littlesquashyguys

I give Grover a chicken wing on the weekends, and lean lamb bones (as well as dry food, of course) during the week. For more than 2 years I fed him completely raw. I think it gave him a great start to life, and it's the reason why he's so healthy. I'm not going to go in to the raw vs. kibble debate on here. I think you have to feed your dog what works best for the both of you. And right now I'm happy with kibble and raw meaty bones...and the occasional healthy titbits. I've stopped giving Grover supermarket treats because at one stage he was 12.5 kilos! 11 kilos is his ideal weight because he's a large Arnie Schwarzenegger type Pug LOL. He's now 11.5 kilos - just 500 grams to go : )

I haven't been able to find anything clear or even factual about the lawsuit. Sounds like it was just a negtive rumour going around, possibly sparked by Canidae changing some of their recipes. But it looks like that all happened in 2009...and everything seems to have calmed down now.

Anyone using Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages (or other Canidae product?). I'm changing over to it soon. Also, does anyone know about the lawsuit against them for poisoning? I read a short post about it on DOL, after I'd made my decision.

After much research (my brain is hurting from scouring the internet!), I have decided to buy Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages. It isn't ideally what I'd like in a dog food (my first choice is Go Natural Grain Free Endurance or Wellness Core)...but, I've come to the conclusion that it's a superior, high quality product and I'm very happy with my decision. Thanks, everyone for your input...it's very much appreciated : )

My friends are coming tomorrow (which is a relief because my house is a disgusting mess)... I just found out that Natura Pet foods, who own Innova and Evo, have a class action lawsuit against them, for advertising their dog food as human grade. Here's the link: www.petproductssettlement.com By the way, Natura Pet Foods was bought by Proctor and Gamble, not Nestle. Also, I should have included "human grade" in my list at the start of this thread. When Eagle Pack Holistic Select first appeared in Australia, it was advertised as organic, human grade, owned by a family business who bred Huskies, and sourced their produce from Amish farmers. It was those bloody Amish farmers who reeled me in!

I have to leave this thread for a while... I've got friends coming to stay and I'm supposed to be making Chicken Satay for tea. And Grover is getting shirty 'cause it's 30 mins past his dinner time.

I know, what a shame! It sounds like a fantastic product, but I find the whole idea of Pets Paradise so depressing! Perhaps, if more people complained to Innova Evo about Pets Paradise, they might consider changing to a different distributor? Look I am not sure of the name but I think it Pets Direct ????? well what ever the name they sell Evo. The shop I use is at RiverLink in Ipswich. By the way last time I was inside the Riverlink complex PP appears to have closed down. The entire front of the building was screened off. Mmm, interesting to know...I will definitely keep an eye out for Innova. I think it sounds like an excellent product.

I think the 'regulations' you are referring to are quarantine regs set by AQIS. They seem to pose a significant barrier to importing pet foods into Aus as there are significant hoops to jump through regarding how the dog food is made, sources of ingredients etc. You can see more at: http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/import/biological/checklist/animal-feed On the upside, these regs also help keep Australia pest/disease free! I emailed 3 top American brands recently and was told that Taste of the Wild food is currently going through the process to import their food to Australia, which is great to hear. No idea on time frames though. The other 3 brands I emailed (Addiction, Wysong and Timberwolf) said they do not currently supply to Australia and did not mention any plans to change that. Hope that helps. Good luck on your search - I feed Advance but after lots of research lately I am going to change to Canidae, Earthborn or Artemis when I finish my current bag. That's great news about Taste of the Wild! And I will definitely check out the AQIS website...thank you. Yeah, I'm leaning towards Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages...at least until a better product becomes available. I'm yet to check out Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural - the name sounds strangely hippie-ish and foetal at the same time LOL. I forgot to add: I'm a bit wary of products with "Holistic" in the title. It seems to be used so loosely these days.

I know, what a shame! It sounds like a fantastic product, but I find the whole idea of Pets Paradise so depressing! Perhaps, if more people complained to Innova Evo about Pets Paradise, they might consider changing to a different distributor?

What you are saying makes a lot of sense. Yes dogs are all individuals and have different needs. And I don't mean to sound like a dog food snob. I realise that there are dogs out there who are thriving on Bonnie. I ran out of Eagle Pack once, and the only dog food I could get was Advance (I live in a rural, coastal area). Grover's cute little pink tummy started changing to a dark grey colour. I will never feed it to him again.

Thanks, english.ivy...no I haven't. I will check it out

Problem corrected

Aaargh! Double post again! Perhaps, I need to hang out in the Testing Area for while.

Hi Sags, I will have to get back to you on that one! I need to check out the reviews again. Perhaps, my choice of the word "fillers" was too strong? Sorry, I didn't mean to sound misleading I agree that the Canidae and Artemis grain-free are better options, compared to their other products...but, after reading their reviews, I was left with the impression that they do contain some low grade ingredients, which don't do anything for the nutrient content of the food. On the website, the reviewers refer to these low grade ingredients as fillers. My understanding is that they aren't referring to the usual nasties you suggested. I think the best product is Petcurean Go Natural Grain Free Endurance. I have contacted them, but it isn't available here in Australia because of our "regulations" I would be interested to know what that means. In my opinion, regulations can be changed because they aren't set in concrete. I think Go Natural GFE would do very well here, as would Wellness Core (I have contacted them too). I don't think I'm alone in feeling frustrated by the lack of superior dog food products here in Australia...and I think it's wrong that our dogs get the 'short end of the stick'. No pun intended

I've contacted the sales rep for Canidae, and I'm considering that one too. My problem with Canidae is that the quality of their products varies greatly, depending on which one you buy. Apparently, like Eagle Pack, some of their products contain a high percentage of 'fillers'. I think, here in Australia, we're so used to the quality of dry food being so low that Eagle Pack seems like a superior product.

Yes, I've heard about Ziwi Peak...I must check it out. Thanks!

Sorry, double post.

Mmm, sounds good! My only quibble is the fat content, which is a little high. Apparently, the tomato levels are low. And the sales rep lives only 5 minutes away from my house, which is very appealing! I will definitely consider this one...thanks very much

Since my Pug was 8 weeks old, I fed him a raw food diet. He's now 4.5 years old. About 2 years ago, I began feeding him half raw/half Eagle Pack Holistic Select. I'm no longer happy with either: feeding a raw food diet is a pain in the arse...and for some time now I have suspected that Eagle Pack isn't as superior as it was first claimed to be - and after looking at the website below, now I know why: www.dogfoodanalysis.com How come we have so much crap dog food in Australia? I would be willing to pay top dollar for a superior dog food like Wellness Core, if it were available. My Pug and I would be grateful if you could please help me find a dry food that falls into (or at least comes close to) the following criteria... High in protein Relatively low in fat Grain free Preferably organic and free range Contains no beet pulp, corn, soy, tomato, or canola oil

(At the beach, replying from my phone) Hi Anne, thanks very much for this...yes his nostrils are tiny little slits, rather than round holes.

Yesterday, my Pug was diagnosed with Brachycephalic Syndrome. My vet has referred him to a specialist at the Hallam Veterinary Referral Centre, who will be performing the operation (widening his nostrils and shortening his palate) next Tuesday. My Pug is four and a half, and he has had breathing problems, on an off, for most of his life...but they have gotten much worse in the last 12 months...and, the night before last, I was up all night with him because he wasn't breathing properly. It was very scary and I'm very worried about him. Last night, I read a bit about Brachycephalic Syndrome on the internet. I looked at some drawings of the inside of a dog's respiratory system (a dog affected with Brachycephalic Syndrome); and it looks like the whole of their nasal/sinus cavity is constricted. If this is the case, how can widening just the nostrils make a difference to their breathing?