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Monday, September 26, 2011

How Come Regular Dogs Can Eat Anything?





Hello peoples! Sluggo here tonight. I would like to talk about pug bellies, and also what can be put in them. Ever since Wilma had her gas explosion and subsequent drama last week, the parents have been on a strict no treats policy. I mean NO TREATS! We used to at least get a little crumb from the dinner table, or a bean from the fridge, but we have only been getting our kibble, and known treats. that was until I started puking and having diarrhea this past weekend, but we'll discuss that later.

Here's the deal. All along, Mom has been trying to feed us all with quality food. She has done a lot of research, and has found some good foods. When I came along, my belly didn't like the food Will and Britte were eating. They were on dehydrated raw which they really liked. So she just found me another thing to try. Well, someone( Brigitte is her name) doesn't like it when someone has something she doesn't, so suddenly her food was no longer good. She refused to eat. Fast forward to more research, including home cooked, and samples, and she came up with Innova. what was really great about it was that they had a low fat senior variety with glucosamine, and an adult small dog. It has tiny kibble which is nice for me because I like to puke up large pieces of dog food. Both varieties have the same ingredients in different amounts to satisfy our differing needs. Sounds good right? I get a nice small kibble, the girls get something for their joints and waistline, and it smells close enough that Brigitte doesn't think she's getting ripped off.




Well, everything seemed to be going along alright, until Mom went to pick up our food. They didn't have the size she normally gets for the girls, and by chance this started a conversation between her and the folks at the store. Who, by the way, are really knowledgable, and helpful about dog nutrition. Well, it turns out, that unbeknownst to Mom, Innova was sold to none other than Procter and Gamble last Summer. That is the reason the display had been getting lesser and lesser. People are preemptively changing foods due to the practices of larger companies when it comes to production of dog food.




Did you know, that according to the FDA, a dogfood company can change the ingredients in their food and they don't have to change the label for 90 days?! Yeah, well neither did we. Also, the difference between small companies and larger producers of dogfood is that the small companies usually contract with local farms for the sources of their food. But larger companies, take bids and choose the farms with the lowest price. That means that even though there may be the same ingredients in a formula, the ingredients may come from all over, and different places with each batch. This all is a little confusing to me, cuz I can be somewhat slow on the uptake, but the bottom line is that Mom is shopping new dogfood companies.




This is where you guys come in. What do you all eat? And how did your people figure out what to feed you? Mom is looking into cooking our food herself, but it does require some diligence in supplementing with proper amounts of vitamins and minerals. She wants to be sure, if she does it, that we are getting what we need. Plus, she's not always so good at planning and preparing meals for her and Dad, so us pugs don't want to get some half baked excuse for a meal either.

I know there is a ton of different choices out there, and many different schools of thought. But, since a lot of you are pugs, we figure you will have a lot of good feed back(pun intended) into what works for you.

And about my belly. We pugs got a case of this giardiasis. No one was really symptomatic, but the girls had annual poop exams that came back positive. So we were treated, and then two out of three were still positive. So then came a different treatment, three weeks apart. This weekend was when the second treatment was to start. I started puking up foamy yellow stuff early Sunday morning, then today I had a bad case of diarrhea. I got some chicken and rice tonight, and if I keep it down we will start our treatment tomorrow. The vet thinks it may be the infection. Well, I hope that's what it is, I guess. Cuz Mom is trying to stay cool, but she sure doesn't want there to be anything more serious going on. Geesh! Pug bellies!

17 comments:

  1. poor baby...hope you are feeling better. My Lily only gets certain foods too. Nutty!
    Benny & Lily

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  2. Hola Chicos!!
    Ohh Sluggo we hope you are feeling better, we are sending good Juju and Prayer that all of you feel better!!
    What a great question,La Mamma feed us Science Diet,Adult Small & Toy Breed Light, she put us on a Diet and Our Vet(aunty) recommended it, we don't get any treat either!! she sometimes and when she feels guilty of leaving without us gives us "Chayote"(like a Squash) that is a Vegetable she always eats,but that is it, Spongy in summer time gets the scratchy, but La Mamma hope it is the Heat, WE are gonna love to hear that everyone recommends.But we think Puggies should eat 2 McCheesy Burger 8 times in a Day, well that our recommendation!!
    Bechos
    Spongy,Licky and Patrick

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  3. Oh my! Sluggo, I hope you and the girls feel better get rid of that nasty giardiasis soon! And on top of all that you have had to endure a treat ban...boy life is so tough sometimes! I think I am having some hunger pains in sympathy right now. You know, dog food can be scary stuff since it's not really regulated like it should be. I have been on Honest Kitchen, the Zeal variety. It's expensive, but mom trusts the ingredients, it's low in fat (very important for me), and has helped my sinuses tons. It will be interesting to see what others say. Good Luck, Sluggo!
    Love,
    Payton

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  4. Poor guys. Good food is hard to find. Mom makes most of our food but we have back up food for those times when she can't make it. She trades the foods out every so often so we don't get upset tummies. Our back up food is made by The Pet Way www.thepetway.com which does have locations in other parts of the country. We eat the salmon but just got the lamb to try. And we eat frozen raw from Stella and Chewy's and Nature's Variety Instinct.
    We also take vitamins, probiotics and Missing Link Plus. Isabelle takes Glyco Flex III for extra glucosamine. We still take those even if we are on the kibble or frozen.
    Good luck and hope you feel better soon.

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  5. Hi Sluggo
    Gee, I hope you and your sissys get to feeling better soon.
    I eat Blue Buffalo (fish and sweet potatoe).
    That is all I have ever eaten- except other flavors. My moms mix light and regular together, and that is my breakfast, lunch and dinner. (besides green beans, brocoli and fruit.
    love
    tweedles

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  6. Oh, geez.....the kittens had giardiasis when we got them. Bathing kittens? Instill remember the trauma 25 yrs later. Oy. Hope everyone feels better soon!

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  7. Food....that's a topic we have researched over the years also! We used Innova and the Pugs got sort of portly. (before they were sold) We switched to Merrick Senior for the older 3, but struggled what to use for Rosie and Kiki...enter Blue Buffalo. We switched the whole group to the basic version, which is the least amount of ingredients (Salmon/Potatoe)it worked amazingly for them all....except the price. We spoke to our vet and some others and they say they have seen wonderful stuff from Blue Buffalo and to try the fish and sweet potatoe version. Not quite as basic, but still a great version. Everyone seems to be doing well on it and love it. We do cut down the portion and add in frozen green beans to help everyone keep their youthful figures!

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  8. Hi Sluggo,
    Two things... I totally forgot to comment on how utterly cute and adorable those photos of you are! And secondly after reading everyone's comments, I remembered that mom adds a tablespoon of the Blue Buffalo Wilderness (the grain-free version), salmon variety to my breakfast and dinner for a little something extra. The fat content is just a bit too high to eat straight, otherwise that's probably what I'd be eating. Honest Kitchen can be found at most pet boutiques, but also on-line at www.thehonestkitchen.com. Say hi to the girls for me.
    Love,
    Payton

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  9. Add me to the list of puggies on Blue Buffalo!

    Sluggy Bee, I had no idea you guys were feeling so sickly! What a BUMMER! I hope you get better soon. I will write a letter to the ASPCA regarding your TREAT BAN! It's not fair!!!!!

    xoxoox

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  10. OH we soooo understand. Lincoln and I get homemade dog food of rice, a lean meat and veggies. We never get dog food, Mom won't feed us any corn products. For snacks we only get homemade treats with no corn. Pugs have sensitive skin and bellies. Good luck guys. I think it is ridic all the stuff they put in dog food...no one ever thinks about the FDA for us! hmph. Great post though, everyone needs to be aware of this stuff.

    Muah,

    Minnie Moo

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  11. It's hard to limit food when pugs are eating machines, huh? I hope you guys feel better xoox

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  12. Hey Sluggo,
    I am on Zinpro Beryl. The rescue mym mum works with and the pet food store we use both recommend it, especially for high-shedding dogs. Mum has been toying with the idea of trying to feed me frozen-raw or dehydrated-raw food but hasn't yet found one she likes.
    I too have a very sensitive tummy. When it comes to me getting treats, the rule is "he who feeds it, cleans it".
    Licks,
    Sabrina

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  13. oh no! nothing worse than barfy pugs... especially THREE barfy pugs! here's hoping the treatment works!

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  14. my two pugs get spot's stew by halo, the salmon variety, and in the morning they get a scoop of wellness wet food, the stew kinds. we got the brand recommendations from a local holistic pug rescue. we buy the big bag of spots stew for 40 bucks at whole foods. it lasts us about 6 weeks. we measure how much food they get. one of my girls has 3 legs, and one has bad arthritis so it is extra important they don't get to tubby because it would make their joints worse! they also get joint supplements by renew life, which is a great supplement brand for PEOPLE so i feel like i can trust it for my dogs. and it has the supplement facts so i can actually see what is in the vitamins, which a lot of pet supplements don't include. for treats the girls get little pieces of carrots, which they love! and
    i've talked about feeding raw but i don't cook for myself every day, so i don't know if i can commit to cooking for the pugs every day. and i'm vegetarian so i would have a hard time cooking up the raw meat.
    when they do get treats i'll by them the mr. pugsly kind: http://www.petguard.com/dog-products/biscuits-treats/mr-pugsly-s-peanut-butter-dog-biscuits
    mostly because of the box. haha. a small box usually lasts us months because they so rarely get biscuits. they don't seem to notice that they are missing out.

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  15. oh sluggo!
    i am so sorry all of your tummies are feeling sore!
    archie had the same giarda infection when he came home and it took a few rounds of medicine to clear his system too.
    Archie is on Avoderm puppy and will be on adult food after he reaches about 1 years old.
    i am planning on starting him on Emmitt's meal plan of one meal raw and one meal kibble when i know he has stopped growing and his digestive system is all grown up.
    Emmitt did really well on a breakfast of 1 nature's variety meat medallion ontop of 1/2 cup of sojos original. I also added frozen peas and green beans on top. for dinner he got the avoderm kibble to make sure he was getting the formulated nutrients he needed too.
    it is all very confusing as i do not know how archie will like all that.
    i will keep you posted!
    xoxoxo

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  16. Thanks so much everybody for all your great feedback. Now for the decisions.

    Us girls are doing fine, we haven't had any poop or pukey problems. Slug go is over the piling, finished up the diarrhea yesterday and now, we are hoping for big solid results out of him by morning. Don't want to have to start laxatives now!

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  17. Wow, puggies. I don't think anything is more daunting than dog food research!

    Hank loves grains but, unfortunately for him, too many make him REALLY gassy - especially corn and barley. Therefore, he eats Natural Balance Grain-Free kibble (chicken and sweet potato). Occasionally, I mix in green beans, carrots or blueberries. He also gets a couple of Natural Balance biscuits (again, grain-free) for his evening snack.

    I have tried a LOT of different foods, and grain-free seems to be best for him.

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