What We Feed Our Dogs
updated 4-13-2018
Normally, I do NOT give my dogs flea preventative "whether they need it or not". They are here in my house in a controlled environment and their outside area is fenced and bricked, so they are not on grass or dirt, but on pavers. If I see someone scratching and subsequently find a flea, then everyone gets a flea treatment.
Otherwise, they just get their monthly heartworm Rx only (Heartguard).
However, summer is FLEA AND TICK SEASON. My Vet recommends Bravecto, which is good for 3 months. It is $60 per pill (= $20 per month).
BE AWARE: Do not give Bravecto and your monthly heartworm Rx on the same day. Wait a week.
My Vet also tells me that Bravecto will also clear up those little mange spots that some English Bulldogs (and other breeds) get during their adolescence. I have not seen mange on Frenchies though.
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Many breeds of dogs (13 at last count) have (by nature) a "lowered immune system".
In an effort to combat the resultant "allergies", dog food manufacturers attempt to produce products, the use of which will result in a healthy animal.
With the ever changing products available, we are constantly on the search for that perfect food for each of our animals. So while some dogs do well on a particuar food, others may not.
These are the foods and food supplements that I currently feed to my dogs.
Fast Eaters and Sloppy Drinkers:
FINALLY there are places on line, and some pet stores, where Bulldoggers can buy Slow Feed Bowls. www.KingWholesale.com is marketing different types of food bowls for our sloppy and fast eaters. They are designed to make the dog "work" for their food and water, and not be able to just shove their faces in and inhale !
I tried to be a step beyond these dishes, and bought all of my dogs a "Rabbit Waterer", which attaches to the outside of the crate and they lick the tip of it to get the water. Surprisingly, it worked very well ... UNTIL I found out that the bottles have to be cleaned. It is almost impossible to find a scrub brush that will fit into a Rabbit Waterer bottle and do a good job cleaning it.
There are some on the market now that are made for normal bottled water, like we'd buy for ourselves. I bought some on CHEWY.com and the water that fits it is Dasani. This is a MUCH better idea than trying to clean those Rabbit Waterers.
ps: I would put a few drops of red food coloring in a bottle of water. It makes the water light pink, which enables you to see the water level much easier.
Below are the multi-vitamins I give my dogs. I start the babies on a 1/2 a pill and graduate them to a whole one when they're about 4 months old. Knock on wood, my dogs are never sick.
And I have two dogs who get the NuJoint pill every day, since they turned 5 years old. I believe in these because I personally take a similar human grade pill and swear by it. Before I knew about them, I suffered with a lot of hip and joint pain, probably related to my arthritis. If/when you meet me personally, you'll say "NO WAY you're 69 years old!". Well, I attribute a lot of that to the supplements I take. And so I totally believe my dogs deserve the same.
Call Us Toll Free: (800) 474-7044
E-mail Us: contact@nuvet.com
Order Code: 62214
NATURES DOMAIN:
I bought a bag of Taste Of The Wild at a pet store and a bag of Natures Domain at CostCo. The ingredients are almost exactly the same. It is 1% less fat and 1% less protein, neither of which is a bad thing. I know there has been a big stink lately about "grain free" foods, and these may be considered grain free.... since they're fish and sweet potato, but I don't feel like I have any problems with my dogs, so this is what I feed.
IAMS PUPPY:
This is the food that I feed to my puppies. I think puppies should not have their food changed for the first few months you have them. There is enough stress going to a new home.... no need to change the food right away too. You can transition 3-6 months later after you get home, to the Natural Balance LID or Nature's Domain, or whatever other food you choose, by mixing the two, half and half, and letting the puppy consume that before you start fully on whatever dog food you choose. Please note: the bag in the pictue is for LARGE breed dogs. That was OK for the English, but my Frenchies get the SMALL breed version.
ANOTHER GRAIN FREE FOOD:
4 Health
I think this White Fish and Potato (Grain Free) food is available at Tractor Supply. If I lived closer to a Tractor Supply, I might possibly be feeding this food !
If you have a dry skin issue, and don't want to feed an appropriate food to your baby, or maybe think you cannot afford an appropriate supplement (like the one above)
at least give a fish oil, a coconut oil and/or a flaxseed oil gel every day. I use liverwurst to mask any pills. Believe me, once they taste the liverwurst, giving a pill is not a problem.
These are all human grade supplements that you can get at WalGreens.
Finally.... I give the soft gel "pills" instead of liquid, because I want to make sure they are getting the supplement. I think if you pour oil in their food bowl, they may not get it into their stomachs.
I sometimes feed Natural Balance to my dogs.
Over the years, I have switched to new foods as they are recommended to me by my Vets. This was the latest one they recommended.
Granted, it's not the cheapest food on the market, but it's not the most expensive either.
Try to imagine if you were only allowed to eat a loaf of white bread every day. Yeah, you might survive that.... but at what cost. So... feed your dog something that will help him/her stay healthy. They are family members who cannot speak the language. So do right by them; they deserve the best you can give them.
If your dog has yeast in his/her ears, nose folds, or between his/her toes, this is directly related to some kind of allergy and usually it has something to do with what they are eating. It looks discolored, smells, is rough, crusty, depending on where it is.
There is a really good spray that will knock it out, called "Betagen Topical Spray", that can be used 1 or 2 times a day for 3-4 days till it clears up.
You can also buy a little spray bottle in the grocery or drug store, and put a mixture of 50% Vinegar and 50% water in there, and spray that on any "yeasty" area. Vinegar kills yeast too.
But keep in mind, yeast is a symptom of an allergic reaction, very possibly to what you are feeding and a lot of dogs have grass and pollen allergies. Apoquel and Cytopoint are two things that your Vet can give you to try for allergies. They both seem to work really well.
For tear stains, I take a paper towel and dry the moisture from the area. Then I use "MalAcetic Ultra"... which I buy from my Vet. Shake it up because it separates, squirt some on a make-up pad or cotton ball, and rub it into the tear stain... maybe every other day, depending on how bad it is. And then I apply Corn Starch with my finger, to the tear stain. That will help to keep it dry. It is the moisture that helps make the stain.
I was recently told that giving them only bottled water with a couple teaspoons of vinegar in it, will clear up the tear stains.
I also have a jar of Vaseline in every room in the house, which I put on noses, nose rope folds, tear stains, and any other crusty area.
Many English Bulldogs, because of their smashed-in faces (called Brachecephalic), have throat issues that cause problems breathing. They can have an elongated soft palate, swollen tonsils, everted saccules and the resultant slime and white foam that they periodically try to cough up. While this is common in English Bulldogs, it is very rare in French Bulldogs.... HOWEVER.... keep it in mind, if you notice any throaty noises.
Above is plain lemon juice in a container that enables you to squirt it into their mouths. You can buy these plastic lemons in the vegetable department of the grocery store.
Every good English Bulldogger keeps one in the fridge in case of an emergency. The lemon juice breaks up the slime and white foam. Simple vomiting of food can also be an indicator.
Lemon Juice is just a bandaid though. If your dog is throwing up white foam, or making a lot of noise just breathing, you need to get him/her to a Vet who understands Brachycephalic (flat faced dogs) issues. Surgical repair may be required.
There is a "Veterinarians" page on this site where you can find a Vet who may be familiar with the breed. Still, if they say your dog needs "palate surgery", you should ask "How many palates have you done?"
and if they say "six", keep looking.
ps: If your Vet tries to tell you your dog is throwing up white foam because he is allergic to something, FIND ANOTHER VET, CAUSE THIS ONE IS CLUELESS.
Above is something well known to those of us with German heritage. "Liverwurst" It is VERY high in sodium, so you shouldn't use too much, BUT, if you put a little around the pill you are trying to give your dog, your dog will GULP it down. It may take a couple of tries to get them to love it, but once they do, they will learn a foreign language to get it. I buy mine in either Publix or WalMart. And, I cut the tube in half (as is on the left side of the picture), and put each half in a sandwich bag. It's just easier to deal with that way. If you try to work your way through it from one end to the other, without cutting it in half, it is more difficult to work with. If you want to eat a liverwurst sandwich yourself, I suggest it BIG time.....
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Over the years, I have had many calls from people who are completely heartbroken because their puppy ingested something that got caught in their intestinal tract and ultimately killed him.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE watch him like you would watch a human baby ...... if he throws up yellow bile or foam, find out why. Very often a simple xray can save your baby's life. And if he does not want his dinner.... usually it means he does not feel good. Feel his tummy, and if it feels hot to you, he has a fever. Take him to a Vet. They ingest things and you just don't see it. But it can kill them.... !
And keep them crated when you are not home.