Another dog food thread..

[SunnyCait]

I was feeding Wellness Core, but switched to Solid Gold's Hunden Flocken formula. Then to Solid Gold's Wolf King, which I think my dog is actually allergic to bison (what in the world) so back to the Hunden Flocken which was really nice.

I wish I could get ahold of Orijen without it costing me an arm and a leg.

 

[undergunfire]

How about EVO, Cait? My dog does so well on it. I tried Wellness CORE before...but it is so expensive! Especially for the cats...its like $12 for 2lbs!! I think that Solid Gold is a great food, as well....I would feed that if I couldn't get EVO anymore for some reason.

 

[SunnyCait]

I always buy the 15 pound bags, and I think the Core was $32, and the Solid Gold HF is $36. No one ever lets me rest about that. My roommate's dog eats Purina One (...) which costs him like $17 for a 30 pound bag. No one gets WHY I'm paying the 36 dollars for half that amount, they just can't wrap their brains around it. *mini rant* But yes, the stuff is definitely not cheap! I'd hate to have to feed a Great Dane or some larger dog like that haha. I'd be broke!

I think I'd actually like to try EVO... Because I'm not sure that it really is just the one formula of Solid Gold that she is allergic to. I just really didn't notice anything was wrong until we switched to the Wolf King formula. She seemed fine on the HF and was definitely fine on the Core... Now though you can really tell she has some sort of food allergy.

 

[MyLOVEABLES!!]

Amy! I was wondering when you are going to post here!

I wonder if Evo, wellness, Origen etc ships to NZ lol.. But then again although its good would cost me a fortune!

And Kat yeah I feed him differently everyday, Luca gets 1hour to 1 1/2hr a day of exercise the less he exercise the less he gets.

so so far the best choice i should get is Canidae?
I was told to feed him once a day... I feed him twice a day, should I be switching to once a day or is twice a day alright? He gets half of what he should eat in a day in each meal just so people dont think i feed him twice as much haha.

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

Be careful about canidae. they changed there formulia about a year ago and did not tell anyone they now put chicken by product.

It was making ogs that had been on it for years sick.

I feed fromm when I cant do raw its new on the seens but I like the ingredients. I dont think they even have a website.

 

[undergunfire]

MyLOVEABLES!! wrote:

so so far the best choice i should get is Canidae?
I was told to feed him once a day... I feed him twice a day, should I be switching to once a day or is twice a day alright? He gets half of what he should eat in a day in each meal just so people dont think i feed him twice as much haha.

To be honest, it doesn't seem like you have good foods over there in NZ (without spending and arm & a leg). I think raw is your best bet. Just do your research, find a raw feeding forum....and go with that. Like I said, Luca shouldn't be gaining weight at all....you just need to adjust what you are feeding.

 

[irishbunny]

What do ye think of this food for a puppy? It's a puppy food, I'll tell ye what it is after.

Raw Protein 30.00%, Raw fat 16.00%, Raw fibre 2.00%, Raw ash 9.00%, Moisture Content 10.00%, Minerals, Calcium1.5% Phosphorus 0.85%, Sodium 0.48%, Magnesium 0.09%, Iron 75 mg/kg, Zinc 70 mg/kg, Copper (Sulphate) 25 mg/kg, Selenium 0.2 mg/kg, Vitamin A 10.000 iu/kg, Vitamin D3 2.000 iu/kg, Alpha - Tocopherol (Vitamin E) 200 mg/kg, Digestible Energy 16.8 mj/kg

 

[undergunfire]

irishbunny wrote:

What do ye think of this food for a puppy? It's a puppy food, I'll tell ye what it is after.

Raw Protein 30.00%, Raw fat 16.00%, Raw fibre 2.00%, Raw ash 9.00%, Moisture Content 10.00%, Minerals, Calcium1.5% Phosphorus 0.85%, Sodium 0.48%, Magnesium 0.09%, Iron 75 mg/kg, Zinc 70 mg/kg, Copper (Sulphate) 25 mg/kg, Selenium 0.2 mg/kg, Vitamin A 10.000 iu/kg, Vitamin D3 2.000 iu/kg, Alpha - Tocopherol (Vitamin E) 200 mg/kg, Digestible Energy 16.8 mj/kg

You need to post the ingredients...I don't know what any of that means .

 

[MyLOVEABLES!!]

yeah then I think after I finish the next 3 bags of dog food (1.8kg bag, 3kg bag and what's left of hills. I found out dad bought more lol) I will start the RAW feeding he should be at his ideal weight by then anyways so should be really really really good! RAW forums here I come!

 

[MyLOVEABLES!!]

12 years from now I will be a trillionaire (sorry but I can't tell you how... but hint: it involves me taking over the world :grin2 ) I will have all the dogs I want, when I have my own animal rescue place etc I will import the world's best dog food for all my dogs (incld. all the rescues) But for now lol, I'll have to cope!

 

[MyLOVEABLES!!]

undergunfire wrote:

irishbunny wrote:

What do ye think of this food for a puppy? It's a puppy food, I'll tell ye what it is after.

Raw Protein 30.00%, Raw fat 16.00%, Raw fibre 2.00%, Raw ash 9.00%, Moisture Content 10.00%, Minerals, Calcium1.5% Phosphorus 0.85%, Sodium 0.48%, Magnesium 0.09%, Iron 75 mg/kg, Zinc 70 mg/kg, Copper (Sulphate) 25 mg/kg, Selenium 0.2 mg/kg, Vitamin A 10.000 iu/kg, Vitamin D3 2.000 iu/kg, Alpha - Tocopherol (Vitamin E) 200 mg/kg, Digestible Energy 16.8 mj/kg

You need to post the ingredients...I don't know what any of that means .

DITTO!

 

[irishbunny]

That's all that's on the site...forget about it, thanks

 

[undergunfire]

irishbunny wrote:

That's all that's on the site...forget about it, thanks

Weird ! I wouldn't feed a food that doesn't list the ingredients on their website. Hopefully you can find a good food, though.

 

[MyLOVEABLES!!]

maybe you should start on a raw diet too

 

[Pekoe]

Realize this thread is pretty much done... but I just wanted to put in a plug for Orijen! We feed our two dogs this food, and it is great. We fed an average food before (Kirkland) and they did well on it, but on Orijen they are in perfect shape. People always compliment our dogs on how soft and shiny their fur is, and the vet says they are in perfect condition.

 

[irishbunny]

K I got the ingredients because we bought the food, it was the most recommended to me on an animal rescue site so I think it must be the best I can get.

Ingredients
Maize, poultry meat meal, poultry fat, herring meal, maize gluten, full fat linseed, skim milk powder, egg powder, minerals, preserved with propionic acid, contains natural antioxidants.

 

[missyscove]

You folks are probably going to want to hang me in the town square for what I'm about to say.
I'm certainly no expert on the subject. I am taking an animal nutrition class, but we won't cover dog nutrition until later in the semester (I can tell you all about how to feed your cows though.) We did talk some about dog foods in my other animal science classes though.

Dog nutritional requirements are very similar to those of humans. In essence, a dog could do very well eating a portion of exactly what you eat. If every night you sat down to a family dinner and your dog got a plate full too, they'd do fine. Granted, we like dog food because it provides a complete nutrition that's easy for us to feed and that doesn't let the dog be selective.

There are strict requirements (at least in the US. I assume New Zealand has them too.) on what nutrition a dog food can provide.
The list of protein, fat, ash, etc. that irishbunny posted is how you should be determining what your dog eats, IMO. Dogs have specific requirements for levels of protein, fiber, minerals, etc.

Basically, I don't care what sort of corn or soybean meal or chicken or chicken by products my dog is eating.
I think it's great that we can take by products of human foodstuffs (soybean meal, feathers, etc.) and use them in animal feeds (be they for pets or for production animals). It creates more sustainable industries by using products that would otherwise go to waste.

My recommendation to you would be to go with absolutely any dry dog food. I recognize that some dogs have more specific requirements. That's what prescription dog food is for - dogs with allergies, diabetes, kidney issues, etc., but if you have a completely healthy dog, any dry dog food will be fine. Trust me, all your name brands of dog food go through rigorous testing to make sure they're providing your dog with complete nutrition. IMO, it's not worth the money to pay more for the same nutritional levels.

 

[undergunfire]

I definitely disagree with you, Missycove.

While it is true ANY dog food will be fine for *some* dogs, this shouldn't mean that you should feed Pedigree, Purina, Hills, etc. Just like most humans can survive off of only eating McDonalds.....but why should you when there are healthy and not-so-expensive foods out there for you to eat?

This goes for any pet food. Why feed any ole feed when you can feed a higher quality and know your pet is getting the benefits of what a real food should be.


About feeding your dog a plate of your food...absolutely not. I have seen so many obese dogs that eat human food. Dogs don't need veggies or grains...they need *raw* meat, bones, organs......hence the reason why I am wanting to switch purely to raw after I do more research.


No offense, but they really should start teaching correct nutrition in vet school. You pay all of this money and you shouldn't be getting cheated on information.

 

[MyLOVEABLES!!]

YUCK. This is why I think dog food can be disgusting!
as quoted "in the AAFCO Standard it is okay to use worm infested liver to put in dog food" YUCK.

I'm glad I'm gonna start raw/homecooked (although it requires a lot of research it's worth it. Plus Luca loves me cooking for him)


A MUST WATCH: All dog owners must watch and read all the other things on his website.

http://www.realdogfoodcomparisons.com/

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Just because a dog can survive on a food, doesn't mean the food is any good for them. There are foods that are no better than the sweepings off the floor of slaughter house or cracker factory.
I don't hear about dogs or wolves raiding corn and wheat fields. They cause problems when the kill a sheep or a dog kills a chicken.

The AAFCO regulations are that a group of 8 dogs are fed a food for 6 months. The dogs cannot lose more than 15% of their body weight (the dogs must start at a good weight and it is an adult food). None of the dogs can die or be removed from the test due to nutritional issues. 6 of the dogs must complete the trial. It is not a long term trial and there are very few animals involved. All the dogs for all the different brands could be the same breed, so you don't know if the Large breed food was tested on large breed dogs.
The meat in a food can come for just about anywhere. As long as it fits their nutritional requirements, it is ok. It could be a euthanized pet (chemicals included), road kill, animals that die from a disease or an animal that is slaughtered humanly. An ingredient labelled as 'meat by-product' could be anything that comes from an animal.

There are strict rules about the order of ingredients. The ingredients that make up the most by weight go first. Many pet food companies split ingredients to make the meat appear first. They may put corn, corn meal and corn gluten meal. These are all corn, but when listed as 3 separate ingredients, it makes the meat appear higher on the list.

I don't want my dogs eating feathers and feet just because they aren't used in human foods. Although a wolf or feral dog would eat the whole animal, it doesn't make it ok to just give the by-products.

Low quality food have a lower calorie content. This means you could feed double what you would feed of a high quality food. For example, the food my dogs get (Acana Pacifica) has about 460 calories per cup while Pedigree is 330. For a dog weighing about 11kg, the amount needed varies by quite a bit.

A dogs teeth are not designed for anything but meat. They cannot grind things like grains or veggies and therefore cannot get the nutrients from them. Their teeth can rip, tear and move the meat to be swallowed.