Natural Dog Food

I have A new 5 months old Chessie pup. Im feeding Orijen puppy but I dont like the high protein in it and Its causing the little guy some problems.

What are you guys feeding and whats the protein content?
Also I need a good vet around the south side of Edmonton.

Thanks Dale

I feed Nutro....the Large Breed Puppy that I feed my young guy seems to do the trick nicely....

Says its around 28% protein....seems to keep him good and healthy...

These guys are very good:

www.animalmedicalcentre.ca/staff.html

So are these guys: &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp

Beck Veterinary Clinic Ltd.
ADDRESS: &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp 8705 - 109 Street, Edmonton

Currently we feed our puppies Nutram Puppy Food. I used to start all puppies on Eukanuba Small Breed or Eagle Puppy. At about 10 weeks I switched to Medium Breed. At about 6 months we switch to the 30/20 adult ration that they will eat for the rest of their life. The only other puppy food I have liked was the Eagle but it is harder to come by.

Currently feeding the Nutram brand to all adult dogs as well. They are doing as well on it as they did on Eukanuba (Pink), Eagle (Power Pack) and Pro Plan (Performance). None of the other "premium" dog food brands gave me the coat condition, vitality and performance of these four dog foods. Other foods I have tested by feeding to my dogs are Kasco, Prism, Nutro, Iams, Pedigree, Dog Chow, Science Diet and Canutra. The only other time the dogs did as well as they do on the four brands I listed was when I was fur farming and fed the dogs the mink ration. I always feed the 30/20 and adjust the ration amount according to the activity level. I believe that the "special diet" feeds are a marketing gimmick - unless your dog has a medical problem. There is no economy to feeding cheap food.

To put my experience in perspective I am talking about maintaining a show quality coat on a Brittany while running them 4 times a week for 8 miles at 15 - 20 mph while pulling 6 lbs of chain. I have been raising dogs for 25 years, breeding for 14. My dogs have lived long and fruitful lives - I currently have a 16 year old Brittany who is an "old" dog, a 12 year old Brittany who would be competitive in 1/2 hour field trial stakes, and a 13 year old Lab who just last fall started to fall behind when going for 1/2 hour runs behind the quad with my wife.

Nutram is a good food as well as Acana. I had my dog shown to his championship while on acana.

I would go with either of those but go with a Large Breed formula. They have a higher percentage of Glucosamine which helps in aiding bone growth. The biggest thing is going to be keeping enough weight on the puppy so they are not skinny but enough off so it isnt putting pressure on the bones and joins. This can cause problems.

I assume you guys are keeping up-to-date with the Menu Foods madness. The last report from yesterday said that upwards of 40,000 animals in NA have or will die from this.

Menu foods? I assume this was about this new scare and it was only wet packet food and none of which was Acana or nutram.

I feed pedigree active high energy. I also supplement with raw meat/fat/bone scraps witha regular deworming. The only reason I feed pedigree is its availability. Everything else is hard to find and overly expensive,

Crafty, that food could be the leading cause that dogs pee on ice tents

I train them to pee on anything and everything everytime someone says Nooooob!

Purina was the company that did the test trials showing that excess feeding and the associated overgrowth of puppies was detrimental to the expression of hip dysplasia. Since most people cannot/willnot control the weight of their dogs, either through laziness or a misplaced sense of caring, the dog food industry is cashing in on "large breed" feeds with so little nutrition in them that it becomes very difficult to overfeed the dogs. If you practice proper feed control your young dogs can be kept in proper condition with a 30/20 ration. That is my opinion on this matter.

With the current variety and quality of products on the market today I have found that the old days of supplementing the dogs for proper coat, vitality etc (it was amazing what I used to put on my dogs food in the early days of Dog Chow when I didn't know there was a better way) are gone. I still give my dogs "extras" but not as requirement for health. If you NEED to supplement you have the wrong food.

There is no economy in feeding cheap food.

The Menu Food deal affects only canned/pouched feeds of the "cuts and gravy" style. The contaminated product is used as a gravy thickener.

I have a Nine year old Chesapeake and he has always been feed Nutro. Started him on the puppy, then adult and now senior.
Good luck with the pup i know mine was a handfull until he was about five. They have a devilish way about them but a great overall dog.

Like Scott said there is really no cost savings in feeding cheap dog food. I have been feeding my dogs Nutro Natural since they were pups. My Bouvier has trouble digesting corn meal so the lamb and rice mixture in Nutro has worked very well. My four year old Lab has eaten no other brand and is in tip top health

As Ryan mentioned the glucosamine is something I would look for as well. My Bouvier is my " watch dog" and is not kenneled during the day like my current hunting dog is. She will be twelve years old and she still has the hips to be able to run up the driveway to meet my truck when I get home. The clean up on high quality dog food is much simpler as well. If the food is high quality, you will feed less, the stools are compact and there is less to pick up.

It's tempting to buy the cheap stuff when you realize how much money goes into food. But when I consider the time, effort and money that has gone into the dogs, I come to my senses.

Medical also has a variety of good foods for your hound. The large breed puppy and adolescent formulas were recommended to me by a vet friend because my pup had some sensitive stomach issues. It costs more and you have to get it from a vet but to me it's worth it to know she's eating right.

Remi

Dale,

We have 2 chessies and I had them on orijen too.....we had some issues but it's not from the high protein. Its the chicken. After going through months of itching, ear infections, balding and the runs we finally found a good food for both our guys and talked to the breeder and she changed her food as well. We have them on a mix of Innova EVO RM (red meat) and Solid Gold Barking at the moon (salmon and beef).

Chessies have a high allergy to chicken and grains. These foods are NO Grain (which is excellent), Lo Carbs (helps keep them calmer bc energy is distributed evenly and not a glucose spike), and Protein levels are around 42%. PM me if you want to hear of all the foods we tried before this but believe me it was horrible and when we finally got the mix right now it's not land mine city in the backyard and they only go once a day. Good luck

I think this dog food question is much like which rifle is the best.

I'm no nutrition expert, but I have had hunting/performance dogs for nearly 50 years. Dog food has come a long way baby!!

The dog food manufacturers have made a ton of money because of the way North Americans have come to look at their dogs.
Some of the advances and research have made for better products and some are simply marketed well.

I doubt you will get a definitive answer, but instead a lot of opinions as to what works for each of us.

At one time or another I have fed my dogs, cheap dog food, my own special mix, high density dog foods and 90% meat diets.

When I had dogs that were required to really work day after day, I found that feeding Iams puppy full time for all the years they worked was ideal. As they aged and slowed down, I switched to an adult dog food and adjusted according to how active they were.

I have also fed working dogs a diet of mainly meat. I fed pups a mix of cooked rice, poultry and red meat, with a few veggies cooked in. They did very well. As they grew and began to work I dropped the rice and went to a mainly meat diet. Again they did very well.

When I bred a bitch, I would weigh her before she was bred, breed her and as her pregnancy advanced, I would make sure she exercised and I monitored her weight. She was fed Iams puppy. By the time she whelped, she was fed 3 times a day. The pups were fed the same thing. When the pups were weaned and getting their shots and vet exam, he said he had never seen pups in such great condition. The bitch had lost 2 lbs after nursing 8-10 pups.

I've never had weight , skin, or hip issues with my dogs.

At present my dogs are not working very hard. I feed a high density dog food from Trident Pet Supplies in Edmonton. It is called Sportsman. My dogs are outside [kennel] dogs and I've been feeding this since Sept. 90 lb labs get 3-4 cups a day. I watch the condition and weight of my dogs and adjust the amount accordingly. Colder weather of course they would get more. Dogs are in great condition and very active and healthy all winter.

So I'm not saying this the best plan, but it is the best for me.

I agree with the others here that said it is too expensive to feed cheap dog food.

Anybody doing the raw food diet thing. My dogs diet consists of 50% Iams and 50% the stuff that falls of the kids plates (mostly veggies, spaghetti and bread crusts).

I have fed him plenty of deer meat in the form of freezer burned roasts, etc. He of loves it but I am too scared to give it to him 100% raw.

Shotgun, I have fed raw meat, as most of the diet.90% plus, for months and had very good results.
Be advised Dog farts from raw meat may cause temporary insanity,blindness and projectile vomitting in humans. Use only in a well ventilated area.:rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin

Red frog I agree. I tried the raw diet and after one of his farts cleared the room I went to Acana and have never turned back.

We feed our chessies the no grain kibble and raw meat mix. One meal raw one meal kibble....amazing. Look on the net for BARF diet. www.petplanet.ca has some very good information in a Q&A format that answers a lot of raw concerns.

I have fed eagle, acana, orijen, innova evo rm and solid gold mix(now). At each jump in food quality I thought I my dog was in amazing shape, until I tried higher quality and was amazed at what the better food did. What we're doing now is what I'm sticking with as it works for my dogs. But each dog is different....one can do amazing on Nutro or iiams or purina where I know Pocket would be bald bc she has a grain allergy. But try to avoid chicken with this breed as I know it causes issues with them as well as being one of the major allergens to mamy other breeds.

Just make sure you feed 'premium or holistic', meat(specific meat not just meat....bc meat can be anything!) meal as the 1st ing., high protein, low grains and no by-products or BHT/BHA.

I've been feeding my current bunch of Griffons Raw (BARF Diet) since they were born/weaned. There are plenty of WWW sites out there with all the correct info one would need to know regarding these diets. These diets are not for everybody, if you are running a large kennel and or breeding programme the consistency/time could be a negative factor, and the prep time could be too much for some. The cost can also be a bit much, especially with a large number of dogs.

I started this diet one day when I actually read the ingredients label on a bag of dog food and looked up what they all where. I'm kinda dumb, so I simply thought that reading the 'ingredients' label for Meat, Bones, Fruits and Vegtables where much easier to understand.

As for the farting...once they are used to natural food that should stop...I'd like to think of it as 'out with the bad air'...

It's not for everyone/everydog in every situation, but it's worth the research to check it out.

another for nutro large breed puppy

Thanks for all your input. Quite an interesting topic. The Orijen Im feeding is 49 %. I think its way to high for my likeing. I know in horses it can cause "Tying Up".

Where in Edmonton can I find "Nutram" ??

Thanks again, good thread !!

Well, since I brought it up I guess I will tell you something about it. We retail dog food through the Kennel. I have been a retail supplier of Euk/Iams, ProPlan, Eagle, Kasco and Nutro. When Euk/Iams was bought out by Proctor and Gamble I needed a new food product because of quality issues the company was having at the time (I believe they have rectified the problem). Another problem was with price fluctuations in the imported products due to the dollar so I looked for Canadian made product. That is how I found Nutram. I test fed it for a couple of months and found it to be very satisfactory. If you cannot find a retail outlet that is selling it, check with their sales dept. if they will bring it in for you - tell them it is distributed by Anipet. If they deal with Anipet they will know who they are and how to get you the food.

Is dog chow not anygood there farm dogs and get scraps also. Have tried other foods iam,nutro and acana and they prefer dog chow and the price is alot better. They do get eggs to.

When I got my dogs I did some research into dog food since I wanted to feed them the best that I could afford. I know many of you aren't great fans of PETA and for the most part neither am I however I found out that Iams/Euk do animal testing for their food. There is a video out there taken from some of their labs and it is really disturbing what they are doing to dogs and I've made it my mission to educate those using Iams/Euk that I come across of their practices. I could care less what happens to a cow but like most people seeing dogs being abused in this way I disagree with.

http://www.iamscruelty.com/

There are other products out there in the supermarket that use euthinized animals (dogs and cats) for their foods but I won't list them. Good research if someone is concerned they are feeding these brands to their dogs.

http://www.resteddoginn.ca/api.php

When buying dog food the ingredient list is a good tool to find out what you are feeding your pets as it is listed with the most prominent ingredient first so if looks like this

""Ground Whole Corn, Rice, Salmon Meal (Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids*), Corn Gluten Meal, Meat and Bone Meal (Natural Source of Calcium), Chicken By-Product Meal""

You are paying for corn which dogs have a hard time digesting. Salmon meal, Chicken by product meal is mainly lips and *****holes so to speak, it isn't really meat but rather the by products. This food that I took the ingredients from is mostly corn and since the dog can't digest most of it he is pooping most of it out making for large stools and you'll have to feed them more.

The more expensive brands do cost more but on average with better ingredients you'll feed your dog less so it balances out. I started feeding my dog Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance which is good food, my dog did well on it and was reasonably priced and they have duck and venison products for dogs with allergies. I've since switched him over to Holistic Blend which is made in Canada and my dog does extremely well with that food and all the ingredients are natural with human grade meats. Eagle Brand is less expensive than the Holistic blend and is good food as well. I never give my dogs table scraps as I don't want them eating the extra salts and spices that we are accustomed to eating. There are ingredients that we cook with as well that can be toxic to dogs such as onions and garlic.

I'm including a link to a site that rates dog foods and gives some good info from consumers not companies. My pets are very important in our family and I know that is the same for many on here, funny thing is my dogs have a healthier diet than the humans in my house ;p

http://www.rateitall.com/t-353-dog-food-brands.aspx

Thanks for the links Sporty.
Sorry, but I believe nothing PETA says. I worked for many years in the "Humane society/SPCA" side of the world. I also managed/supervised a Univerity biology dept. animal facility. I've been on both sides and found that the "PETA" type organizations will use lies, innuendo and sensationalism to garner support. Believe me I had plenty of contact with these groups, from "save the Seals" to "stop animal resaerch", so i base my opinon of them on first hand experience.
I'm not trying to start a PETA bashing session here, as the one positve thing they do at least is possibly make people question the care and welfare of animals. It is unfortunate that they do it the way the do. It results in a loss of credibility and in the end defeats their purpose.

Rant off!

The rest of your links were helpful, now could you please tell me where you found the info that onoions and garlic are toxic to dogs?

Redfrog

I understand completely the hesitation about PETA but I've read on the internet many other sources that make these claims about animal testing and quite frankly after seeing the video I was disturbed enough to try not to support any pet food manufacturers that do animal testing. I love dogs (hate cats) but IMO these types of animals are so much more to humans than a food source such as cows and chickens so I tend to me more sympathetic to the abuses they may go through. I regularly support a pet rescue society out of High Prairie because I respect the work these people do.

My dog recently ate left over chocolate that my daughter left out and since chocolate is also toxic to dogs I did a search on the net after speaking with my vet and that is when I came across other foods that are toxic to dogs. Funny thing is I didn't know that caffiene can be toxic as well. Shortly after I got one of my pups he got into a left over Timmy coffee and he was wired for 12 hours. Thankfully he didn't get sick but I'll tell you that was one of the worst experiences with my dog. He whined, he paced, he whined and paced for hours on end, I thought it would never end and I was almost pulling my hair out. Our family is very careful what we leave in reach of the dogs now. If you google "foods toxic to dogs" you'll come up with many sources for foods that can be toxic, some you can take with a grain of salt as many people don't believe in raw feeding or giving dogs bones, those I don't pay attention to but some are valid.

Thanks Sporty i'll check that out.

good tip on the raw meat farts. :rollin Although I am not sure how they could get worse or more frequent. With little kids in the house who knows what that dog is eating.