HELP WITH FOOD DECISION

[Sally Lehman]

Okay..............I currently give Harley Merrick dry mostly with a tablespoon or two of their wet mixed in.  The dry isn't grain free, but the wet is.  He seems itchy sometimes and wondering if it's an allergy to the grain.  What grains are not good for dogs?  Are their some grains that ARE good?  Just wondering what everyone feeds their doodles.  I am thinking of switching and looked at the recommended brands.  I think Orijen might be out of my price range.  I think I pay about $52 for 30 pounds of Merrick food.  It looks like the TOTW might be comparable to what I am payment currently.  

Does anyone feed TOTW?  What do you think of it??

THANKS FOR ANY FEEDBACK!!

Sally and Harley

[Tina]

Not sure if this helps, but I feed Roger merrick's duck and sweet potato. It's an all stages food. For pups, you have to feed 25% more. It's roughly the same price and is grain free. I was feeding him the wellness core which was roughly the same price but he required more food than the merrick grain free. He is doing great on it. He always eats it right up and I'm super happy with his coat and dare I say, poops ;) he never seemed to do well with any type of food with grain in it even the no soy, no wheat and no corn foods.

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

I feed Hurley TOTW.    In the morning I add organic peas, chopped up boiled chicken and coconut oil.  In the evening I add sweet potato, maybe rice, maybe organic blueberries, and a vitamin, probiotic, etc.   His coat is so bright, soft and shiny.  How I ended up with TOTW was by choosing the various grain free foods on the Food Group List and working with a pet store owner. She gave me samples of a wide variety of the dry dog foods listed.  I set a little of each out in a row spread a good distance apart.  The objective was to see which ones Hurley went for.   I had Hurley sit a few feet away and when I released him he made a beeline for the TOTW.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I feed grain free just because I think it makes for firmer stools but I give occasional treats containing grain. Merrick is not on the recommended list I think due to ingredient sourcing primarily.

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

My girls get TOTW, first my sister turned me onto it then I saw it on the recommended list so it was a no brainer.  My girls aren't climbing all over themselves to eat it so we mix it up every meal; most of the time I whip a raw egg and share between the two or I add yogurt, cottage cheese, leftover meat juice from our dinner (we are pretty bland eaters) and once a week they get either green beans, squash and/or pumpkin and they gobble it up.  Just found a place really local $3 cheaper a bag! hoot hoot.....  Gave them the fowl this time and they are eating it dry right now!!!!  In addition they get one fish oil every night, I used to include evening primrose but I haven't restocked it yet! 

I guess I am very fortunate both my girls have nice solid poops unless they've gotten into something they shouldn't have and it doesn't agree with their tummies, even then though it's really not that bad?  They get a treat in the morning after breakfast (as I am leaving) and a small handful of popcorn every night (I make if from scratch so they get a sampler before it gets salted, maybe that the fiber they need for solid poops? lol)

[Sally Lehman]

How do you give the fish oil?  Do you dump it on their food?  I am giving Harley one Proviable DC in his evening meal.  If I give that, would giving him a yogurt treat every once in awhile okay or is that overdosing on the probiotics?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

When comparing prices on food, you can't look at the price per pound, because there is a great variation in how much you feed and therefore how many pounds you go through in a given period. So you have to look at the feeding guidelines. If 3 cups of the Merrick food are equivalent to 2 cups of the Orijen, then you would have to buy 30 pounds of Merrick in the same time period as 20 pounds of Orijen. If you do the math, the cost for the Orijen might be comparable, or in some cases, even less than the "cheaper" food. 

Champion Foods, who make Orijen, also make the Acana line, which is lower priced. There are both grain-free and healthy grain formulas in that line. 

If Harley had an allergy to something in his food, he would be itchy all the time, not just sometimes. If he is itchy right now, that's most likely to be a pollen allergy; the pollen levels are at record highs right now in some parts of the country. I would not change his food for that reason. Inhalant allergies are 9 times more common than food allergies. The grains you want to stay away from are corn and wheat, neither of which is in Merrick foods. Of course, dogs can also be allergic to proteins, grains are not always the culprit. But again, I would not change foods for that reason, unless he is itchy all the time.

Grain-free foods usually result in firmer poop and less volume, but a lot of dogs do very well with some grains in their diet. 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

F. once did a mathematical calculation for us on price-per-pound, daily intake, and  how much cheap food is no more than expensive GOOD FOOD.  I think it came out to $2.00 more per week.

  Anyone know of that discussion?   Perfect example  to get the point across. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There are a couple of those discussions here:

Cost Comparisons of Recommended Brands

Food Cost Per Day Comparison

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Nope... these are good too but she used that formula...... used a lot in Chemistry Class ( that formula I hated so much~ Ha)  Looks like a recipe formula.   That discussion sticks in my mind the most because it was clearly broke down.

I'll look for it later. Working in the background for another hour or so

 It was older than these two examples

[Sally Lehman]

In your opinion, would you say that Merrick found is as good as Orijen or TOTW?  I just want to give him the best food I can.............also, what kind of treats are good for dogs?  Right now, he is just getting the small milk bones, but not sure if they are any good!!  Thanks for all of your help!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nothing is as good as Orijen, IMO. All of the foods on our recommended list are quality foods with good ingredients, but you cannot compare TOTW with Orijen in terms of the quality, nutritional profile and manufacturing practices. 

That said, Orijen doesn't work for every dog, just as every person doesn't do well with the same diet.There really is no such thing as the one "best" food for every dog. 

We have lots of discussions here in TFG about treats. Milk Bone is not recommended. Basically, any treat that is sold in the grocery store, Target, Walmart, etc is not something you want to give your dog. 

If you do a search in the Food Group discussion forum for "treats", you'll find lots of ideas & options. Off the top of my head, Zuke's, Jones Naturals, Plato, Healthy Partner, Fresh Is Best, and Pure Bites are some you might try. 

[Sally Lehman]

** Brands that look good but have had recent recalls or buyouts; still better than Iams, Nutro, Hills, and grocery store junk…..

Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/recomme...

THE MERRICK BRAND I CURRENTLY GIVE TO HARLEY IS ON THIS LIST OF BRANDS THAT ARE BETTER THAN IAMS, ETC.  IF I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A SWITCH IN HIS FOOD, IN YOUR OPINION, WOULD TASTE OF THE WILD  BE BETTER THAN WHAT I AM FEEDING HIM CURRENTLY?