24 replies to this topic

[Daniel & Baretta]

hello... to every one ... my name is Daniel, and i just got a lab puppy, this is not the first dog ive had, still the fisrt lab it is...

i was wonderig wich food brand is the best one for the lab, that offcourse includes the prize...

i know eukanuba is very good, but i wanna know your opinion. i live in México, so maybe lot of brand are not selled here, enyways i wanna know wot do you think....


thank to everyone for answering.... Daniel & baretta (puppy name)

[IanWilkinson]

hello... to every one ... my name is Daniel, and i just got a lab puppy, this is not the first dog ive had, still the fisrt lab it is...

i was wonderig wich food brand is the best one for the lab, that offcourse includes the prize...

i know eukanuba is very good, but i wanna know your opinion. i live in México, so maybe lot of brand are not selled here, enyways i wanna know wot do you think....
thank to everyone for answering.... Daniel & baretta (puppy name)

Ola y bienvenido Daniel...

I'm from England, and you're right, available brands depend to a certain extent on where you're from. I feed Phoebe on Chappie, which is canned and consists mainly of fish, chicken and cereals. Some don't like using canned food because of the gas, but chappie doesn't seem to have any bad effects, other than it's fishy smell.

I remember that there are some ethical reasons why a lot of people have turned away from Iams, and there more and more who buy bulk dried dog meal from farms and other outlets - seems very good, but I'll stick to chappie for now!

I haven't fed with Eukanuba, so I couldn't comment specifically, other than to say that if it has the required nutrition and comes well recommended by vets, then it's probably fine.

I've seen your pics of Baretta in the gallery and she - (I'm assuming she's a little girl) - looks like a little princess!

[ian]

I have used three foods in the last 18 months. First i used a brand called Purina Pro 1, bailey was fine on it (looking back i don't know why we changed it). The second was Skinners Field and Trial, this dried Bailey's skin. We are now on Hills Science Plan (Large Breed) and very happy with it, his skin seems to have gotten better. It also contains Glucosamine and claims that it stops them from getting fat??!!

and welcome BTW

[Heather]

There is a website that rates dog food's... somewhere.. I'm sure as long as the dog food has a balanced diet.. and minerals and nutrients.. sure it will be fine. I feed mine dry mixed with warm water, and a spoon of canned mixed in for gravy or sometimes sweet potato or carrots.. mixed in. We ran out of food the other day.. and I was glad the dogs have had hamburger in their food recently.. because I had to give them something...(dog food store was closed) I made them brown rice, and hamburger meat.. mixed it together with a cooked sweet pototao, I had microwaved. They gobbled that up and licked their chops for more.

[ian]

that website is here.

http://www.dogfoodan...views/index.php

though it only give Hills (Science Plan) One star!

[Carolyne]

Welcome to the site Daniel!

I feed my lab Tessa on Bakers 'Senior' dried mix (she's getting on) in the mornings and Pal tin food in the evening which she loves. I've tried many varieties over the years but Pal is one she's keen to stick to.

I feed Phoebe on Chappie, which is canned and consists mainly of fish, chicken and cereals.

Good ol' Chappie... Tessa has this when she's poorly.

[ian]

apparently Vets like to use Chappie on unwell dogs. I used this as a mixer for a while but Bailey began to Honk. So we stopped.

[Daniel & Baretta]

hey... thanks to every one for ansewering ive just got the Eukanuba brand, and this is because ive search over the net and in México could be one of the best dry food, still im reserching for more info.

thanks IANWILKINSON for the photo coments, and ill try some food with those ingredients and im sure because of the fish they wont have any fat problems...

thanks IAN sure i saw purina pRO at the store and it looks like its very good, and for wot ive seen it has got a good price against other brands but just for a cuple of dollars, so maybe ill stick with this one on the second shopping

ive had look for the other brands u guys send me and unfortunately seems like no 1 sells them here and also ive seen that those brands are very expensive, here one of the expensiest ones is the one i got 20kg 0r 44.2 pounds cost 90 dollars or 62 € but there is some very very cheap (it might be just corn soy) wich is about 15 dlls or 10€

thanks HEATHER... for wot ive read carrots, and peppers or most of vegetables are not digestable for dogs unless they got the propper process such as boiling at least, but im thinking also about making mix food and ive just to stated with the cocked egg semms to give then very nice hair...

thanks Carolyne i havent found that brand but few friend use it so ill still looking for it,,

anyways thanks again to everyone... this is a vey nice web site...

Daniel and Baretta.

[Heather]

Daniel,
I cook the carrots either by boiling or cooked in tin foil with olive oil in the oven/grill. I also do this with sweet potatoes. Lots of people swear by the egg & have used it with good luck. I think the olive oil on the sweet potatoes or carrots is good too.. and we don't get any dandruff or dry skin here.. the dogs will eat the carrots or sweet potatoes like they are doggy treats, gone in a flash. I have been cooking the potato or carrots.. and have dogs coming into the kitchen sniffing.. and looking all hopefull.. like the food is for them..

Just be careful when switching foods.. go slowly.. I use a dixie cup amount each feeding of the new stuff. .till the old stuff is no longer. .usually about 10 days is what they reccomend..

One of the vet's I have seen was impressed we use the Wellness brand dog foods, and suggested giving the dogs like 1/2 a can 3 days per week of the canned if you didn't want to get into cooking foods for them or adding in egg for their coat.. he said canned had oils in it and was just as good..

Ian----thanks for the link. AGAIN.. I gotta bookmark it..

[Daniel & Baretta]

thanks.. ill try them for treats... and i havent found wellness sells in here, over the net, but im sure there most be a place....

Daniel & Baretta

[IanWilkinson]

anyways thanks again to everyone... this is a vey nice web site...

Daniel and Baretta.

I'm sure we're all glad to be of some assistance, Daniel - and we hope you stick around for a long time. We have a very dear friend here from Puerto Rico - Daly Gomez -who I'm sure would love the chance to chat a little, (charlar) in Spanish!!

[gindyhead]

hello... to every one ... my name is Daniel, and i just got a lab puppy, this is not the first dog ive had, still the fisrt lab it is...

i was wonderig wich food brand is the best one for the lab, that offcourse includes the prize...

i know eukanuba is very good, but i wanna know your opinion. i live in México, so maybe lot of brand are not selled here, enyways i wanna know wot do you think....
thank to everyone for answering.... Daniel & baretta (puppy name)

We have an 8 year old and for the first two years of his life he was on IAMS Puppy food for large breed. After he turned 2 the vet said it was okay to put him on regular IAMS. We did that for about a year and then gradually blended in some good old regular Pedigree Chum (dry), and he's been on it ever since, and his vet says he's the fittest lab he's ever seen in his office. I think the puppy food gave him a good foundation..... now, Charlie couldn't care less what brand it was or how much it cost. I did recently buy the Pedigree Chum for senior dogs which said it was easier for them to digest, but the smells coming out of him were too much to bear so we went back to the regular one.

[violent_storm2000]

We feed raw. There is a ton of information out there. But here are some feeds that have already been ranked.

Alpo Prime Cuts / Score 81 C
Artemis Large/Medium Breed Puppy / Score 114 A+
Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Authority Harvest Baked Less Active / Score 93 B
Beowulf Back to Basics / Score 101 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Blackwood 3000 Lamb and Rice / Score 83 C
Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice / Score 106 A+
Burns Chicken and Brown Rice / Score 107 A+
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Diamond Performance / Score 85 C
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice / Score 106 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
EaglePack Holistic / Score 102 A+
Eukanuba Adult / Score 81 C
Eukanuba Puppy / Score 79 C
Flint River Senior / Score 101 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Innova Large Breed Puppy / Score 122 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Member's Mark Chicken and Rice / Score 84 C
Merrick Wilderness Blend / Score 127 A+
Nature's Recipe / Score 100 A
Nature's Recipe Healthy Skin Venison and Rice / Score 116 A+
Nature's Variety Raw Instinct / Score 122 A+

You will notice that Purina is not on there. This is because you can not get lower than a zero on this scale, but Purina almost managed to break that bar.

[KarenM]

That was great info we feed ours Nature's Recipe Healthy Skin Venison and Rice / Score 116 A+ . We read a lot of bags before I picked this one. Glad I made a wise choice. One thing about it, is it has yogurt in it. We already feed them extra yogurt. We read that it would help Toby's ears and since he has been on it we have had no ear trouble.

Thanks VS

I do have one question. We can not get raw (BARF) around here. We have given them liver, chicken livers and gizzards. Along with some veggies. Any recommendations as to how we can make our own raw?

[violent_storm2000]

A lot of people have different views about feeding raw. I just get low price (but still lean and good) meats, and mix it in with a few different types of veggies to provide some of the things that they do not get from just meat. When we get moved into our house I will get a deep freeze and I will start going to the auctions and get a hog a cow and a bunch of chickens every six months or so. Butcher them myself. Saves a lot of money.

[Heather]

As long as the temperature on the meat reaches 0 all should be good with anyone making their own foods. (I even freeze their dog cookies when finished baking/cooling) That temperature kills off all harmful bacteria etc. Also washing hands BEFORE AND AFTER touching it is important. Not just a rinse.. WASHING.. soap, hot water, scrub scrub scrub..

We have a deep freezer, and I was thinking about doing some more with raw/barf. Hubby used to work as a butcher years ago, during high school. (he's a man of alot of trades.) So I think it wouldn't be too hard to do. Bet it would be a money saver as well. We get chicken breasts by the bag at a local meat seller.. $10 for like 5 pound bag.. as opposed to 2 chicken breasts for $7.. I will have to look into getting a whole animal.. see what that cost is.. and how long it lasts.. see if it's worth it.. I know Duke would eat better, if we did.. (he's a sluggish dry food eater..even with the warm water added to it)

[violent_storm2000]

Freezing will kill a great majority of bacteria out there.

But some bacteria can actually go into a type of hibernation at low temperatures. The best way to kill any bacteria on food is heat. The toughest bacteria out there is Bacillus anthracis (Wool sorters disease), and it will go completely inactive in temperatures below 0 C. But as soon as it warms back to a temp above freezing it will become active again. But it can not grow and reproduce unless it is in a range of 42 C to 29 C. But does best between 36 C and 31 C. Best way to kill bacteria on food is with heat and pressure (pressure cooker) You will need to keep it at a minimum of 100 C in a + 1 atmo for about 10 min. The hotter and more pressure you have the lower the lag time. If you can not use a pressure cooker that is fine. Plain old heat will do the job as well.

Lucky for us we really do not have to worry about most of these types of bacteria. Most of them have been almost completely killed off in the US and the UK.

We feed raw so you can see just how worried I am not about the tougher types of bacterium.

[Drico]

Freezing will kill a great majority of bacteria out there.

But some bacteria can actually go into a type of hibernation at low temperatures. The best way to kill any bacteria on food is heat. The toughest bacteria out there is Bacillus anthracis (Wool sorters disease), and it will go completely inactive in temperatures below 0 C. But as soon as it warms back to a temp above freezing it will become active again. But it can not grow and reproduce unless it is in a range of 42 C to 29 C. But does best between 36 C and 31 C. Best way to kill bacteria on food is with heat and pressure (pressure cooker) You will need to keep it at a minimum of 100 C in a + 1 atmo for about 10 min. The hotter and more pressure you have the lower the lag time. If you can not use a pressure cooker that is fine. Plain old heat will do the job as well.

Lucky for us we really do not have to worry about most of these types of bacteria. Most of them have been almost completely killed off in the US and the UK.

We feed raw so you can see just how worried I am not about the tougher types of bacterium.

You'd be surprised how horrible the most popular brands of dry kibble really is, I wouldn't be caught dead feeding my dogs Iams, Science Diet, or any other brand including Purina. I have a 1 year old Boxer female and the dry kibble she is currently on is Innova's Puppy blend. I have also given her Canidae and Chicken Soup for the dog lovers Soul with success, I also feed Otis my 6 month old Black Lab the same Innova Puppy blend and he can't get enough.

The Dogfood analysis website is very informative and accurate, I was actually amazed as to how little vets really know about nutrition..and it's painfully obvious when visiting many of their offices which are mostly stocked with less than what I consider to be quality nutrition for cats and dogs.


Dave

[Beast]

Some great info in this thread. Just a few questions for an 8wk old puppy. Possibly to be named Beast.

Violent storm... could you please let me know where you got the ranked information from?

Could someone please post some websites that discuss what to look for in a dog chow? How to progressively increase the amount I feed him as he grows? When to introduce wet foods? When to introduce some cooked carrots?

I've found this website http://www.grccny.or...ng a Golden.htm But I wonder about credibility. The concept of feeding a high protein diet to an animal that is primarily a carnivore makes good sense. But I've seen other threads condemning a high protein diet.

Please help sort out what I should trust.

Thanks. Beast'll thank you too.

[Drico]

You'd be surprised how horrible the most popular brands of dry kibble really is, I wouldn't be caught dead feeding my dogs Iams, Science Diet, or any other brand including Purina. I have a 1 year old Boxer female and the dry kibble she is currently on is Innova's Puppy blend. I have also given her Canidae and Chicken Soup for the dog lovers Soul with success, I also feed Otis my 6 month old Black Lab the same Innova Puppy blend and he can't get enough.

The Dogfood analysis website is very informative and accurate, I was actually amazed as to how little vets really know about nutrition..and it's painfully obvious when visiting many of their offices which are mostly stocked with less than what I consider to be quality nutrition for cats and dogs.
Dave

Dogfood analysis