Good Dry Food Brand?

[Akitaowner]

i feed barf but also a bit of pedigree advance its pretty expensive but its what he came on so have kept a little in his brekky - basic advice i was given was not to get kibble it from supermarkets its generally the lowest quality (imho please dont bite my head off if ur supermarket does good food )

[Bonzawani]

Precise dog food was recommended to me today and I got a free 6.6lb. bag.

Made with chicken meat and natural preservatives.

It's more money than the Nutro Natural Choice I was considering, but the feeding amount is less than half.

Only 1 cup a day for Andy's 25lbs.

Precise Foundation Formula

Bonz

[puakenikeni]

Heya Bonzzzzzzz

Yeah - looks like you've hit a good one in Precise aye?

Thats the crappy thing though with dry food on our market - we seem to lag behind the rest of the world when it comes to dry food. We dont have nearly as many choices as other people do [well in comparision to you guys in the states at least].

Im still trying to get my hands on a packet of Eagle Pack and Innova to try out. Every place i ring around here doesnt know what im talking about when i ask if they stock Eagle Pack and Innova.

Hey - how about you aircargo me some of that Precise to try out? Just joking.

Take it easy... heyaaaa to Andy.

[Malamum]

Im still trying to get my hands on a packet of Eagle Pack and Innova to try out. Every place i ring around here doesnt know what im talking about when i ask if they stock Eagle Pack and Innova.

zee8477,

Pets Paradise is the only place that sells Innova in Australia. Believe me I looked around because I hated buying from PP.

I have never actually seen Eagle Pack in a store but I do have brochure at home with the details of where you can order it from and have it shipped to you. I'll try to remember to dig it out and post the details when I get home.

[Sonic]

Here's a contact email address for Eagle Pack. They will be able to send you out a list of distributors in your area. Some areas offer free home delivery.

[email protected]

[puakenikeni]

Thankyou guys for the info....

[Steve]

A while ago choice magazine did a big research thing on most of the brands available in Australia and the findings were that the only real difference was the energy content . Foods with higher energy levels were more expensive and those with less were cheaper. If they have a higher energy level you need to feed less so in other words the more expensive ones charge more depending on the marketing and the fat content. Take a good look at the labels on optimum and advance One is available with less marketing in a supermarket and the other via vets and produce merchants etc for a much higher price but the real differences according to the labels is pretty minimal. Both are made by uncle bens, You may need to feed less of the Advance but not much.

The canned stuff turned out to be about 60 percent [at best] moisture and in my opinion based on the way its prepared , whats added to it [same chemical as anti freeze] and the cheap solders they use and leach into the food including the fluid content I reckon regardless of brand its a case of a waste of money and all you get out of it is a bigger pile of runny smelly poos.

Do some homework Most of the big companies have supermarket brands and in many cases there's little difference between these and the more expensive ones.

If its listed as a complete food it has to have the recommended dietary allowances in them , forget all the stuff you hear about better protein sources etc and compare the energy levels. Change your brands regularly, mix em together, add table scraps and some raw meaty bones , anything soft or on the turn at the back of the fridge, fat out of the frying pan or the griller, yoghurt, eggs, fruit and fruit juices, peanut butter sandwiches, eggs and anything else you can think of and you'll cut down on the costs, the poos and have a healthy dog.

[Steve]

Foundation Formula Canned Food Analysis:

Crude Protein (min) 7.00%; Crude Fat (min) 4.00%; Crude Fiber (max) 2.00%; Moisture (max) 78.00%<

Hard to see any value in this .

[Steve]

If you can get this article printed and have a good long look at it you'll see much of what most of the marketing has us believing just isnt true .

If you can understand the basic principals of this article you stand a much better chance of finding a food thats the best value for your dollar and not fall victim to the billions of dollars spent on sucking you in.

http://www.fda.gov/cvm/index/consumer/petlabel.htm

[puakenikeni]

A while ago choice magazine did a big research thing on most of the brands available in Australia

Here is the link for anyone interested

.. and the findings were that the only real difference was the energy content .

The study i found was done in 2002 - where they listed some of the market leaders as being stuff like "Chum" , "Pedigree Meaty Bites", and "Pedigree Pal" . There is no doubt that since then better foods have emerged on the market. Maybe not on our market but certainly overseas where their pet food industry isn't self regulated like here in Australia. But then on the flip side - the AAFCO feeding trials are all done inhouse by the "Big Ben's" so where's the transparency there?

Foods with higher energy levels were more expensive and those with less were cheaper

In a simplistic way you could say this. But i would say that the reason that there are some foods that are more expensive would be because the quality of their ingredients was better no?

For example - some of the cheap supermarket brands give a vague run down on their ingredients by listing stuff like " rice flour, corn" etc etc.. whereas with some premium foods they actually give you a specific breakdown of whats contained in their food. For example: "contains.. chicken meal" RATHER than saying something like "poultry" etc etc..

If i was going to pay decent money on food for my little one i would seriously eyeball what i was proposing to feed her to ensure that she was getting everything she needed and to also ensure that i was getting a better bang for my buck.

Most of the big companies have supermarket brands and in many cases there's little difference between these and the more expensive ones.

True - and with a bit of sniffing around its easy to uncover these ones but mostly - the big companies - Nestle, Mars etc.. all make Iams, Euk, Purina and the supermarket brands too! Of course - the difference in prices equates with disparities in the quality of their ingredients.

The canned stuff...I reckon regardless of brand its a case of a waste of money and all you get out of it is a bigger pile of runny smelly poos.

True to an extent as well [iMHO that is ] What about the better tinned stuff on the market? Natures Gift for example. I read somewhere that tinned is good sometimes for palatability and that the canning process itself preserves the foods so perservatives [per se] weren't required?

Just my thoughts on the issue. Feel free to throw a dagger my way so we can dance.. LOL

[Bonzawani]

Foundation Formula Canned Food Analysis:

Crude Protein (min) 7.00%; Crude Fat (min) 4.00%; Crude Fiber (max) 2.00%; Moisture (max) 78.00%<

Hard to see any value in this .

Steve -

The store, of course, sells the canned too; but the owner said canned is no good.

I just started with the dry Foundation Formula:

Foundation Formula Dry Food Analysis:

Crude Protein (min) 24.00%; Crude Fat (min) 14.00%; Crude Fiber (max) 3.50%; Moisture (max) 10.00%; Calcium (min) 1.10%; Phosphorus (min) 0.90%; Omega-6 Fatty Acids (min) 2.56%; Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min) 0.43%; Vitamin C (min) 25 mg/lb

Dry Food Ingredients:

Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Whole Wheat, Ground Yellow Corn, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbyl Palmitate), Rice Bran, Corn Gluten Meal, Flaxseed, Lecithin, Natural Chicken Flavor, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Dried Cheese, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Biotin, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, DL-Methionine, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate.<

"Chicken meal made from whole chicken meat" with a Crude Protein (min) 24.00%.

That seems good to me.

Watta you think?

Bonz

EDIT: About PRECISE!

All PRECISE foods are natural.

We are passionately committed to natural nutrition. Our dry formulas are preserved with the antioxidants vitamin C (Ascorbyl Palmitate) and vitamin E (mixed Tocopherols). Our unique preservation system works so effectively that, even in the dog days of summer, you don't need artificial chemical preservatives in your dog's food. No Ethoxyquin, no BHA, no BHT... isn't that wonderful!

PRECISE uses only real meat protein.

The meat protein we use comes from the part of the chicken or lamb that you would eat yourself. On the label it is called chicken or lamb meal. We have poultry fat in all our formulas. Poultry fat converts most efficiently into energy, is great for the skin and coat, and makes our foods delicious for the most finicky eater. And, because there are no allergens in pure, clarified fat, we can have poultry fat in our lamb and rice Sensicare Formula®.

PRECISE adds the extras!

That's why we use whole, more expensive but more digestible grains as our source of carbohydrates. We also add more potent Ester-C® brand of vitamin C to strengthen the immune system and chelated minerals which are more absorbable than ordinary minerals.

Finally, we add lecithin to all our formulas. Lecithin is an important source of fatty acids, and it's great for skin and coat conditioning. But it's expensive and many brands don't have it.

Bonz

Edited November 8, 2004 by Bonzawani

[staffordgal]

I feed my SBT Purina Bonnie Complete, and since starting with it about 12 months ago, he has actually lost weight, and that's without reducing the amount he eats.

Seems it is made with lean roo meat and less fat and crap, and he loves it! He looks better for it too.

IMHO, great dry food at a great price ($34 for 20kg).

Cheers

Mandy

[avonpark]

I feed my RED CATTLE DOGS- Eukanuaba(when I can afford it!!) as it's the best on the market.One dog is quite tall and leggy with not much of an appetite but he looks a million dollars on EUKANUABA and eats every piece in 5 mins!!!

Otherwise puppies get BONNIE PUPPY which is great and has the added benefit of great colour intensity in the coat.The Adults get BONNIE COMPLETE or SUPERCOAT depends on what I can afford.

All dogs get chicken mince with the dry sprinkled on top.

Hope this helps.

[mita]

My 2 middle-aged Tibbie girls get a varied diet of fresh chicken, vegetables, tinned tuna and SUPERCOAT Lite and BONNIE Lite.

[Guest Gomez]

Gomez likes Royal Canin the best but other good ones he likes is Ekanuba and purina.

[Sayreovi]

Novas on Purina (again) and he looks great his coat is shinier and softer even after his tonnes of moulting fur.

We havent changed of this as it was recommended by his breeder we have added little bits.

I dont find the cost that bad considering he doesnt eat much of it as well as his BARF diet so its very cheap actually.

[SpikesPuppy]

We just did an overhaul of our dog's diets lol.

Currently, my Newfoundland (5 yrs old) is on a Supercoat Adult base and the Dobe (9yrs old) and the Shih Tzu X (almost 11) are on Supercoat Lite 'N Mature.

The puppy is on Eagle Pack small-medium breed Puppy (it is what the breeder recomends and although it is expensive, he doesn't eat all that much because of what we add).

They all get chicken wings/frames several times a week, raw eggs, fresh cooked veggies, sardines, rice/pasta, suitable table-scraps and the older dogs get Sasha's Blend.

They all have shiny, healthy coats, good activity levels, etc.

[Guest Niska]

Choosing a dry dog food.

1. Look at the ingredient order. Look out for splicing. (eg rice husk, ground rice, rice gluten) This would make rice first on the list not the protein source.

2. By-products apposed to meat or meal. By-products contain feather feet and beaks etc Feather have a high protein but very poorly digested.

3. preservatives used. BHA bad, mixed tocopherol is ok and alpha tocopherol is best.

4. Oils used, seed oils are best like sunflower or vegetable seed oils

5. use of chemicals and hormones in the protein source ( none and human grade best)

6. corn/maize is about 20% digestible and rice about 60%

7. high fiber can cause your pet to keep water in the stomach for too long and cause other problem

8. chicken is like humans 80% water and kibble is about 9% water. If chicken is first on the ingredient list then processed then it looses about 70% of its weight. What was 1st ingredient on the packet is now more than likely the lowest. Look for dehydrated protein source as number one on the packet (eg dried chicken meat/meal)

If you follow these simple rules that is documented everywhere on the net then you can rule out most dry foods on the market.

MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IS THAT THE FOOD COMPLIES TO AAFCO REGULATIONS. EVEN BETTER IF IT HAS BEEN TESTED BY AFFCO.

I use Nutro because all of the above reasons.