So what is everyone feeding?

[Ceph]

WOW! Your getting it pretty cheap!!! The co-op in my area doesnt appear to get it any cheaper then I do....ah well. At least I have a good starting point :-)

~Cate

[mnp13]

Yup, its AWESOME. We get chicken backs for $.29/lb and quarters for $.49/lb. We lucked out and ended up getting a deal on 40lb cases of quarters - 40lb for $2! Investing in another freezer was the best thing we've done.

You got 40 pounds of meat for TWO DOLLARS????? Where????

Also -- I dont imagine I need to grind bone for him either right?

And then the other question is Baby D is about 4 months old now...and at what age can I start feeding him the bone without having to grind it......I dont have a grinder anymore...and not gonna lie...I detest the grinding anyway.

Grinding depends on the dog. Riggs is a gulper and I learned all about doggie Heimlich maneuver last January when he passed out in his crate from choking on a bone. He would have died had I not gotten it dislodged, the other two actually chew, so it's not an issue with them. Riggs gulps and pukes almost every meal, even when it's chunks with no bones.

TOTW......
Ingredients
Salmon, ocean fish meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, canola oil, salmon meal, smoked salmon, potato fiber, natural flavor, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Calories: 3,600 kcal/kg (360 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy

Natures Domain....
Ingredients
Salmon meal, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, canola oil, potato protein, potato fiber, natural flavor, flaxseed, ocean fish meal, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

3,590 kcals/kg (336 kcals/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy


TOTW is $42.99 and the Natures Domain is $27.99..

i stole this from another message board. they both are made by diamond. i have not tried either, but might be worth a try.

Neither of them are all that great. Food ingredients are listed in order of weight, and the first ten ingredients generally tell you all you need to know.

TOTW - salmon is the first ingredient, but since it's "whole salmon" it includes the water in the meat so it's not really the real first ingredient. Ocean fish meal isn't bad, but what kind of fish? The next two ingredients are potato and then a few ingredients down there is more potato, so realistically, the REAL first ingredient of the food is potato. So essentially, the actual ingredients read: potato, fish meal, oil, salmon meal, flavor, salmon and then the rest.

Nature's Domain - again, there are lots of potatos in it and not a whole lot of meat meals. Real ingredients - potato, salmon meal, peas, oil, flavor, flax seed, ocean fish meal, salt

If you are looking for high grade food, I'd keep looking. TOTW is pretty expensive to be feeding your dog a food that's more potato than anything else. Ideally you want at least three meal protein sources in your first ten ingredients, no repeated ingredients, and all of the sources named specifically.

[Christie M]

I love this thread. Here in TN dogs live to be 20 eating little more than packaged cardboard
I used to feed raw and got lazy. I see awesome K9 athletes on Purina, Old Roy, Raw, Canidae and everything in between. I'm not going to say that it doesn't matter. But I love reading about how most people are feeding their dogs WAY better than they feed themselves and putting more thought into the K9 diet than their own.

[kendell]

I love this thread.

me too! this is definitely one of my favorites

[maberi]

I love this thread. Here in TN dogs live to be 20 eating little more than packaged cardboard
I used to feed raw and got lazy. I see awesome K9 athletes on Purina, Old Roy, Raw, Canidae and everything in between. I'm not going to say that it doesn't matter. But I love reading about how most people are feeding their dogs WAY better than they feed themselves and putting more thought into the K9 diet than their own.

I see the same thing with some of the dogs I see out in rural PA when visiting relatives. They have lived on Old Roy all their lives and are still trucking around at 15 years of age I think a lot of it has to do with genetics and the active lifestyles those dogs lead. Many of them spend the majority of their day running around in the country.

I'm a HUGE proponent of raw feeding but have become lazy and am feeding my crew Orijen. It is actually more expensive than raw right now but I've become lazy with the convenience factor and my guys are doing well on it. I also supplement their kibble with cottage cheese, eggs, fresh fish, flax oil and some fruit for treats

Orijen ingredients

Fresh deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, fresh deboned pacific salmon (a natural source of DHA and EPA), herring meal, sweet potato, peas, fresh deboned lake whitefish, fresh deboned northern walleye, chicken fat (naturally preserved with vitamin E and citric acid), chicken liver, salmon meal, fresh deboned turkey, fresh whole eggs, fresh deboned herring, sun-cured alfalfa, salmon oil, chicory root, dehydrated organic kelp, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, saskatoon berries, black currants, choline chloride, psyllium, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, sea salt, vitamin supplements (vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, vitamin C, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12), mineral supplements (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium), dried Lactobacillus acidophilus, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

[GSD-Freak]

most people are feeding their dogs WAY better than they feed themselves and putting more thought into the K9 diet than their own.

I really should change this! But pizza and Coke are so yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummy!

As for as for the money, I pay approx the same than you in the US. But people that live on the countryside here sometimes alot less.

I firmly believe that raw is way better than the best industrial food. Many people say "My dog is on XY (industrial food) and he is fine" but you know I'm eating pizza every few days and drink bottles of Coke a day and I feel very fine as well, but only 'cause of that you wouldn't say pizza and Coke is healthy, would you?

[davidnuxoll]

I myself use Nature's Variety Instinct. Out of all of the grainless dog foods, this one gave my Malthe best coat out of all of them. It seems to have the best ratio of Omega 3 and 6. I also noticed that here in Atlanta it costs just as much as Taste of the Wild with better ingredients. Aso many dogs not only are allergic to grain but can also be allergic to potatoes which all other grainless dog foods are based on. As far as Orijen goes, nothing bad to say about them food wise but I prefer to buy american so I stick with Nature's Variety (Orijen and Acana dog food are made in Canada and their corporation is Canadian based).

To comment about the point of dogs in the "kountry" living off of lesser quality foods, well I also experience this with my american bulldog. My "white english" (what the old timers call them here) is on a lesser quality food and does well on it. I tried him on grainless food but it was too rich for his digestive system.

[Stellen]

I tend to cycle out premium dogs foods for my dogs every few months....I noticed a marked change in Evo's new formula...even smaller stools, no gas (Thank you Lord) and within 48 hrs the turds are turning in white chalk as if I were feeding raw, which leads me to believe for the first time a dog food company that produces kibble is actually using real meat as a base for its product! I think Evo just got me sucked in for the moment ...until they lower the quality in the next few months to keep profits up, then its back to the ol' 3 kibble Monty

[GSD-Freak]

One question, how many meals do you feed your (adult) dog a day?

[Stellen]

One question, how many meals do you feed your (adult) dog a day?

In the winter twice and in the summer once.