- dog- luverr (Oct 28, 2005)

mines eating beneful original. :wink:


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## Lottie (Apr 13, 2005)

Linariel I will try over the next day or so to list most of the dried complete food available here, with or without links to ingredients.

Are you interested in the canned/meat chunks in Jelly?

For some bizarre reason tonight Angelica wolfed down a whole heap of Nutro puppy biccies, and probably the most ceaser meat I have ever seen her eat.

There'll be poo's in the morning :?


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## Lottie (Apr 13, 2005)

holly&peanut said:


> i tried to look on the internet for human foods i can feed him but didn't have much look- there lists of stuff he can't have but not one of stuff that he can and that is good for him!


Could you link me to a list of things Chi's can;t have please hunny?

Thanks!

Lottie
x


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## Linariel (Feb 21, 2006)

> linariel i know what im giving him ain't good im just giving him what my vet told me too while he had an icky tummy from the pedigree and that why im asking advice!


I wasn't clear on your original post. I wanted to be sure.

If you want to cook for him, I'd check on the internet. There are some sites about home cooking and or raw feeding.

Other than that, I can't tell you what's good because I don't yet know what you have available.

You might want to try something like Eukanuba temporarily. Try to find some that's corn free, that can upset some dog's stomachs.


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## Lottie (Apr 13, 2005)

Is Eukanuba better than Nutro? (As a temporary measure only)


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## Linariel (Feb 21, 2006)

Eukanuba lamb and rice adult:

Lamb, Brewers Rice, Corn Meal, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Dried Egg Product, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E, and Citric Acid), Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Vitamins....., Minerals....., DL-Methionine, Dicalcium Phosphate, Rosemary Extract. 

Nutro Natural Chicken Meal, rice, and oatmeal formula:

Chicken Meal, Rice Flour, Ground Rice, Rice Bran, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Oatmeal, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Natural Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp, Potassium Chloride, Dried Egg Product, Dried Kelp (source of Iodine), Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Biotin, Niacin, Garlic Flavor, Manganese Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Vitamin A Supplement, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Chondroitin Sulfate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid. 



I'd go with the Nutro-no corn and no sorghum(which is very sugary).

Nutro Natural is better than Nutro Max. Lots of the Nutro Max formulas are preserved with Ethoxyquin. Avoid that stuff at all costs. It's worse than BHA BHT, I think.


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## bullsgal12 (Nov 13, 2005)

Does anyone feed their dog ProPlan. Gidget seems to like it but I'm considering on switching to another brand. Is Royal Canin expensive? Is it dry dog food?


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## Linariel (Feb 21, 2006)

I think Royal Canin is kind of pricey for the amount of corn in it. It's not that bad, though. Better than ProPlan.


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