What do you feed your cat or dog?

[njfking]

Having been the partner of a Veterinary Surgeon for a number of the years and learning that in Vet School Nutrition and Diet is only taught to them over 3 DAYS of their training, I was determined to learn as much as possible about Pet Health and Nutrition in order to provide my beloved Belgian Shepherd Dog - Groenendael, and two Rescue Cats the best I could afford.

I feed my dog fresh meat and ZiwiPeak Dry dog food.

Ziwipeak is air dried and contains 98% meat, organs and New Zealand Green mussels.
Ziwi is 100% sourced from New Zealand and is ethically and sustainably farmed.
All meat is FREE RANGE
There are only limited ingredients in the food and fresh meat, bone and seafood are the main ingredients.
It is a totally nutrient dense diet that promotes optimum health for a dog.
No rendered meats are used.
No antibiotics or growth promotants are in any of the fresh meat or seafood
There are no grains, rice, soy, wheat or potatoes (cheap fillers, totally unnecessary in a dogs diet)
NZ Green Mussel is included to promote healthy joint development and mobility and is also a natural source of Omega 3 and 6 oil which is vital for a healthy skin and coat

The food is air dried which helps to NATURALLY preserve meats, eliminates pathogenic bacteria whilst protecting the vital nutrients in the ingredients.
This clever process of air drying kills salmonella and listeria, naturally and negates any need for preservatives, sugars or glycerine.

The ingredient list is shorter than all other dry food as unnecessary fillers are simply not included.

The food is nutritionally balanced and can be fed as the total and entire diet for your pet

Due to the high natural protein and goodness in this naturally and ethically sourced food, it contains more energy and fuel for your pets, so you feed a MUCH SMALLER quantity than usual and your pets’ stools are much less, yet they received more goodness and nutrition than the majority of other foods.

Ziwi is available for both cats and dogs and is available in air-dried or tinned format.

It is more expensive than most others but in my opinion is clearly the best dog and cat food available in Australia.

When you research Ziwi dog and cat food, make sure that you take into account the much SMALLER serve that you feed your pet, as they fill up so much quicker eating Ziwi as the food contains everything they need for optimum health.

[carolsug]

We feed our much loved cat Whiskas from cans and OhSo fish sachets. He has raw meat - such as lamb or beef heart, to give him some variety. We ensure that he eats nothing containing carbohydrate. Cats and dogs are carnivores. Meat, fat and bone are the preferred sustenance. Wild dogs and cats do not head for the wheat fields and grasses unless there is absolutely nothing else. I do believe that dry dog and cat foods are totally unnecessary and can be the cause of the many diseases animals now get. A dog or cat with diabetes should never be seen. Feeding them carbohydrate is the equivalent of feeding them sugar.

[fionaspenfold]

I feed my small dogs a fresh food diet alternating daily. Day one a fresh chicken wing, day two human grade beef mixed with cooked frozen peas. They have an Aldi bone biscuit or a schmackos mini-marrowbone each morning, and a small piece of Aldi strapz during and after their walk. They drink only water.

[lesleyclarkaussie]

My two doggies have a diet of Ivory Coat grain free dried food and Ox cheek Pet Luv wet food (made locally in Moreland Road Coburg). The cat is a fuss pot, he gets Ivory Coat dry food and Veal and Heart wet food. The dogs get a bone once a week and all get natural treats occasionally (dried beef lung and dried beef ribs). The three fur babies health is excellent. I am very strict with portions, each and every meal is weighed so no overweight pets in our house.

[linda.scott6]

Our 4 month old blue heeler pub is being fed Eukanuba Dry Dog Food Puppy Medium. She also had liver treats and brisket bones.

[larkrise48]

I feed my dog Earthborn Holistic kibble with frozen mixed vegetables for her main meal each day. For treats she has kangaroo tendons and kangaroo jerky but she also enjoys a little yogurt and apples too.

[TC1]

I feel a bit alone on this one. I feed my dog (German Shepherd X Rottie) about 50% homebrand dry food, 30% fresh mince (usually beef or roo) and some fresh veggies. She also gets raw bones regularly and other doggie treat occasionally. My last dog (labradore) got to 17 years old on this. I’d love some research on the difference between cheap and expensive dry dog food.

[jezemeg8]

My furry companions and I are rarely separated, so they eat pretty much the same as I do with the exception of including grains in their diet. I am diligent about reading ingredient labels on anything I purchase and food for my companions is no different to food for me

I choose to reject anything with artificial ingredients, antibiotics or anything with a lot of numbers and/or unrecognizable chemical names in the ingredient list. I don’t feed them those bleached rawhide treats either, or rawhide at all for that matter.

[phil1]

My fussy Ragdoll will only eat the Royal Canin dry food. He’ll also eat all the gravy off Royal Canin wet food pouches, and maybe eat just a little of the meat. Ragdolls, I’ve learned, have sensitive stomachs and changes to diet results in upset stomach (and resulting mess). I was told the better quality the food the less smell, which is important for indoor cat litters.

[judy]

Please do your research before feeding your animals any form of dried food. It’s processed rubbish full of fillers,cereals etc. Cats are natural carnivores and need fresh meat to survive. What do they eat in the wild? Birds, small rodents,small reptiles etc. Nature knows best so please try and replicate this in your home. My cat has all cuts of fresh chicken bones and all ,necks,hearts,and giblets and his teeth are in fantastic condition Hes, not overweight and is active and so very healthy
We alternate his meals and he also has grain free complete fussy cat food. Never ever dried food. He gets all his moisture naturally from his food but always has water available to drink but he never needs it
Do your research!!

[longinthetooth]

I have fed my dog on the BARF diet. Bones and Raw Food. Although you may find a commercial take on this, the basic diet was designed by an Australian Vet, Dr Ian Billinghurst. His books are a very interesting read. He is highly critical of the pet food industry, they sponsor many Uni courses so new vets are brainwashed into thinking that dogs like commercial food, based, basically on the rubbish from grain, ie, the grain not fit for human consumption. His diet is his take on what dogs and cats would have eaten before pet food industry. So things like chicken wings, ie, mainly bone not muscle meat, which has the added benefit of being good for their teeth, and a homemade fruit and veg mix that you make by liquidising a wide range of these and recombining with the liquid. This very active aspect of feeding your pet, is similar to feeding children; you think about it, you care about what they eat; it isn’t the same every single day of their lives. My dog is still slim and bright eyed, but not quite so active as she was, but she is nearly 16!

[kylie]

How does one subject move readers to answer so enthusiastically!! We have a large 5 1/2 year old American cross English Staffy who has never been to the vet except for his de-sexing, and is the absolute picture of health and energy. He gets NO grain at all, usually raw meat & green veg, grain-free only dry food if given. (Also never any tick or flea poisons, or chemical washes, and all natural worming with DE.) His full litter sister, a smaller dog, gets regular dog food - wet & dry from her human family, and she is unable to run now due to ligament deterioration in her legs. I wonder if the diet has anything to do with it.

[fredstanvic]

We feed our dogs BlackHawk kibble and Nature’s Goodness.
They are doing fine

[gowinter]

My cat, now 10 yrs old gets fed a combination of wet and dry foods. We buy small tins, small pouches, and raw meat in smaller portions (5-pack). She gets ‘biscuit’ type dry food every day and she eats some of each. We don’t buy anything costing more than $1.20 per tin unless it’s on special.

[someozi]

Similar to AmandaAdams here. We have 2 Burmese cats & a Crazy… err Cairn Terrier dog. We also researched quite a bit (see next para). We end up pretty much sticking to a top 3 rule - ie. meat (or meat product for 2-3) are to be the top 3 ingredients on the list. Any food that follows that rule is a goer, though Mutley has allergy issues & we’ve found that dry Blackhawk appears to be excellent for him in that regard.

A past Burm cat had quite a few gut issues during her life of 18 years. Started around 8-10 but was manageable. Still I put most of her issues down to feeding her crap food with predominant fillers in the top 3 ingredients.

All our current family have been fed within the top 3 strategy and at 9, 9 & 3 they are doing very well.

[davcor43]

We have a Burmese - Lily and she is now 9 years old - totally Indoor cat. Have feed her on Royal Canin Dry Food Indoor all her live. The only time she goes to the Vet is for her Yearly Vacs. She has had Royal Canin Wet food and some Dine both of which she turned up her nose and walked off… Eventually she decided to try both and will now eat them occasionally. The Royal Canin is now the Over 7 years old and again Indoor. The occasions she has other wet food her kitty litter is not good! The cost of RC is about 80c per day which is very little to pay compared with Vet bills if fed cheap food.

She will only eat other chicken or meat if she sees it come Straight off our plates She has always had a monthly bath and tolerates it very well… I highly recommend Royal Canin.

[timwoolmer]

I was initially sceptical about Science Diet but my vet thinks it is good.
My two dogs are getting on and we use Oral Care.
The food is supplemented by sardines, carrots and the occasional roo tail.
I stopped chicken wings (too much fat for old dogs) and thigh bones bad reaction from them.
They scoop up any windfall avocados from our tree and put on about a kilo during avo season!

[jennypearen]

My dog, Molly who will be 9 this year gets fed a combination of foods. Everyday she eats Black Hawk Grain Free Kibble. I alternate her other food between Guide Dogs Leading Raw for Seniors, 4 Legs, Scrambled Egg once a week, a raw bone once a week, Greenies, veges, and once a week tuna in olive oil. Every day she gets Golden Paste Tumeric as well as Joint Guard on her food.

[g.simos]

Tried my cat on Black Hawk Kibble, she initially refused to eat it, then when I persisted she vomited it up and it was obvious that the kibble is dog sized not cat sized and it was too big for her to crunch up and swallow.

[jonat186]

I too feed my dog supermarket food. She eats My Dog canned food and had 2 small serves of dry food - Supercoat healthy weight. She also gets left overs - no tomato onion or garlic and very little pork.
Occasionally she the vet gives a special dry food if she has gut issues.