mushka Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Okay, so opinions were mixed on my canned food question - thanks for all the replies. Here's my next question: can anyone recommend a grain-free food dry or canned that is Australian-made? And further to this, what do people think of grain-free dog food? The argument that dogs don't need grains makes sense to me but then all the grain-free dog foods contain potatoes as the carb and I'm not convinced this is any better. I am feeding a large-ish puppy and she gets 50% raw but I'd like to have some sort of commercial food as the other 50% just to make sure she gets all the nutrients she needs to grow healthily. When she's adult I will probably shift to 100% raw along the lines of a BARF-diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I do not think there is a grain free dry food made in Aus. I have recently made the switch to the Canidae Grain Free Salmon and my very hard to put weight on and keep weight on giant breed is looking fantastic. I chose it as it had a higher protein and fat content which was similar to the power/ performance formulas such as Eagle Pack Power which I was feeding previously. I am also finding I am able to maintain weight on less food - I am probably feeding 1/4 - 1/3rd less of the Canidae. I have also noticed a significant drop in gas - always a bonus when its a giant breed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 The argument that dogs don't need grains makes sense to me but then all the grain-free dog foods contain potatoes as the carb and I'm not convinced this is any better. Me neither. A wild dog is no more likely to eat a potato than a grain. But I guess it also depends what a particular dog does well on - perhaps some do better on potato than grains, even though are both carbs. I can't recommend a grain free food made in Aussie, sorry. I know Canidae do a grain free food, but I haven't tried it. My dog gets regular Canidae All Life Stages with her raw food. Dogs don't need grains (neither do humans of course), but a small amount doesn't seem to do my girl (or me) any harm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akay Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Here's a good article on the grain debate written by Dr Bruce Syme, a vet in Australia who is the developer of the Vets All Natural food and other products. This might help you in your decision. http://www.vetsallnatural.com.au/index.php...6&Itemid=82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Dog Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 (edited) are any of the Eagle Pack food grain free? Not Aus made i know... Edited March 29, 2011 by Scarlett Dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Can't think of any. There are 'nicer' grains like rice & oats in some Aussie made products. My view is don't worry about the grains unless you have a dog that is allergic to that grain. The Barf book has a oat meal in it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Can't think of any. There are 'nicer' grains like rice & oats in some Aussie made products. My view is don't worry about the grains unless you have a dog that is allergic to that grain. The Barf book has a oat meal in it too. Dr Billinghurst amended his view about that to remove all grains from his recommended diet. I started BARFing as a hard line "no grains" feeder. Nowadays (possibly due to higher dog number or maybe it just old age) I'm a lot more casual about the issue of what to feed. My beliefs these days are that RMBs should be the basis of any dog's diet for both nutritional and well being reasons (dogs NEED to chew) but that supplementing them with a premium kibble isn't the end of the world. Grains do provide a short term source of energy for dogs. Fat is what is digested and stored. I'm reliably informed that a lot of mushers and performance folk that need their dogs to be able to work hard will feed rice before a hard day of work just as human athletes will carb load. I definitely believe that unless you're prepared to put a lot of effort into your dog's diet that a pup raised on RMBs and a suitable grade of kibble is the way to go. Aussie made, I'd put up with the grains and feed Advance. A lot of great dogs do well on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Dr Billinghurst amended his view about that to remove all grains from his recommended diet. And he also started selling those patties. Can't say I agree with all his amendments. mushka at the end of the day feed your dog what it does best on. That might not be what you think is best either, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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