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bighornbob
02-19-2008, 10:10 PM
Getting a new dog this weekend and was wondering what all you guys/gals are feeding your puppies. I read few older threads on puppy food and was just wondering if things have changed since all the dog food recalls last year.

Thanks for any help.

BHB

Marc
02-19-2008, 10:14 PM
I'm pretty sure everything out there now is pretty much safe. What kind of dog are you getting?

Dirty
02-19-2008, 10:18 PM
Had our dogs on Go! but was causing food allergies in the form of a rash on their bellies. We switched to Orijen and they are happy little devils right now. It is expensive but worth it. I would definitely recommend the Orijen!

bighornbob
02-19-2008, 10:32 PM
Were getting a Kuvasz cross (3 parts kuvasz 1 part black and tan). My girlfriends brother has them. Not going to be used as a hunting dog but he will accompany me on trips. Going to get some bags for him so he can pack out some weight for me:-P Will post some pics when we get him.

BHB

Sasquatch
02-19-2008, 10:44 PM
Congrats on the new pup, bet you are excited.

Premium dog food is worth the cost in less vet bills and a healthy dog.

Marc
02-19-2008, 10:48 PM
I've had my puppy on Innova puppy food for large breeds since I've gotten him. I'm a firm believer in that you get what you put in. If you want a good strong working dog then you have to fuel it properly.

BlacktailStalker
02-19-2008, 11:06 PM
No everything isnt safe !
Many people dont realize that the 30 some-odd companies are actually manufactured under 2 or 3 mega franchises using different names.
There is so much sh&t in dog food now its unreal.

Make sure it falls on this list of foods in the right category.

http://www.geocities.com/rottndobie/wholedogjournal.html

I feed mine Go Natural. Was on Nutro for years and Nutro is sh*t. Aside from their holistic line.
Notice the list of unapproved from 2005, well it hasnt changed because they dont care.
Also the manufacturers that wouldnt disclose information. You can bet it is for a reason.
I've done the research on all this, hope you chose well.
Enjoy the new addition!

Sitkaspruce
02-19-2008, 11:08 PM
GO natural Chicken and Vegtables.

She likes it a seems to work for her.

Gateholio
02-19-2008, 11:08 PM
My gal, the dog food expert says:

Things you need to look for

has to be a large breed puppy food, your dog will be big you don't want it to grow too fast, it can cause lots of hip problems later on

check the ingredient list, should have a "meal" listed first
ie, chickenmeal, or salmon meal, etc (no by product meals)

should have a money back guarantee,

don't cheap out on the bag, if it costs $10 for 30 pounds, your dog is eating garbage, generally even if it costs more, if you follow the guidelines and feed the proper amount, you won't break the bank

brands I like
orijen, nutro, eagle pack. go , chicken soup for the dog lover, firstmate,innova, solid gold, summit, etc

if you go to any pet store they will have a good option, stay away from the grocery store

Tikka7mm
02-19-2008, 11:48 PM
I had my pup on Wolf Cub Solid Gold and switched her to Innova large breed puppy food because she kept getting an upset stomach, if you know what I mean. So far she seems to be better but not all the time. Just because a food is rated high doesn't mean it is the right food for your dog. Sometimes you have to switch it up. Look for a healthy coat, shiny coat with healthy skin and be aware if your pup is itching and scratching regularly, could be a food allergy....Good luck.

springpin
02-20-2008, 12:02 AM
Summit, Summit, Summit!

Wolfman
02-20-2008, 12:05 AM
I've had my puppy on Innova puppy food for large breeds since I've gotten him. I'm a firm believer in that you get what you put in. If you want a good strong working dog then you have to fuel it properly.

I've got a pup coming in about three weeks time: A golden lab/Chesapeake Bay cross. My vet just suggested the Innova as well. There's also a brand called 'Evo Ancestral diet' which is supposed to be awesome for puppies as well.


Wolfman

mookie_monster
02-20-2008, 12:20 AM
pedigree, or if little pup caesars little packs are the best. I have a fox terrier and thats all i feed her.............shes as healthy as id say ox....but since were in here ill say an elk lol:D

tomahawk
02-20-2008, 06:42 AM
Stay away from Kirkland Puppy food, had my pup on it and he was runny all the time and took him to the vet after a couple weeks and she said that it is common with there food. Used Iams puppy and a world of difference.

Spokerider
02-20-2008, 11:58 AM
There is tons of information on the the net.....try googling it...

I watched a show on tv the other night, 20/20, Dateline or one of those investigative shows......anyway, it was on the pet food industry.

The jest of the report was how unregulated the pet food industry really is, USA and Canadian, and how the listed ingredients on the dog and cat food bags were not always accurate and correct, and that there is no enforcement in place to ensure the accuracy of the stated advertizing. In the end, the reccommendation by various interviewed vets and pet nutritionists, was for the pet owner to really research the pet food manufacuters claims of contents quality, quantity and methods of cooking etc before deciding upon a brand to feed. They also discovered that most of the *major* pet food brands used the same plant for making "their" brand of food, and named that plant as Menu Foods.
Much of the pet food that was causing renal failure and pet deaths due to melanine mixed in with the grain from China, was manufacterd by and in the Menu Foods plants, and distributed under the various pet food brand name packaging......
They did not actually disclose any names of brands of foods produced by Menu Foods, but only called them "major brands".

Needless to say, I won't be feeding any food made by Menu Foods to my mutts.....read the labels....many lawsuits are pending against Menu Foods for the loss of many hundreds of pets.

The report went on to say that all commercially made dog food is lacking in one form or another, although, some of the better ones came close to being a complete diet. They reccommended that pets be feed "people food" occasionally, as an adjunct to commercial food.

Here are some of the points I can recall...

1] Don't feed your pet the same brand of food day after day, mix it up, and change brands occasionally. My mutts get a different brand each bag, Orijen, Timberwolf, Eukanuba, etc,

2] Substitute people food for the occasional meal. Mine get raw ground chicken necks and backs, steamed spuds, raw green veggies and fruit, etc..for a ratio of 70% meat / fat and 30% veggies / fruit.

3] Do the research...... the pet food industry was originally born from large meat plants trying to find a way to utilize all of the non-human grade meat by products, like: tumors, feet and hooves, ofal, organs, beaks and heads, contaminated meat, hides, etc Yup, this is the crap that goes into your $22 /30lb bag of "dog food"......

4] Many of the vetrinarians and nutritionists interviewed for the report, did not feed commercially prepared pet food, but rather fed their pets a raw food diet they themselves had prepared. [ BARF diet]

I was feeding the barf diet, but for three mutts, it got to be too much labour, but they still get it occasionally.

SUAFOYT
02-20-2008, 01:16 PM
We got our first dog 2 years ago. We've only fed Iam's so far and no problems at all. My wife makes moose liver jerky for treats, and we always supplement his main meal with salmon that we've been able to get from our friends that have freezer burnt stuff that they would normally throw out. We can it up and he loves the stuff. We're not real big fans of deer meat, but this coming season if we get any we're going to can it up and use that. No additives, just the meat as a supplement.

Wolfman
02-20-2008, 05:47 PM
We got our first dog 2 years ago. We've only fed Iam's so far and no problems at all. My wife makes moose liver jerky for treats, and we always supplement his main meal with salmon that we've been able to get from our friends that have freezer burnt stuff that they would normally throw out. We can it up and he loves the stuff. We're not real big fans of deer meat, but this coming season if we get any we're going to can it up and use that. No additives, just the meat as a supplement.




Yeah, I agree.

You gotta put some cash on the table when it comes to feeding your pets right. I have two adult cats a big sheepdog and another pup on the way. Sure, when you add up what we feed 'em every month it can be expensive - but hey, these guys are a kind of family member - gotta treat 'em right.


Wolfman

.303
02-20-2008, 06:24 PM
We got our now 4 y/o dog 2 years ago from the SPCA. On the sheet it said the Previous owner was feeding her Nutro .....something or other. So thats what we fed her. After awhile she started to develop some allergic reactions. At first the Vet thought it was Hayfever because it was right in the height of allergy season.

However the symptoms continued....she was constantly biting at herself, crap coming out of her eyes etc.

The vet finally mentioned food (probably wheat) as a possibility...so after numerous changes we found FirstMate. The have food with wheat and some without.

We now feed her the FirstMate Ultra Premium Dog Food...Potato and Chicken with Blueberries (dog eats better than I do). It is grain free, and has 0 Animal By-Products...no allergies....

Some people laugh when I tell them that I won't feed her anything with by-products, wheat etc....."oh it's only the dog" is the usual response...

"Yeah......well, it's my dog....your Dog can eat the bargain basement brand from the bulk section in Save-On"....is what I say.:cool:

http://www.firstmate.com/index.html

You can tell it doesn't have a lot of extra no good stuff in it as her stool is very soft. There isn't a lot of filler. With the Nutro brand it was a lot harder....not that you want to know that....

BoomBoom
02-20-2008, 06:56 PM
I'm not going to over react here like some. Just because dogs don't react well to certain brands, does not mean its sh*t. For every report that says one product is low in value ie/ chichen vs chicken "meal", there is another that discounts the report.

You don't always get what you pay for. I have used Innova, good food, but I couldn't afford it. A couple of pro trainers and several amatuers I know feed food from walmart, I have seen their dogs on their trucks and they are just fine...perform awesome,good coats etc...

Purina has long been known as an affordable food and still has the largest R and D budget, tough to suggest that their food may be sh*t.

I say try different foods that met your budget, see how the dogs respond.

My dogs have responded well to Nutro brand. I have over the years tryed afew. Each dog seems to have a different brand that keeps them in optimum condition.

I guess until a dog has cancer at 12 years old, one may not develop an opinion on a specific brand until then. Even then, it is too easy to blame the food.


....boom....

Bowzone_Mikey
02-20-2008, 07:08 PM
Stay away from Kirkland Puppy food, had my pup on it and he was runny all the time and took him to the vet after a couple weeks and she said that it is common with there food. Used Iams puppy and a world of difference.

that and the walmart brand .... bad gas and the runs ....

I feed my Golden Retreiver Nutro Lamb, chicken and rice large breed puppy food ....

the large breed food has a growth inhibitor in it to slow down the rate of growth whitch in turns combats the hip dyplasia (sp) common in so many larger dogs

huntingfamily
02-20-2008, 07:11 PM
Hi bhb,

If your dog will be 50+ pounds as an adult, I would definitely feed Innova Large Breed Puppy. It is more expensive than your garden variety chow, but you will feed less and the pups stools will be smaller = less clean-up.

Ingredients are first rate and more is absorbed by the dog instead of being crapped out.
Try it, you will see.

Cheers and good luck with the pup.

Conrad74
02-20-2008, 09:48 PM
I give my black lab 100 % raw food - Trysum brand, it is made in Mission its got beef scraps,tripe,lungs etc mixed with apple carrot and real bone meal. He loves the stuff and is quite healthy

ROY-alty33
02-23-2008, 10:04 PM
We feed our new pup Nutro large breed puppy.
And the hound gets firstmate hypo-allergenic fish and potato. Its the first food in over two years to make her skin and ears irratable. And its a good BC product as well.

Wolfman
02-23-2008, 11:30 PM
I give my black lab 100 % raw food - Trysum brand, it is made in Mission its got beef scraps,tripe,lungs etc mixed with apple carrot and real bone meal. He loves the stuff and is quite healthy

My vet is gung ho about this raw food thing too. Keeps telling me that I should feed my dogs and my cats raw chicken from this raw foods specialty place.

I think I'll stick with the EVO stuff my beasts eat right now. They all seem healthy ;-)

Wolfman

porcupine
02-23-2008, 11:48 PM
Eagle Pack for our puppy and our adult Toller
________
Virago (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Yamaha_Virago)

diggerpax
02-24-2008, 10:05 AM
The raw food diet does have some drawbacks. Many dogs will do very well on it, but there is an increased risk for salmonella, bad strains of E. Coli, etc. Most dogs get exposed to these anyway, and will kill them off with ease, but others will become infected. This can put you and your family at risk. Your dog can become a carrier of salmonella and shed it in every file of feces- not something you want your kids to stumble into in the back yard- look up typhoid mary on the web- this could easily be your dog. Also, you must be very careful your dog is getting a balanced diet- they are far from being an obligate carnivore like cats. The posts are absolutely correct that a large breed diet should be used for bigger dogs with limited amounts fed to reduce the risk of orthopedic problems. I like the higher end foods from Purina and Hills, but there are a lot of great diets out there. I don't want to bang on your diet Conrad74, because raw diets work well for some, just be sure it is well balanced. In my vet school we are taught to stay away from them due to public health risks and other complications, but there are many schools of thought.

calvin L
03-03-2008, 07:27 PM
Well I got to see some pictures of BHB new dog I will not steal his thunder so let just say it is way better looking than him :biggrin:

GoatGuy
03-04-2008, 04:00 PM
Were getting a Kuvasz cross (3 parts kuvasz 1 part black and tan). My girlfriends brother has them. Not going to be used as a hunting dog but he will accompany me on trips. Going to get some bags for him so he can pack out some weight for me:-P Will post some pics when we get him.

BHB

What do you do with a dog that doesn't hunt?

Sounds like a cat that barks.

The GF has a cat - you can have that if you want.

Feed it bear meat.