Red Fox Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I am wondering if I could get a few opinions on the best dry food for large breed puppies. I own an 18 week old Ridgeback boy and am currently feeding a diet consisting of around 60% raw (BARF) and 40% dry. We are using Nutrience Medium breed as this is what Kei's breeder was using and had recommended we continue with. It seems to be agreeing with him but I wonder if i is the best choice? I have been doing some research on the different (Premuim) brands -organic where possible- and trying to compare the ingredients. At the moment Artemis, DVP organic and Eagle Pack Holistic are all looking like good choices, however I dont know enough about either of these to make an informed decision... especially Artemis With all the hype about commercial foods I would like to eventually change Kei over to a full BARF diet but am worried about providing him with the right amount of nutrients, calcuim etc while he is growing so plan to keep him half/half until 12 months. Any advice would be appreciated. My puppy pack has suggested Eukanuba or Advance as alternatives, but I am not happy with either of these brands based on the ingredients list. If you have used Artemis, DVP organic or Eagle Pack Holistic and seen improved results I would love to hear from you. BTW, I have just joined the forum today and am still working out how to use everything so please bare with me! Thanks, Alex & Kei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildatHeart Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Search the thread on 'kibble' you'll find heaps of info. I use Royal Canin with raw. Some ppl have said eagle pack their dogs have runny poos and hard to keep weight on. Artemis is expensive but it depends on what your dog does best on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 Search the thread on 'kibble' you'll find heaps of info. I use Royal Canin with raw. Some ppl have said eagle pack their dogs have runny poos and hard to keep weight on. Artemis is expensive but it depends on what your dog does best on. Thanks for the advice, as I said I'm new here and only realised how much info there is on this subject when I did a search! I have read that some people have probs with Eagle Pack so not sure about that one. Going to try the cat on Artemis soon and was thing I might get Kei a small bag when I order and see how he goes... Right now he is doing well on Nutrience (seems to like it) Just opened another 20kg bag last night so we will need to get through that before making any major changes. Just want to give him the best we can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labsrule Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Search the thread on 'kibble' you'll find heaps of info. I use Royal Canin with raw. Some ppl have said eagle pack their dogs have runny poos and hard to keep weight on. Artemis is expensive but it depends on what your dog does best on. Thanks for the advice, as I said I'm new here and only realised how much info there is on this subject when I did a search! I have read that some people have probs with Eagle Pack so not sure about that one. Going to try the cat on Artemis soon and was thing I might get Kei a small bag when I order and see how he goes... Right now he is doing well on Nutrience (seems to like it) Just opened another 20kg bag last night so we will need to get through that before making any major changes. Just want to give him the best we can My advice is if you find a dry food that your dog does well on, then keep your dog on it. Over the years my dogs have been fed on dry and raw and I have progessively increased the amount of raw food they have. The best dry food they have been on is Nutro which was banned last year from being imported into Australia and since then, I have tried different types of dry food, including Nutrience because they had a senior large breed type with a large kibble, but unfortunately my dog's coats suffered with dandruff and itchiness whilst on Nturience, so have had to change again to a different brand Natural Balance. I am so sick of researching all the various dry foods and having to chop and change to find one like Nutro that my black lab boys did so well on. I have now decided that after this current bag of Natural Balance is finished that I will go to 100% raw. You will find heaps of info on dry foods in this section, but also lots of conflicting advice as well, so that is why I say, stick to a dry food that your dog does well on. The photo of your pup is gorgeous, he is extremely cute Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 What works for some might not work well for others. I would probably suggest you go to a Large Breed formula, but as to which brand, it just depends on what your dog does best on. I personally found all the super premiums too rich for my boy and gave him soft stools and lots of gas. He did best on Euk Large Puppy during his critical growth period and was then switched to raw at about 11months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 Thanks, that (the dandruff) is a problem I have had with Nutrience too. I started adding Flax seed oil to Kei's meals a few weeks after we got him and also using Aloveen conditioner and it seems to be going away. He is still a little bit dry but no more flakes and no longer scratching.. I will eventually go to 90% raw as he gets older and I learn more about it all. Still waiting for the Ian Billinghurst books to come that I ordered 2 weeks ago. I get your point on the research too.. it's driving me nuts Just want to find something that is not over-processed or full of junk and agrees with him and if I can get an organic food then all the better. Since Kei is our first dog in over 10 years I am obsessed with getting it right! Well that and the fact that I already have a cat with arthritis and I dont want any more probs! My theory on feeding Kei is similar to how I feed my son I guess.. lots of fresh healthy food with a little bit of the packaged stuff thrown in now and then as a treat and you cant go wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 What works for some might not work well for others. I would probably suggest you go to a Large Breed formula, but as to which brand, it just depends on what your dog does best on. I personally found all the super premiums too rich for my boy and gave him soft stools and lots of gas. He did best on Euk Large Puppy during his critical growth period and was then switched to raw at about 11months. I did plan on buying a large breed formula when I went to buy my 2nd bag a few weeks ago (1st bag was given to us by Kei's breeder). When I rang up the breeder to find out where she gets it from I asked about this and she said that she prefers the Medium Breed.. something to do with the protein levels I think? I also asked at the place where I bought it (vet) and they said the same thing. No probs with gas so far.. the odd bit here and there but not excessive. We had a lot of soft stools to start with but they seem to be getting better now with the mix of dry/raw only get the occasional one when I add something new. Hope to do the same as you and go to complete raw at around 12 months but would still like to have the dry as treats and a back-up meal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelbrook Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 What works for some might not work well for others. I would probably suggest you go to a Large Breed formula, but as to which brand, it just depends on what your dog does best on. I personally found all the super premiums too rich for my boy and gave him soft stools and lots of gas. He did best on Euk Large Puppy during his critical growth period and was then switched to raw at about 11months. I did plan on buying a large breed formula when I went to buy my 2nd bag a few weeks ago (1st bag was given to us by Kei's breeder). When I rang up the breeder to find out where she gets it from I asked about this and she said that she prefers the Medium Breed.. something to do with the protein levels I think? I also asked at the place where I bought it (vet) and they said the same thing. No probs with gas so far.. the odd bit here and there but not excessive. We had a lot of soft stools to start with but they seem to be getting better now with the mix of dry/raw only get the occasional one when I add something new. Hope to do the same as you and go to complete raw at around 12 months but would still like to have the dry as treats and a back-up meal Against all advice except an exceptional few I raised my 14 mth shepherd puppy on the all raw diet ... no kibble has ever passed her lips ... she had her yearly shots recently and a complete health check and my vet commented on how healthy both my dogs are (my boy switched to all raw a couple of years ago). I kept changing vets until I found one who would support and add suggestions to what I was trying to achieve ... I walked out of one vet after he told me off for feeding my dogs raw meaty bones (mostly roo necks and tails) and that I should give them nylon rawhide instead ... I couldn't believe what I was hearing ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lab_Rat Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hi SecretKei - I raised my RR girl on Royal Canin. My breeder used this, so I continued on with it. She also had roo, veges and other meat. After a heap of tummy probs, she is now on Natural Balance, which is lamb based. (labsrule - how did you find feeding this?? I am surprised but happy to see a West Australian made food can be obtained over east!!) Both my girls are doing well on it, the ridgie and the kelpie. They also get raw lamb, chicken wings and other things with it. I too would love stop feeding kibble, but its far too convenient as a shift working, non-routine having person It certainly is a job trying to get all the information out there in some sort of order in your mind. But like other here have said, if your dog is doing well on a particular food, stick to it. Rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labsrule Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hi SecretKei - I raised my RR girl on Royal Canin. My breeder used this, so I continued on with it. She also had roo, veges and other meat.After a heap of tummy probs, she is now on Natural Balance, which is lamb based. (labsrule - how did you find feeding this?? I am surprised but happy to see a West Australian made food can be obtained over east!!) Both my girls are doing well on it, the ridgie and the kelpie. They also get raw lamb, chicken wings and other things with it. I too would love stop feeding kibble, but its far too convenient as a shift working, non-routine having person It certainly is a job trying to get all the information out there in some sort of order in your mind. But like other here have said, if your dog is doing well on a particular food, stick to it. Rat So far so good and the dandruff that they had whilst on Nutrience has actually gone since they have been on the Natural Balance I actually stumbled on Natural Balance by accident thru the Priceless Pets website that I purchase Advantix and Heartguard thru. Apart from the following info they had on their website about this food, it is also extremely well priced at $76.00 for a 15kg bag and I didn't have to pay any extra for postage as I had ordered the Advantix and Heartguard and the postage for those item is their standard $6.50 regardless of the weight. Super Premium, Regular Energy, Human Grade Quality Lamb & Rice Available to all customers in Queensland, New South Wales and metro Melbourne. For all other customers could you please contact us to discuss freight arrangements. We usually can supply High Energy and Lite Energy as well. Price, postage, bag size etc. are all the same. Simply manually adjust your order form if you require. We have made this food available on our website because we know no better food. We know of three other super premium foods which are of similar quality but they are over $110 a bag and the bags are a smaller weight for example only 13kg compared to 15kg. * Has your dog got funny skin? (itchy, scratching all the time, chewing paws, has hair loss, hotspots, dull coat, other skin problems) * Has your dog got funny ears? (flicking its ears, smelly ears, moist, waxy or sore ears) * Has your dog got a funny tummy? (soft motions, wind, bad breath) * Has your dog got funny waterworks? (urine smelly, contains blood or kills grass) Then use our dog food recommendations! After I received the bag and was doing some more internet research, I realised I should have ordered the Lite Energy, but wasn't overly concerned as I only feed my boys 1 cup of this 4 days a week as their morming meal and raw for their evening meal and raw only on the other 3 days as I have in the midst of changing them over to 100% raw when I finish the current bag. However, I am tossing up whether to purchase a bag of Lite as a backup, particularly for one of my boys that is not allowed bones and in case I ever run out of raw food or forget to defrost . Also will probably be a good idea to give my other boys infrequent feeds of the dry in case I have to go away and leave them in kennels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lab_Rat Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Sorry to hijack the thread SK, but labsrule - I just bought a new bag on Friday (the super premium,r/e) and the bloody price has increased about $20 Not very happy 'bout that! The shop where I buy it said it was a huge surprise to them as well. Dont know whether theyre catching up to the rest of the dog food prices, or whether it has something to do with drought/sheep availability-prices. Either way, Im not impressed and thought I might sent them and email telling them so. the dogs are doing really well on it, dont know whether to try the "non" super premium or not. Theres a slight difference in ingredients and amounts of. Anyway, Im glad you can obtain it over there..... Rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 Labsrule and Lab Rat- where can you buy Natural Balance from? Is it able to be ordered via internet that you know of? (we live rural and can only get Royal Canin and Science Diet locally) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lab_Rat Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 The best thing would be to either contact Natural Balance (check out their website www.naturalbalance.net.au or email them [email protected] ) or enquire at your usual dog food distributor. We live about an hour form anywhere useful, so Im really glad I found this excellent groomers/dog food suppliers/other doggy stuff shop. They are an excellent bunch. Good luck with it!! And let us know how you go! Rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labsrule Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Labsrule and Lab Rat- where can you buy Natural Balance from? Is it able to be ordered via internet that you know of? (we live rural and can only get Royal Canin and Science Diet locally) I purchase from this website s they have fantastic pricing for flea and heartworm products: http://www.pricelesspets.com.au/natural_balance.php3 I have copied the following from their website in regards to shipping Natural Balance as I note you are in SA, so you will need to contact them: Super Premium, Regular Energy, Human Grade Quality Lamb & Rice Available to all customers in Queensland, New South Wales and metro Melbourne. For all other customers could you please contact us to discuss freight arrangements LabRat - out of interest what price did you pay for the 15kg as Priceless Pets is still $76.00 which is what I purchased my bag for a few weeks ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 The best thing would be to either contact Natural Balance (check out their website www.naturalbalance.net.au or email them [email protected] ) or enquire at your usual dog food distributor. We live about an hour form anywhere useful, so Im really glad I found this excellent groomers/dog food suppliers/other doggy stuff shop. They are an excellent bunch. Good luck with it!! And let us know how you go!Rat Going to check out their website and go from there. We have pet and Fodder store about 30mins from where I live but they take a up to a month to get anything in besides Royal Canin! Vet will only sell Science Diet Anyhow.. just opened a 20kg bag of Nutrience this week so have a month or two at least to get sorted and slowly increasing he raw food too. Seems lots of people have had good results with the Natural Balance though and it is much cheaper than Artemis (which I have been considering) so I will try and get a small bag in the next few weeks and see how Kei reacts and if he likes it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Stay with nutrience!! I feed both my dogs and 3 cats on it, and we also feed it to the dogs and cats at work with it (boarding kennel) It is one of the best foods i have found, all my pets do great on it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lab_Rat Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I paid $93.50................................for 15kg. So SK it may not be cheaper than Artemis!!!!! Wheres nutrience made? Rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Im not sure, it is OS, it is NOT irradiated (is that what it is called?) and they use Australian lamb in it. (had the rep at work talking to me about it the other week) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lab_Rat Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Just checked out both Artemis and Nutrience - both American made. What annoys the sh*t outta me is that the Natural Balance is locally made, but Im probably paying as much for a bag as someone else is for one of these two!! And it has less ingredients - which I like. Will definately be letting them know Im not happy! Just outta interest terrorbull, whats nutrience worth?? Rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Im not sure what the RRP is, we sell it very cheap at work, i am in tomorrow, i can get some of our prices, but they are not what most people sell it as. (i put it on my tab and pay it off each week, so cant tell you off the top of my head!) I get the 20 or 15kgs, depending what is in, and the 8kg i think it is cat food, and the small bag of kitten food Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now