Do you feed your dog as well as your horse...?

tobiano1984

tobiano1984

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I was thinking about this yesterday - my dog (a 6yo lurcher) is my and my OH's baby, we love her to bits and she's pretty spoilt. I also have horses, and having lost my number 1 horse in an accident earlier this year (who was also my baby) the rest are lovely and I would be very upset if I lost one but also I wouldn't be too fussed if I sold one (a couple are up for sale). So they're not nearly as precious as my dog, I think it's just a different relationship altogether - one lives in your house, the other doesn't!

Anyway - I was placing a yard feed order yesterday and working out supplements for my various horses (they're on a very natural diet, supplements are brewers yeast, linseed and seaweed) and realised I don't put half the effort into my dog - who gets cheap working dog food. She's extremely healthy though, possibly from supplementing her diet with nice horse food!!

So does anyone put as much thought into dog food as they do into horse food? Just a random thought but I realised my dog is far more important to me and after watching Young Vets yesterday with a poor dog dying of lymphoma, I thought perhaps I should be feeding my dog with more care in the interest of keeping her healthy for as long as possible..! Especially now she's a bit older.

And for those that do feed their dogs more than just normal dog food, what do you go for?
 
I try to feed as much raw as possible but my dog does a lot of training and I cannot use raw food on tracks etc.
I feed a good quality fish-based food and carcasses a couple of times a week but I am going to have to fiddle about with it as he has a horrible orange tinge to his coat (along his back and shoulders) which is not made any better despite intensive grooming, so he's either getting too much of something or not enough. Any advice appreciated :p
 
i think I might start introducing more raw - she gets the occasional chicken wings and loves broccoli stalks, but we've not been very consistent. My mum used to feed their dogs raw, it cured my old lab of skin issues and kept their collie cross alive til 15!

May I recommend linseed for coats - I found this out by accident as my piggy lurcher steals/finishes off the horses feed and her coat is ridiculous - vet can't believe it's so shiny without products!
 
I don't supplement my mare where a lot of people at my yard take 10 mins to prep a feed with all the bits and bobs going in. That's fine and up to them, but my girl doesn't need it so all she gets is a bit of salt!

As for the hounds, well - my little one can't tolerate gluten. I only found this out after trying loads of foods from expensive to cheap and back again. He's on skinners hypoallergenic salmon now, and seems very happy on it - I've put him on that as it's easy to get hold of and, bonus, quite cheap!

I wonder if it's because dogs, as omnivores, are conditioned to living with humans and adapted to not-so-great food. Whereas horses aren't traversing 20 miles a day foraging on a mixture of plains grasses etc these days, they are not living 'naturally' any more, so feeding takes more thought.
 
I've recently changed my dog's food from a cheap working dog food to a more expensive brand. I have to say, the change has surprised me. I always thought he looked in good shape, but his coat has taken on much more of a shine, he is pooping less and they are firmer, and he's put weight on - I need to give him much less than I used to. To be honest I think the cost will work out much the same as we won't go through this stuff as quickly, and he seems much healthier on it.

He is 7 now so I will be considering switching to a senior mix at some point in the next couple of years, probably from the same brand.
 
I feed my dog as if he's a 4* horse preparing for his next three day. Can't help it, plus as a whippet he shows any loss of weight/condition straight away. He gets a chicken/rice dry food, with various flavours of high meat content wet food, salmon oil, and green lipped muscle/chondroitin supplements. He has dried fish/achilles tendon chews and its what suits him, and I have tried other things, including raw.

In contrast, I feed myself like an aged donkey heading for winter retirement!
 
I wonder if it's because dogs, as omnivores, are conditioned to living with humans and adapted to not-so-great food. Whereas horses aren't traversing 20 miles a day foraging on a mixture of plains grasses etc these days, they are not living 'naturally' any more, so feeding takes more thought.[/QUOTE]

Interesting! Hadn't thought of it like that but makes sense
 
My dog is fed better than my horse and she probably eats better than me too. I don't mind, because she eats such a tiny amount anyway. If she was a big dog with a big appetite things would probably be different.
 
yes, mine are raw fed. They have a basic diet of pre packed minces and ribs/wings/feet but I love going to places like Morrisons and the butchers and getting them things :)

I dont give them supplements as they get enough from the variety of stuff they eat. I do supplement my horses, one just a mineral balancer, linseed and salt to make up for the deficiences in most UK grass/hay, and the other one gets all sorts for his hooves, legs, sweet itch etc.

Its much easier feeding dogs!
 
Just meat/bones/offal etc. One type of mince they get has some added veg and they get that about once every 10days. They get the odd bit of apple if I'm having one and sometimes a carrot to chew on, but no specific added veg.
 
Judging by the bill when I go to get dog/horse/chicken/budgie/fish food i would say dog and horses are neck and neck in the quality food stakes but EVERYBODY is eating better than me.
 
I'd like to think I do. But then what I think is best for my horses and dog might not be what everyone else thinks is best. :)
 
I put far more thought into the dogs' food than the horses. The horses get grass in the summer, a branded low-sugar haylage in the winter and not much else. :o One has metabolic syndrome and the other is a shetland so they're carefully managed in terms of diet and exercise but not with supplements or feed, just paddock management and a lot of electric fencing.

The dogs have a raw diet, a mix of pre-prepared branded stuff and carcasses as well as joint supplements, fish oils etc. I keep a bag of good quality kibble in for emergencies and for lengthy travelling but would never return to it as a sole diet having seen the benefits of raw.
 
Salmon oil is good for coats and joints. Avoid cod liver oil because of the high Vitamin A content.

My three are very well fed, raw, a huge variety. They get natural yogurt, salmon oil, green lipped mussel tablets, turmeric paste made with coconut oil and black pepper, so their food takes a while to prepare! They're very patient! They have raw eggs chucked in occasionally.

For treats, they have pigs' ears, Fish4dogs kibble/fish skins, little scraps from us. I worry if they have sloppy poo and I think they're totally spoilt, default position is on someone's knee. I definitely put more thought and effort into their food than I do into mine.

The horse, on the other hand, gets turmeric with black pepper, chaff, readigrass and linseed oil when he does some work and some pony nuts in his treat ball when he's in-rare in the summer. He's a good doer and doesn't need much.
 
Salmon oil is good for coats and joints. Avoid cod liver oil because of the high Vitamin A content.

My three are very well fed, raw, a huge variety. They get natural yogurt, salmon oil, green lipped mussel tablets, turmeric paste made with coconut oil and black pepper, so their food takes a while to prepare! They're very patient! They have raw eggs chucked in occasionally.

For treats, they have pigs' ears, Fish4dogs kibble/fish skins, little scraps from us. I worry if they have sloppy poo and I think they're totally spoilt, default position is on someone's knee. I definitely put more thought and effort into their food than I do into mine.

The horse, on the other hand, gets turmeric with black pepper, chaff, readigrass and linseed oil when he does some work and some pony nuts in his treat ball when he's in-rare in the summer. He's a good doer and doesn't need much.
 
Dont have a horse to feed anymore, but it was always commercial stuff, suited to their energy levels/ requirements.
Dog raw fed, anything now..... was a massive struggle to get him to eat his offal at the beginning. I feed raw because I think its the best thing for him, I love watching him take on a good lump of something.
treats are random dried bits of animal...... pizzle being a fave
 
All mine are fed on chappie tinned dog food. Shock horror. Jack Russell was 17 when she died, my Westie was 14 and my Scottie is currently nearly 12. No supplements and no health problems until old age kicked in. Westies are prone to skin problems and she never had those.
 
Previous dog was fed on a high quality hypo allergenic kibble.

New girl won't touch the dried and is now enjoying a raw diet. Just done an online order for a job lot to keep us going til we get back from holidays. Had to order a bit extra as the cat has now decided that he likes the raw food too.
 
Horses are on grass in summer, with ad lib hay in winter, no hard food or supplements.

Dog on the other hand......

I researched dog foods for weeks before we got him, I wanted to make sure he had a complete food that contained no cereals or artificial colours and flavourings etc. I'm pleased with the food he is on, and have put lodger dog on it too. Lodger dog had allergies and was pretty much hairless from the chest down, but his coat is now growing back :)
 
Having native ponies I would say that more care goes into choosing my dogs food than the ponies! My dogs are currently all on Simpsons Premium high quality dry food, but they also get meals of raw and occasionally home-cooked too.
 
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