# What do you all feed your poodles?



## toypoodleowner (Aug 2, 2009)

I feed Mika Butchers Puppy and Eukanuba. You?


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## *heather* (Jul 30, 2009)

I think I'm going to feed Orijen... love to know if anyone else is using it. It's a higher protein food and supposed to be better for them  http://www.orijen.cz/orijen/about/


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## PonkiPoodles (Feb 25, 2009)

*heather* said:


> I think I'm going to feed Orijen... love to know if anyone else is using it. It's a higher protein food and supposed to be better for them  http://www.orijen.cz/orijen/about/


I feed Ponki raw food. 
And we have our Dobes on Orijen. It's suppose to be a very good brand of dog food and was rated with 6 stars on dogfoodanalysis.com.

I would however not recommend feeding a high protein diet to dogs with known liver or kidney problems.


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

1/2 Natural Balance grain-free and 1/2 raw green tripe. The breeder fed her dogs all raw green tripe but due to cost and frankly ick-factor (LOL) we're doing 1/2 and 1/2.

ETA: She is a standard. The breeder said her dogs had trouble with grains then I ran into a friend who also has standards and mentioned hers couldn't tolerate grains either. So we are sticking with the grain-free.


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## coastmom (Jun 23, 2009)

I would be very interested to see what everyone feeds their babies...especially standard poodles since that is what i own. 

What would be the best product for a spoo puppy in your opinion? And can you buy it at Pet Smart or do you have to order it or get it from a smaller pet boutique type place or your vet?

Thanks!


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

All raw here.


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## mercymoon (Aug 29, 2008)

I rotate food, they like trying different things and none of my dogs are picky eaters and Cash eats more than Mika orLoki does! He's such a little Gobber!


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

AgilityIG said:


> All raw here.


Do you do it yourself with raw meats from a butcher or?


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

My mini poodle will be fed about 80% raw, as my mom feeds her PWDs raw and will include some frozen packets for my guy when she prepares theirs. We always have kibble on hand in case we forget to defrost some meat or someone is dog sitting, and have fed just about every high quality food.

We most recently have been feeding Taste of the Wild, but we tend to switch it up every time. Most important for us is low grain and no white potatoes. Most kibble manufacturers use a lot of fillers in their food, and you'll notice that white potatoes are often one of the top ingredients.


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

Bella's Momma said:


> Do you do it yourself with raw meats from a butcher or?


My mom has been doing it herself for about 5 years now. She's always on the hunt for discounted meat and gets it from butchers, the grocery store, wherever. She feeds a meat and veg mixture as well as raw chicken wings and bones occasionally. It all started when our 2 PWDs were diagnosed (and died) from cancer. We wanted to give them the best possible nutrition we could. We also now do limited vaccines.


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

Bella's Momma said:


> Do you do it yourself with raw meats from a butcher or?


I rotate between Nature's Variety raw, Honest Kitchen dehydrated raw, and Urban Wolf premix raw. I keep the HK around especially in case I don't have something thawed out for the kids.


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

Cdnjennga - do you grind bones or feed them whole?


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## mercymoon (Aug 29, 2008)

Off topic. 

Agility- Your avatar is hilarious!


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

AgilityIG said:


> Cdnjennga - do you grind bones or feed them whole?


To be honest, I'm not so great on the exact details of the raw feeding process! I tend to just pull the frozen packets out of the freezer and give it to them. But I'm pretty sure my mom gives Chicken wings including bones whole. She's on a Raw Food listserve through Yahoo and learned a lot about the process there.


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## roxy25 (Dec 18, 2008)

We feed Enzo Instinct 

http://www.naturesvariety.com/ we have the raw food too but have not used it that much. I see a big difference in the rate his coat grows ! He also likes it a lot which is always a plus.


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

yep - Vinnie's coat grows like crazy too.


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## maddiek (Nov 3, 2008)

My dogs love Blue Buffalo, Chicken flavor


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

Riley has been fed raw for about 6 years now, prey model. The bigger pieces the better, no veggies, no supplements (besides fish oil), no grains (well, in the food, doesnt count treats, pancakes, etc ). I look for good deals from the grocery store, and also have a butcher that i order cases from. I try to give a variety of meat sources, but doesnt always happen. Our staples are chicken, turkey, pork and beef.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I always imagined raw would be a _lot_ more expensive than commercial kibble. Is this true?


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## Poodle Lover (Mar 24, 2008)

Fluffyspoos said:


> I always imagined raw would be a _lot_ more expensive than commercial kibble. Is this true?


It is more expensive, but it depends on what kind of raw you are feeding. I don't follow the barf model, and for me it comes out the same. I never feed just kibble, but have to add my own cooked food (none of my three will touch canned or dry kibble). So for me it comes out the same.


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## spoofan (Dec 11, 2008)

bigpoodleperson said:


> Riley has been fed raw for about 6 years now, prey model. The bigger pieces the better, no veggies, no supplements (besides fish oil), no grains (well, in the food, doesnt count treats, pancakes, etc ). I look for good deals from the grocery store, and also have a butcher that i order cases from. I try to give a variety of meat sources, but doesnt always happen. Our staples are chicken, turkey, pork and beef.


I heard that pork is not supposed to be good for dogs.
I switched Gunther to RAW about a month ago and he loves it.
However,he will not touch it unless it is ground up.
So for now,this product is what we do:
http://www.reddogdeli.com/products_fordogs.html


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

Actually, the way food prices are going up, raw seems to be not too badly priced - especially when you consider how healthy the dogs are - less vet bills! :biggrin:

I stay away from pork also for the dogs.


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## Emily-By (Jul 17, 2009)

Fluffyspoos said:


> I always imagined raw would be a _lot_ more expensive than commercial kibble. Is this true?


if you do it by yourself and not get a premade ones, its TONS cheaper. It costs me roughly 20$ a month to feed(prey model) two med sized dogs and one larger. My parents have three large dogs and their food bill is even cheaper(but my dad is a butcher:heh Make friends with one and you'll be surprised how much your food bill goes down. When I was on the west coats with no family butcher it cost between 40-70$ for my group. 
plus fewer vet bills


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

Actually, pork is really good for dogs.* It is sopost to be better (more like a natural meat source) then chicken.* I try to feed as much pork as i can.* Riley can eat most of the pieces too at his size (i stay away from weight baring bones on large animals though).* I forgot to add venison to my list when we have friends who hunt.* An avid raw feeder/researcher, that i know says that pork is the best meat source for dogs.* Almost all of the diseases from commercial raised pork are not a problem anymore.

Depending on where you get your meat, and how savy of a shopper you are, raw can be as much if not cheaper then a good quality kibble.* My parents just gave me 5 20lb turkeys they have had in their freezer forever.* I got them cut up for 5$ at the butchers.* That should last us for a couple months!* Pork i usually find for about 2-2.10$/lb (i can find it cheaper right after a holiday and then i stock up).* I wont pay over that.* Chicken from 0.59-0.79$/lb is the average here for leg quarters or a whole quartered chicken.* So it all averages out.* I dont spend money of veggies or supplements either.* We have a big chest freezer, so im able to buy in bulk.* Alot of people get together with a co-op and they purchase large amounts of meat for cheap and split it.* If you do your homework, legwork and buy in bulk then it can be a Lot cheaper then kibble.* Just depends.


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## SECRETO (Aug 20, 2008)

I feed California Naturals sweet potatoe and herring formula. I do give raw when I have extra on hand though. If I run out of dog food I will put together raw chicken, carrots and some yugurt for the meal. That is only something that happens once every 2 months or so. I dont think that is what a normal raw diet consist of however. There has to be more ingredients to add. 

I have a question for all those that feed raw....what vitamins etc do you add into the mix. Ive always been told that is the harder part about feeding raw, making sure they still getting a balanced diet. What do you feed with your chicken, pork etc?


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

SECRETO said:


> I feed California Naturals sweet potatoe and herring formula. I do give raw when I have extra on hand though. If I run out of dog food I will put together raw chicken, carrots and some yugurt for the meal. That is only something that happens once every 2 months or so. I dont think that is what a normal raw diet consist of however. There has to be more ingredients to add.
> 
> I have a question for all those that feed raw....what vitamins etc do you add into the mix. Ive always been told that is the harder part about feeding raw, making sure they still getting a balanced diet. What do you feed with your chicken, pork etc?


Like i said, i feed prey model raw. That is to say i try and feed as close to a natural diet as possible. I dont give extra vitamins, supplements, minerals, etc. I try and feed about a 85:15 ratio of meat to bone (some meals have more bone, some have none). A raw feeders motto should be "balance over time" I dont eat a balanced meal every time either. I also feed organs, which besides the meat/bone are the main source of vitamins/minerals. I figure that mother nature knew what she was doing, and try not to mess with that so much. When you start giving extra of this, more of that, is when you get into trouble. I think of a natural prey (rabbit, deer, etc). They arnt nearly 50% bone, which is about how much i hear some people feed. They are alot of meat, some bone (animals in the wild cant really eat the big leg bones either, so i dont count those), and organs. 

If you took a look in my dogs food dish, you would find a large chunk of meat (either boneless or bone-in, depending on the cut and the day), a couple pumps of fish oil, and a coulpe times a week, a few pieces of organs. I try and give eggs a couple times a week also. That is it. 

I dont criticize/correct people who do it differently. To each their own as long as it is healthy for the dog. There are many different styles of feeding. I started out doing it different then i do now (smaller pieces, less varitey, more veggies, more supplements, etc). 
Riley is healthy and a healthy weight, so i am known to give him extras. We are not a grain-free household. If we make pancakes or waffles, he gets one. Scrambled eggs, leftover meat from dinner, egg batter from french toast, leftover shredded wheat ceral, etc all go in his bowl. :curl-lip:


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

I also do not give vitamins and believe in balance over time. I like to give my dogs a variety of things - if I eat it, they eat it. I do make special trips to the store for their apples and bananas :biggrin: My guys only get supplements in the form of fish oil and glucosamine for their joints.


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## Emily-By (Jul 17, 2009)

(if you are feeding joint tissue there is already TONS of glucosamine in their food and extra isnt necessary- my vet told me that one like last week! hehe)

This was on another forum I'm on and I thought it may be useful for some kibble feeders


> Thought this might be of some help in deciding which food to feed.
> 
> >DOG FOOD GRADES
> >
> ...


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## Shereen (Aug 10, 2009)

Hi,

I feed my boy Eukanuba puppy, but looking at your post Emily-By im going to be changing it lol!!! Great information by the way :curl-lip:
He used to eat it dry but then he went off it and hardly ate for a time, I then mixed it with pedigree puppy food and hes starting to eat properly again.


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## Poodle Lover (Mar 24, 2008)

I also don't add any vitamins or supplements to my dogs' food.


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## T o d d (Sep 25, 2007)

*Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice - Score 106 A+

*Moose's food.

He also gets some veggies from the garden, and turkey or chicken (rarely) if cooked w/out breading or other stuff on it.

And if I don't watch him he likes to munch on other rabbit and dear apples!!!!!! I`m out picking blackberries and sharing and he's eating other animals crap! Only something a dog would do! hahaha


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## BFF (Jun 10, 2009)

I'm almost on the raw bandwagon. I had decided to feed Zulee (toy) the Innova Evo Small bites when I transition her away from the breeder's food (Eukanuba).

I would love to give her a raw bone and let her have at it. Only thing is that I don't want it on my floor. My other toys liked to be in the room with me when they eat (or at least within eye sight). If she eats it outside, won't ants get to it too? I would hate for her to get bit on the tongue. Any tips on feeding and keeping things clean? I can see feeding liver and other items from a bowl without too much problem.


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## SECRETO (Aug 20, 2008)

Maybe I'll try doing raw again then. My Pitbull wouldnt eat the raw chicken I gave her the last I made a raw meal. She used to eat raw but is getting really pushy and demanding now that she is getting older (8 yrs this chistmas)

The Poodle and Rat Terrier love it. However, the Pitbull is over weight and I know one day she is going to have hip displasia. We can tell from her rear movement. I want to get some weight off her and it worries me. We do run her bike side....not as much as we should and she only eats 3 measuring cups of food for her being 100lbs. No free feeding at our house either. 

Raw would be lower in fat/calories right? Any suggestions on what would be a good diet for a overweight senior dog. What should I make her raw meals consist of?


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## Emily-By (Jul 17, 2009)

BFF said:


> I'm almost on the raw bandwagon. I had decided to feed Zulee (toy) the Innova Evo Small bites when I transition her away from the breeder's food (Eukanuba).
> 
> I would love to give her a raw bone and let her have at it. Only thing is that I don't want it on my floor. My other toys liked to be in the room with me when they eat (or at least within eye sight). If she eats it outside, won't ants get to it too? I would hate for her to get bit on the tongue. Any tips on feeding and keeping things clean? I can see feeding liver and other items from a bowl without too much problem.


Feeding in a kennel is a great idea and if you don't have one the bathtub/shower stall it a great place, its the easiest clean up.


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## BFF (Jun 10, 2009)

Great suggestions! Thanks for the ideas.


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

Yep, as I live in a condo, I'll most likely be feeding any messy stuff in the bath tub. My mom feeds the easy to eat ground up meat inside and chucks harder to eat chicken wings etc outside.


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## frostfirestandards (Jun 18, 2009)

I have tried alot of different things, but im sticking with Merrick (either cowboy cookout or Grammy's pot pie) and Bil-Jac its the one thing (well, two actually) that my guys do well on


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

Natural Balance Venison and Sweet Potato.

Sabrina was a pretty fussy eater when she was younger and she seemed to really like this food. I think the sweet potato makes it slightly sweet.

I always add something in to make it a bit more interesting.


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

I was home tonight and asked my mom about the raw feeding of our Portuguese Water Dogs. She follows the BARF model and has been doing so for 6 years. The key is as much variety as possible.

- Whole chicken thighs and legs (this would only be suitable for standards, not minis or toys) - apparently people used to feed chicken backs and frames but now the thinking is that they have too much bone compared to meat
- Lamb
- Ground beef
- Pork riblets
- Fish (Frozen Mackerel and Canned tripe)
- Heart/ Kidney/ Liver (every 2 to 3 days)
- Eggs
- Cottage Cheese
- Leafy green vegetables
- No supplements other than Omega 3 fish oil

For our bigger guys, she often doesn't grind the meat up but just gives it to them to chew. This would probably be fine for Standards, but minis and toys need it ground up more. She tries to just give them a mix of things, with some days more protein, some days more organ meat, some days bone in meat... And they've been looking great for over 6 years!


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

I just want to point out that big (in relation to the dog) pieces are actually Great for small dogs!* I know many people who have Tiny dogs and feed big pieces of raw.* They tear into it. * The more they have to chew the better.* Oral health benifits are actually one of the main reasons i feed raw, and we all know how bad poodle mouths are.* Small dogs having the worst mouths of all really benifit from the chewing.* Just sa'in.


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