I used to feed my doggy poison. :D

[IAmLink]

Cardinal- That's really interesting, I would never have thought that even grain-free kibbles could be so deceptive!

Personally, I've never had any of my dogs on a grain-free kibble; I've never had a dog with grain allergies or other special needs, so I've never really looked very closely at the grain-free varieties. However, I think I made the same assuption as many other people in that almost all grain-free kibbles were better than their normal w/grain counterparts. Interesting to know that's not always the case. That just seems to make the idea of looking for kibble even more challenging! Who would have thought that betting on the ingredients to be accurate in the amounts of each would be so questionable?

It didn't even occur to me that, in place of grains, grain-free kibbles would use potatoes/peas/etc. to make a flour. It makes sense now that they'd obviously need something to hold it all together. I also would never have thought that something that is considered light, but in large quantities, would move that ingredient down on the list and therefore make the kibble seem like it had more meat/protein than it really did.

I was aware how the grain-free varieties are much higher in protein and, therefore, you only need to feed very small portions in comparison to the size of your dog. I think a lot of people are under the assumption that if they have a grain-free food, then they need to up the amount they feed, even trying to double or triple the normal amount at times >.> That's especially terrible in puppies when they are fed too much and then they grow super fast and then have terrible joint problems as adults.

All these ingredients and everything you have to look up and research and test on your dog seems even more challenging than feeding raw! That's why I love raw so much because I know exactly what I'm giving my dog. With kibble, I'm always questioning just how good it really is and if there isn't something better I could feed.

How much more complicated can dog food be??

[Jazi]

That's why I like EVO for my cat. Less fillers than TotW, more meats. She likes it better anyways. I was feeding her a blend of both but in light of the recall I've been weaning her off of TotW and back onto exclusively EVO. Costs a little less than TotW too and can be fed in smaller amounts, which is win/win with my college budget.

[Bad Habit]

Bam. Just back from the pet store, returning my recalled bag of Taste of the Wild. Unopened, thank god, but leaving me high and dry, with just enough food to stretch a couple days. They're not selling TotW, so have to switch my dog cold turkey from the food he's been on just about exclusively for 2 years now. Not impressed.

The pet store recommended Performatrin Ultra Grain Free, and since both my mum and my sister feed the Performatrin line, I figured I'd give it a try. They said it was closest to TotW, so should hopefully make the change a bit easier, and they also recommended putting some pumpkin in his food, to help with the switch. I'm also going to do the best I can to mix what's left with the new stuff, and it's back to measuring food again. He's bored with TotW so only eats when he's hungry. He'll gobble down the new food if I let him, lol.

Anyway, if the Performatrin doesn't work out, does anyone have a recommendation for kibbles? I can get just about anything these days, and he doesn't eat much, so cost isn't really a question. When he was younger I tried him on Acana but it didn't prevent weepy eyes very well. And Blue Buffalo once, which made his eyes run really bad.

[loveandpeace1313]

Anyway, if the Performatrin doesn't work out, does anyone have a recommendation for kibbles? I can get just about anything these days, and he doesn't eat much, so cost isn't really a question. When he was younger I tried him on Acana but it didn't prevent weepy eyes very well. And Blue Buffalo once, which made his eyes run really bad.

I'm a new dog owner, but my puppy does great on Royal Canin, Don't know how good that is as far as ingredients I know it does have grains, her breeder recommended it, but we got innova instead and she didn't do to well on it, so we switched back, her eyes do run a lot, never knew that that had anything to do with food, just thought It was pollen or some type of allergy.

[loveandpeace1313]

Anyway, if the Performatrin doesn't work out, does anyone have a recommendation for kibbles? I can get just about anything these days, and he doesn't eat much, so cost isn't really a question. When he was younger I tried him on Acana but it didn't prevent weepy eyes very well. And Blue Buffalo once, which made his eyes run really bad.

I'm a new dog owner, but my puppy does great on Royal Canin, Don't know how good that is as far as ingredients I know it does have grains, her breeder recommended it, but we got innova instead and she didn't do to well on it, so we switched back, her eyes do run a lot, never knew that that had anything to do with food, just thought It was pollen or some type of allergy.

[.yuanfen]

Just bought a small test bag of Innova Prime, Beef and Lamb Meal Formula. After comparing it to Avoderm and Instinct, I was a bit concerned with the others' use of meal (yes, Innova does use Lamb Meal).
I also looked at the ingredients and counted how many things that I couldn't pronounce. Innova was the best here, too.
And my dog loves beef and lamb, likes chicken, is meh about duck, and dislikes salmon (in dog food. If we give him people salmon he loves it).

So Innova seemed to be the way to go. Most websites give it 5 stars!

Promptly he showed us that Innova was much more preferable compared to his former food of Blue Buffalo Salmon Formula.
Not sure about his allergies, though. A friendly fellow dog owner recommended spraying some apple cider vinegar, that multiuse-manna-from-heaven-tool-of-the-gods liquid that all dog owners should have, on his hot spots.
Whether his sore is a hot spot or rash is still a mystery...

Anyone read about the recent recall of Kirland Dog Food due to salmonella poisoning?

[Cardinal]

Just bought a small test bag of Innova Prime, Beef and Lamb Meal Formula. After comparing it to Avoderm and Instinct, I was a bit concerned with the others' use of meal (yes, Innova does use Lamb Meal).
I also looked at the ingredients and counted how many things that I couldn't pronounce. Innova was the best here, too.
And my dog loves beef and lamb, likes chicken, is meh about duck, and dislikes salmon (in dog food. If we give him people salmon he loves it).

So Innova seemed to be the way to go. Most websites give it 5 stars!

Promptly he showed us that Innova was much more preferable compared to his former food of Blue Buffalo Salmon Formula.
Not sure about his allergies, though. A friendly fellow dog owner recommended spraying some apple cider vinegar, that multiuse-manna-from-heaven-tool-of-the-gods liquid that all dog owners should have, on his hot spots.
Whether his sore is a hot spot or rash is still a mystery...

Anyone read about the recent recall of Kirland Dog Food due to salmonella poisoning?

Theres nothing wrong with meat meals. Meals are actually preferred as it means more meat. ;D Innova has -very- low protein which suggests a low meat content. Compare the protein in Innova which is 24% to something like.. Earthborn or Natural Balance Chicken.. Earthbron is 38% and NB is 41%.. The amount of protein can give you a bit of an idea to the meat density of the food. Its not a perfect thing to go by, but it is an idea. You can bump it up to.. Evo Innova. ;D Evo is their grain free lines with 42% protein.

Waaaiiittt.. I just realized Prime is a new line of Innova. o.O Thats pretty awesome. Their protein is 35%ish..? I wonder how much of the protien is from the Lentils..? Lentils have protein, don't they? HrrrmmMMmm.

Anyway, if the Performatrin doesn't work out, does anyone have a recommendation for kibbles? I can get just about anything these days, and he doesn't eat much, so cost isn't really a question. When he was younger I tried him on Acana but it didn't prevent weepy eyes very well. And Blue Buffalo once, which made his eyes run really bad.

I'm a new dog owner, but my puppy does great on Royal Canin, Don't know how good that is as far as ingredients I know it does have grains, her breeder recommended it, but we got innova instead and she didn't do to well on it, so we switched back, her eyes do run a lot, never knew that that had anything to do with food, just thought It was pollen or some type of allergy.

Royal Canind is full of fillers and such. Could be why she has runny eyes. Try a grainfree and see if the eyes improve. =)

Does anyone feed their dog Chappie? My dog is on Chappie at the moment, and she is a healthy agility dog. It's cheap with no artificial stuff. Is this good for dogs or not? apparently it's good for dogs with sensitive stomachs, which my dog has, because it is so bland.

Chappie looks terrible. Its full of grains and has BHA AND BHT which are both known to cause tumor/cancer in pets. Its also ful of unnamed meat sources so god knows whats actually in it.. Has LESS THAN 20% protein and LESS THAN 12% fat.. Its all fillers. x.x

[Imzadi83]

Link: A friend of mine sent me this the other day and I found it super interesting. Your thoughts? http://rufflyspeaking.net/blog/choosing ... ee-kibble/

Wow that was super intersting. I was shocked by how small an amount the dog needs. What's the prosscess of adjustment like for a dog going from eating a bowl full to just half a cup? What's it like for the owners? Is the wet foods such small amounts too?

[Cardinal]

Link: A friend of mine sent me this the other day and I found it super interesting. Your thoughts? http://rufflyspeaking.net/blog/choosing ... ee-kibble/

Wow that was super intersting. I was shocked by how small an amount the dog needs. What's the prosscess of adjustment like for a dog going from eating a bowl full to just half a cup? What's it like for the owners? Is the wet foods such small amounts too?

Every dog is different, but you generally set feeding times and slowly cut back the amount of food over a week or so. ^^; Theres also a nify website that calculated exactly how many calories your dog needs and you can go from there. My dog went from 6ish cups to down to around 2 cups. It takes a bit to get the balance right.. Adding more food if they look to thin.. Cutting back if they start to gain to much weight.

I've never really fed a wet food except as a 'topper' of sorts. You can always look at some cans, they have the calorie content and go from there. Sorry if I'm not the most helpful. xD

[Imzadi83]

^ that was very helpful Cardinal thank you. Do your dog feel full? It would be quite an adjustment guilt wise feeding such a little amount. Not that I wouldn't as I know it's better for them but it would/will be a huge adjustment that's all. Kind of like those sci-fi shows where people get all their nutrition from a little cube or something.