WHAT DO YOU FEED YOUR TIBBIE?

[jedwards]

Hi All,  Just interested in what everyone feeds their boys and girls.  Soo many choices!!!  I'm a newbie Tibbie owner and am researching to find the best for my boy.  Thanks in advance for any comments.

Juli in Michigan

[skywagon]

 :cool:We feed both of ours Taste Of The Wild (bison and venison) they both have been on it for 5 years and doing great! Gary

[Kiwi_Bryan]

Blossom at age 6 months made it abundantly clear that she was not going to eat dog tucker as she was one of the family and was going to have what we ate.

We have since found that she is allergic to beef, so her staple food is chicken with non allergenic dog biccies.She loves fish, veges, rice, and the small bits of bread with butter or margarine on.
 

[nicksymom]

I have been on the 'food roller coaster' for a while now.  As I have shih tzu as well as tibs and Shih tzu have allergy issues.  My one tib is allergic to chicken, she manifests with ear infection  and anal gland problems ( yes they are from allergies).  So I use the lamb/rice foods.   Tried the fish ones.. no one wanted to go near those!  I had been using Caifornia Natural, they make grain free and limited ingredients.. everyone is on that bandwagon now! And charging more for less ingredients!  I used Nutro Max lamb and rice for YEARS... and now have gone back to it.. and am happy.  You can go crazy with all the foods.  One theory is to keep switching so allergies dont develope.. I am beginning to think there is credibility to that theory! 
I know many swear by raw diets.  I tried the chicken necks..as a start towards that and they started to get dirreah..so scratch that!  And I used good, free range etc, good source, natural food market,...
So all I can suggest is just keep trying till you find you and they like and you can get readily and afford.
I used to feed mine treats from the table.. but I stopped and they all losted 2-4#... so people food was not a good thing. imho. heck some of our food isnt good for us!!
Arlene

[Cynthia]

I feed my boys what is called a rotating diet...of
1-BARF (bones and raw food-specifically turkey/chicken or other poultry/fowl necks  since the bones of birds are softest)
2-Raw meal medallions called Nature's Variety "Instinct" formula
http://www.naturesvariety.com/instinct
3-FreshPet
http://freshpet.com/our-brands/

I feed my guys primarily chicken/poultry and salmon/fish. My one cannot have red meat due to his liver shunt issues in the past, so regretably, I have to avoid bison, vension, rabbit, beef ect. But if you are SURE your tib doesn't have liver issues (ruled out via a bile acids test), then feed him whatever he likes and agrees with him. I would give my boys bison or venison if I could; they love it on the rare occasion they get small tidbits.

I would definately consider feeding your boy high quality food that is as close to being in a natural state as possible. I know feeding higher quality means paying more, but you have to feed less and they get more out of it.
Kibble imo is not an ideal form of food because it requires alot of processing to preserve. But I still do offer my guys some a little bit several times a week.

Here are imo, some really good brands.
Taste of the Wild
Nature's Variety
Canidae
Wellness

Merrick and Innova are not too bad either.
A good way to tell is read the ingredients list. The first ingredients should be meat and the shorter the ingredient list, usually the better...esp if all the ingredients are things you know and can pronounce easily...and even better if are natural. Organic foods as always preferred.

I didn't start feeding my guys poultry necks/i.e. barf until they were over 3 yrs...I wish I had started them younger. It has done amazing things for their teeth, their stool and their health. I only feed them the raw poultry necks and the raw Instinct food, but I cannot rave enough about the benefits.
Their coats are amazing and they no longer have any doggie smell to them...wet or dry. The dental benefits are huge. Some ppl say raw gives their dogs loose stool...mine have NEVER had this issue...but perhaps its because I give the poultry necks only...they are equal amounts of meat and bone. The bone is great to firm and bulk up stool.

But if feeding barf is not to your liking or too much work (handling raw  requires diligent clean up), then consider feeding the Nature's Variety Instinct medallions or patties. Much easier to feed and no mess to clean up.
My guys really enjoy their Fresh Pet too...its easy all around too. I started them on this (it's minimally processed, semi raw) about 2 years before the raw/barf and even with this food, I noticed huge changes in their coats and health.

So I guess what I am trying to say is keep it simple and as close to natural as possible. You will find it's worth the extra time and money. My guys are so healthy they don't need to go to the vets except in emergencies.

That is another thing you should consider. Cutting out most if not all vaccines if you can( except the required rabies boosters). Vaccines are really not effective and not good at all (due to their ingredients) for humans or animals.

Definately do not bother with the Lyme vaccine. It's BS.

I add to my boys diet 3-4 times a week a mixture of Nupro Silver suppliment powder mixed with the powdered herbs Milk Thistle and Andrographis. The milk thistle helps clean and detox the liver and body of impurities/enviromental toxins and the andrographis herb is a natural antibiotic, anti parasitic, antiviral and antifungal ect. A warning on the andrographis though...it can be bitter so use it sparingly in powder form:1-2 capsule of it to 2-3 tablespoons of the milk thistle and 6-8 tablespoons of the Nupro.  Since I live in a Lyme/Tick infested area, I sadly have to use frontline during the warmer months and worry about Lyme and other tick bourne illnesses as well. I believe Michigan has alot of these same issues as well as serious mosquito/biting flies as well.

Also, make sure they have a fresh supply of CLEAN, filtered water always available. I cannot specify enough about the water being filtered. The things IN the public water supply in the US; like Fluoride, Chlorine and pharmacueticals...are HORRIBLE for YOU and your pets.

To sum it up...as close to natural as possible. And yes, minimal "human" food i.e. table scraps. There are alot of things we can eat that they shouldn't.


WHAT NOT TO FEED...in food or treats...ANYTHING MADE IN CHINA or with ingredients from there.

[Margot]

Glad to hear the raw feeding and chicken bones agree so well with your guys Cynthia. You were so worried about it. You never really reported back after you pm'ed me about the chicken necks so I forgot all about it.

Did you have any issues when you started or did they just take to it?

You forgot to mention the great breath - of course a spin off of the dental improvement.

If raw food is causing soft stools then there is probably a gut bacteria imbalance. For dogs the best solution is green tripe which is just too disgusting. I am lucky with the raw food I can buy here, it contains some but is undetectable. Natural yoghurt is another option - no sugar fruit or flavourings and some acido.

After Towelie stole her first neck from Butters I just give them to her as well even though she is still very young. She knew exactly what to do with it so I'm comfortable with it.

A dry food I like is Orijen from Canada.

[tamlush]

We feed Dino Orijen Six Fish. Dino loves it but it is a bit smelly!

[Cynthia]

Margot,

Talis (the one with the liver issues) was pretty keen on the raw necks and seemed to dig right into them, but Omen (the one with the intervertebral disc issues) is a bit less enthusiastic. Omen likes the raw Nature's Variety medallions ALOT thought. I think he has more trouble chewing (a tongue thing maybe?) due to his smaller mouth than Talis (whose mouth is bigger).
They both prefer pheasant and duck necks over the chicken or turkey, but they are harder to get (unless my brother or father go hunting).

I should proally recheck Talis' urine for crystals (he produces them when the liver is not working properly)or do another bile acids test to see how his body is handling the raw diet; but he only eats the raw every other day and it seems to agree with him...so I hesitate to spend the money if it's not needed. Plus they only get poultry meat and the specialists said the RED meat was the issue for his particular liver issues.

[jedwards]

Wow!! Tons of great info.  Thanks to all.

 Was glad to hear that there are people out there feeding raw diets as I am going in that direction.  It is pricey but I want to stay as natural as possible.  I've been told that feeding even a partial raw diet is extremely beneficial.  After doing some research I have decided, (at least for the moment), to feed the Primal brand raw food.  Parker is getting a half portion of the Primal and a half portion of Origin kibble and I'm rotating between the different meat sources for both products.  I'm concerned about choking issues with the kibble so have begun soaking the Origin in warm water and adding a small amount of organic coconut oil.  He is loving both of these foods and doing great so far.  I would like to add an occasional raw chicken neck but haven't found a source for those as yet.

Before I got Parker he was eating Frommes kibble.  Should I  have him tested for the bile acids test since changing him over to a more raw diet?  I won't be feeding him beef but rather lamb, chicken, turkey and fish.  He has had no stool problems so far so it seems to be agreeing with him. 

Any comments on this?

[Margot]

Great that you have a premade food available to you, that helps a lot. Mine get a great product from the Netherlands called Carnibest and they do very well on it (dont google it, they dont have any info in Englis on their site). They also get some form of bone daily.

If the ready made supply is ever a challenge, read the books by Ian Billinghurst from Australia. Firstly he gives great info about the reasons why natural nutrition is so important, and he gives comprehensive info on how to do it properly in a very practical way. When I make my own I use his methods.

[Cynthia]

The foods you are feeding Parker (Primal and Origin) are top quality, so this is an excellent start. Frommes is also a really good food from all I've heard. I don't know much about the coconut oil personally (more about fish oils), but as long as it doesn't give him loose stool, I don't see the harm. I personally would get his bile acids checked just for the knowledge of his liver status-i.e. peace of mind. If the breeder did not check them herself, I would do it. The test can run from $80-$175 depending on your vets pricing.
They draw some blood first thing in the morning after he's been fasting overnight, feed him some food (usually high fat/red meat food) and then take his blood again 1-3 hours later. That's all. If you don't want to leave him with them during that time, ask if you can bring him back in for both blood draws.

I get my raw poultry necks from my supermarket. I had to go ask the manager in the meat department, but they were glad to order some on a bi monthly basis for me. I buy as much as I can and freeze them then thaw when I need to feed them. If you can't get necks, wings are usually available...but my guys seemed turned off by the skin and lack of "meat" on them, so I went back to the necks. I think there is something about the shape of the verterbre in the neck that has helped keep their teeth clean and appeals to their chewing desires.

Margot,

Thanks!
I'm gonna google the Carnibest from the NL because my husband is Dutch and he can read it to me! If we ever move there or have to go there for extended time, I would like to know my options on what's available there to feed my guys.

[jedwards]

Thanks Cynthia, I'm going to email his previous owner and see if she had his bile acid checked.  They are a very reputable breeder so I'm guessing it was done.  Is this something that needs to be done more than once?

The Primal food has coconut oil in it already so since I have it on hand to feed to my horse I thought putting a bit in the kibble might help lubricate it and maybe help with the possible choking issues associated with dry foods. 


Thanks about the info on where you get your chicken necks I'll check with my local grocer. 

Juli in Michigan

[Kaytee Bell]

Hi! Great info!
My brother in law has his dutch shepard on a raw food diet. He gets it from someone locally. It comes in tubing so it is easy to feed.
My dogs love chicken necks. I get them from the local butcher.
I am looking into fresh pet. I can get it here.
I give them Taste of the Wild right now, but I do want to get away from processing for them.
K

[TibbieinAZ]

Tibbie gets the chicken/fish based Orijen and freeze-dried chicken bits for treats. He also likes to get  bit of apple or banana, when we eat one, and the occasional pumpkin seed, when my wife eats them. He had stomach/digestive issues when he was younger (probably due to his unexperienced owners - us - experimenting with different foods). But once I switched to Orijen most of these problems went away. However, he still gets the occasional bout of diarreah (spelling?) and his "magic" cure is canned organic pumpkin. Not the pie filling but just plain pumpkin mixed in with his dry food, one serving of this and his stool is back to normal.

[LindsayNV]

We switched to raw back in October and couldn't be happier! I feed prey model raw which is meat only. No veggies or supplements. They get mostly chicken, but this week they are getting beef. I plan on including fish later. The dogs are thriving on it and their teeth look awesome!

Arlene the dogs may have gotten some diarrhea due to detox. You just have to ride it out for a bit and their stools will go back to normal. Necks are pretty high in bone so that shouldn't have caused the diarrhea alone. Mine went through the same thing a couple days into it and they are fine now.