Dog Food choices?? [Archive]

The Dawg

11-23-2007, 04:09 PM

I fed my German Shepherds Royal Canin for a few years...I had tried a bunch of the other brands, but found that Royal Canin was the best overall....great coats, healthy eyes, minimal 'clean up', no more digestion issues....just a great product IMO....on the high-end of pricing, but well worth it

ruger#1

11-23-2007, 04:11 PM

Costco, Kirkland chicken and rice.

Islandali

11-23-2007, 04:14 PM

Before I switched to Raw I fed Orijen and before that Canidae. Both great foods!

Steeleco

11-23-2007, 04:49 PM

Costco, Kirkland chicken and rice.

Same here, and whatever game scraps come along. When that's all gone some chicken scraps with veggies from a butcher in Surrey that makes food for dogs on a raw meat diet.

Sharkey

11-23-2007, 05:13 PM

Royal Canin. My lab gets 2 1/4 cups per day and is doing great. Prior to that, he was getting Nutro Max which was fine, but the vet reccomended Royal Canin as they were both getting on the 'hefty' side. A big bag costs us $97 and will last almost 2 months for the lab and his little buddy (cocker/terrier). Money well spent.

Tikka7mm

11-23-2007, 06:23 PM

Solid gold is great. After quite a bit of research I decided to feed my pup the "wolf cub hollistic" After 2.5 months she has a great coat and is a very healthy looking pup. It's main ingredients are salmon and bison. Wolf King Hollistic is supposed to be really good as well and I paln on feeding it to my dog as soon as she is about a year old. They have been around since 1974 so their prduct is proven and they have no connection to the last pet food scare with menu foods...check out this link and you'll see the list of recalled dog foods you'll want to stay away from.

http://www.menufoods.com/RECALL/product_dog.html

Solid Gold products "are low allergen and they never use chemical preservatives or flavour enhancers" try this additional link to Solid Gold and read for your self.

http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/about/

I have also heard that Innova Evo is very, very good but not for puppies due to the phosphorous/ calcium ratio...somthing to do with bones growing to fast. I stayed away from it but for adult dogs it's supposed to be really good. Here is another link you'll find handy:

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

There are lot's of opinions out there so be sure and do your research. I have heard some negatives about Orijen from my local pet food supplier. Orijen is supposedly an old company under a new name...didn't always have the best reputation. I took their advice and stayed away from it as she has been in business for years.

Anyways, I hope this helped. Keep us posted.

BCLongshot

11-23-2007, 06:40 PM

Hey Steeleco is that raw food from the butcher on 176th in Cloverdale/Surrey ? Do you remember the cost ?

I use Nutro Lamb/Rice with great rsults but always wondered about heir stuff.

springpin

11-23-2007, 06:45 PM

I use Summit chicken and rice or Lamb or Salmon. No Bi products, easier to digest, and less mess in the yard.:D

tuchodi

11-23-2007, 06:50 PM

Costco Kirkland has worked good for 4 years.

talver

11-23-2007, 06:51 PM

Nuto ultra no fillers so what you put in is used and you dont end up picking up tones of crap. healthy coat, easy to digest, No Bi products, healthyeyes,

wsm

11-23-2007, 06:53 PM

i feed natural balance . been very happy for four years

stixnstones

11-23-2007, 06:56 PM

i feed both of my german shorthaired pointers nutro max(lamb and rice) once a week they get some rollover. goodluck.

Frango

11-23-2007, 07:12 PM

Costco kirkland for my german sheperd as well.He also gets left over moose /elk and he loves raw veggies out of the garden .The dog well eat any kind of veg.The grandkids even give him strawberrys

Bullmoose

11-23-2007, 08:05 PM

I've tried a number of different brands and finally settled on Happy Paws, an Island firm, which produces an excellant product without all the chemical additives. Since then I've changed again and made my own with moose, deer, chicken, some organ meats, a few vegetables etc. Has worked great and given the pup some variety. I did a lot of research on some to the commercial brands and the components (type and origin) and method of production scared the hell out of me.

25hunter

11-23-2007, 10:28 PM

Both our labs are on Natural Choice Large breed. Very happy with it.

Dirty

11-23-2007, 10:44 PM

Solid Gold and Orijen are excellent foods. In addition, a food called Go! is good. You can get Solid Gold and Go! at Scruffy Tail Petstore(or something like that) across from Save On Foods in Sardis. The Orijen petfood (Made in Alberta) is available from the petfood store across from Superstore and Futureshop in Chillibush. Hope this helps. We mix our food 50/50 with Summitt and Go! (made by the same manufacturer just diff. nutrients).

Sharkey

11-23-2007, 11:01 PM

Wow! Looks like some dogs eat better than most people! Now - dogs on the raw diets, do they eat every day?
~D

ohno

11-24-2007, 09:59 AM

We used to feed Iams Lamb and Rice, but since the pet food scare we have switched to the Technical Lamb and Rice seniors blend. The dog seems to really like it and her coat is really shiny.

Islandali

11-24-2007, 10:05 AM

I feed raw and my dogs do get fed everyday....both my dogs are in dog sports(agility and flyball) so I generally feed 2.5 - 3% of their body weight per day...which I divide into two meals.
The biggest selling point for me(aside from the increased energy level and beautiful white teeth) is the small poops that have no smell(unless I feed heart.)
It really isn't much more than a "high" quality kibble.
It is a bit of a commitment to do your research and start feeding this way but once you get going the biggest job is remembering to take things out of the freezer and making sure you clean up properly.
If anyone has any questions about raw feel free to contact me.
Cheers,
Alisha

Marc

11-24-2007, 10:36 AM

Right now my puppy has been fed Innova http://www.innovapet.com/products/default.asp?id=1 but will eventually be switching to the B.A.R.F. diet (Bone and Raw Food.) When he gets little bigger. Some vets will also recommend an adult food right off the start because some breeds of dogs grow so fast it's better to give them the adult food to slow it down a bit.

LOC

11-24-2007, 10:51 AM

We feed our guy Nutro Max and Ultra ( 50/50 mix). He seems to like it.

Islandali

11-24-2007, 11:21 AM

There are large breed formulas(puppy, adolescent and adult) that help slow the growth so you lessen the chance of structure problems(hips, etc)..if I were feeding kibble still and I got a lab type breed...I would feed a food like this.
Raw does the job perfectly helping them to grow at the perfect rate.

houndogger

11-24-2007, 10:58 PM

Used to feed raw but lost my meat supplier. Dogs did awesome on it. really noticed it this spring on bear. They take longer to get back in to shape and still don't have the energy on those hard running bear. Feeding kirkland and they live on it and shit alot:roll:

Sitkaspruce

11-25-2007, 09:06 AM

Our chessie gets Kirkland C&R and our lab gets GO Chicken, Fruit and Vegtables. They both do well and the GO is really impressive with the young lab.

Greenhead

11-25-2007, 10:18 AM

WOW! what a response, and some great info. I have two labs, 3 and 6 years old and they get worked hard this time of year! have learned alot on this thread so far so keep it coming.
GH

Islandali

11-25-2007, 01:12 PM

Hi all,

For those of you that have aging dogs with joint stiffness and pain there is a suppliment called Green Lipped Muscle that is amazing! A friend had a lab that was 10+ years and was very stiff and sore...he had trouble getting up and down and couldn't do more than a few stairs at a time.
She put him on a vet food that had the green lipped muscle and she got another good 1 1/2 from him where he was doing stairs with no trouble and had good mobility.
I am sure with a little poking around the internet you could find the powdered form of it.
It would also be great for the body soreness in hunting dogs.
Here is a little blurb about it:
The green-lipped mussel is a shellfish from Australia and New Zealand. The mussel flesh is powderized and supplemented as a source of chondroitin and other glycosaminoglycans. The glycosaminoglycans maintain and rebuild connective tissue such as cartilage, tendons and ligaments as well as reduce inflammation, which results in reduced joint pain and stiffness, less inflammation, and quicker recovery from exercise and injury.
Just thought that I would share a little known product that seems to have big results...
Cheers,
Alisha :)

Walker

11-26-2007, 09:26 PM

I feed my dogs Mountain Dog food. Its a raw diet without all the work of mixing the ingredients yourself. It comes all blended and you just need to weigh it out come time to feed the dogs. I buy mine from a supplier here in Cobble Hill. When I changed I saw a huge improvement in my dogs both in the look and performance. I also have a lot less to clean up in the kennels. I find that the cost is not much more than the kibble was before. If anyone is interested please PM me and I will give you the name of the supplier.

Al

Islandali

11-27-2007, 12:28 AM

I feed some Mountain Dog Food...but I make my own fruit/veggie mixes.
Another great source is Buddies Natural Pet Foods in Saanich...at KeatingsX Road. They have great butcher blocks that have a mix of meats(turkey necks, lamb and beef) plus the organs and fruit and veggies...I just add some Salmon or herring oil and the odd time a dollop of plain yogurt as well as a little sprinkle of kelp powder and my dogs are good to go....literally.... their energy level for the dog sports is so much better than when they ate kibble.
I also feed Pro-Zyme a couple of times a month just to help with the enzymes used for proper digestion.
Buddie's also has many other items....some overprices but the butcher blocks are a pretty good price.
Cheers,
Alisha

TPK

11-27-2007, 09:35 AM

What ever you look at as a choice, make sure that CORN is not in the first three ingredients. Dogs process corn as good as we do ... which is not at all.

rocksteady

11-27-2007, 09:53 AM

Dogs process corn as good as we do ... which is not at all.

Just like every other thread....A posting is useless without pictures....:-o:-o:-o

Fisher-Dude

11-27-2007, 10:07 AM

I've gone through the gamut of dog foods as my mutt is allergic to something in his food. Started with nutro Lamb & Rice, he did well for a couple of years, then broke out. Tried the Prescription Diet from the vet, it got worse. Then went on Nutro Ultra Holistic, and he was great for a year, shiney coat, put on some weight, etc. But, the shape of the kibble changed a bit, and he broke out again despite the Nutro people telling me they didn't change ingredients. So, he's now on Nutro Venison & Rice, and doing well. He gets a bit of old moose/deer/elk burger mixed in, and isn't breaking out (NO doggie treats!). However, his coat isn't as shiny as it was with the Holistic, and he's dropped a couple of pounds.

Tough choice - I'm still shopping.

Islandali

11-27-2007, 01:40 PM

There is a Golden Rule that you should not feed raw meat and kibble in the same meal...they require different digestive enzymes to digest and can cause digestion problems when fed together. It is okay to feed raw in the morning and kibble at night or vice versa...but never together....
just thought I would share that as an FYI....
another thought it Orijen just came out with a diet made with fish and no fillers, lotsa good stuff though....you might want to try that for your dog that is sensitive to something....dairy, beef and wheat are all considered HOT foods...that many dogs are sensitive to.
I guarantee that if you just fed the meats with some fruits and veggies added you would have a brand new dog....
I have a dog that was itchy with red ears and runny eyes and she no longer has any of those symptoms. :)

Fisher-Dude

11-27-2007, 04:05 PM

The meat he gets with his meal is all cooked. I'm not big on the raw thing for him.

I think I've narrowed down his allergies to chicken and/or wheat...it's frustrating!

Sharkey

11-27-2007, 04:41 PM

Hi Fisher Dude - there is a company from Alberta that will deliver (to your door no less) wholistic dog and cat food. I'll try to dig up the pamphlet for you. It's supposed to be good for dogs with allergies - may want to give it a shot?
~D

ZENYO

11-28-2007, 02:00 PM

BARF... Bone And Raw Food...

My dog (Sheppard X Husky) hasn't eaten kibble in just over a year. We give him one Frozen chicken back a day and supplement that with a frozen beef (100% beef, no pork) and vegtable ball.. Once a week we will give him canned fish (salmon or Tuna) mixed with vegtables and If I ever get to go hunting again I will save all my bones for my buddy. Since I have moved my dog over to the new diet he drinks (and pees) less, Stool is healthy and normal, No more doggy breath, coat is beautifull and his overall temperment and personality is wonderful... The diet in combination with some new ways on how I treat my dog have allowed me to convert my dog to inside 24/7 also... It's been a great change... If you're having troubles finding meat, go to a small european Deli/buthcer shop. They can typicaly get you a 25Lbs box of chicken backs for around $25-$35... that's enough food for just over a month...

Islandali

11-28-2007, 02:57 PM

You should make sure that you feed enough red meat(beef, elk, deer) because they are much higher in iron...
and adding some herring or salmon oil(start out with 1/4 tsp and work up to 1 tsp..or you're dog might get the runs) makes a big difference
Green Tripe is a magic food chalked full of nutrients...I feed that once a week as well.
Cheers,
Alisha :)

bruin

11-28-2007, 05:15 PM

I fed my lab Natural Choice for many years, he was very healthy(probably too healthy if you know what I mean) chiny coat, good energy. The last couple of years he has been having trouble with his joints and has been switched to medicated feed. I can't remember the name because I haven't been home for a while.

ZENYO

11-28-2007, 05:22 PM

Thanks for the advice...

He gets wild salmon oil pills daily...

You should make sure that you feed enough red meat(beef, elk, deer) because they are much higher in iron...
and adding some herring or salmon oil(start out with 1/4 tsp and work up to 1 tsp..or you're dog might get the runs) makes a big difference
Green Tripe is a magic food chalked full of nutrients...I feed that once a week as well.
Cheers,
Alisha :)

scoot

11-28-2007, 08:43 PM

Costco, Kirkland chicken and rice.

Same here. I have spoke to many vets and two animal nutritionists and the Kirkland brand fit all of the criteria and was not expensive

SUAFOYT

11-28-2007, 10:25 PM

Iams only plus the duck jerky treats. We got a shitload of freezer burnt salmon from a friend before he threw it out. Canned it all up and the lucky dog gets 2-3 tablespoons with the evening chow. He just about comes out of his skin for the fish. My wife also takes the grouse breasts after she debones them and boils the bones and then strips whats left for the mutt.

Islandali

11-28-2007, 11:41 PM

Salmon is one of the few foods that HAS to be cooked before you feed it....at least salmon from the Pacific....they can carry a parasite that when consumed by your dog will attach to their intenstine and can easily kill them if it's not treated properly.
Also, bones should be fed uncooked because cooked bones splinter and cause problems.
I hope you don't mind the info....I did almost a year of research before I switched from kibble.
Cheers,
Alisha :)

calvin L

11-30-2007, 08:24 AM

Fisher-dude Just a thought ! Your pup may only have a break out when the stock from the coral get to your place .(Fleas or ticks possable )

Both are dog's had poor coats. They had been eating medical from the vet.
We know have them on riplees ranch and there coats are great Graise gas is much less (thank god ) and the clean up is much less . . They drop the food of at my wife work . If you would like to try some call me .

calvin

Bowzone_Mikey

12-02-2007, 12:02 PM

Ive got a 5 month old Golden Ret, the breeder had her on 'Ol roy(wallmarts brand0 and it was terrible ...stinky gas runny craps ....etc .... I switched over to Petceteras Brand of large breed Puppy food ...very much better (its the same as Iams only about 10 bucks cheaper a large bag)
Both Vets i talked to said the same thing ... they looked at the ingrediants etc ... and said its the same thing ....since swapping ...no more stinkys, more energy from less food better bowel movements etc ....

ruger#1

12-02-2007, 12:26 PM

I used to run a petfood extruder and for many years made dry pet food, And when you read the ingredients label, some of it isnt present in the feed , also they sub ingredients that they run out of, exp run out of wheat, sub bakers waste, which could be anything from tim hortins muffin mix to magavins bread dough. We used to have the B.C. regional rep for Nutro , and i used to get my feed half price. another thing that will make your dog emit alot of gas is the chicken fat that they use.

Fisher-Dude

12-03-2007, 10:49 AM