What do you feed them?

[wolf_Q]

Nebo gets Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed puppy.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Amy, since you feed your dogs Nutro, too, do you have any idea what the difference between Nutro and Notro MAX?? Thanks!

[Pam]

Bella and Ripley eat Eukanuba. One of the poodles that I had years before had a bit of a "gas problem" and the vet suggested Eukanuba. After introducing her to the Eukanuba the problem vanished. We have kept with it ever since. When Ripley came to live with us about 6 weeks ago he, too, had some gas problems. It only lasted a few days so I am assuming his old food was the culprit. A few days on the Eukanuba and no gas.

[Brie]

I'm feeding Go! Natural. It's a company out of Canada, and has recently made the Whole Dog Journal list. Their Website is www.forpaws.ca

Guaranteed Analysis

Protein (min) 24%

Fat (min) 14%

Crude Fibre (max) 3.5%

Moisture (max) 10%

Omega 6 Fatty Acids 4.5%

Omega 3 Fatty Acids .61%

Glucosamine (min) 460 mg/kg

Chrondroitin (min) 370 mg/kg

Ash (max) 10%

Vit. E (min) 200 imperial units/kg

Kcal/cup 617

Ingredients: Low Ash Chicken Meal, Human Grade Chicken, Whole Brown Rice, Whole White Rice, Hulless Barley, Sunflower Oil, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols (vit. E), citric acid (vit. C) and Rosemary extract), West Coast Salmon Meal, Dried Whole Potatoes, Rice Bran, Natural Chicken Flavour, Dried Whole Apples, Dried Whole Carrots, Ground Flax, Bee Pollen, Dried Whole Garlic, Ginger, Dried Alfalfa, Dried Whole Egg Beta Carotene, Cranberries, Kelp, Yucca Shidegera, Glucosamine, Chondrotin Sulphate, Potassium Chloride, Dicalcium Phosphate, Vitamin A acetate, Cholecalciferol (vit D), di alphatocopherol acetate (vit E), ferrous sulphate, *zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, niacin, calcium pantothenate, copper sulphate, *copper proteinate, manganous oxide, riboflavin, calcium iodate, thiaminemononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vit B6), folic acid biotin, sodium selenite, cobalt carboanate, menadione sodium bisulphate complex (vit K), Vitamin B 12, *these items are chelated minerals.

Also, for those of you wanting to read up more about the nutritional value of foods (what the ingredients are, what to look for in a good food, etc...) this is a really great website: http://home.attbi.com/~mstraus/dogfeeding.html
^^It's worth taking the time to read the site.

[Brie]

I also supplement with VetBasis Healthy Breath And Body. http://www.vetbasis.com/products_health_healthy.htm

I choose this because it REALLY help with my Bostons gas. It contains Acidophilus, which is one of the "good" microorganisms found in yogurt.

[Brie]

Originally posted by *LabLoverKEB*
Amy, since you feed your dogs Nutro, too, do you have any idea what the difference between Nutro and Notro MAX?? Thanks!

Nutro Max:
Chicken Meal, Wheat Flour, Ground Whole Wheat, Rice Bran, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Rice, Lamb Meal, Natural Flavors, Yeast Culture, Calcium Carbonate, Monosodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Dried Buttermilk, Dried Kelp, Dried Egg Product, Lecithin, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Oxide, Garlic, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin (source of Vitamin B2), Calcium Iodate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid, Copper Sulfate.

Nutro Natural Choice Lamb And Rice:
Lamb Meal, Ground Rice, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Natural Flavors, Rice Gluten, Dried Egg Product, Dried Beet Pulp, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Dried Kelp (source of Iodine), Salt, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Ferrous Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Biotin, Copper Proteinate, Niacin, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Vitamin A Supplement, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid.

The difference is in the ingredients. One's a chicken based protein source, one's lamb. The choice is up to you on which you'd feed. I know for a lot of dogs lamb is the cause of gas (but not all dog). I'm not a huge fan of nutro, but of the two, I would less likely feed Nutro Max, 2 of the first 3 ingredients is wheat. A lot of dogs have an "intolerance" to wheat and some are even allergic. Wheat contains gluten, which contains protein, which is why it's put into foods, but, realisticly, you, your dog and your dogs health would be better off with chicken or lamb or duck or fish as your protein source.
If wheat and corn are the in the first 5 ingredients they've mostly likely been put there by the company to replace a more expensive protein source, meat. This allows the company to reduce their overhead and increase their profit.
Also, if corn and wheat are your top ingredients your most likely feeding your dog more than you would be if you were feeding a food that didn't contain these ingredients at all.
example: I'll use Go! Natural & Nutro Max (both chicken based foods), cause I posted the ingredients above.
you have a 50lb dog and you're feeding him Nutro Max, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for your dog is a total of 2 1/2 to 3 1/3 cups in a day, depending on activety level. But, you you're considering switching foods, you pick up Go! Natural and you look at the RDA and it's only 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 cups per day, depending on activetly level. (these amounts have been taken directly from both companies websites)

So, yeah, the food may cost more, but, you're getting healthier ingredients with a better protein source. And because your feeding less, that 50lb bag of food you just bought is lasting you a week or two longer.
At the last pet store I worked at Nutro Max 5lb bag cost 5.99, I buy Go! Natural somewhere else and 7lb's is 15.99, huge difference right? YES, there is, that 5lb bag of Nutro Max would only last 1 to 1 1/2 weeks with my 16lb dog (based on their feed requirements) But the bag of Go! Naturals last me about 3 to 3 1/2 weeks, the price averages out to be about the same.

Remember, I'm only using these two foods as an example. This can be applied to any food your switching to or from, this can be applied to canned foods and treats, dogs and cats. Compare ingredients. Read labels. Learn what the ingedient listings are. Your dog will benefit.

Any time I look for a food (I do rotate my dogs food every three to four months) these are the things I look for... No wheat, no corn, no beef, no soy, no by-products (animal, beef, chicken, lamb or others), and no chamical preservatives (in other words BHA and/or BHT)

Sorry, if I offended anyone in my post, I just feel really strongly about healthier alternatives to pet food. I support Wellness, because they are a company that has been pushing for a law to be passed requiring ALL pet food manufaturers to put their ingredient lists on the front of the packaging. I support Go! Natural, because in Canada there is no law requiring them to list the ingredients ANYWHERE on their packaging but the fact that they do shows responsibility from the company. I no longer support Iams or Eukanebua because several years ago Proctor & Gamble bought out the company, and P&G are known to support animal testing. I don't support Science Diet, they still use chemical preservatives, when links have been found that they cause cancer, and the knowledge is available to put natural preservative in their foods. Because the company still hasn't proven to me that they don't pay off veterinarians to recommend their food.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Originally posted by Brie


Nutro Max:
Chicken Meal, Wheat Flour, Ground Whole Wheat, Rice Bran, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Rice, Lamb Meal, Natural Flavors, Yeast Culture, Calcium Carbonate, Monosodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Dried Buttermilk, Dried Kelp, Dried Egg Product, Lecithin, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Oxide, Garlic, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin (source of Vitamin B2), Calcium Iodate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid, Copper Sulfate.

Nutro Natural Choice Lamb And Rice:
Lamb Meal, Ground Rice, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Natural Flavors, Rice Gluten, Dried Egg Product, Dried Beet Pulp, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Dried Kelp (source of Iodine), Salt, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Ferrous Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Biotin, Copper Proteinate, Niacin, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Vitamin A Supplement, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid.

The difference is in the ingredients. One's a chicken based protein source, one's lamb. The choice is up to you on which you'd feed. I know for a lot of dogs lamb is the cause of gas (but not all dog). I'm not a huge fan of nutro, but of the two, I would less likely feed Nutro Max, 2 of the first 3 ingredients is wheat. A lot of dogs have an "intolerance" to wheat and some are even allergic. Wheat contains gluten, which contains protein, which is why it's put into foods, but, realisticly, you, your dog and your dogs health would be better off with chicken or lamb or duck or fish as your protein source.
If wheat and corn are the in the first 5 ingredients they've mostly likely been put there by the company to replace a more expensive protein source, meat. This allows the company to reduce their overhead and increase their profit.
Also, if corn and wheat are your top ingredients your most likely feeding your dog more than you would be if you were feeding a food that didn't contain these ingredients at all.
example: I'll use Go! Natural & Nutro Max (both chicken based foods), cause I posted the ingredients above.
you have a 50lb dog and you're feeding him Nutro Max, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for your dog is a total of 2 1/2 to 3 1/3 cups in a day, depending on activety level. But, you you're considering switching foods, you pick up Go! Natural and you look at the RDA and it's only 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 cups per day, depending on activetly level. (these amounts have been taken directly from both companies websites)

So, yeah, the food may cost more, but, you're getting healthier ingredients with a better protein source. And because your feeding less, that 50lb bag of food you just bought is lasting you a week or two longer.
At the last pet store I worked at Nutro Max 5lb bag cost 5.99, I buy Go! Natural somewhere else and 7lb's is 15.99, huge difference right? YES, there is, that 5lb bag of Nutro Max would only last 1 to 1 1/2 weeks with my 16lb dog (based on their feed requirements) But the bag of Go! Naturals last me about 3 to 3 1/2 weeks, the price averages out to be about the same.

Remember, I'm only using these two foods as an example. This can be applied to any food your switching to or from, this can be applied to canned foods and treats, dogs and cats. Compare ingredients. Read labels. Learn what the ingedient listings are. Your dog will benefit.

Any time I look for a food (I do rotate my dogs food every three to four months) these are the things I look for... No wheat, no corn, no beef, no soy, no by-products (animal, beef, chicken, lamb or others), and no chamical preservatives (in other words BHA and/or BHT)

Sorry, if I offended anyone in my post, I just feel really strongly about healthier alternatives to pet food. I support Wellness, because they are a company that has been pushing for a law to be passed requiring ALL pet food manufaturers to put their ingredient lists on the front of the packaging. I support Go! Natural, because in Canada there is no law requiring them to list the ingredients ANYWHERE on their packaging but the fact that they do shows responsibility from the company. I no longer support Iams or Eukanebua because several years ago Proctor & Gamble bought out the company, and P&G are known to support animal testing. I don't support Science Diet, they still use chemical preservatives, when links have been found that they cause cancer, and the knowledge is available to put natural preservative in their foods. Because the company still hasn't proven to me that they don't pay off veterinarians to recommend their food.

Ok, now I get it! Thank you!

[wolf_Q]

The example you are using is Nutro Natural Choice LAMB AND RICE. Of COURSE it's going to have lamb as a protein source.

There are other kinds of the Nutro Natural Choice besides lamb. I'm feeding the Large Breed puppy...then will switch to the Large Breed adult. I think it's a chicken based protein source, not lamb.

I was also wondering what the difference between the Natural Choice and the Max was. I was under the impression that the Max was a cheaper food.

If there was any place less then an hour away that sold a food with human grade ingredients, I'd go for a better food. But I can't find any. I guess I'll have to look at Petco again, but it seemed to me out of what they offered, Nutro was a better choice vs. Iams/Eukanuba/etc.

Besides, Nebo is in great health and has a beautiful coat. I do all that I can for my baby (and I make minimum wage) and I don't think Nutro is a bad dog food.

[Brie]

Originally posted by wolf_Q
The example you are using is Nutro Natural Choice LAMB AND RICE. Of COURSE it's going to have lamb as a protein source.

And in her original question she didn't say which type of Nutro Natural she was using , but, the lamb and rice is by far the most popular, which is why I compared those two.

I was also wondering what the difference between the Natural Choice and the Max was. I was under the impression that the Max was a cheaper food.

Max is a cheaper food, between the Nutro Natural and Max

If there was any place less then an hour away that sold a food with human grade ingredients, I'd go for a better food. But I can't find any. I guess I'll have to look at Petco again, but it seemed to me out of what they offered, Nutro was a better choice vs. Iams/Eukanuba/etc.

Besides, Nebo is in great health and has a beautiful coat. I do all that I can for my baby (and I make minimum wage) and I don't think Nutro is a bad dog food.

Ummm, I think you got the impression that I was attacking your choices, so calm done, cause I'm not. PetCo and PetSmart really don't carry any foods that are what I consider "healthy alternatives" (and by this I mean, not pedigree and other such, and I'll say it, crap) Of what those two stores sell I'd pick up a bag of Nutro too. All I said is I am less likely to pick up a bag of Max. And I'm not a huge fan of the food. There are other foods on the market that I feed before I'd consider Nutro, but, for some people, you for example, Nutro is great.

I posted in another forum about dog food as well, but, even there I said this... But, whats right for you MAY NOT BE right for the next person. You have to pick what works best for you, what works best for your dog, consider your budget, consider what your dog likes.
Me, I won't feed lamb, because it doesn't work for my dog (gives him horrible gas), but, hey, Lamb just might be what another dog needs.

[ramanth]

Kia is currently on California Natural Lamb and Rice.

She has allergies and can't eat other brands of food due to certain perservatives and the like.

[Sudilar]

Update:
Killian is off the Fish and Sweet Potato Wellness mixed in his home-cooked. It must have too much protein in it for his delicate liver disease system. Too bad, he really loved the very little I would add. sheesh. He still needs something crunchy to add to his diet (be it ever so little added) for his teeth (what's left of them). Will be searching. In the meantime, Shiloh is still thrilled with her Wellness and happy to have the Fish added to her bowl too! I have two opposite dogs. One who can eat anything and another who can't or won't. Too bad the food he liked isn't helping him.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Originally posted by Pam
Bella and Ripley eat Eukanuba. One of the poodles that I had years before had a bit of a "gas problem" and the vet suggested Eukanuba. After introducing her to the Eukanuba the problem vanished. We have kept with it ever since. When Ripley came to live with us about 6 weeks ago he, too, had some gas problems. It only lasted a few days so I am assuming his old food was the culprit. A few days on the Eukanuba and no gas.

I am going to have to switch Sadie's food to Euakanuba, because she has a horrible gas problem! It's awful! Thanks, Pam! By the way, I love both of your beautiful Poodles!

[shais_mom]

Originally posted by Cincy'sMom
I feed my dogs Sensible Chioce by Royal Canin. Sadie gets Lamb and Rice Active Adult and Cincy gets Lamb and Rice Reduced Calorie

I fed Keegan the Active adult, just bought a bag of Reduced Calorie. She hasn't tried the R.C yet, but she seems to like the Lamb and Rice. I switched from Premium Edge Chicken and Rice b/c
1) Keegan stopped eating it!!
2) Amy and her mom have such good luck with it and their dogs, I thought Keegan would like it too.
3) I swear by the Royal Canin brand, Kylie gets their cat food also.

[shais_mom]

Originally posted by *LabLoverKEB*


I am going to have to switch Sadie's food to Euakanuba, because she has a horrible gas problem! It's awful! Thanks, Pam! By the way, I love both of your beautiful Poodles!

Sarah, you might also try plain yogurt before switching her food. Have your parents pick some up the next time the go to the grocery. Just plain yogurt. But a couple Tablespoons on her food. Might help. That is what they have to do with greyhounds b/c they have such horrible gas.
Make sure if you DO switch Sadie's food to do it slowly.

[Brie]

Sarah, you might also try plain yogurt before switching her food. Have your parents pick some up the next time the go to the grocery. Just plain yogurt. But a couple Tablespoons on her food. Might help. That is what they have to do with greyhounds b/c they have such horrible gas.

Or even an Acidophilus supplement which is one of the "good" microorganisms found in yogurt.

Yogurt my be easier to find some parts of the country than a supplement, but, you can order it online.

I use Vet Basis Healthy Breath and Body, because it contains more than one "good" microorganism.