[rannmiller]

Ok so I have all of one friend in SLC who is mine and not my boyfriend's. Well she has a pointer who she's been feeding Kirkland brand dog food to, and I keep telling her to stick with it since she knows squat about dog nutrition and as far as brands go, that one's cheap and okayishly decent.

The problem is that she doesn't have a Costco card and is finding it difficult to coordinate Costco runs with people and thinks it will just be a lot easier to buy Sadie's food at Petsmart from now on. I unfortunately know what this means for poor Sadie.

My friend likes Science Diet despite the fact that it's garbage and I tried to tell her so, but all she said was "Oh I have to disagree, I think it's great food, I've seen it work wonders for dogs." I told her I've seen it make too many animals fall apart and have the world's biggest turds to ever think it did anything good for animals, not to mention the horrid ingredients. We just agreed to disagree at that point because you know how Science Diet people are, and I didn't want to offend and drive off the only friend I've got here.

So last night I asked her why she doesn't feed raw since it's cheaper and the best thing she could feed them and she said after a long and awkward pause "Yeah, I just don't know about that." It's weird because it's the ONE subject that she gets all weird and gaurded about, so I have no idea how to approach it anymore or if I should just drop it and let Sadie be fed pig food (SD), so as not to offend her with my opinions of it. Even though she didn't even know that one of the best ways to get her dog to come to her off leash is to run the other direction. I just don't understand why people who know less about dogs than I do don't want to listen to me when I offer them good, sound advice and try to approach it in a very non-confrontational manner.

Any ideas on how to better broach this subject?

 

[JayJayisme]

Unfortunately if she isn't ASKING for advice, she will probably not accept yours or anyone elses. People who don't want to be helped, can't be helped.

I had to watch helplessly as a friend of mine fed her large mixed-breed dog crap food for years. Then when the dog got really sick, and she couldn't afford the mounting vet bills, I waited for the call. When it came, the tables were turned. She was now soliciting advice and receptive to it where before she didn't give a rodent's behind what I thought because she didn't ask for my opinion. But I took advantage of it, got her to switch from crap kibble to lightly cooked meat, then I had her add in raw bone, then finally a full raw diet. The dog made a miraculous recovery and now she gets it. Sadly, convincing her that she was killing her dog was absolute futility until it almost finally died.

The best thing you can do in the interim is lead by example. Feed your dog(s) raw in her presence whenever you can. Let her get used to the idea and sight of it using your dogs instead of hers. After awhile she may not think it's so weird. You can even drop in a little cheerful remark now and then like, "Oh this is my dog's favorite time of day, feeding time" or "I'm so glad I switched to raw, it's so much cheaper, my dogs eat less, and they are the healthiest they have ever been." Just innocent "suggestions" now and then. It will sink in with her one day. Not much else you can do.

My wife couldn't watch me feed our dogs raw in the beginning but she slowly came around and she now finds it interesting and, well, entertaining. They still eat high quality kibble most days, and raw every 2-3 days. Now she looks forward to those days when I feed them raw where before she would go and hide so she didn't have to watch.

 

[Whiskey's Momma]

I do not feed my dog my dog raw. I am guessing your friend may or may not have the same problem I have. Raw meat makes me want to puke, boneless chicken and ground beef are about the only things I can handle. For Thanksgiving I make my husband deal with the turkey because it will gross me out and then I wont be able eat it. So feeding raw food to my dog is not an option for me, I honestly don't know a whole lot about feeding raw but I know that it is probably the best for my dog.

I have a friend who is somewhat like your friend. I feed my dog good food (although it's not the most expensive) give him probiotics,fish oil, daily multi-vitamins. He gets carrots, blueberries, apples and everyday I boil a skinless chicken breast and add it to his dry food. A couple times a week I make him salmon and add it to his food. My friend Michelle thinks I am crazy. She feeds her dog Purina Dog Chow, yes dog chow. When I swithced dog food I offered her my old dog food (Nutro Natural Choice, which is way better than dog chow) and she refused it. Although we are friends that met at the dog park, we do a lot of things together and the only thing we have in common is our dogs. We disagree on everything from dog food to politics. I have learned to accept the fact that she chooses to buy her food at Walmart. I think that next time I see her I will give her a print out of her dog food from dogfoodanalysis so she can actually see it broken down and understand why she should not be feeding him bad food. The weird thing is that shes a vegan and all into animals...she thinks they have more rights than humans but she neglects to feed her dog better. She could spend 55 bucks on a good bag of dod food that would last her smaller dog probaly 2 months and it would cost her less than a dollar a day.....but buying a pack of cigarettes is more important I guess.

So maybe you should try to educate her more on nutrition. If it were me I wouldn't push the raw food because it sounds like that might just push her away even further.....baby steps. Also you may want to grab a box cereal next time you are at her house and ask her if she would like to eat a bowl of the same cereal for every meal for the rest of her life, oh yeah and by the way that cereal is very unhealthy.

I can understand your frustration

 

[Unosmom]

If she wants to keep feeding kirkland, she can get Diamond Naturals at local feed stores, its almost identical and $35 for 40 lb bag, its cheaper then SD. There are other cheaper alternatives that are way better, such as chicken soup, premium edge and taste of the wild.

Pet Nutrition Retailers for Diamond Pet Foods

Ingredients
Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, white rice, cracked pearled barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), oatmeal, beet pulp, egg product, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, fish meal, potassium chloride, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

 

[rannmiller]

Well I even kinda tried to talk to her about feeding better quality kibbles, but since money is a bit of a problem for her, I suggested raw since it is so much cheaper, easier, and better. Plus easier to get ahold of.

 

[CorgiPaws]

First off, and you'll learn this quickly, people in these parts (Utah) are weird. lol.
Raw is cheaper than most decent kibbles. It is NOT, however anywhere near cheaper than Kirkland. I know this because I myself am financially having a hard time, and as much as I want to take champ from Canidae to raw, it's looking like he's going from Canidae to Kirkland if nothing changes, and I live very close to you, so prices are more than comparable. (so frustrating whenI'm struggling SO bad now, but in 3 months, I have a better job, and less expenses all lined up. Only 3 more months of this crap!)
Unfortunately if she doesnt want to hear it, you're wasting your breath/ Perhaps approaching it in another manner. Teach more about nutrition in general, which will on its own show her that SD is crap.
I don't know, my whole family thinks I'm nuts. I finally convinced my brother to take his dog from Pedigree to Canidae, only because I sell it to him at my employee discount ($38/ 44lbs) but I'm pretty sure when I leave, he won't be willing to pay th normal $53.

 

[rannmiller]

I'm tempted to send her the link to SD on dogfoodanalysis.com but I really don't want to make her mad at me over it. She's like in love with her vet here too, so I'm sure that's why she's so hung up on it. When you trust someone wholeheartedly and they tell you one thing and someone comes along and tells you they're fulla crap and don't know what they're talking about and only telling you what they were paid to tell you, they tend to get a little defensive. *sigh*

 

[whiteleo]

Don't beat yourself up! People will do exactly what they will regardless of what they are told, they only seem to learn from experiences. Something will probably have to happen in order for to be willing to listen to crazy talk. It's unfortunate that people can't or won't go out and find the info on their own like they do for their own health but, when it comes to animals they just listen to the one person they trust most.