Recommended Brands Discussion -Archived

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

 Please, note we have a new Recommended Brands list posted , here's a link:

RECOMMENDED BRANDS DEC 2011

 

I'm closing this one to replies, to avoid confusion.  

 

A HUGE THANK YOU TO FG ADMINISTRATOR ALLYSON, (BETTER KNOWN AS TAQUITO AND PERI'S MOM) FOR PROVIDING THE FORMULA & WEBSITE INFO ON ALL OF THESE BRANDS. ALLY, YOU ROCK!!!!

This list is a work in progress and will be updated as products/evaluations change.

 

THANKS AGAIN, ALLYSON, YOU ARE THE BEST!

 

 

 

 

 

[Moe]

Breeder was feeding Purina puppy chow. I talked to the vet today he also recommends Orijen. I found a local store that carries the Orijen puppy food so since all the experts seem to be in the same page that is what I'm going to do. Vet said to switch very slowly because the protein content is so different between Puppy chow and Orijen.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Wait a minimum of two weeks before making any changes to your puppy's diet, which I know sucks because you will need to purchase a few weeks' worth of the Puppy Chow. But there are several reasons why you should not make any diet changes for at least two weeks.

[Moe]

I'm going to wait the two weeks to switch the food. Is it OK to give her small doggie treats? I got some grain free treats.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here are the problem with making any kind of change in her diet for a few weeks.

Many doodle puppies come home with parasites, typically giardia and/or coccidia. If your puppy develops diarrhea, you will not know if it is due to: normal stress from this enormous change in her life (leaving her home, mother and littermates and going to a strange place where nothing and nobody is familiar, not to mention the stress of travelling itself), the food changes, or parasites. AND, if you tell your breeder the dog has digestive issues, she will blame it on the food change.

It will also take time for you to observe your puppy's normal bowel habits (frequency, consistency) once she settles in, so that you will be able to evaluate any changes after you switch foods.

Small grain-free treats are unlikely to do any harm, but her digestive system is very immature, and it really is best for all of these reasons to stick with the food and treats the breeder has been giving, however disgusting they may be. (And if she's feeding Puppy Chow, you can be sure that any treats the pup has been getting are equally poor in quality.) I would ask your breeder what kind of treats she has been getting.

The last time I had a puppy, my breeder told me she liked Cheerios and Vanilla Wafers for treats, lol.  

[Moe]

I don't think the puppies were getting any treats. I will just try training her will puppy chow for treats for right now. Thanks for your help.

[Chloe, Finley & Mama Shelley]

I am not finding my current food on your list and wondering why? Have you heard/researched about Nutrisource? I have found it to one of the most recommended of all the ones above in your list by the specialty pet food stores here in my area, as its not sold in places like Petsmart/ Petco etc, and I love what it has done for my dogs (3).

I had my older 2 dogs on the Nutrisource Weight management, then we got our GoldenDoodle, Chloe and had her on TOTW grain free which was good, but we were noticing it being a bit rich for her and not as firm of stool as we would like. We have sinced transitioned all 3 over to Nutrisource Grain Free Chicken Formula, and they love it, and all 3 stools are solid, perfect, and few! = )

Are you familiar with it?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, we've analyzed it several times over the years, and I could not recommend it, although I'll be happy to take another look and see if it has improved. Here is a link to the various discussions regarding Nutrisource, and the reasons why we haven't recommended it:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topic/search?g...

[Chloe, Finley & Mama Shelley]

I have heard so many different opinions over the amount/percentage of protein in food.. Some say too high is not good? What can you tell me about it? I thought too high of protein makes them gain too much weight too fast? Or what percentage should I be feeding a growing puppy?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Unfortunately, there is no reference material available on the exact recommended amount of protein per pound for dogs, like there is for humans. However, it is generally accepted that 25% is the minimum acceptable amount, and many people, myself included, believe it should be higher. I personally would not feed as food with less than 28% protein, especillay to a puppy, although we do recommend foods that are lower.

Protein is a dog's natural food. Canids in the wild eat a strictly animal diet, and all animal foods are pure protein and fat, with no carbohydrates whatsoever. Many people feed their dog only raw meat and bones, and there is no carbohydrate in that. Carbohydrates come from plants.  There are only three possible calorie sources: Protein, fat, and carbohydrate. Of those three, protein should make up the largest percentage of your dog's diet.

However, when you are talking about a grain-free food, the protein should be significantly higher, since there should be less plant ingredients. So when i see a grain free food with protein content below 30%, something seems wrong to me about that.

A dog cannot gain weight any faster on protein than he can on carbohydrate; it is consuming more calories than are burned that produces weight gain, in any living creature. protein and carbohydrates both have the exact same number of calories by gram. Fat contains more than twice the number of calories per gram.

I did look at the Nutrisource website, and I see some improvements, such as the elimination of menadione, and an improved nutritional profiule in some of the products. I am troubled by the fact that they make so many different dog food lines, such as Tuffy's (gag) and some of them are truly terrible, containing by-products, menadione, etc. A company that makes these types of products for dogs cannot care all that much about quality foods for our pets. I would want a statement from the company that all ingredients are North American sourced, at the very least.

In my area, very few stores carry Nutrisource. The stores that pride themselves on only carrying North American sourced foods do not carry it. So I would have to look into that before recommending it.

I have a feeling that Nutrisource retailers and distributors are paid a commission for selling it. That may be why they are recommending it over other foods.

 

[Chloe, Finley & Mama Shelley]

Thank you for all your answers. I am glad to know they have taken out the menadione, thats a relief.

I will watch to see if you post anything new about this as time goes.

The stores that I buy it from also highly recommend all the same ones you do, and they really like TOTW, but all the clerks still said they like the Nutrisource..?