http://tinyurl.com/87z6c

I blame the government ;) :D

:D

Blame the parents! :P :D

Too true, Rox :D

Daisy

Yer, and them :D

Me too

Warm regards Susan

>Blame the parents! :-p :-D eek <

Yeah, you'd have an eating disorder too if you're dad got your mum up the duff then left her in the lurch to raise you and your brother and sisters all on her own. Then you all got split up, adopted out at 8 weeks old and you went to a strange family who looked nothing like you and didn't even speak the same language. And then, you find your dad has done this quite a few times and you have tens of half brothers and sisters all over the country! And to add insult to injury, you find out your mum's got a taste for blokes like that and has done it before too! Your whole life sounds like an episode of Trisha!

It's no wonder society is in the state it's in! :D

:D, Phoebe

I blame the owners and manufacturers' (all of them!) feeding guidelines!

One of my vets has been on a crusade against over-weight dogs & cats for many years now. He practically froths at the mouth about the over fed under exercised dogs he sees. One of the things that we definitely know about feeding dogs is that being over-weight kills them early.

Yet what do we have in this forum? Endless hot air over which foods are "good"  to the point where I sometimes suspect a few people may be on retainer from certain compaines. IMO the advise on feeding should be simple and to the point: if the dog is doing well on food X, keep feeding it. But keep a close eye on the dog's waistline and rib covering and make jolly sure you aren't feeding too much of it.

Endless hot air over which foods are "good"  to the point where I sometimes suspect a few people may be on retainer from certain compaines.



I dont find talking about dog nutrition and good/bad food hot air at all :) IMHO it's the most important thing we can do for our pets! Without good nutrition all other things,healthwise fall to the wayside,as you cant have a 100% healthy dog feeding him crappy food!

I also think it's great that people recommend 'good' foods that have worked for their dogs :)

I also understand nutrition and what their dogs eat and what ingredients are in their pet's food dont concern some ;) But for those of us who do have an interest in what goes into our dogs bowl and have an understanding of their nutritional needs,posts about this subject are anything but hot air!

I do however agree with you that the majority of feeding recommendations on pet food labels are on the too high  end.However we cant expect the manu's to give a perfect amount for every single dog which is why when you speak with them they admit the amounts listed are a rough guide and not set in stone,some active dogs need much more than the guidelines state,however for the average sedentary dog who only gets a couple walks a day the guidelines are usually too much.

IMHO it's the most important thing we can do for our pets! Without good nutrition all other things,healthwise fall to the wayside,as you cant have a 100% healthy dog feeding him crappy food!

But IMHO few if any commercially marketed foods are 'crappy'. They aren't allowed to be by law and common sense says that no manufacturer will produce a food that causes any deterioration in a dog's health or provide it with less than the required nutrients. To do so would be dreadful business practice: they would sell no food and probably would end up with law suits to fight.

But for those of us who do have an interest in what goes into our dogs bowl and have an understanding of their nutritional needs,posts about this subject are anything but hot air!

Sorry but I think hot air is exactly what they are. If a poster is a canine or human nutritionist, of course I want to hear what they have to say. If they are a vet, human doctor, physiologist, biochemist etc they have the professional training to understand nutrients (as opposed to ingredients) and how those are used in the body, so imo they may well have interesting and useful views.

But imo to say that those who have simply trolled the internet foody faddy sites and read a few pop 'science' books "have an understanding of [dogs'] nutritional needs" is nonsense and I think they are expending so much hot air.

It's sad but still true, even in this age of instant gratification there are no short cuts. The anatomy, physiology and biochemistry of nutrition are complicated. So is the pathology and aetiology of disease. So is toxicology. It takes many years of serious study to have any sort of overview of those subjects, never mind detailed knowledge.

I wouldn't necessarily say all commercially produced dog foods are "crappy" either because they aren't! But equally, I find discussions about feeding useful and interesting rather than just "hot air" and I tend to take a similar view to canine nutrition as I do to human - that very little food in the supermarket will actually kill you but it doesn't mean that there aren't better and healthier alternatives. I don't buy junk food or eat out at some of the well known fast food outlets. I avoid factory farmed meat and poultry and opt for organic veggies.  Ergo, I'm going to be interested in following a similarly "ethical" (for wont of a better word) regime for my dog albeit that I don't expect him to be eating my version of human food!

Hi Roz,

excellent post and refreshingly open minded :)  Many a skin and tummy problem has been resolved for owners on the feeding board by altering diet - it's an area worthy of discussion and of interest to many.

best wishes, Teri

LOL Jas

Sorry,but your post isnt even worth a reply :rolleyes:

Maybe you will want to tell the rest of the members who advise on training,feeding,health etc. that they are spouting hot air to,seeings that i doubt many have a degree!!

No, people here have personal experience of training etc which makes their views worth having. In effect there is no one more qualified on training than people who have sucessfully trained their dogs.

Only a very irresponsible unqualified person will post on health with anything more definite than "my dog had something similar, it turned out to be X, was treated with Y and had this result". There are few if any arguments on the health forum. Just personal experiences. Obviously though if we had a member who was a qualified vet their opinions would be of particular interest.

Good post, jas. Sensible, logical, calm. :)

But as long as we feed a food that is blessed by the government, what could POSSIBLY go wrong?  Fortunately, we don't need to worry about dog food or our beef supply.  We have the government looking out for us.  Sleep well.

OdieDog,

Instead of being ambiguous, sitting back and letting everyone argue over inferences, why don't you explain what you are getting at?

Because *I* have a degree in ambiguous inferences.  :-)

Did your degree in ambiguous inferences involve the art of using the wooden spoon?

OdieDog, we have laws that are 'blessed by the Government'; that's as far as their input into food goes (although I can think of some MPs who'd make a useful addition to my dogs' diet ;))! If manufacturers don't abide by the laws, that's not the fault of the government!

If manufacturers don't abide by the laws, that's not the fault of the government!

Jean are you admitting that some manufacture's dont abide by the governments rules? Other companies do it all the time,cant see why pet food manu's would be any different,and especially not them,afterall they are only producing food for lowly dogs! Unfortunately this is the mind set of some of these pet food companies and profit comes way before quality control and just about everything else :(

I'm sure, knowing human nature as I do, that there are individuals in every company that make mistakes occasionally, such as the one who dropped half a packet of peppermints in a bag of dog food I subsequently bought! There's also likely to be the occasional person who chooses to sidestep rules - that's life! But that doesn't mean what they do is either company policy or the fault of the government.

That is so true.  Where I used to work someone made a simple mistake which led to a very expensive horse dying.  The type of mistake made had been made lots of times before by other people but weren't highlighted because there were no comebacks.  This time though the company was sued and the procedures changed. Companies don't go out of their way to cause themselves problems and something that has been trouble free before might stay trouble free until a mistake or disaster happens with serious consequences.

Laws will always be broken by individuals but I would expect all large companies to have systems in place to police their own staff and make sure policies are adhered to as it is the company that would carry the can legally and reputably if they didn't.  We know the government does concern itself with our pets welfare and that the law is applied to pet food companies because there has been recent court cases regarding misrepresentation so it is hard to imagine a blind eye would be cast over other transgressions.

I blame the owners! :)

Jean do you have a degree in blame or Sensible, logical, calm,because according to Jas anyone without any science behind them is just spouting off hot air :D

understand nutrients (as opposed to ingredients) and how those are used in the body, so imo they may well have interesting and useful views.

I would be happy to teach you all about what role which nutrients play in the body.All you have to do is ask :D

No, my degree isn't in any of those! :D

Mine is ;) ;)

Jas, you make interesting, rational and balanced points :)

Hailey, Derision isn't attractive :(

Hailey, Derision isn't attractive

Cheryl i dont see where i've ridiculed anyone More the other way around isnt it??

Edited: Cheryl would you say picking on people's spelling is derisive? ;)

Hailey are you sticking up for the trolls now?  The only spelling I have ever picked up on this forum was in response to the offensive, disgusting and insulting posts put on this forum Saturday night that were aimed at the members.  Of course if you want to defend the likes of those people go ahead :rolleyes:

Dern, and I missed it.

No my degree isn't in that either JG and my next degree won't be in that either :D

Still have some common sense though.  When my dog started looking a bit porky I just cut her food down a bit.  When we are on a training spree and she gets lots of pieces of chicken or similar for rewards I don't give her so much for dinner. If only I could apply the same to myself :D

what does DERISION mean?

Scorn; mocking ridicule. :(

never heard of it!!!!! is it commonly used?

Yep! Sentences like "His suggestion met with derision from the House" is very common.

It describes the childish "Ner ner ner ner ner!" response!

oh dont watch much politics!!!! that explains alot!!!!

This is a useful site for when I get stuck on words and can't be bothered to get the dictionary. :)