Sagittarian

Hi Laffi, Both Orijen (obviously no longer available) and Maximal keep weight on dogs really well. The comparison was more to do with the actual ingredients. Orijen and Evo are both multi animal protein foods - Maximal uses just chicken. That makes it, to my understanding, the only single protein, no grain dry food in this country right now (please someone correct me if I've overlooked something!). Ziwipeak does have two single protein foods but it is air dried rather than a kibble. I love the grain free foods but as with any food, they won't suit every dog. Sags

So new! He will settle and over time you'll work out what suits him. In the short term, don't be afraid to use tins in moderation as a taste tempter. Select the highest calorie dry foods (Nutrience Active, Artemis Power, Euk Perfomance etc) to base the diet on. Sardines in oil are great as is the aforementioned lamp flaps - but don't try to fill him up too quickly. Keep in mind as well that if he munches on a bone for a while he is less likely to feel hungry as his brain has decided he's eaten. Good luck with your new boy. Sags

I think it would be wonderful if Natura would see how well their products would go if sold through a general wholesaler to the entire industry - not only because so many will not support pp and their subsidiaries such as pgd, but because it would be more widely available. However, the response I received when we enquired about stocking their products was that they have a long term, satisfactory relationship with pp etc. That "relationship" is worth a lot of money to them, so it might take quite a lot to change their perspective. As far as comparing Evo and Maximal - Evo is more similar in make up to Orijen, in my opinion. Maximal stands alone in all the foods I've used over the years, as in, it is not directly comparable to anything. As a high meat content, no grain, well balanced food, it appears to keep condition on a dog nicely, fill them well, provide plenty of energy and be generally well accepted. As always, it eventually comes down to what your own dog does best on. Sags

Give Prestige Pet Products a ring or email them (1800 265527) to find out your closest stockist. They are the wholesaler and any shop that stocks Prestige lines can order it in for you. Sags

I think you'll find that Smithor no longer import Olewo. We got our last delivery from them well over a year ago and have yet to find another importer. Sags

Can I really recommend you contact Judith at Katz K9 Kitchen - she and John are the importers of Artemis so she will know the best, more cost efficient way for you to try the product and then buy it going forward if you choose to. Sags PS You can go via the www.artemispetfood.com.au site.

Just to let you know the smallest bag of Artemis is 1.8kg, so that gives you a chance to give your pet enough meals to get an idea of the food. As has been stated, Artemis samples are available and either Katz K9 Kitchen or stockists will be able to help you with that. Yes, it does have a palatability guarantee. Hope this helps. Sags

Tough love. However, do make sure the dry food is palatable. They are not all the same and it may be worth getting some samples of different brands to try out. Sags

Um... have you looked at the protein levels in Evo? Any grainless food will be higher in protein. Artemis Maximal has approx 70% meat content. By the way, Maximal is just one of the Artemis range and all of them are wheat and corn free. Sags

Just a suggestion for anyone wanting to buy a pet patio door in the short term - do it sooner rather than later as pig in mud has been sold to Kramer and the prices are set to rise. And do phone around for prices as they vary a lot! Sags

Exaltare... can you please explain what you mean by "changed to conform to Australian conditions"? The addition of corn protein is not understandable, nor does putting wheat into a previous wheat-free product make any sense. Would really love some insight into this and a few other changes. Sags

While it can be frustrating trying to keep good weight on some dogs, keep in mind that it really is about quality of the food, not how much. Some dogs do extremely well on performance foods - nearly all major brands have a version. These foods have a higher calorie content, so it means more bang for your buck as far as volume. Better for the dog - he doesn't constantly have a full stomach therefore stretching and ultimately weakening the tendons that hold it in place. Instead, he can have an "off" day where his appetite is down and still get sufficient nutrtion. The idea of lamb flaps etc is excellent as it will provide not only great chewing for him, but lots of good meaty calories. Good luck with him. Sags

That's still a huge amount of food for a dog to digest. Even at their very busiest, fittest stages of life, my St Bernards (who were athletic, not "plod arounds") were on a max of 6 cups - say 600 grams of premium dry food. A bit of variety would be sardines, eggs, veges, fruit, a little fresh meat (under 100 grams). It really is all about the quality of ingredients as well as calories, fat content and palatability. Better to use more in the way of raw meat, carcasses and a veg slop that to use that volume of cereal based dry food. Coat, skin, eyes, muscle tone will all reflect in the diet. Well worth trying a more digestible regime for a month and then comparing results. If his tummy doesn't go down - or if it sounds hollow when tapped and he salivates or is clearly uncomfortable then a vet visit may be required. Good luck with him. Sags

Hi Erny, We are in Keilor Park. Worth phoning first to check what volumes are in. Phillipa 4 Paws & More Pet Supplies 93317869

We carry fresh roo tails in a vac sealed 2-pack, just weighed one at 2kg. They are very meaty and a decent size. $4.50 a pack. Fresh or frozen. Sags

Rice is from Asia. Don't know where the wheat and corn protein originates. Sags

alanglen - what is that information based upon? As has been said previously, it is hard to understand why a carnivore - designed to have a protein based diet - would overdose on it. OP - what kind of levels of protein did you have in mind with your question? This is a really interesting subject and I hope a lot of good quality info will come out of it. Sags

Does protein really cause a pup to grow too fast - or is it too many calories? Animal based protein on its own is not the bad guy that it is sometimes made out to be. I'd be more concerned about protein from grain sources in an already adequate diet. Grain = carbs = calories. Not knocking the inclusion of some grains if they are there for the proper reason rather than propping up protein levels. Love to see some links to properly researched information as well. Sags

No - we removed it from sale as soon as we were informed of the issues. Sags 4 Paws & More Pet Supplies

Another option may be Artemis Power, which from memory (not at work but can check tomorrow) is chicken and rice only. Just go slowly. Sags

There is no "main branch" - Masterfoods purchased Nutro last year and rather than import what is being made in the US, Australia is making it own version. So, it is Waltham in Albury that you would need to ask. Sags

Looked at Large Breed puppy and Adult today and both contain wheat. This is completely away from the formulas (in virtually the same style of packaging) that we used to stock. Sags

Interesting then that they have made it readily available to major wholesalers who can onsell it to anyone who has an account with them. The nutritional advisor thing is simply an extension of what Nutro did for years in the states. Many other companies have followed suit to one degree or another. As far as the differences - the relatively high level of beet pulp as pointed out is one. Salt content in some lines is another. In the inclusion of the "corn protein" in some lines another again. And I agree, only time will tell. Sags

APBT - Orijen is not available in Australia. Check wherever you shop for Evo as to whether they do accept returns on palatibility - they don't locally to us. Artemis Maximal is grain free and has a palatability guarantee, which means if your dog won't accept it in spite of a proper attempt to change diet, that you can return for a refund. Sags

It would be interesting to see the ingredients of Chicken, Oatmeal and Rice (I think that is the old Sensitive?) listed, as well as Light. My suggestion to anyone who used Nutro is to formulate a list of their important questions (for me it is things like meat content (which Nutro used to state), why the inclusion of "corn protein" in some products) and regarding sodium levels), and send them to Masterfoods for a response. There will apparently be samples available to some stores, in some areas, so again, may be worth asking direct for some. Happy to answer pms. Sags