Which food do you feed?

BarbV said:
I know my list was a mix of grain free and grain.....Although I prefer grain-free, I'm equally happy with a high quality diet that contains grain as well as long as it has the desired effect - adult maintenance for weight control, better digestion (firmer, smaller poops)

btw - GO! and Now! are made by the same manufacturer - the difference is one is grain-free and the other is not.

I think this will be my weekend project to sort out once and for all. I'm thinking that my adding vegetables to the the kibble I might achieve what I'm looking for.

I am leaning towards TOTW but maybe its just because its the name that keeps coming up.

If I cut back on the kibble, go back to a higher protein, but supplement with veggies, I wonder if that would do it.

Thoughts?
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Hey Barb..
Take a look at this food~

http://www.vetschoice.com/productinfo.php?productID=1000003

It's called Health Extension.A good friend of mine in NY uses it for all her furr kids.Thought maybe you would like to see the analysis on it.
She gets it from her groomer,but I see PetFoodDirect carries it,and its fairly good price point as well.

http://www.petfooddirect.com/search/health-extension
 
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I used to feed Bil-Jac puppy food (from the breeder) now that Miss Nells is a year old (13 months today!) we're slowly switching over to Purina ProPlan.
 
Barb,
I was wondering how much "work" you're willing to put into making their food. Can you go raw? Or willing to?

I thought about this company The Honest Kitchen, but wasn't sure if you'd like something like that. Protein is low, but I've always been told what great food it is.

I saw it yesterday when I bought food and thought of you.
 
Cheryl,

Let's put it this way....I barely cook for myself (dinner is often cheese and crackers!), and my son won't anything that I do cook (he prefers his Mediterean diet of beans, chick peas, rice and lots of spice)......so it's highly unlikely that I'm going to start cooking for the boys.

I've had to put my research on hold (too much other stuff going on)....but hope to make some decisions this weekend. Honestly, my eyes are spinning backwards in my head with the number of options - and trying to prioritize what's most important to me and good for Bacca's unique health issues. I will have to make some compromises I'm sure. And I'm sure I might have to try a few before I get the right food.

But right now, I'm am thinking about upping the protein levels abit, but reducing the amount of kibble and supplementing with green beans, carrots and pumpkin. I think Bacca can tolerate a higher protein if he gets in it less quantity.

Frankly, I just can't stand the size of my dogs poops! You'd swear I had Great Danes by the size of what they are expelling. Which tells me that most of what they are eating is not getting properly absorbed. Does that make sense? Even though they are gaining weight?
 
BarbV said:
Let's put it this way....I barely cook for myself (dinner is often cheese and crackers!)

Which tells me that most of what they are eating is not getting properly absorbed. Does that make sense? Even though they are gaining weight?
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Ah, I so understand. I hate cooking (love to bake though). That's why I asked about how much "prep" you're willing to do. Another company, Sojo's offers up veggies and stuff and you supply the raw meat. I'm like, "too much work". If I could live off kibble, I probably would. Oh wait, my kibble is called PB&J.

As for the other thing, yes, totally understand and agree. Definitely go for those "small" bags if you can find them. I was trying to find things that for sure would be sold in Canada. there's a lot of other brands, but I figure, if they're local to me, but hard to find, can't imagine it'd be easy to find in Canada.

Good luck. I think the slightly higher protein (if Bacca can handle it) and veggies will help them lose weight. I personally think too much grain and other non-protein stuff can make weight matters worse, but that's my two cents.

Don't you wish there was an easier way to decide on food versus trial and error? I just had to buy a 15lb bag for my boys but didn't want to cuz we're still "trying it". LOL.
 
Barb, Dogs in Canada magazine had an interesting article about grain containing and grain less foods that I found interesting. I think it was the February issue, which would be online on their website.

I find with TOTW, Liam's stool is large. He is not gaining a lot of weight, as everything seems to go through him. I'm thinking of switching from TOTW even though they are both doing well on it and trying something else at least for Liam to see how he does.


I always add green beans (frozen for the crunch) and home-cooked squash or pumpkin or sweet potato. You can buy the frozen squash at No Frills.
 
I admit this is where I get a little fuzzy on grain-free diet and lower protein which is what my boys are currently on (Now!).

I'm not sure how it can be both and still fulfill the dietary needs. There must be a happy medium out there.
 
BarbV said:
I admit this is where I get a little fuzzy on grain-free diet and lower protein which is what my boys are currently on (Now!).

I'm not sure how it can be both and still fulfill the dietary needs. There must be a happy medium out there.
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You're not going to find a happy anything when you're dealing qith processed foods. I researched foods and found they all hav pluses and minuses and the only way you're going to be truely happy and content with what u feed your dog is by going raw so you know exactly what you're givng your dog. Processed food, no matter what price per bag, all have some good things and mostly bad things.
 
I feed Wellness super mix 5 and do a little home cooking as well. I use to be a Nutro rep and the only food I would even consider is the Nutro Ultra, But since it has beet pulp in it, I don't feed it to my Maltese. Macie is happy with anything.
 
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