my 8 mnth old bullmastiff pup was starting to refuse his morning feed which up to then was always "complete"  feed. i added a tin of pilchards in tomato sauce and wow..no stopping him....just wanna ask...if i was to give him pilchards in his morning AND afternoon feed with the complete...would that be ok?..would it cause any problems?....many thanks

Hi niceguy,

Pilchards or sardines are a good choice to mix in BUT you should offer the ones without sauce or oil, usually there is an option for brine water - I drain them before adding to their food as too much salt isn't good for them ;)

Main problem I can see is he'll get fussy :P  It's OK to add something tasty to complete foods to perk up a slow appetite or whatever but don't add too much nor do it too often otherwise the more finicky eaters get wise to simply licking off the gravy, or whatever, that's mixed through and leaving the kibble ;)

Regards, Teri

Fish in brine shouldnt be fed because it is too salty.  I feed mine pilchards in tomato sauce which I was told is fine - although I cant remember who by :)

Hi blondebird,

I did say to drain the brine because of salt ;) however, tomato sauce can have an adverse affect on stomach acids and ideally shouldn't be fed to dogs.

Regards, Teri 

Fish in oil or tomato sauce is actually better than brine ...
:)

ive been giving him the "glenryk" ones in the red tin.....bout 4 pilchards per tin, with the tomato sauce, he goes absolutley mad for them!!!.

Depends on the oil JG :P   IME better to drain them or simply wash off the sauce if that's all the supermarket has :D

Teri

Tomato sauce is reputed to be a protective against prostate disease in humans, so I imagine is in dogs too. Also tomato juice added to the diet is supposed to combat a bitch's urine causing brown patches on lawns ...
:)

That's what I believe :) Mine have had them in tomato sauce for years without a problem :)

Daisy

My Labs always have Pilchards in Tomato sauce at Sunday lunchtime. It's the only day I give them and then, just one of those very small tins per dog.

If you are using them as an incentive to eat then rather than feeding as a whole meal I would feed your normal food with just a little of the Pilchards and sauce mixed in. It's a strong smell so is always going to be tempting.

Regards, John

If you give dogs stuff like that does it mean you have to brush their teeth more? How often would you brush anyway?

Mine have a large tin between the two of them every Friday morning (they are good Catholics :D ). I don't clean their teeth - there is no need as chewing the bones cleans them perfectly. When I got Bramble from Battersea, he had horrific teeth and the vet said that they would have to be cleaned at the same time as he was neutered. However, there was no need as chewing bones cleaned them perfectly :)

Daisy

I'm not meaning to take away from the original thread but what kind of bones? is it from butchers or is it the aritfi ones from pet store?

Saves me from doing murph if its the same effect as brushing 

Fresh ones from the butcher. I personally would steer well clear from the bones sold in pet shops - they must be chock-full of preservatives, and cooked bones can be very dangerous.

I've never brushed my dogs teeth in my life Julie and the only time my dogs have ever needed dental treatment has been for damage, never decay. I feed complete food dry which gives them something hard to work on but I have never given bones for the last 40 years since reading an article by Wendy Boorer about how the abrasivness of bones could wear the enamel of the teeth.

Regards, John

Thanks guys.  John does that mean as well as the dry complete i giv to dog, it won't do him any harm to giv him the tomatoes/pilchards weekly for xtra nutrients?

Thats exactly what I do Julie. It's my little treat, and the oils in them is good are good for their joints and their coats.

Best wishes, John

Mine have a meal of pilchards once a week and a meal of tuna once a week, I wouldnt feed a whole tin everyday, maybe a little bit mixed in but not much.  You could always alternate between fish, tripe or another meat if you want to give your dog variety whilst still feeding complete.

Is it ok for puppies too then?

ps John, u always come across as so well mannered when you end ur messages.

Best wishes back.

Both of mine are puppies ( 10months and 15 weeks) and they are fine on them.  I dont feed complete though, I feed a raw diet so the fish is part of a long list of foods they have which all contribute to create a "complete" diet over a couple of weeks :)

Kool, hate the smell but if its good for murph and the puppy... well he's now gettin it!

As BB says, my puppies always have some (Suitably scaled down helping of course) Apart from a little of what we eat from time to time this is the only "Additive" I give. As to, "A little of what we eat" has been known to consist of Sweet and Sour Chicken, Spaghetti Bolognese, and My Anna is particularly partial to Blue Stilton cheese!!! (As everybody knows, Labradors are Gannets on four legs, and this rather proves it!)

As to my ending Julie, you always know what my state of mind is from my endings ;)

Best wishes, John

Julie
I have a 2.5 year old collie x and a 1 year old staffie x whippet and I've never brushed there teeth.
Every night I give them one pedigree dog denture stick each and they love them,they have two sizes small to med or med to large I give them the med to large I also feed them pedigree adult dry complete and plenty of raw hides and pedigree marrowbone biscuits and I have no probs with there teeth they also have there youth on there side.

Hide chews can cause problems. It's possible for a dog to break off a lump and swallow it. The hide then absorbs moisture in the stomach and swells making it impossible to pass. I know the risk is small considering the thousands sold but. . . . . . . . 

Regards, John

Lofty you dont happen to work for pedigree do you ;)

My lot get some form of raw meaty bone everyday,as have all of my dogs over the past 20 years or so,i have never had a problem with "tooth enamel" but i prefer to go my own personal experience :)

I would never ever give rawhides or any of those artificial preservative laden chews that are rampant in today's market :(  When i can give a natural,fresh,meaty bone which not only cleans their teeth but is nutritious for them aswell. My dogs would absolutely scoff if i offered them one of the unnatural ones,there is no way they would touch one,and they are all terrific eaters!

They also get sardine/pilchards in oil 3-4 times per week,among other things their coats are almost blindingly glossy

I'm not sure if I'm reading your post right Rose. You say you feed Pilchards/Sardines 3-4 times a week. Taking a 7 day week this I take to mean that half of your dog's diet consists of this? I would be very worried that this would very unbalance your dog's diet. Or do you just mean that this is fed in conjunction with other foods? Just like us, a dog's diet does not need to be balanced AT EVERY MEAL but it does need to balance out over the longer period.

Regards, John

My dogs get raw, whole, fresh sardines/trout/oily fish on average twice a wk. But sometimes I mix n match like tonight, they had half meat, half fish & a whole quail each. Can`t see the point of giving sardines etc, in sunflower oil/brine myself, except as a *treat*, surely the point of feeding it is cos they`re already an oily fish???

Christine, Spain.

John  i mix them in with their other food as a treat. My post did sound like thats just about all i feed them :o

just tryed the pilchards in tomato sauce and both dogs loved them it will be a treat once a week from now on.
No I don't work for pedigree Rose lol there food agrees with my dogs after trying different brands.

Arr, I never really doubted you Rose. But from past experience I've found so many people read a post literally and then get into trouble by reading something which was never meant. The old WW1 quote, "Send 3/4d we're going to a dance." when the message should have been, "Send reinforcements we're going to advance!" ;)

Regards, John

Mine also have their treat of pilchards in tomato sauce once a week and they love it.  My dogs also have bones from the butcher's and my 11 and 13 year old Spanish still had bright white shiny teeth.  Lydia's are still perfect at 11 thankfully !

Yep mine too, and they love em, as they love their marrow bones,when I started feeding Barf 2 and a bit years ago, my Spaniels teeth were getting really tartar encrusted even tho I did clean them with the doggy toothpaste, within in 2 weeks of having marrow bones to chew on they were sparkling.

Hey did you see Angi on Country file with her 2 Spanish doing Search/rescue training with Cantech, what a star. She never said, naughty girl.

No, I'm going to kill her when I see her next, the so and so !!   Ahh, I'm really annoyed now :d 

My labs have had 1 small tin of pilchards each today with there tea,the left overs from sunday dinner ie.broccoli carrots.roast beef ect.It is there special treat on a sunday.
Sheila.

I have a 3 year old bullmastiff who loves fish.  We give him pilchards in tomato sauce.  we also give him tuna in Sunflower oil occasionally which we were told is good for his coat.  Fish like this is fine as it contains Omega 3 which is good for ourselves and our dogs

Harveydog i would avoid giving tuna due to it's high mercury levels :(