What do you feed your doodle?

[Janette Baillie]

Hi

I am new to the site.  I am wondering what you feed your doodle?  I am looking at possibly making as switch in dry kibble and of course want the best for my dogs.  What has worked well for yours?

[Tammy & Gracie]

That's a real loaded question here. I feed Gracie a little Orijens (fish formula) with fruit and yogurt for breakfast. Her dinner is all homecooked. I think for Kibble you will find Orijens, Fromm, Evo and Innova as the most popular overall.

[Laura & Chewie]

I feed Chewie Fromm's 4-Star varieties and am very pleased with it. What is nice is the 4 Star line are single protein kibbles mixed with wonderful, healthy grains, fruits and veggies. I am able to easily switch back and forth between the different options giving him a tasty variety and reducing the chance of developing an allergy by not feeding the same protein exclusively. Fromm's is an excellent U.S. company using only quality ingredients. There are many other excellent kibbles...I'm sure you'll get lots of great suggestions.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Janette, have you read through any of our discussions here? There is a lot of information about the kibbles that we recommend.
The short list is Orijen, Acana, EVO, Innova, California Naturals, Fromm, and Solid Gold. Some of these are grain-free, some contain healthy grains, some are formulated for sensitive stomachs. There is no one "best" food for every dog. But these are the companys and brands we like best.
Many people here feed their dogs a homecooked diet, and some of us use a combination of kibble & homecooked. Some use raw prepared diets, too. Your best bet is to read through our discussion forum for more information. Welcome to the Food Group!

[BG and Gavin]

I am investigating the same thing for Gavin right now. I am leaning toward Go! Petcurean. It is a grainless food with high ratiings (and people here say it's very good) and it is made in Canada.

[Janette Baillie]

Thanks everyone. I have not heard of the Go! Petcurean but I like that it's make in Canada. Some of the other brands which I have heard are excellent, like the California Naturals and Fromm are either not available or very expensive here in Canada.

I'm impressed by how many of you cook for your dogs. I should do that, but cooking for my human family seems to be enough of a chore, can't really imagine taking on the dogs too. But I am sure it would be a much healthier option.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Orijen and Acana are both made in Canada by Champion Foods, and I can't speak highly enough of the company or the products. Jack's veterinary dermatology specialist recommends it above all other kibbles.
I am not one to cook, either, but I add plain cooked beef, chicken, fish or eggs to Jack's meals when we are having them, and canned tuna or salmon as well. These are some ways you can incoporate fresh foods into your dog's diet that might fit better with your lifestyle, as it does mine. The best of both worlds!

[Maryjane & Barkley]

This is a hot topic for doodle owners. Every doodle parent does what they feel is best for their dog and their own schedule. I suggest you do some research on kibble and raw feeding. The decision is ultimately yours, but I will give you my take on it anyway.

If you are set on kibble, I recommend Orijen. The company is really health conscious and uses the highest quality ingredients. It is also grain free, which is ideal since dogs and people for that matter don't usually process grains well. We fed Barkley Orijen before we switched to raw feeding.

In the wild, dogs are opportunist carnivores. A raw diet is probably the most species appropriate. You have to evaluate your dog's age, needs, and your time constraints when deciding on a feeding plan. We have been feeding our standard goldendoodle a raw diet for 6-7 months now. He has clean, pearly white teeth, a beautiful coat, and couldn't be healthier. As a bonus, the poops are tiny. He eats 24 ounces of meat, bone, and organs daily with only about 2 oz passing through.

If you are interested in learning more about what we do, please send me an email. Best of luck!

[Janette Baillie]

In an ideal world,I would feeding the raw diet, but things being the way they are, and keeping in mind the price with 2 dogs now, I would love to find a good quality food at a reasonable price. I have come across Healthwise in my research - made by Natura and supposedly very easy to digest. Finley will eat anything, but Sadie's tummy is more sensitive. Anybody have any feedback on using Natura in their dog's diet?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Natura is the company that makes Innova, EVO, and California Naturals...I am not familiar with Healthwise, but the company itself is very trustworthy.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Janette, I just looked at the nutrient analysis, and Healthwise is lower in protein and higher in fat & carbs than I usually like to see. I'm confused as to why they've brought out another food containing grains when they already have Innova and California Naturals, but it will take me a little time to do a comparative analysis of the foods and I'v got a big guy here waiting to go catch some tennis balls. I will try to check it out as compared to the other Natura products and get back to you.

[Ali & Sonny D.]

Sonny had gas issues. After trying numerous brands, we switched him to Fromm Four Star. He still has slight gas issue ( he can out burp the best of them!) but the Fromm has made it soooo much better. Plus he loves it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Dog food analysis is giving Healthwise a 3 star rating. Their Innova line gets 5 stars, and EVO gets 6 stars. The difference is that the protein content in the Healthwise is fairly low, and it contains more starches, which are cheaper. There is only one named meat product in the first several ingredients, lots of high-quality grains, and unfortunately, chicken fat. This all contributes to the lower protein, higher fat nutrient content of the food.
It looks to me like Natura is marketing this as their "economy" line to compete with lower priced foods in a broader market, and reach more customers. (We've also recently heard about some aggressive marketing of their other products through store sales clerks). In that context, this is a much better food than the similarly priced foods it is designed to compete against...the ingredients are much better and more wholesome than most other foods at this level, and the company is trustworthy. But Healthwise is not as good nutritionally as the grain-containing foods Innova, California Naturals, Fromm, or Solid Gold.