Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Commercial Foods-The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!
Tell us what commercial foods have worked for you and which have caused problems; information, questions, warnings and advice on dog food companies, ingredients, brands, and switching foods.
(Recall information now in it's own discussion here in The Food Group)
(Recall information now in it's own discussion here in The Food Group)
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on
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The application was primarily developed for use in livestock, but has supposed benefits in pet foods, too. Here's a link that explains it.
http://www.yucca.com.mx/boletinen.html
Some key points from the article:
"The Yucca schidigera plant is a safe and natural answer to animal inefficiency. The use of the Yucca schidigera extract as a feed ingredient or added directly to lagoons, tanks, or litter pits has proven to be effective in reducing ammonia levels and improving performance .
It is now know that saponins, a natural steroid derived from the plant trunk, physically binds ammonia, reducing the level of free ammonia. As the food passes through the stomach, ammonia is held by the extract in the feed. It is also bound once outside the animal.
Elevated plasma ammonia and urea nitrogen are associated with reduced reproductive and milk production performance in dairy cows. Elevated blood nitrogen levels in high producing dairy cows are often a result of feeding elevated protein levels, in an attempt to support elevated milk production levels. With the addition of Yucca schidigera to dairy cow feed, plasma ammonia and urea nitrogen reduction was observed in the animals' rumen."
Of more concern in pet foods though, is the reduction of fecal odor:
"Addition of Yucca schidigera extract (YSE) products to canine or feline diets improved faecal aroma as monitored by a human panel. Odour port-gas chromatography (GC) indicated different odour component types in dog faecal volatiles and, in particular, 'faecal'-type odours due to methyl sulfides. GC-mass spectrometry demonstrated several chemical compound classes present in faecal volatiles and quantitation in the cat indicated apparently significant changes in the concentrations of several compounds on YSE treatment, although these were not necessarily aroma components. The potential for direct YSE alteration of aroma perception in a mixture of volatiles, possibly by binding, was demonstrated"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9368959 -
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Permalink Reply by F, Calla & Luca on
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Thanks, Karen. I looked at some things like this too. but dogs are certainly not ruminants. What's OK for one animal may not be OK for another e.g. grapes for us versus dogs. It just doesn't seem like a good idea to me to add something to decrease fecal odor when in the end it still smells like...... I don't even know if Yucca is in Fromms and I don't think I'll look just now since all is well in the food department here now.
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It's a sad fact that a lot of what goes into pet food is put there for the people who purchase it, and not for the animals who eat it. The poop issue is so important to us, lol. In nature, their poop would probably be unacceptable to us...we want it firm enough to pick up!
I love your comment about the futility of adding anything to improve the fragrance! -
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This is good to know, Jane. Thanks for sharing it. There has been a supply problem with Orijen and it may get worse here in the U.S. I've been starting to look for back-up foods as well. Jackdoodle loves fish, so this would be a God-send if he likes it. Thank you for this info.
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My store still has a decent supply, but I can't stockpile...no freezer space and the specialist frowns on my buying more than a month's worth at a time. My store had that same letter from Orijen displayed near the food. (I have heard that it's a hold up because of importing regulations...which really ticks me off. We can't manufacture anything decent in this country, and we don't want to make it easy for anyone to buy anything from other countries. Sheeesh.)
It's good to have a back-up, even if they don't like it as well. I'm going to go to another store in the area where they have a bigger selection of super-premium foods and see what else I can find. Will report back to all of you. -
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Permalink Reply by LuvMyAbby&Kaela on
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Gee that sucks. We have Orijen coming out the ying yang. ;o)~
Sometimes it is good to be a Canuck!
Kidding. I dont think such a small company was expecting such huge (and international) demand is all. But they seem like a top notch A+ company and I am sure they will do everything possible to keep up with the demand without compromising their standards.
Go Natural Grain Free by Petcurean is a yummy yet costly alternative (my dogs loved it) -
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How much more can it be than Orijen? For 5 lb bags, I pay $20 for the Red Meat, $19 for the Fish, and $17 for the Fowl...5 lb bags!!!!! It's a little cheaper in the bigger bags, but still!!!!
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I just checked, and they do carry the Petcurean at a store near me. But there only seems to be one grain-free formula, and it's not fish-based, which is the loony doodle's favorite. The protein isn't as high as the Orijen, either. Chicken fat is the 5th ingredient. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong formula, it was in the Go! group of foods, called Grain-free Endurance; which one do you use?
I'm going to check out some others. I know Fromm has a grain-free food, and there's one called Timberwolf I'm going to check out, too.
We should be learning about some new food choices here anyway, it keeps things interesting.
The other day, I took over for the salesman at my local pet supply shop finding a good food for a lady's new puppy...I just barged right into the conversation and he let me take over, lol! I spent a half-hour with her! I am getting to be a "Canine Nutrition Specialist"...soon I can start charging for consultations. -
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Jane, don't worry; if they fire you, we can go into the Canine Nutrition Consultant business together!
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Why wait til they fire Jane? It sound like you 2 are ready to be at least part time consultants now.
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Ya it is this one http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?pro...
And it is pretty much the same price as the Orijen. I think it was only $5 more for the giant 30lb bags. -
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6 star rating speaks for itself. Just wish they had a fish version for my Cat-doodle.
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