kibble for active/working dogs

We have Finn on such an active exercise regimen now that I'm feeding him twice as much as before, but he's actually lost a couple of pounds. He's not emaciated, by any means, he's gained muscle, but I do want him to put on a few pounds. I want to supplement his raw food with a high quality, performance dog food. I was recommended a particular dog food, but it is Canadian and I don't think I can afford the food and shipping at this point.

Basically, I'm feeding him twice a day, about a pound of raw meat at each meal, now. I'd like to add a third meal to that in the mid afternoon/early evening and I'm thinking of serving him probably about half of the daily recommended amount of whatever dog food I decide to get for that meal.

I've been suggested Eagle Pack. I think I can get that pretty easily. But, I'm up for any and all suggestions.

Kari, the Innova Evo dog food is a really good food. You can get EVO Red Meat. There are no grains. Its really high in protein. 42.42%. Here is their web site if you want to check it out.http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp

Thanks, Donna. I'm doing a lot of reading, too, so hopefully I can choose the best food for the job. :D

Defiantley go with Innova. My two are on Innova. Right now Sheena is on the puppy formula since she is now pregnant. But before that was on the Large Breed Adult formula and excelled on it. Loads of energy, builds muscle and so on and they only eat a little of it a day.
Nicole & Sheena (moms to be)

I thought Innova EVO Red Meat as soons as I read the thread title. I'm currently feeding my 4 that.

Be warned, it made my four incredibly gassy. I may be switching because of it. They've been on it a few months now and they're still gassy - not as bad but still gassy. I'm just going to switch to one of the other Innova EVO formulas, but I think the RM is too rich for them.

I have no expertice (sp?) on this but can you try a food like for racing dogs??..... once I saw the recipe but can´t remember correcly as they need it as a boost..... you might try that as a supplement

it´s mainly raw but includes also some oils and other thing I cna´t recall, sorry i´m not of much help but maybe it´s a hint and you can search and/or ask someone who does that racing/agility......

Husky_Mom, are you talking about Satin Balls? They're used primarily to put weight on underweight dogs or entice picky dogs to eat. I don't think one should use it extensively or as a main component of a meal, but they are good supplements, especially is gaining weight is one of your main priorities. Recipe:
http://www.njboxers.com/satin-balls-recipe.htm

I know I'm going against a lot of raw feeder "rules", but Finn could honestly use a bit of carb. Sure, protein is good for the long run and for building muscles, but it's carbs that give him quick energy boosts. Evo is unique in the sense that it doesn't use grains. However, it uses potato, which is, of course, starch (aka - carbs). If you'd like to continue feeding raw, how about adding some pasta/macaroni/brown rice/potatos/etc.?

Also, I saved the recipe for a typical meal of a racing Greyhound kennel. If you'd like to see its components, just PM me :) It's geared towards feeding a large number of dogs (approx. 70) but you can see what types of "ingredients" they use.

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Originally Posted by Giselle

Also, I saved the recipe for a typical meal of a racing Greyhound kennel. If you'd like to see its components, just PM me :) It's geared towards feeding a large number of dogs (approx. 70) but you can see what types of "ingredients" they use.

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THIS is what I was talking about............actually Satin Balls I have no clue what they are :p but I´ve heard it mentioned a couple of times here though....

I saw this also with real *I think* canola or something oil and rice and wheat and raw meat.....

could you PM it to me too as now I´m curious :p ;)

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Originally Posted by Giselle

I know I'm going against a lot of raw feeder "rules", but Finn could honestly use a bit of carb. Sure, protein is good for the long run and for building muscles, but it's carbs that give him quick energy boosts. Evo is unique in the sense that it doesn't use grains. However, it uses potato, which is, of course, starch (aka - carbs). If you'd like to continue feeding raw, how about adding some pasta/macaroni/brown rice/potatos/etc.?

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Actually, I was thinking that, too. He's really getting enough protein, and, some fat, I probably need to get more fat and some carbs. Maybe carbs the night before an event or something. I know that's what human athletes will do sometimes...I wonder, with the digestive system being faster in dogs, if they'd need the carbs only a few hours prior to an event as opposed to overnight...

The racing dog diet sounds interesting, I will read more about it once I PM you for the ingredients.


Thank you all for the ideas, as soon as I can, I am going to take a day and go to a few stores and really look and compare. I have a list handy that Im compiling from suggestions I'm getting from several sources.

I appreciate all the replies, by the way, thank you! And, I'm sure Finn does, too, because it just means more food for him. :rolleyes:

Ok, here is where I run into problems. hahaha, I love researching diet, whether it be for people or dogs. :rolleyes:

This food, Acana, states that carbs aren't important because dogs are adapted to produce energy from meat sources, and aren't really adapted to assimilate starches (carbs), so their extreme formula is low carb (15 or 16%).

But, Momentum, another high performance dog food, states this on their site:

"Momentum uses oatmeal and rice as its primary carbohydrate sources. Oatmeal and rice are both highly digestible and a good source of energy and nutritional balance.

Why include carbohydrates in the diet if fat is the important energy source?

Although fats are a very concentrated energy source, carbohydrates are an important energy source, too. Rice is a highly digestible, easily available energy source and oatmeal is used because of its impact on regulating blood glucose. Blood glucose is the primary energy source for many bodily functions, and there are less blood glucose fluctuations after a meal containing oatmeal than with other carbohydrate sources. Steady blood glucose levels are what we want, hence the oatmeal and rice."

I know, when it comes down to it, I'm just going to go with my gut and what I feel like will benefit Finn. Plus, I will probably switch the kibble every four or five months anyway. but, it's still interesting to read up on the different sites and food out there. I'm trying to learn, hahaha.

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Originally Posted by finn's mom

This food, Acana, states that carbs aren't important because dogs are adapted to produce energy from meat sources, and aren't really adapted to assimilate starches (carbs), so their extreme formula is low carb (15 or 16%).

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I feed Acana to my working dogs. We call it the "Mushers' Red" bag up here, but I think it's actually the extreme performance formula. They package it differently when you buy it by the tonne!

The dogs have done extremely well on it, even the hard keepers eat it and maintain their weight. I do have to feed more to Ozzy and Pacer--they both drop weight just by breathing hard!

A good friend of mine is an I-rod musher. She feeds Eagle Pack and her sibes thrive on it.

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Originally Posted by Glacier

I feed Acana to my working dogs. We call it the "Mushers' Red" bag up here, but I think it's actually the extreme performance formula. They package it differently when you buy it by the tonne!

The dogs have done extremely well on it, even the hard keepers eat it and maintain their weight. I do have to feed more to Ozzy and Pacer--they both drop weight just by breathing hard!

A good friend of mine is an I-rod musher. She feeds Eagle Pack and her sibes thrive on it.

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I remembered Acana from your posts...and Eagle Pack is one that's been suggested to me a couple of times. Definitely something I'm looking into. :)

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Originally Posted by finn's mom

I remembered Acana from your posts...and Eagle Pack is one that's been suggested to me a couple of times. Definitely something I'm looking into. :)

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Just checked what my friend feeds....it's the Eagle Ultra Power formula.

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Originally Posted by Glacier

Just checked what my friend feeds....it's the Eagle Ultra Power formula.

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Thank you!

Hey, PM'd you the track diet for racing greys. Also, I was looking into lure coursing with Giselle a while back, but I didn't have the time or resources to condition her for that so I dropped the idea. However, I did buy a book from a prominent lure courser who wrote a lot on diet. I know she wrote a lot about carbs and its role in a canine athlete's diet, but I packed it away temporarily because we're re-doing our hardwood floors. I can get you an excerpt tomorrow, though.

The way I see it, dogs, as a species derived from wolves, may be better adapted to utilizing proteins and fats. However, to say that carbs are unnecessary is a bit of a stretch and, imo, not completely true. I'm not a die-hard "dogs-must-eat-meat-and-nothing-else" person, so my opinion may be skewed. However, biologically speaking, it's probably best to keep a canine athlete on a protein/fat heavy diet. Yet, it's probably not economical and it's not always feasible. Dogs may digest faster than us, but, from what I've learned, the body's cells run heavily on glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids. You get the latter from protein sources, but you get the former from carbs. So to eliminate carbs completely from a canine athlete's diet is not very beneficial, IMO. For the sedentary dog, sure, a no-carb diet might work. But for an athlete who performs strenuous work, I think eliminating carbs would be more harmful than helpful. My two cents :)

We are giving Eagle Pack, power formula a try. Hope it puts a little weight on him. :)

Kari i like the Eagle Pack performance food, well i dont Elvis does when i am nice and buy it for him ;). E & C more so E are currently getting 2 cups of a aussie brand working dog food at the moment along with their regular RAW because El lost a heap of weight whilst we were away. Clover seems to burn her food off these days so i have been giving her the food aswell.

How is Finn doing on the EP so far?

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Originally Posted by Giselle

... but they are good supplements, especially is gaining weight is one of your main priorities. Recipe:
http://www.njboxers.com/satin-balls-recipe.htm .

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Thanks, I'm glad you posted this. Sherman could use some fortified food while he's recovering. He's pretty weak. I think I'll make a smaller batch & try it since he's refusing practically everything right now.