BTW..I tried the raw diet before switching to Nutro...One dog loved it, one hated it, other would eat it and throw up everything other then chicken......But if I buy canned Evo...no problems!
We mainly use Nutro with the other supplements mixed in
Valarie has tricks about gettin it cheap though its not over-priced really.
One thing is we still have some lower grade stuff we would feed our lab. She now gets what Beau gets. Anyway, Beau will eat the hell out of the lower grade stuff like its steak or something when he gets the chance. Sometimes my son, Jack, will accidently throw it in my lab's bowl, and its game on for Beau. He definitely prefers it over the Nutro.
Protien/fat mix, supplemental meats, and supplements are key to any nutritional program. I prefer chicken be first in any of the ingredients. Most use Exceed Lamb or Exceed Chicken with thier own combinations of goodies or raw. Joe Attaway Mastini Del Pescatore
I use Nutro Ultra all natural mixed with BilJac dry for the increased fat. Then when it is dinner we add fresh steamed brown rice and boiled or baked chicken and apple slices. The normal cost for us monthly right now runs about $200. I have noticed a difference in the skin. It is not so dry and shines alot. I have also noticed a bit of a weight increase that Draco was lacking before. We used to use the Science Diet, or Iams but I really like how solid their bowel movements are on this Nutro. They seem to get more out of this than the other. JMO. MaryAnn
"So good the kindness of man, that all may find peace in friendship " -me "Everything that ever was was once a dream."-- Unknown
Jax and I do a combination of dog food. We have a 55 gallon trash can that we mix 50/50. Diamond Lamb and Rice and Blue Buffalo Wilderness Blend. We are doing to cut down more on the Lamb and Rice in a couple weeks. The dogs love the Wilderness Blend. They eat a little less of it and with 6 Neo's eating less is a good thing.
Cans All Dry Food Health Bars Organics A balanced approach to high-energy nutrition A highly digestible food formulated by animal nutritionists, BLUE Wilderness provides your dog with the optimal balance of protein, fats and healthy complex carbohydrates.
High-Quality ingredients for a high performance diet
Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal and fish meal supplies the protein your dog needs to support his active lifestyle. Sweet potatoes, oatmeal and potatoes provide healthy complex carbohydrates for lasting endurance. Blueberries, cranberries and carrots support antioxidant enrichment. A sensible alternative to raw diets Raw diets are less convenient to prepare than BLUE Wilderness. What’s more, with raw diets you typically need to provide additional supplements to ensure what your feeding your dog is nutritionally complete.
Our unique LifeSource Bits are formulated to do exactly what their name implies. Containing a precise blend of nutrients and antioxidants that are cold-formed to preserve their full potency, LifeSource Bits help strengthen your dog's immune system, offset the negative impact of environmental toxins and provide support for specific life stage requirements.
Crude Protein 42.0% min Crude Fat 16.0% min Crude Fiber 3.0% max Moisture 10.0% max Calcium 1.0% min Phosphorus 0.9% min L-Carnitine* 100 mg/kg min Omega 3 Fatty Acids* 0.25% min Omega 6 Fatty Acids* 3.50% min Beta-Carotene* 5.0 mg/kg min Glucosamine* 400 mg/kg max
*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.
I copied the above from Blue Buffalo's website. The food is a little on the pricey side but they do offer a free bag with every ten you purchase. We go through around 150lbs of dry food very 2 weeks and spend around $150 on just dry food. Our dogs also get 5-10 lbs of pasta a week and of course they get all left overs and meat trimimings. When we have it they get Venision. I do not feed raw and do slow cook food for them weekly to add a change.
I do give the dogs brewer's Yeast and Garlic occasionally. I usually start that in the summer to help with fleas.
We have tried feeding most of the brands on the market between the dogs we have had. We have learned that in most cases the dogs do better on the higher priced food with no corn.
I also love Eukanuba small breed puppy for my Boston Terriers. They do well on that. I used to mix that in with our Great Dane puppies diet during the first 8 weeks.
I know that many breeder to not agree with the high protein and high fat diet, but we have had luck with it.
I too have fed a whole mass of foods to my various dogs, Poe alone was on Buffalo Blue as a pup, the EVO red meat, and now DVP sweet potato and duck, which is an allergy formula. The change from red meat was spawned by her limping a little after longer walks, I decided to give her a low protein diet (21%) until she's a bit older to avoid pano, but will likely go back to the EVO for her as an adult. It's one of my favorite companies, which ended up meaning more to me than ingredients alone once I had done all the research.
My little one WAS on Timberwolf (the green variety, super small kibble size) but they changed the formula and added Menadione (vitamin K3 - artificial and shown to be carcinogenic at relatively low levels ) so I switched her over to Castor and Pollux. She's previously been on Vet's Choice which she was allergic to, DVP food rolls (which I can't get in Kansas), and Taste of the Wild.
All of the foods mentioned above have been grain free. I find that it cuts down on both the amount of food needed to maintain weight, and the amount of food that "passes through". I also avoid ALL foods with "meat by-products" as an ingredient after reading the very informative, if a little grotesque book The Food Pets Die For.
My theory or justification for the expense (and the angle I will be taking in the paper) is that while humans may consume things rich in crappy fillers, BHT, and menadione, it does not make these things any less bad for us. And that saying "we feed these things to our livestock" is not a fair comparison either-- Steers live an average of 1 year prior to slaughter, hogs, a mere 6 months, and chickens no more than 8 weeks. They are not being fed to accommodate a long and healthy life the way our dogs are. I compare it to parents who will eat McDonalds but not allow their children to do so. It is hard to control our own habits, but when in control of some other beings intake why not give them the best available?? Since all of my animals rely on me for every aspect of their survival I try to do whatever is in my power to ensure I'm not the cause of any problems.
*steps off her soap box* "Mais tu ne dois pas l’oublier. Tu deviens responsable pour toujours de ce que tu as apprivoisé." - Le Petit Prince
Anna great thread. I didn't know if I should participate cause I don't feed dog food. I haven't opened a bag in years. The last time I did I had a rescue foster, I think 4 or 5 yrs ago- and I almost vomited. I remembered real quickly at that first sniff of stench that they use old rancid resteraunt grease to get that smell. Or so I was told- and it stuck.
The reason I switched to raw was because of my springer. She had been on several different foods that always led to really nasty stomach problems. After trying to research which dog foods didn't have any artificial ingredients (this was 10 yrs ago) there really weren't any. Or at least that I could find on the WWW back then.
I remembered a friend of mine as a kid had a dachshund that finally died at age 19. They fed that little dog leftovers and cooked rice and chicken it's whole life. If it worked for that dog, may be worth a try right? So I started cooking for her and my rottie- just until I found a better option.
I ordered books from an online shop and started reading. Within a few weeks I was handing them chicken thighs. I had no problems from either of them. They ate the cooked food and the raw chicken vigorously.
Since then all my dogs have been raw fed. I go feed litters of pups a canned Candidae mixed in with their food for some added vitamins. And I think it makes the transition easier for people that are buying pups and plan to feed kibble.
In the last 10 yrs I have spent $2,000 on my springers care. That was caused by two bouts of pancreatitis from eating persimmons in the back yard. She is 14 yrs old now, without any major health problems. Little senile, but healthy!
[ Edited Sat May 10 2008, 06:28AM ] _________________________ Nikki Agrippina Mastino
Yeah, been looking into this...prolly cheaper too.
Beau eats more add-ins anyway as it is.....That's why our kibble last so long. He's already gettin the vitamins from us oustide of what the kibble has in it. Anthony
Colour Key:
