[Shasta220]

So I’ve mentioned the retired man with the two GSDs who suffer through being on Beneful dry and Alpo/Pedigree canned, right? Well, I’ve previously dropped a bug or two in his ear about some fairly good foods at great prices, and he still thinks that Beneful’s “…wholesome ingredients like wheat, soy, and egg…” are doing his dogs good.

I was pet sitting them the past couple days, and noticed that his giant male, Caesar (he’s 150lbs and is NOWHERE near overweight), had a disgusting hot spot on his thigh. The owner had mentioned that the female, Camile, sometimes gets them, and he just puts some anti-itch spray on. That’s usually enough to make them go away (for a little bit at least…). I decided this time, I will get as “firm” as I will ever get.

I know I’m not making the /best/ suggestion, but virtually any food is better than Beneful, so here’s what I just messaged him:

“…I noticed a huge hot-spot on Caesar’s rear leg. I sprayed it with some of the anti-itch spray.

Not sure how often they get itchy, but Cassy used to get so bad that we had to put a cone and a sweater on her. We switched her to a food without corn, soy, or wheat, and she hasn’t itched since.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com is my favorite website to compare brands and quality. We found a 4star food (Kirkland) for less than $1/lb. ”

What do y’all think? If you were uneducated about dog food, do ya think you’d switch? 😀 and yes, I will warn him about being extra careful for a slow transition if he sounds interested in switching. Gosh I REALLY hope he switches….those poor dogs have dull coats, bad breath, and a NASTY odor 🙁 if he doesn’t get some good nutrition in soon, they’re gonna go downhill FAST (they’re already 7y.o.)

[Naturella]

Ah, girl…

You know we’re with you on that stuff, I am, at least! I really think that an open mind (not that of a know-it-all) is all it takes for anyone to consider a different point of view (sometimes, even the plain facts that corn and other crap in food are not good for our canine family can be considered subjective and even wrong by said know-it-alls or blind-believers-of-commercials-or-labels)…

Anyway, if I were the uneducated one on dog food (and realized it, as I do), I would be more than eager to have someone guide me through the myriad of dog foods to find the ones I would/should feed my dogs. But that’s me…

I do think your note sounds good though, and you can also throw in there that you can help them navigate this website if they need it, or go food shopping with them (I have found this to be very effective with my “mentees” on the topic of dog food).

Good luck! It is okay to reach out, but eventually, we gotta know when to stop pushing too. But for now, it looks like you may have a chance, so give it a try! 🙂 Keep us posted too!

[Shasta220]

Yeah, I was going to offer to help suggest various foods on a variety of budgets, but I was just waiting for his message reply.

Uggggh sounds like he’s not at all interested in switching. I guess he just has that “old fashioned” mindset that all dogs are gonna be stinky and dirty, and get occasional itching problems, regardless of the food. He replied, annnnnd didn’t mention anything about food -_- he just said “I’ll treat his spot, but they haven’t had any in 2yrs now. Thanks for vigilance.” So it sounds like his pooches are being stuck with that junk…

Btw, I saw your reply to my Hobby thread….do you have a FB? If so, you should email me! 😀

[Naturella]

Oh no (to his response)… 🙁 Well… This may just be one battle that you just need to let go off… I know it’s hard, trust me!

And yes, I do have facebook! I will email you right now!

[theBCnut]

Google causes of hot spots. They are a common sign of food allergies. So is itching and body odor, greasy coat.

[Shasta220]

Yes, Patty, I have no doubt that his dogs have allergies….he just has that old-fashioned mentality that dogs naturally stink and get itchy, regardless of the food. I’m just so sad that he thinks all it takes is a little bit of anti-itch ointment. Sure, that’ll cover it up, but it doesn’t eliminate the problem. Like if you chew a piece of gum, sure, it’ll make your breath fresh; but as soon as you spit the gum out, the only way to eliminate bad breath will be to get them teeth scrubbed! (Sorry for the lame example, but I think y’all get my point.)

[theBCnut]

OK, he’s one of those… I’m sorry, you can’t fix what’s wrong with this guy, because what’s wrong is that he doesn’t care that his animals are a stinking miserable mess. They don’t matter to him, they’re just dumb animals, another thing that he owns. I have to deal with those all the time. There is nothing you can say, until somebody whose opinion he values brings it to his attention. It just isn’t a problem for him. So what if his dogs want to tear their own skin off. It’s no skin off his back. Literally!! Don’t you just want to pull your hair out. AARRGGHH!!!

[Shasta220]

Yesss I know I know! He has good intentions, and does put the ointment on until the spot goes away, but like I say – it’s like putting perfume on body odor. It masks it, but ain’t gonna take it away.

What just irks me THE most is that danged Beneful!!! You can buy 4 star foods for the same price, if not less! I somewhat understand someone needing to feed a cheap food due to tight budget, but this guy does not have a tight budget… He thinks he spoils them by buying Puperoni, rawhide chews, and Beggin Strips *long depressed sigh*

I’m glad you guys totally understand me though. I’ll admit, there was a time when I thought that the fancier packaging, various colors/shapes, and “wholesome soy” in Beneful was healthy; but I was a seven year old girl. Ya can’t blame me. By the time I was 11-12 (when I got my first personal puppy), I was aware of the fact that dogs need quality of some sort. I’ll admit, I was content when my folks bought a bag of food with bone meal or by-product as the first ingredient, but hey! For being uneducated, at least I had enough common sense to know animal products are needed in a dog’s diet.

[Shasta220]

Patty do you have a FB? If so, you should shoot me an email and we can get in contact! =D shasta111@charter.net

[theBCnut]

No FB for me. I already give out too much personal info and my poor husband is dying inside. He’s a computer security person and FB truly frightens him.

[Shasta220]

Ah ha, I see. That’s prob a good thing though, there are some creepers on there!

[Naturella]

Well, today I had another success… My best friend, who also owns a lab-hound mix (like my roommate) began her journey in better dog nutrition.

I have not talked to her much about that because I thought that her dad was doing most of the doggie care, and the few times I have been over at her parents’ house (where the dog lives), the dog looked like she would rather eat me than her dinner… SO I had not raised the subject until today.

She moved back in with her family in a new house and we were hanging out and she had to go back to walk her dog. I went with her, but before that I had to take her to my fave pet boutique with the free samples. Needless to say, she got an informational pamphlet, a bag full of free samples, and the recommendation to get on this site. I love this store, in case I have not mentioned this before. ANYWAY, in the car (we rode together), I was explaining to her about how what she feeds now (Kibbles ‘n’ Bits) is bad, what is good, and how it will help her dog. She (the dog) is a bit overweight, has fat pockets formed in a few places, and may suffer bad joints in the future.

So the store hooked her up with samples of Victor for joints, nutri source, earthborn, canidae pure, merrick beef, nutrisca salmon, and some other ones.

When we got to her place, I was a bit scared to get out of the car, but I did… Her dog barked at me like crazy (as usual), but I let her sniff me this time and eventually she calmed down. We decided that if I were to give her some of the new food as treats, she may like me even more, so we did. We tried the Merrick, and she liked it. We were friends now! We walked her together, talked more about food and how it affects EVERYTHING – smell, gassiness, joints, mast formations or fat pockets, allergies, everything. So when we got back, we gave her dog some of the Nutrisca Salmon, and boy, she LOVED it! So we mixed it with her dinner serving of the crap… I mean, of Kibbles ‘n Bits, and she ate some, but not too much (she is stressed because this is her first day in my friend’s new house). But, I think my friend has potential. She had bought a bag of Back to Basics for her dog in Fall and I was proud of her! So yeah, making progress… I am so excited!

With this being said, I really am sorry, Carlyn, but I don’t think anything will help this guy’s dogs, unless, like Patty said, someone whose opinion he values (more) tells him the same stuff you have been… So yeah…

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