Are homemade energy bars safe for my active dog's daily hikes?

Hi and thanks for your question. If the earth bars had a lot of fat and/or chocolate in them, then that may be a concern. Chocolate can be quite toxic to dogs and a high amount of fat can cause stomach upset and pancreatitis. If the bars had raisins in them, that would also be a red flag. Raisins can cause renal failure in dogs. Macadamia nuts are also another toxic food found in health bars. If these contained anything mentioned above, you may want to see you veterinarian as soon as possible. I hope this helped.

Oh no, that was naughty of Abby to eat the chocolate protein bar! There is likely not a lot of pure chocolate in a protein bar, so she should be fine. It would take at least 19oz of milk chocolate to cause a moderate to severe toxic reaction in a dog her size, and a protein bar will not contain that much chocolate. I hope this helps :-)

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I do not recommend a raw diet for Spoty. These diets are not balanced appropriately for domesticated dogs and can carry bacteria (salmonella) can cause diarrhea and sometimes death. This bacteria is also contagious to humans. I recommend diets made my quality pet food companies. In the US, I like Hills/Science Diet, Royal Canin, Purina, and Iams. These diets are made by veterinary nutritionists and tested for safety for decades. Dogs typically don’t get bored with the same diet like humans do. If they aren’t offered anything different they won’t know there is something better. If you wanted to add something more I would get the canned food that matches the dry food you pick and add that to his food. Watch how much you feed so you don’t give him too many calories. Good luck and kisses to Spoty!

Bread isn't really a great choice to feed a dog, it is quite stodgey and fattening and the gluten can upset dog's stomachs. Moreover an occasional egg is okay but they are quite fatty so shouldn't be fed all the time. With this diet your dog is likely not getting the correct balance of nutrients. I would highly recommend feeding the best complete dog food you can afford, twice a day. If you really want you can add healthy foods to the diet to supplement it.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like GoGo is quite the energizer bunny! An agility class is definitely a fantastic ideal to keep a high energy Border Collie healthy. As far as food goes - you can't go wrong with brands like Purina, Hills Science Diet, or Royal Canin. There are a variety of diets offered by these brands, especially for active dogs. What veterinarians do not recommend are grain-free diets, or vegan or vegetarian diets, as these are associated with the development of heart disease in dogs. I hope this is helpful!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Gaea. I do not recommend feeding her table scraps instead of dog food. Being a growing puppy, she has very specific nutritional needs to support her growth and development. If her diet is not properly balanced, it can lead to health problems for her. If you are interested in home cooking for her though, I recommend seeking the advice of a veterinary nutritionist at www.balanceit.com. You can have a diet formulated specific for her needs as an artic breed puppy. I hope this information helps!

Barney would need the extra protein if he's very active, so no I don't recommend changing his diet. Some dogs unfortunately are very active, so I would increase the amount of exercise he gets to try to tire him out.