# Goat eating dog food.



## Liberty Farms (Mar 2, 2012)

I have a doe that loves to eat my LGD (Lucas) dog food. I have to stand there while he eats to keep her from eating it. I have even tried feeding the goats the same time I feed poor Lucas. Can anyone help me with this.
Thanks


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Can you feed the dog somewhere that the goats can't get to?


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## S+S Homestead (Jul 23, 2012)

It is really not a good idea to let your goats eat any dog food. It can really make them sick. Move the dog feeding area to a place where the goats can't get into it.


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## HalfAChanceFarm (Dec 1, 2012)

Agreed, 
Feed your dog somewhere else. Your doe can get REALLY sick from dog food and it is DOG food not GOAT food.
It is not a safe practice to feed your dog(s) with your goats. You can also make a small pen in your goat pen just for the dog to go into while eating. 
Another reason for moving your dog's eating place is in the wild the dogs had to eat quickly before it is gone....so with all those eyes of the goats looking at him-he might eat really fast and could reallly upset his stomach. 
Your doe can also be attacked from your dog if it keeps on trying to steal the dog food.


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## jaycee (Aug 3, 2011)

I dont have LGDs but I was trying to devise a way that my dogs could get out into the pasture to scare off predators without the goats coming through the same way. Obviously its pretty difficult because goats can get most places that dogs can. One idea is to make a hole in your fence at least about 1.5 feet above the ground and just barely larger than your dogs and train them to jump through it to get to the food...

I've seen pictures of people with large goat herds who made a square pen out of cattle panels (heavy gauge wire panels with 6 inch x 6 inch holes) and t-posts out in the pasture. The pen doesnt need to be very big maybe 10 x 10 depending on how many dogs you have. You could also do this in a stall if one of the fences is made of cattle panel. They put the dog food in the pen then cut a hole by removing one X from the panel about 1.5 feet off the ground somewhere with bolt cutters (ie make one of the holes 12 by 12.) Then take some meat and train the dogs to jump through the hole... they should pick it up quick. Occasionally a goat or goats will learn how to get through there... if so they will keep going through so then you have to plug that hole then cut a new one and retrain the dogs (or just rearrange the sides of the pen so the goats don't know where the hole is).

More at this link: 
http://www.bountifulfarm.com/DOG SELF FEEDER.html


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## Liberty Farms (Mar 2, 2012)

I think we are going to fix a place so our LGD can go into and eat away from the goats. The one goat is teaching the others....crazy goats...Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions.


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## 5goatgirls (Jun 20, 2010)

We added two Pyrs for protection late this summer. We have a night pen the goats/sheep are use to coming into at night and we had the same concerns you did as far as our herd trying to eat dog food. We would lock up the girls to allow the dogs to eat and then open it back up. After awhile, we ended up having to lock the gate up in the evening to let the herd eat their treats because the dogs would hurry up and eat and then go check out the herds feed buckets for more. We do have one dog that will growl if the herd goes near him while he is eating and they know to stay clear. And the night pen we have is dual purpose for those times the vet is coming out for a visit!


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## erikrarn (Sep 29, 2012)

Our problem is the exact opposite. Our dogs go for the grain. Rabbit grain, goat grain, horse grain, you name it.


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## Shellshocker66 (Mar 19, 2012)

erikrarn said:


> Our problem is the exact opposite. Our dogs go for the grain. Rabbit grain, goat grain, horse grain, you name it.


Same here, the goats want nothing to do with the dog food and the dog loves alfalfa pellets and hay.......

I'm wondering if goats who eat dog food have some mineral deficiency? I mean my gals are pigs and they won't touch it but I've heard other people say theirs will eat dog food. If my gals even thought it might be tasty they would tackle that dog and hold him down while they cleaned up all his food!


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## piperspets (Nov 30, 2012)

I have the same problem. The goats want the dog food..... So had to start feeding the LDG outside of the goat pen....goats can bloat dangerously from dog food. It's not good to let them eat it. In turn the LDG eats from the goats mineral tub. Not sure that's good for him either but haven't figured how to stop that yet.


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## kristinatucker (Jan 3, 2012)

we put our LGDs food in an igloo dog house so he can go in there and eat and the goats leave him alone.


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