Nutrition

How and what to feed your pets — portions, brand discussions, prescription diets, and the calculator math behind it all.

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#puppy-food #senior-care #raw-diet #prescription #allergies

Nutrition✓SOLVED

What human foods are actually safe to give as treats vs the ones that will scare you?

I keep seeing wildly different information about what dogs can and can't eat. Some of it seems like hysteria (a grape here will kill your dog instantly) and some of it is genuinely new to me (xylitol in peanut butter). I want a realistic picture from actual dog owners and vets —…

chris_apartment·11 days·3 replies·1652 views

Nutrition

My dog refuses to eat unless I add something to her kibble — is this a problem?

Maya (6-year-old Golden, 65 lbs) has started refusing her kibble unless I add something to it. It started with a little rotisserie chicken when she was sick, and now she won't touch plain kibble. I've tried going cold turkey and she'll just skip meals for 12-18 hours until I cav…

lucia_m·12 days·2 replies·832 views

Nutrition✓SOLVED

Is grain-free dog food still a concern or has the DCM scare settled down?

When I got my Boxer three years ago the grain-free/DCM thing was everywhere and I switched him back to a grain-inclusive food immediately. Now I keep seeing grain-free foods marketed heavily again and some of my dog friends say the link was never really proven. Where does the sc…

mark_pdx·8 days·2 replies·790 views

Nutrition✓SOLVED

Homemade dog food — is it actually viable or does it always require a vet nutritionist?

I've been thinking about making my own dog food for my 5-year-old mixed breed (45 lbs). I cook a lot, I'm meticulous about ingredients, and I want to know exactly what's going in him. But every resource I find says 'consult a veterinary nutritionist' which costs $200-400 per reci…

chris_apartment·10 days·2 replies·698 views

Nutrition✓SOLVED

How much should I actually be feeding my 60-lb adult Goldendoodle?

I've had Biscuit for two years now and I still feel like I'm guessing on portions. The bag says 3-4 cups for a 60-lb dog but I've heard that's wildly inflated because the manufacturer wants you to buy more food. He's on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach. Moderately active…

jenna_ok·6 days·2 replies·640 views

Nutrition✓SOLVED

Vet wants to wait on senior food for my 8yo Lab — calculator disagrees. What would you actually do?

Milo is 78 lbs, otherwise healthy bloodwork. Morning stiffness for maybe 6 months — he still wants to walk, just slow to get off the rug. Vet said "labs often go senior around 10" and to hold. Paw Calculator (and a few threads here) put him on a senior profile at ~1,180 kcal vs…

lucia_m·about 2 months·3 replies·552 views

Nutrition

GSD puppy — breeder pushing large-breed puppy, breeder friend says adult food. I'm lost.

Koda is 14 weeks, 32 lbs already (parents were big). Breeder sent us home with large-breed puppy. Trainer at the club said "too much calcium can mess up growth plates" and mentioned adult food — which scared me. Growth chart from the vet looks normal. Feeding 4 cups/day split pe…

priya_gsd·about 2 months·1 replies·593 views

Nutrition

Beagle inhales 2.4 cups in 90 seconds then acts starving — is the math wrong or is he playing me?

Buster, 3yo, 28 lbs, neutered. Two walks ~30 min, suburban neighborhood, not a ton of fetch. Calculator said 2.4 cups/day of his current kibble (342 kcal/cup). Split AM/PM. He finishes each meal like it's a race and then parks by the pantry. Scale says he's not overweight yet.…

jenna_ok·about 2 months·2 replies·400 views