Low quality food do to a few factors. *The fist ingredient is meat that includes its water which must be removed to make a kibble therefore meat is probably not the main ingredient after the water has been removed. *The next ingredients and probably the true first ingredients are brewers yeast(a a low quality grain and by product) and corn(a low quality grain, difficult for dogs to digest, can cause allergy and yeast problems) *ethoxyquin is possibly used in any of the varieties containing fish. Ethoxyquin has been banned from human consumption as it is a carcinogen *Includes beet pulp(a by product, common associated with allergies and ear infections in dogs
If you are looking for independent reviews on kibble dog foods look here. Click me Reading how they make their evaluations first is helpful.
thanks Shannon. What would be a good kibble to have him on if i were going to start feeding him raw chicken as well. I got a small bag of Royal Canin Maxi Large Breed Adult today to see if he would like it and he did.
thanks Shannon. What would be a good kibble to have him on if i were going to start feeding him raw chicken as well. I got a small bag of Royal Canin Maxi Large Breed Adult today to see if he would like it and he did.
My opinion is that Royal Canin is not much higher quality than the Eukanuba. *There being only one meat source I do not think there is enough meat content *Corn again is an ingredient that hard for dogs to digest and common source of allergy *Corn gluten meal is the tiny bits left over after corn is processed and all the nutritional parts have been removed. Same thing with rice hulls *Beet pulp again is a controversial by product
This link will take you to some of the highest reviewed kibble based on their nutritional content and ingredients. I don't have any experience with them personally, but do know someone who feeds the Solid Gold Bark at the Moon on the 2nd page with good results. Click me
If you decide to feed raw chicken and kibble both, feeding them at different meals is a good idea. Kibble and raw digest at different rates. Raw is digested much quicker as it contains a fair amount of water and kibble must sit in the stomach and re-hydrate before it can begin it's travels through the digestive tract.
I do not feed kibble, but instead feed a raw diet(prey model). I would be more than willing to share some information on this with you if it was something you wanted to consider.
Thanks everyone for your input I think im going to go with Nutro. My only concern about it was i read a post were someone said it was making there dog throw up yellow bile. And when feeding raw how much and what else besides chicken necks and backs for his age?
And when feeding raw how much and what else besides chicken necks and backs for his age?
The only meat we stay away from when feeding raw is Salmon from west of the cascades, sometimes called pacific salmon. This contains a parasite deadly to dogs. Click me
Our litter started at 4 weeks of age with venison and chicken. By 12 weeks they were eating venison, chicken, pork, beef, liver and tripe. By 6 months they were eating all the above plus lamb, goat, rabbit and fish(tilapia, Sardines, atlantic salmon).
Necks and backs are heavy in bone, so you may want to combine them with a meatier source. Also they are fairly small for a growing mastiff. We feed backs but only when they are attached to the rest of the chicken . You may want to try leg quarters as they are bigger and meatier, but still economical.
Here is a link to many cuts of meat that are used when raw feeding and how they are fed. Click me
As for amount at 12 weeks our pups were eating about 3 lbs total a day separated into 3 meals. At 6 months they went to 4 lbs per day separated into 2 meals. Our adult dogs eat 4-5 lbs a day sometimes in one meal and sometimes in 2 meals. Raw amount is generally based on 2-3% of a dogs ideal adult body weight. These amounts are just a place to start and looking at your pup is the best way to tell wether you need to add more food or cut back. Lean puppies is good.
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. You may want to try leg quarters as they are bigger and meatier, but still economical.
