Pet Food

[denali]

I was asked to start a new thread to discuss pet food. As I have stated, I am not an expert but have spent considerable time researching and some training on the subject. I welcome discussion, questions and ideas. If I don't know the answer, I will strive to obtain it for you.

I am putting a disclaimer on this as I am not an expert, these may be my opinions only but I have formed those opinions through research.

Here is my first thought about labels and what they MAY mean:

1. Chicken Dog Food - ingredients are at least 95% chicken before water added
2. Chicken Dinner for Dogs - ingredients are 25-95% chicken before water added
3. Dog Food With Chicken - ingredients are at least 3% chicken before water added (yes only 3%!)
4. Chicken Flavor Dog Food - no minimum percentage of chicken required, only that there is enough chicken to taste it!

YES, marketing HYPE!!!!!!!

[denali]

Just to bring this over from the Signs of Spring thread:

When we fed a 100 pounds of food-over a period of time, of course, this is our findings measured in pounds of back yard clean-up:

Nutro Natural Choice 39 pounds
Nutro Max 42 pounds
Nutro Ultra 49 pounds
Eukanuba 49 pounds
Science Diet 51 pounds
Iams 56 pounds
Pro Plan 56 pounds
Beneful 62 pounds
Ol' Roy 71 pounds
Pedigree 71 pounds
Dog Chow 79 pounds

[michael medeski]

i never weighed the stuff before. usually i just mulch it with the mower.

we take our dogs to the vet on a regular schedule. every ince in a while one of my dog's pukes yellow foam. we have tried different foods and found purina one to be the best. we did use iams, but it dried their skin out and made them dig alot. the vet said he might have an allergy to something. they could do testing but it is big $$$$. so i get use to him about once every 2 months puking. he makes it to the door and outside most of the time, but not always.

[denali]

i never weighed the stuff before. usually i just mulch it with the mower.

we take our dogs to the vet on a regular schedule. every ince in a while one of my dog's pukes yellow foam. we have tried different foods and found purina one to be the best. we did use iams, but it dried their skin out and made them dig alot. the vet said he might have an allergy to something. they could do testing but it is big $$$$. so i get use to him about once every 2 months puking. he makes it to the door and outside most of the time, but not always.

Ha, Ha. Most of us don't weigh our dog's poop but>>>>>>>>>>

You have to remember that just because a company has a big name and a lot of people use it, it does not mean that it is the best. Many times you pay for the name. You also have to remember that companies change their ingredients a lot, cheapen their ingredients so you have to check the ingredients on the bag once in awhile. A bag that you buy today may be different than what you buy a couple of months from now-----that is why this is so difficult.

I agree that your dog may have allergies or may simply have a problem with ground yellow corn or by-products. That is where I would start because that is the easiest. Now, since I work for a certain company, I know my product and that is what I would naturally recommend.
So depending on your dog's age or dog's size, I would recommend Max Mini Chuck, Max Adult or Max Large Breed or Nutro Natural Choice Chicken, Rice and Oatmeal-this all depends on what you want from a food.

I will be in the Angola Rural King this Sat. from 10am-2pm and Sun. 11am-3pm if you are interested, stop by and after getting more information we could find a food to meet your needs. I have had experience and good results with sensitive stomachs with our foods. Which brings me to the point that your dog may not really have a sensitive stomach it just may be the food causing the problem.

I hope that I have not just confused you more.

[michael medeski]

Ha, Ha. Most of us don't weigh our dog's poop but>>>>>>>>>>

You have to remember that just because a company has a big name and a lot of people use it, it does not mean that it is the best. Many times you pay for the name. You also have to remember that companies change their ingredients a lot, cheapen their ingredients so you have to check the ingredients on the bag once in awhile. A bag that you buy today may be different than what you buy a couple of months from now-----that is why this is so difficult.

I agree that your dog may have allergies or may simply have a problem with ground yellow corn or by-products. That is where I would start because that is the easiest. Now, since I work for a certain company, I know my product and that is what I would naturally recommend.
So depending on your dog's age or dog's size, I would recommend Max Mini Chuck, Max Adult or Max Large Breed or Nutro Natural Choice Chicken, Rice and Oatmeal-this all depends on what you want from a food.

I will be in the Angola Rural King this Sat. from 10am-2pm and Sun. 11am-3pm if you are interested, stop by and after getting more information we could find a food to meet your needs. I have had experience and good results with sensitive stomachs with our foods. Which brings me to the point that your dog may not really have a sensitive stomach it just may be the food causing the problem.

I hope that I have not just confused you more.

thankyou

i have 2 medium size dogs around 5yrs old. i don't know for sure. my girlfriend would. is this food expensive? do you buy it at rural king?

i would like to try something easy on their stomach. but i don't want to make them sick by switching brands. plus i can't spend a whole bunch. i can't make it this weekend, but any suggestions that might help would be worth a try. i'm going back to hardwood floors this spring! i'm tired of having to scrub the carpet every time.

[hairypumper]

I used to feed Black Gold, but when gas prices went through the roof I couldn't afford to drive to Wabash to get it. I tried a lot of other foods and finally settled on Retriever from Tractor Supply. They like it even though it is not as high quality as Black Gold. And yes, they poop about 50% more.

[Night Owl]

I agree that your dog may have allergies or may simply have a problem with ground yellow corn or by-products. That is where I would start because that is the easiest. ...

Thanks for taking up the thread Denali!
My wife knows more about the dog food than I do. From what I remember, the corn can not be digested, has no nutritious value for dogs, passes right through them. Correct me if I am wrong, but can't it cause allergies in dogs? Seems like there was something....

[denali]

thankyou

i have 2 medium size dogs around 5yrs old. i don't know for sure. my girlfriend would. is this food expensive? do you buy it at rural king?

i would like to try something easy on their stomach. but i don't want to make them sick by switching brands. plus i can't spend a whole bunch. i can't make it this weekend, but any suggestions that might help would be worth a try. i'm going back to hardwood floors this spring! i'm tired of having to scrub the carpet every time.

You can buy it at Rural King and it is less expensive there than at pet stores. I see that I received a lot of food in this past week and my rep said that we were going to have some great specials coming up to promote our Max brand so I assume that the store is getting ready for that. Depends on what you think is expensive, Max 35# Adult is what I would suggest since I know their age and size, is $32.99 for 35#, which may look like its more than what you are feeding now but you will feed less, also you buy 10 get 1 free, and if you watch the specials-at times we may have the 35# for $23.99 so it depends on how well you watch the sales. I help my customers on knowing when the sales are when I know.

As far as switching, I switch dogs cold turkey all the time without a problem but this is what I suggest:

Day 1 & 2 75% old, 25% new
Day 3 & 4 50% old, 25% new
Day 5 & 6 25% old, 75% new

You should not have a problem switching by following the above.

Please let me know if I can help.

I don't blame you, my carpet is ripped out to be replaced with tile and wood, carpets are just too full of allergens for me.

[denali]

I used to feed Black Gold, but when gas prices went through the roof I couldn't afford to drive to Wabash to get it. I tried a lot of other foods and finally settled on Retriever from Tractor Supply. They like it even though it is not as high quality as Black Gold. And yes, they poop about 50% more.

Was it Black Gold or Solid Gold? I am familiar with Solid Gold but not Black Gold, unless we are talking about my Alaska days. Reminds me of the time that I broke down in the middle of nowhere and a gold miner picked me up, I spent the day at his gold mine-I learned a lot about gold mining and finally got home about 3am the next morning-long story and one of those ones that you treasure the rest of your life.

I really can't comment on Retriever, I have seen it in Tractor Supply but have not taken the time to look at the ingredients. If you are getting 50% more "back yard clean-up", I assume that it is full of corn and by-products.

If it is Solid Gold, they sell it at Pet Supplies Plus on Coldwater in Fort Wayne, it is a very good food and it is pretty pricey.

[denali]

Thanks for taking up the thread Denali!
My wife knows more about the dog food than I do. From what I remember, the corn can not be digested, has no nutritious value for dogs, passes right through them. Correct me if I am wrong, but can't it cause allergies in dogs? Seems like there was something....

Rice is more digestible than corn, so when you see ground yellow corn in the ingredients, especially near the top of the ingredient list, it has a lot of corn in it and yes that is one of the reason why the pet has bigger stools. (I hope that I don't gross people out talking about poop, stools, etc.-fact of life.) Another great thought-you know what happens when we eat corn? Well, pets digestive system is far less complicated than ours.

[michael medeski]

i think purina is about the same price. we buy the lamb&rice purina. does it still have corn in it? i ask because i keep the food in a sealed bin. i don't have the bag. if i buy 11 bags will it go bad or will it keep for a while?

[denali]

i think purina is about the same price. we buy the lamb&rice purina. does it still have corn in it? i ask because i keep the food in a sealed bin. i don't have the bag. if i buy 11 bags will it go bad or will it keep for a while?

Is it Purina One? Purina Pro Plan? It depends on what Purina that it is? Let me know, if you know and I will check it out this weekend and get back to you.

Do you mean if you buy 11 bags at one time We would have know how much you use in a month and then check the expiration dates.

[michael medeski]

Is it Purina One? Purina Pro Plan? It depends on what Purina that it is? Let me know, if you know and I will check it out this weekend and get back to you.

Do you mean if you buy 11 bags at one time We would have know how much you use in a month and then check the expiration dates.

it is purina one with lamb and rice. i think a big 35lb bag lasts 2 months. does that sound right? i would appreeicate your opinion on it, if it is not too much trouble. like i said it seems better than the iams we were using.

thanks

[denali]

it is purina one with lamb and rice. i think a big 35lb bag lasts 2 months. does that sound right? i would appreeicate your opinion on it, if it is not too much trouble. like i said it seems better than the iams we were using.

thanks

I will check out Purina One Lamb & Rice, it might last 2 months, I will check out their feeding guidelines, also.

I am sure that it is better than Iams. This is my opinion only, Iams is one of the ones that you are paying for the name, plus Proctor and Gamble bought Iams/Eukanuba a few years ago and their quality went down the toilet. It did not take them long to ruin the product.

Again, disclaimer-------my opinion only. Sorry to do this to you but I am speaking as a consumer not as a rep of my company, okay?

[michael medeski]

IMHO, anyone that weighs their dog crap from different brands, and records the results, is a professional that knows what they are talking about. rep or not, i value your opinion.

thank's again

[denali]

IMHO, anyone that weighs their dog crap from different brands, and records the results, is a professional that knows what they are talking about. rep or not, i value your opinion.

thank's again

Not a problem, I will give you my humble opinion after I have had a chance to look at it. I will also post some info as time allows to educate people on pet food and ingredients. I have been on a mission to learn about it and love sharing my findings. You have to be a rocket scientist to decipher all of this, and to tell you the truth it makes me a little angry that it is so hard.

[mommyof3]

I may have to come see you tomorrow! I have 2 dogs also. One is a female black lab, about 75# or so. The other is a mutt, but we think part lab, part chow possibly? Vet can't tell. She weighs about 40# now, but she needs to lose some of that.

I've heard that some foods can also help with shedding. Is that true & if so, does your product help with that issue? I also have most of the floors in my main level done in tile or hard wood because of ease of clean-up.

I would also like to reduce the amount of the "unused by-product"

Right now, I mix Ol Roy lamb & rice (I think that's what it is) w/ Purina Indoor Complete. I buy the 20# bags, mix it 1/2 & 1/2, which lasts about a month. Cost is a bit of an issue, but if your product is better for them, I'd work it into the budget.

I will try to make time to stop by Rural King tomorrow. Will you be located in the pet food section?

Thanks for your time & advice!

[pixiegirl]

We have 2 horses (oops ) I meant dogs They are Rotties and eat ALOT
and Poop ALOT lol.
The male is around #135 and the female is about #120 lbs.
We use Pedigree for Large Breeds and they don't seem to have any problems with it, and I think that these 2 would poop alot no matter what they ate.
We use about #75 lbs a week. The vet says they are NOT over weight , they have good strong muscle tone and are very healthy. But wow that seems like alot of food!

[denali]

I may have to come see you tomorrow! I have 2 dogs also. One is a female black lab, about 75# or so. The other is a mutt, but we think part lab, part chow possibly? Vet can't tell. She weighs about 40# now, but she needs to lose some of that.

I've heard that some foods can also help with shedding. Is that true & if so, does your product help with that issue? I also have most of the floors in my main level done in tile or hard wood because of ease of clean-up.

I would also like to reduce the amount of the "unused by-product"

Right now, I mix Ol Roy lamb & rice (I think that's what it is) w/ Purina Indoor Complete. I buy the 20# bags, mix it 1/2 & 1/2, which lasts about a month. Cost is a bit of an issue, but if your product is better for them, I'd work it into the budget.

I will try to make time to stop by Rural King tomorrow. Will you be located in the pet food section?

Thanks for your time & advice!

Yes, I will be in the pet food section in Ag.

Our GUARANTEE is-"Eat less, shed less. poop less". We have great levels of Omega 3 and Omega 6 which is why we see great coat results. We guarantee a better coat in 6 weeks but in my personal experience I have seen it much faster than that.

Question, Purina Indoor Complete? Usually that wording is used in cat food, is that a canine or feline product?

If you do make it in, just give me the details on your dogs and I will recommend a product.

Our products are 100% guaranteed, so if they don't work, you are encouraged to return with unused portion, receipt and money is returned, no questions asked.

[mommyof3]

It is a canine product. I believe it is intended for smaller dogs, but my dogs don't "live" outside, so that's why I buy it. That could be part of my problem. Not that my dogs don't tolerate their food well enough, but in the sense that they poop alot & shed quite a bit.

They have beautiful coats, with minimal brushing. Very soft & shiny. But again, the lack of brushing could account for all the shedding. I have 3 kids at home too, so I'm one of those pet owners who prefer low maintenance!