I Have A Headache From Researching Dog Food!

[Nadine83]

There are soooo many differing opinions and so much information to take in!

I am a tad confused, LOL.

So far I can remember that with dry food meat should come first on the ingredients list, I should avoid food that has grains/wheat as a main component, avoid vegetable oil (rather go for food that list specifics ie sunflower oil etc), avoid any meat by product and/or meal etc.

I have also read Canidae and Artemis seem to be good brands. Royal canin and Advance(?) are ok too.

Am I on track or am I totally wrong??

Also, what is a must for puppy (golden retriever) dry food (ie protein level, calcium, fats etc)?

The breeder mixes kibble (pedigree puppy) with mince and the pups get chopped up chicken wings as part of their diet too (plus milk). Is this classed as the barf diet?

Any help much appreciated :p

[Guest Ams]

As far as I am aware BARF means an all raw or natural diet.

Don't get so tied up about doggy diet. Whatever works for your dog is fine. Some need special diets for skin or stomach issues and some do just fine on the cheap supermarket brand.

Buy the best you can afford but be guided by (a) what your dog will eat and (b) what makes your dog healthiest (so look at coat shine, general health, stool consistency).

If you do go for a cheaper kibble then adding the mince, chicken and some sardines will help keep them healthy.

Personally I'd skip the milk as it is not necessary for adult dogs (or weaned puppies).

[PeiLuvR]

Hi Nadine83

Yes u are right, there are A LOT of different foods on the market !

I guess u need to make a decision regarding what food would be right for ur breed of dog.. and the ingredients in which would be good to feed ur growing retriever puppy :rolleyes:

U could look at feeding a medium to large breed puppy food, high in protein and calcium for a pup to develop strong and healthy bones.

I'd stay away from some of the cheaper brands - IMO supermarket brands are like Take away food, not too great for u!

If the breeder has only been feeding Pedigree then i would try mixing that with another dry food, sumthing a little more 'premium' such as Advance Turkey puppy or Advance Puppy growth chicken.

I think Canidae and Artemis are american brands. I have heard both of these are good but haven't fed them before.

EaglePack and Holistic Select are also quite good foods and have a really good variety.

For sensitive tummys i like Nutro chicken and rice. Plain but really great for easy eating (fussy eaters) and i have had results with a nice shiny coat.

For sensitive skin - I stay away from beef/red meat products and stick with chicken or fish based dry foods.

It can also be difficult as sum foods may seem expensive, but in the long run much better for your dog.

[Gayle.]

Generally meat meal is a concentrated, quality form of protein, not to be avoided. Meat by-products are things like chicken claws, feathers etc....anything from the animal that's not meat but ends up in the cooking pot. Not necessarily bad, but if you don't know the percentage of by-product to actual meat, it's hard to make an informed choice.

Try sourcing Black Hawk Holisitc in your area (Google it to find suppliers). Top quality locally made kibble with an excellent ingredients list.

[aj2251]

I know the feeling of being overwhelmed by all the food information!!!

I have one dog that can eat anything (currently on Black Hawk and very happy) and another who is currently on RC hypoallergenic (hydrolysed protein) due to allergies, we have done the Vet's All Natural and BARF, but stools were never good, until now.

What everyone else here have said I agree with. As long as your dog does well on it, that's all that really matters. My OH is astounded by the money I have spent on dog food and likes to remind me that farmer's dogs often get a bag of cheap stuff thrown into the yard to last them a month (free feeding). So if you have a dog with a good constitution, I wouldn't be too precious. Be guided by what your dog's health is.

Oh, BARF is completely raw meat, bones, and some veg diet. No kibble whatsoever. This requires alot of research again if you wish to follow this line of feeding, especially from a pup. Purchasing Dr Billinghurst's book, I'd say, is essential.

Good luck, but try not to stress too much :rolleyes:

[poodlefan]

Dog food reminds me a bit of the "two men and a donkey" story. You're never going to please everyone with what you feed.

As a person prone to over analysing things, I relate to the being overwhelmed feeling.

You want to give your dog the best. That can be challenging when there's no clear winner of what IS best.

I've fed all raw, now I feed a mixture of raw and premium kibble. I change brands from time to time.

If you're buying a quality product and your dog looks good on it, I'd say its time to relax. All of the brands you've mentioned are good. Just change from time to time - I think that helps even out any potential imbalances and keeps your dog interested.

For a pup, these days I'd recommend a premium kibble and raw meaty bones. Sounds like that's pretty much what the pup's breeder feeds now. It wouldn't be considered a BARF diet. Just kibble and bones.

Edited March 21, 2011 by poodlefan

[sheena]

Plenty on this Forum on Black Hawk....thoroughly recommend it

[dandybrush]

seriously feed them what you want, its a bit trial and error. start with a good brand you know of like royal canin or canidae and some decent pet mince and fresh bones etc

i tried to look into the best brands, i raised my boy on lucky dog puppy biscuits, then he had lucky dog adult biscuits, then he had adult bonnie and now we are on royal canin, and he seems to love it.

I like lucky dog i know its a cereal based food, but its what i always said i would feed my own dog ;) bonnie is cereal based also, though i believe that if you give them fresh bones and fresh mince then you are still giving them what they need

i have moved onto royal canin cause i like you wanted to put my boy on something better for him (its what his kennel uses) and so i bought it to try and he seems to really like it, i like the size of the biscuist better, and even my friends dog wants the biscuits when they visit i think he has a brighter coat maybe from the food ;) i know some pple can tell a huge difference when their dog eats good verse bad food i cant though :D so dont read soo much into it all, just feed a food you want to feed and are comfortable with/can afford its a bit of trial and error, you can change their food (by adding the new stuff into their diet slowely) at any time you like :D just have a try of everything if you want, or buy the one you always wanted to buy :D there are soo many out there, you could just discuss it all day

[Tapua]

I am a Nutro fan and feed a muxture of kibble and fresh raw including raw vegies, cerlery, carrot, beetroot. I like Nutro beasue it doesnt use cereals and nor does it use 'meat by-products' my critters and puppies have done well on it. All Australian recipe and made by Mars which make Advanced also. I like Royal Canin 4800 the breed specific types dont hold their condition well for me. Havent used Black Hawk yet but getting the hint that maybe I should. Dont drive yourself nuts over the food thing - the premium stuff is all pretty good and anything you add in moderation is OK if it is raw - generally.

[Mason_Gibbs]

Plenty on this Forum on Black Hawk....thoroughly recommend it

I have had a look at that but dont like the fact that rice is one of the main ingredients? Plus it contains chicken fat so no good for those wanting to not feed chicken.

IMO there is no prefect kibble out there and I certainly have not found one my allergy dog can eat BUT saying that my other dogs I had before were fed kibble and were healthy all their lives. I however wont be feeding kibble again I dont think.

If I had to choose I would go Holistic Select probably

[aj2251]

Brown rice, I believe, is not bad for your dog, it is a good quality grain (obviously if your dog has grain issues it would be a problem). Rice and chicken is commonly prescribed for dogs with an upset tummy, especially puppies.

Chicken Fat, I have been told is not an issue even if your dog has allergies to chicken. I went through a phase where I thought my allergic dog was allergic to chicken (turns out he can't have any form of protein and is now on hydrolyzed protein) and searched high and low for a kibble without it...very hard to find and then after actually asking Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach and Skin people, they assured me that chicken fat does not have the stuff that dogs allergic to chicken will react to, (sorry, can't remember the scientific jargon).

[Mason_Gibbs]

Brown rice, I believe, is not bad for your dog, it is a good quality grain (obviously if your dog has grain issues it would be a problem). Rice and chicken is commonly prescribed for dogs with an upset tummy, especially puppies.

Chicken Fat, I have been told is not an issue even if your dog has allergies to chicken. I went through a phase where I thought my allergic dog was allergic to chicken (turns out he can't have any form of protein and is now on hydrolyzed protein) and searched high and low for a kibble without it...very hard to find and then after actually asking Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach and Skin people, they assured me that chicken fat does not have the stuff that dogs allergic to chicken will react to, (sorry, can't remember the scientific jargon).

Hmm my dog still reacts to chicken fat and he is allergic to rice so its a no go for me

[Sagittarian]

If your dog can't handle chicken fat, then Earthborn Holistic Ocean Fusion, or Canidae Grain Free Salmon are worth a look at. If Lamb is okay, then the Canidae Lamb & Rice contains no chicken either.

Sags

[Mason_Gibbs]

If your dog can't handle chicken fat, then Earthborn Holistic Ocean Fusion, or Canidae Grain Free Salmon are worth a look at. If Lamb is okay, then the Canidae Lamb & Rice contains no chicken either.

Sags

I wil write a quick list of stuff my dog cant have and u will soon see why i feed home prepared.

Wheat

Soy

Corn

Barley

Chicken including chicken fat

Beef

Turkey

Rice

Oats and oatmeal