Feeding Fido

[TeeEye7]

What's anyone feeding their K9 friends these days? With the Menu Foods scare, where do you turn? We were using a "cuts and gravy" brand that was on the list (Nutro) and, obviously, had to stop. Not many other brands seem to be safe. Looks like some dry (cat) food is suspect, too. Maybe dry dog varieties next?

My three mini dacshunds are living it up with people-style baked/boiled/grilled chicken and a dash of cooked rice. The vet said this was OK as long as it was bland. This is getting expensive, though!

I'm interested in hearing any safe alternatives you may be using to keep Fido happy.

THANKS!

[2-1B]

oh man, you've got THREE mini dachshunds ? That's awesome !!!
Are they wire, short, or long haired?

My mom got a long hair mini in 1988 when I was 10 years old...and that little bug made it almost to age 18 but we had to let her go last summer. It was horrible to lose her but I guess that's the downside to having a pet survive that long.

Anyway I don't know what to feed a pet these days but my sister's boxers eat Iams Eukanuba dry food and my girlfriend's dogs eat The Good Life dry food...until we lost her last summer, my mom had been feeding her dachshund Kibbles and Chunks but she only ate the chunks because the dry bits of kibble were too hard for her to chew - so she only ate the chewy chunks.

This pet food scare is crazy, though.

[UKWildcat]

My mom got a long hair mini in 1988 when I was 10 years old...and that little bug made it almost to age 18 but we had to let her go last summer. It was horrible to lose her but I guess that's the downside to having a pet survive that long.

I know exactly what you mean. My family got our cat when I was 10, in 1990, and he was put to sleep last Friday; just a little over a week ago. It was, and still is, extremely sad and depressing, but he lived a really good life of 17 years.

[TeeEye7]

They're all short haired (or smooth I've also heard described): one stereotypical red; one black and tan, although she's 99.9% black (very unusual looking but cool!); and a black and tan dapple. All are female and between 5-6 years old.

17 years is unbelievable! How cool is that? I understand 12-14 is normal. I'm not looking forward to the day when the unthinkable happens like you and UKW have already experienced.

I want them around as long as possible. That's why I'm raising the red flag for help on the food issue.

www.menufoods.com/recall has the list of the affected brands. It's quite substantial.

I wonder if Rachel Ray would have any suggestions ?

[CaptainSolo1138]

Steak is usually a safe bet. The more expensive the cut, the better.

[kool-aid killer]

Most of the dog food that is affected is the store/generic brand kind. Ive been feeding my monsters Kibble and Bits and theyve been ok. Their poop looking good.

[Mr. JabbaJohnL]

My dog, who we had to put down a few weeks ago (he would've been 16 this month), always ate the Fit & Trim dry food in the big, light-green bag . . . I forget what brand it was, though. Turkey would give him the runs, and that's not fun to clean up.

[TeeEye7]

Went shopping with Mrs. TeeEye7 this afternoon and during the process looked into various brands of "wet" dog foods.

Many brands not on the recall list contain wheat gluten, the suspected culprit compromising the health of our beloved pets. Please check and be cautious prior to any purchase! I still think this is an "iffy" thing.

For now, for peace of mind, I've decided to stick with the chicken and rice regimen. The girls love it, so why change it for now? Hopefully, this matter will be resolved soon. Thanks to all for their concern and input. A special thanks to Cappy for the steak suggestion: that's what the two-legged critters had for dinner tonight! The New Yorks just looked way too good to pass on! Terrible, aren't I?

[El Chuxter]

My cats eat exclusively dry food. They've been eating Authority (the PetSmart store brand) until this week. On Tuesday, one of the cats was diagnosed with kidney problems (very early stages, so probably correctable), and they were put on the Hills Prescription C/D diet.

And, three days later, they recalled the Hills Prescription M/D food. Too close for comfort.

Stupid thing about this, the news reporters keep saying that if you're worried about your pet's food, make your own. That's really easy to say if the cat or dog is on a prescription diet. No one buys a special food that you actually have to have a prescription card for and that costs twice as much just because they decided to one day.

[Lord Malakite]

Went shopping with Mrs. TeeEye7 this afternoon and during the process looked into various brands of "wet" dog foods.

Many brands not on the recall list contain wheat gluten, the suspected culprit compromising the health of our beloved pets. Please check and be cautious prior to any purchase! I still think this is an "iffy" thing.

Pedigree seems to be a safe bet. They've sent us enough e-mails about how they've checked into it and confirmed their products don't contain the tainted wheat gluten from China.