[Jetster]

Does anyone know why Evo isn’t on top 20..is it due to the recall they had last year? Any input on whether to avoid this high rated dog food..cheaper than my Orijen and right now on serious sale 😛

[Shawna]

I agree with the others about feeding a rotational diet over just one food. Three of my eight dogs get a rotational kibble diet with canned and raw toppers. I use Orijen, Acana, Earthborn Primitive Naturals, Nature’s Variety, Nature’s Logic and many others off and on (Wellness, Fromm, Merrick, Back to Basics etc).

Raw egg with the shell is a really good and inexpensive topper. Another is beef, deer or chicken heart mixed with Steve’s Real Food premix. Heart is usually inexpensive to begin with but a friend gets free beef hearts from her butcher for me… And a hunter friend gives me the parts of the deer he doesn’t use himself.

[Naturella]

Steven A, I would definitely advise you to try all of the above suggestions. Rotational diet is good anyway. 🙂

Also, I have fed Blue Buffalo Wilderness for about 4 months or so just fine. Acana and Orijen I have not tried yet. A good one, and pretty affordable, is Dr. Tim’s, as well as Victor. I usually look for deals both in stores and online and was able to snatch a 4-lb bag of Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea for $5 on Petflow, no kidding! 🙂

Other foods I’ve fed that are good are Holistic Health Extensions, Earthborn Holistic – currently on the fish one, Nature’s Variety Instinct + Raw Boost and Now Fresh (on samples), and I will be feeding some of Victor, Back to Basics, Wellness Core, AvoDerm, Merrick, Nature’s Variety, and more in the near future. ALL grain-free too.

Of those, I think Wellness Core and Blue Buffalo Wilderness are moderately affordable; Victor, Dr. Tim’s, and Earthborn Holistic seem to be very affordable; the rest I have coupons for/will scout deals for, lol.

[Melissaandcrew]

Big fan of the Acana and Orijen products here : ) What price range are you looking for? I rotate a bunch of brands and feed with kibble-which may be an option for you due to time constraints. for example, tonight is a 50-50 mix of Acana Lamb/Apple singles, and Grainfree Holistic Select sardine/anchovy/something or other, lol. It was on sale, so figured I would give it a try(they did not do well on the grain inclusive version) To top it off, will be a big old dollop of ground chicken quarters, veg, beef heart and turkey gizzard. They would have skipped the dry, but Mom was slacking and did not take out the raw to thaw long enough.

[Shasta220]

Many people love Orijen and Acana. Agreed with kvee about the legumes. Wellness Core is a good one, too.

[kvee]

I swear by Orijen – although with a lot of legumes, it made my pooch’s skin reddish and paws itchy. But that was her. We are moving into raw/homecooked, using THK mixes.

By the way, THK is launching two new base mixes this summer.

[Yvonne W]

Hi dchassett, I have her on TOW High Prairie Puppy; yes, I know, I have read all the bad Diamond conversations in the forum. Actually, my decision was strictly based on the ingredients of several quality grain free dry foods. I copied and pasted them all in a word document so I could look at them closely. It took me a month to decide. The fact is I liked the ingredients and there were some that are in Orijen and a few other quality foods that were missing. The ingredients that were not in TOW is what intrigued me about the food as I believe they are partly responsible, if not totally, for the odor and gas. I have not been disappointed. I understand Diamond really blew it in May 2012. With the new FDA rules and all that it costs Diamond, not just in money, perhaps they will walk the walk and understand that our pets are family and pet owners care deeply about them; their health, what they eat, how they feel, etc.

[Isabel P]

I already feed 2 of my 3 Dr Tim’s grain-free but my 3rd dog is now allergic to potatoes so I am forced to feed her Orijen. I’m shocked to not see it on the list- I’d love to know why…it’s the only dry grain free potato free dog food I have found. It’s very pricey however I thought it was a 5 star rated food.

[Kisa D]

I know that selenium yeast is the more natural, organic form vs. sodium selenite in dog foods. Most dog food labels specify if they have one or the other. I am finding there are only a few brands that do not have the controversial sodium selenite. Sad! However I found Dr. Tims dog food to list sodium selenite in several of their foods which is the bad form of selenium I am trying to avoid. Their Kinesis Grain Free formula only lists “selenium” on the food label. Does anyone know if this is the bad form or the ok form? I am currently using Orijen for 2 dogs(German Short Haired Pointer and Lab) which is an amazing, top notch food in my opinion and Dog Food Advisors too…..however at almost $100 bucks a bag I am looking to mix in a more budget friendly option.

[banditsmom]

I’ve been giving my dog some Stella & Chewy’s and Primal FD.She really likes it so I am planning to switch her and just give her them and also use Orijen FD as a rotation.
She likes to have plain meat with her food though. If I give her a little with her FD is it supposed to be raw or doesn’t it matter?

[Yvonne W]

I have seen a lot of raves on this site about Orijen and I agree it has excellent ingredients. I fed it to my pup from 7 wks, she is now 8 mos, until 4 weeks ago when I could not take it anymore. She had a horrible odor and was always gassy. My dog is a min schnauzer who is groomed frequently in addition to regular baths at home. There was no reason the groomer or I could find for the smell. She was vet checked with A+ health, no infections, teeth or ear issues. I made a decision to switch her food. She has been on a new food for 4 weeks. The odor and gas are both gone. Now she has no odor at all, it’s truly amazing. She is happy and eating very well and I am loving it. My dog is like Velcro, always stuck under me. Now I really enjoy her company.

[MastiffLove]

Sharon,

Thanks again for your reply!

After talking about all the dog food kibbles and other food types we can give to our puppy and reading and watching videos on http://healthypets.mercola.com/ (thanks HDM) me and my wife decided that we will go raw! It might end up being more costly in the end but at least we will know for sure what is precisely in his dog food and we can have a better control on his diet plus it just makes sense to feed him that way …you don’t find kibbles in the wild!

I’ve ordered Dr. Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats Cookbook, Probiotics, Krill Oil and Spirugreen Superfood, that way i’ll have everything on hand for whatever needs our dog has. (just mentioning what i bought so far, still more to come for a complete diet like Coconut Oil and such).

I am currently researching for a meat manufacturer that provides food stores to get the best price, luckily for me there are several in my area.

We have bought the breeders kibble (1st Choice Large pup) for the first 3 weeks, then i was thinking of switching him to Orijen (i know the calcium lvl is a bit high) for the next 2 weeks to get him on a better kibble. Then mix Orijen and Raw to finally end up to only raw.

Should i switch 1st Choice and mix it with raw after the first 3 weeks and increase the raw dosage and skip Orijen entirely?…i don’t know, it would be a faster way to get him on a better and proper food balance but he would be on 1st Choice longer and honestly i really dislike the ingredient in that kibble.

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~
Fromm’s Frittata Beef has very little meat protein in it since the first ingredient is Beef, not Beef Meal. There’s probably more pork than beef in this recipe even though it’s listed as the number six ingredient. It’s nice that they’ve added Whole Egg but the other top three ingredients are starches. So, no grains but… If you can get it, I like their LBP Gold better. First and second ingredients are Chicken and Chicken Meal and the calcium/phosphorus is a bit lower but so is protein at 26%. Looking back at my notes, I’m showing protein should be between 29 and 30%. $90 for a 26#bag is outrageous. There just is no really good option for LBP kibble.

Be careful about feeding kibble and feeling like you need to supplement with additional protein. Kibble stays in the digestive tract longer than raw or home cooked food, creating a situation where that “real” food will become rancid. If you must, never feed them both in the same meal.

One of the neater benefits of feeding raw is that their bodies efficiently process that food and therefore, you have less waste. I was so surprised and absolutely delighted when Mystery’s poop went from stinky gigantic soft logs to what looks like it belongs to a miniature pup and the smell is only noticeable when I bend over to pick it up. Now that the cats are eating raw and home cooked, the litter box isn’t noxious anymore (and when I say noxious – I mean hope-you-can-hold-your-breath long enough to empty the litter box noxious). The cats had been on Orijen as well and my kitten was forever having issues with soft stools. All of that is a thing of the past.

It took me nearly a year to make the decision to go raw so yeah, I’m now a die-hard convert. Sorry about that if it isn’t a consideration for you – yet! 🙂

[MastiffLove]

thank you Sharon and H2H for your input. I am currently contemplating Fromm’s Frittata no grain formula BUT it has a low protein value. My main concern with this kibble is the price…90$ CAD FOR 26pnd bag…that’s a costly dog bowl considering i would add proteins to it.

So far i havent found a meat full dog food with low calcium here in Quebec other then Orijen. I’m still looking but it’s getting hopeless.

[H2H]

MastiffLove~

I too have tried a lot of foods for my 8 month Dane. He is an incredibly picky eater and has a very sensitive tummy too boot. After trying Orijen, Fromm’s, Natures Variety (the types that are listed on the document that is within this thread), last week I finally found a food that meets the giant breed requirements, a food my puppy loves and finally we have firm poops!!! I give him a tablespoon of plain yogurt in the morning an Pure Vita chicken and brown rice. Within 2 days we didn’t need pumpkin anymore and while there are prebiotics in the kibble, the yogurt is a good probiotic. I’m very careful with treats but so far so good! Give it a try and like others recommend, don’t add too much to the kibble. Simple is best.

[Barb D]

I have a nine month old Bichon shih tzu & I have tried Orijen, Acana, Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance both wet & dry & cannot get him to eat dog food. I have tried adding chicken broth & broiled chicken & salmon. He will pick out the dog food & will eat the chicken & salmon. The vet checked him out & there is nothing wrong with his health. I am at my wits end so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~
Don’t try adding too much to the kibble you feed. All those toppers add to nutrients already in whatever kibble you decide to feed, including perhaps calcium/phosphorus – which should be your primary concern until your Mastiff is at least six to twelve months old. Not saying you shouldn’t add anything, just be mindful of what they’re adding to the diet.

When feeding kibble, it’s unlikely that you’re going to find the perfect food for a large breed puppy. When I brought Mystery home, I’d already done several months of research on food. Although I would have preferred grain-free, I couldn’t find it with an acceptable calcium percentage. I put him on Innova LBP (which has since changed their formula and I’m not sure I’d recommend it now but it’s still better than Pro Plan, Science Diet, Iams and others). I moved Mystery to Orijen LBP when he was about nine months old and able to process excess calcium properly. Orijen will tell you that they shoot for their minimum percentage but as long as they think their maximum is acceptable (and they do hide behind the AAFCO guidelines), I wouldn’t have been comfortable with it in those early months.

Mystery is now a year old and has been on a raw diet for about two months. We’ve transitioned two more Goldens in Korea with my husband and I’m working on four cats (the kitten didn’t need transitioning). If I were to get another puppy today, she’d go straight to raw where calcium/phosphorus is perfectly balanced among protein and organs in a whole-prey diet. And still I don’t add a lot to his diet. He gets coconut oil because of a skin condition, vitamin C and curcumen because of the high cancer mortality in Goldens (though the raw diet and minimalist vaccine schedule will help that as well), and garlic for pest control. I haven’t started adding any fruits & vegetables as I’m still researching their benefits (or lack thereof).

Good to see your note about not feeding RC!

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~
No, no, no – do not feed Royal Canin Giant Puppy just because it has a low calcium. I agree that the calcium should be lower than 1% to start but the food needs to be at least of decent quality. Royal Canin Giant Puppy has virtually no protein whatsoever and only junk fillers in the first five ingredients:
Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, wheat gluten, corn, corn gluten meal

You need to look over the list of foods that HDM put together at the beginning of this thread. If you’re going to continue feeding kibble, after six months of age you can move your pup to Orijen. In the meantime, find the lowest calcium, grain-free (or limited) giant/large breed puppy food you can. If a company doesn’t list their maximum calcium percentage, call them and ask.

Better yet, go raw!

[MarieLovesChis]

Yes definitely take your dog off the Orijen as an ingredient in the food is causing the itching. Through trial and error, so far I’ve found out that potato and beef are two ingredients that cause paw chewing and itching in my dog. She also can’t handle all the lentils in Orijen. No itching though, they just cause horrible digestive upset.

[theBCnut]

Orijen LBP has too high calcium

A percent is a proportion, no matter what volume you are talking about. If something is 1% of X then it does not matter if you are talking about a single kibble or a ton of it, one part out of every one hundred parts will be X.

I know this is a long thread, but you need to read at least the first few pages of it and read the links. That will answer a lot of your questions and will provide you with a list of foods that have appropriate calcium levels. You will have to figure out which of them are available in Canada, I’m afraid. I believe the people who are on here regularly from Canada have small dogs, so don’t follow this thread.

Make sure that you feed your puppy to keep him lean/thin until he is completely mature at around 2 1/2 years old. This helps his joints to develop slowly and helps to keep the stress of carrying too much weight off of them until they are completely formed. Also make sure he doesn’t overdo exercise, which is another big factor in joint development.

Add fish oil. It’s anti inflamatory and the omega 3s in it are easily damaged in kibble.

Good luck.

[MastiffLove]

Hello everyone!

I would love some help in figuring what would be the “best” diet for my dog. Alot of you here seem to have alot of knowledge about this subject and i want to give the best diet to my dog so he will be in top health, shape and growth so he can live a great life without issues due to his diet.

On the 9th of April i am getting my Englsih Mastiff His dad is 220pounds and his mom is around 185 pounds he will be 8 weeks old he is one of the biggest of the litter. I am mentioning this so we can have an idea on an average he could possibly weight once adult and i want to promote growth and size without risking ANY health issues due to exessive or poor feeding.

I’ve been reading for quite awhile and theres so much information to consider that i’m getting overwhelmed with info lolll.

He is currently being fed with First Choice Puppy Medium and Large Breeds (4stars on the reviews here) and i will switch him to Orijen Puppy Large once i feel he feels confortable in his new home (most likely after 3 weeks he’s been here) .

I have read on here that mixing a puppies diet with diferent brands and types of food is a good thing also mixing dry kibbles with canned food is good and/or adding home food to his meals will supplement for whats missing.

But here are my questions:

1.Should i keep him on Orijen after his “switch” has been done until he reaches a certain age/weight or should i right away start “mixing things up” to best his diet?

2. Would any supplements or additives be used as a mixing ingredient to his kibbles?

3. Orijen has a Calcium (min/max) of 1.2/1.5% as wirtten on the 13kg (28.6pnd) bag enough or too much calcium? And could it be clarified, is it per portion served, over the whole bag, in one kiddle alone and such…how does those precentage work? so i can in the furture know what i’m dealing with.

4. Could someone give me a good idea on how to proceed thrue all of this like weeks old you do this, at a certain weight (considering hes not over or under weight and such) you start adding those kind of things…so on and so forth.

I understand theres alot of factors to consider like activity levels, too fat too skinny, etc. and so i will be monitoring his weight and growth weekly thrue his first year so i can spot anything different at a certain event like using a certain type of food or supplement etc. So try to be positive in giving as much detail as you can…i want to learn and i love precise and detailed info.

P.S. I live in Canada Quebec both parents are American living here in case you wish to suggest some food brands please consider i might not have access to it other then by shipping.

Sorry for the loooong post i’m french and i try to be clear on what i’m concerned about.

[mountainhound]

Acana regionals is lower protein than orijen, so thats always worth a shot. they also have their singles line which is around 27% protein. It has oats now, but they are modifying it in the next couple months and changing it to grain free.

[kvee]

Sorry. I am just jumping in to ask a specific question to my situation that has nothing to do with the original author’s.

I have been feeding Susie ( 9 m.o. chimix) Orijen puppy. I had to get her off Wellness Puppy because she was gassy and bloated.

Orijen eliminated that but now she is always munching on her paws.

Could this be the legumes? Could anyone advise me on what to complement Orijen with to deter the effects of possibly too much legumes on this food?

[kvee]

My dog has been thriving on Orijen Puppy. We did try a couple before Orijen, and she has been doing better on it.

It’s a bit pricey for some but because its rich, Susie doesn’t eat much. She’s a 20 lb. 9 m.o. chimix and eats aprox 1.5 cups a day. Sometimes not even that. She is in excellent shape and is very athletic.

Hope this helps. I printed a list of 5-star foods from this website and started researching it one by one. I settled for Orijen and Acana (I’ve heard it is good to rotate foods so dogs take advantages or the benefits and aren’t as prone to develop allergies to certain ingredients).

I hope this helps.

[andrew b]

So I have a Staffy who is almost 18 months. She has already been allergy tested, and on a scale of 0-4 scored a 2 on numerous things, different types of grasses/weeds, dust and so on, with yeast also registering. We have also done a food trial prior to intradermal testing with Royal Canin HP and her itching really never got better on it. The main issue is she scratches herself bloody. Her neck, under her arms, her face. It’s a sin. We use Temaril-P when needed and it does help, have tried Atopica which didn’t work at all, have tried a new medication called Apoquel that didn’t work at all. Usually when she’s extremely bad(she was at the vet Tuesday, she sees a dermatologist at UPenn), she comes back positive for a yeast infection on her skin. She also started immunotherapy 5 months ago.

The worst of foods(on a relative scale) she has eaten would be Taste of the Wild as a puppy, and when the itching started around 4 months, we have tried, all for nearly 2 month periods, Earthborn, Acana, Nature’s Variety LID and now back to Earthborn since it doesn’t seem to matter.

Where am I going with all of this? Before I fully delve into trying a raw or cooked diet and seeing if it helps, should I just try the lowest carbohydrate food I can find to try and cut down on the yeast issues? If this doesn’t work, I am going either raw, freeze dried or cooked at the end of May. I was going to try Brothers Complete Allergy Formula but I’ve read it’s fairly high in carbs. Would I be better going with something that is 25% or so carbohydrates based on this site’s calorie weighted analysis, perhaps Orijen or Nature’s Variety Raw Boost, or something else?

We’ve tried so much…supplements, oils, she gets Phytovet CK baths 2-3x a week, and it doesn’t improve unless she’s on Temaril and we obviously don’t want that, but when she’s bleeding and will scratch herself for minutes straight unless you stop her, you have no choice.

Any ideas welcome, especially food related. Thanks all, love the site, been lurkin forever.

[theBCnut]

Dogs aren’t made to chew so they usually swallow food whole. That isn’t usually a problem, but bolting food too fast can be. As you’ve seen, it causes them to swallow a lot of air. Orijen has big kibble size, but for dogs with sensitive stomachs, making kibble harder to digest really isn’t a good idea. Try speading his food out on a cookie sheet so he has to pick up the pieces one at a time instead, or put his food in a muffin tin. A great trick I just learned about on here is to put a length of large link chain in the food bowl so he has to get the pieces out from among the links, and chain is dishwasher safe.

[aquariangt]

I would try Blue Buffalo (Wilderness is my favorite of their blends, but its also pricey), Fromms, Precise, or Simply Nourish (Source is my favorite of those, still under 50$ a bag)

If you want to spend more, of course you have Acana, Orijen, Wellness…all things that are solid and not made by diamond

[LoDoVilla]

Aah, that would explain why Pet Supplies Plus had all the Acana Regionals and not Large Breed. There are a lot of great pet stores in my area, I’ve come to find, and they all recommended Fromm. I just started adding pumpkin to the Orijen I have now to help.

I am an absolute NUT when it comes to dog food 🙂 The Chinese takeover of human ingredients is bad enough, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to allow my dog to eat it.

[LoDoVilla]

Well, while Charlie adores his Orijen, his stools do not. My vet has recommended a much lower protein content, so we decided on Acana Large Breed Puppy…which I can’t find. Anywhere. Any other suggestions? Merrick?

Thanks!

[Mom2Cavs]

Okay, here is what I do for my one Tortoise Shell stinker of a cat lol:

Dry: It is left out in a small bowl for her to nibble on periodically, which she likes to do. I dump it every other day, if it’s still there. I put 1/4-1/3 c. in the bowl. The kibbles she likes are Instinct, Fromm (Gamebird only), Orijen/Acana (she will eat it, but not like some others, so I’ve stopped buying it), Annamaet (actually the grain inclusive is her favorite and it has made her fur even softer!). She will be trying some Dr. Tim’s soon.

Wet: She gets a 3 oz. can every day split between am and pm. She loves Wellness cubes and Wellness Chicken grainfree. She also likes Fromm and Mulligan Stew. Very picky with wet food and the only Instinct she’ll eat is Healthy Weight. Btw, sometimes cat and dog canned ingredients are identical, as in M. Stew and Instinct Healthy Weight. So I use those for both the cat and dogs. Fromm is, too, I believe. I’ve used many brands for her in the past and they were fine, but I’ve just narrowed the list down now as to what I’m buying. She’s eaten BB, Weruva, Tiki Cat and Earthborn.

Litter: I’m a diehard World’s Best fan. I did have some great coupons for Blue’s new walnut litter and have integrated that into her litter at times with no problems.

Sometimes she also gets Dinovite for cats or the Well Blend/or Cat version of Missing Link added in. She has some minor health issues, but she is a beauty. Princess Di will be 9 yrs. old this year. A few years ago, we lost our other cat, a runt black cat named Smokey Jo who died at age 21 yrs

[Naturella]

Fatcakes,

Hope we helped! I second everything Shasta said, from the pumpkin addition, to testing for food allergies, to the raw egg – Bruno will be getting one/week starting next Thursday! Also, I swear by coconut oil (make sure it is UNREFINED too though – extra virgin, cold-pressed, UNREFINED – it is the REAL deal) – miracle worker. 🙂 But the food you got sounds great, hope your boy likes it! And yay for fish, just hope he’s not allergic to it or something. Orijen is a great brand from what I read though! 🙂

I rotate Bruno’s food once his mix ends, which is about every 4 months or so. And I go through a few flavors/proteins of the same brand before I switch brands. Now he has enough food to last throughout March for sure, maybe even April. Next batch is Earthborn Holistic GF Coastal Catch (fish) mixed with Vets Choice HHE Original (chicken mostly, but other meals in there. Some grains too. Meh, I got it for free and it is 4-stars, so I’m good with it.), then Earthborn Holistic GF Great Plains Feast (bison and some lamb) mixed with Vets Choice HHE Lamb and Rice (I know. Rice. Not grain free. Oh well. There’s lamb in it too.), and then Earthborn Holistic GF Primitive Natural (chicken) mixed with Vets Choice HHE GF (chicken). THEN I have Victor Ultra Professional GF mixed with Back to Basics lined up, and then the Victor Yukon Salmon GF mixed with probably Back to Basics again. THEN I want to try Wellness Core. I think I have Bruno’s meal plan set for like 2 years to come, lol.

As for THK Beams – if you have any local boutiques that sell all-natural dehydrated chews (which is what the fish skins are), see if they have them in bulk – my closest pet boutique store sells them in a jar by the skin, and the big ones are just $1, and I can cut them in like 8 Bruno-sized skins! Bruno is a Jack Russel – (miniature?) Rat Terrier mix, @ around 1 year. I will claim April 1st as his Birthday. We are not 100% sure, he was found in some bushes… But was changing puppy teeth throughout August-September of last year… Any guesses on approximate Birthday? Anyone?

[Fatcakes]

Thank you so much! How often do you rotate your boy’s food? I just got back from the pet store(s) and have a bag of Orijen Six Fish. I’m blending that with the Innova Prime to switch him over and will continue the fish oil supplement and research. I would like him to have more than 18% fat but we’ll see how he does after getting off the Innova first. I’m very interested in the Victor as well. I hadn’t heard of the Honest Kitchen until just now, and it looks like Beams are sold at the same store I just got the Orijen. haha fish-averse hubby is about to rue the day I found this website. 😀
Thanks again!

[ticman]

I too would like to see more discussion on the above topic.

I have a 14 year old 9 lb poodle whose bloodwork is good for her age but she does have a slight reduction in kidney function along with slight heart murmur. I have been feeding her Orijen Regional Red, Acana grain free, Merrick grain free and Evo small red bite grain free. All of these foods are high quality but also very high in protein.

My vet was concerned about protein levels in lieu of kidney function. She gave me two cans of Hill’s g/d early cardiac healthy aging. In reading the ingredients, I literally gagged.

Long story short I’d like some advice on a grain free food that might reduce the strain on the kidneys as well as being heart friendly. I am assuming reduced protein might be appropriate.

Thoughts and comments are most appreciated.

Mike

[Lablubber]

Hi Crew

This is what I ordered to try the two either alternating or a mix of the two if he has no trouble with either of them… But I am introducing some cooked hamburger and ground turkey as well as spinach and going to buy some of the stuff you have to rehydrate to start with for the ease of carrying it with me.

One thing that I have had a hard time with was the a lot of the food has no no’s in it that you guys have told me about and I have read about as well such as Rosemary Extract or Oil- Seizures, Canola Oil-Cancer, Garlic – Anemia, and the first thing Rosemary which even rules out Wellness Core Puppy even though it was on the list and I was going to get it an Orijen both as alternates or as a mix. What is strange now is I am driving all of my friends nuts on what treats they buy their dogs and the food that they are feeding them as well.

One thing that is definitely noticable with Jess is that he has thinned down dramatically since coming off of Pupina LB Puppy Chow and he is very lean which I personally have a hard time getting use to because I have always had nice, big, rolly polly, lab puppies and I guess it was just fornate that I have never had one with a hip or shoulder or elbow issue, except with one of my old females, she was English Bred Lab and she was as big as a horse and in her old age she around 10 or 12 she did start having a slight limp in her rear end but that was it. So this this whole thing is a new ballgame for me….With keeping a LBP looking like a lean and mean greyhound instead of a huge big old lab like i always liked to see. Bigger has always been better to me, but what did I know.

I just have to get rid of a whole lot of old school ways and ways of thinking, that now have to be reprogrammed in me, but guess what? you guys were knowledgeable enough about this whole thing and the backed it up with factual evidence and because I love my dogs enough I had to take heed and listen and am glad I did… Because I would hate to see this pup or for that matter my either of my two Westies or Custard the Cat, developing cancer because of Monsanto’s genetically muted or altered grain, being in their food or them developing hip or shoulder or elbow issues because I was too stubborn to listen to you guys about Calcium issues with it’s uptake in LBP’s. So thank all of you for that as well for giving me a quick education in what is best for my dog and for making me dig deep on my own into what what all the leading specialists say about these things as well…

This is the kibble I ordered yesterday from Chewy to transition over to from Blue…

1 x Orijen Puppy Large Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 28.6-lb bag
1 x Annamaet Grain-Free Salcha Poulet Formula Dry Dog Food, 30-lb bag

Thanks Lablubber

[Jeff33]

I just wanted to say how much I appreciated all the valuable information that everyone has posted on this site. I am a new dog owner..my baby Tioga (English springer spaniel) turns one in a week. I found this site by researching the best type of dog foods available for him. I recently purchased some Orijen red because I thought that was the best food. I’ve since realized that I was wrong and I would like to feed him a raw diet because it’s the healthiest option. I don’t want to make my own raw meals. I’m going with Darwin’s. Here are my questions:

1. Can I feed him Darwin’s (chicken) everyday, without rotating? I thought rotating was only for canned and kibble due to the toxins.

2. Do I need to add anything else to his diet? I know I need to add some bones for his teeth and there are already enzymes in the meat so I don’t need to add that. What about probiotics?

I guess what I’m asking is what is the most basic diet, I was worried that just feeding him Darwin’s isn’t enough, I don’t want him to miss out on any necessary vitamins, minerals etc. due to my lack of knowledge.

Thanks for your help,
Jeff

[Sharon Buchanan]

Lablubber ~
No one can tell you definitively what to feed your puppy. We all have opinions based on our limited or extensive research and experience. When we brought our first Golden home, we fed puppy food – I don’t remember exactly what but it was easily available in the commissary so probably just junk. She required double-hip surgery before she was two.

When we decided to add another Golden – Mystery, I spent two months researching large breed nutrition, even before we decided on him. I read every article that HDM has conveniently posted on page one here (though I found them independent of this site), created my own table of foods, listing proteins, fats, calcium/phosphorus ratios/percentages, grains/no grains and so on. Based on that initial research I chose a food. I continued my research, signed up for newsletters, magazines, etc., and eventually chose a different food. As my research continued, I switched my cats to better foods as well. And I continue researching ways to feed my babies the best ways possible.

I appreciate so much all the advice I get from everyone in the DogFoodAdvisor forums, but the decision to purchase food A or food B is ultimately mine. Any suggestions from anyone are not taken blindly – I still go to the manufacturer’s website, look at their ingredients, lookup an ingredient I’m not familiar with, check to make sure there are no known controversies or issues with those ingredients (for example: the link between rosemary extract and seizures in humans, canola oil and cancer, synthetic vs. natural supplement sources), where they come from, how they’re processed, what temp they’re cooked at. All of this is taken into account before I purchase anything.

Now, I understand if you don’t have that kind of time. But you’re here for a reason – you want to feed your dog the best that you possibly can (which is why you’re considering raw!). So, find a just bit of time to look at some of the kibble recommendations that folks have made. I haven’t seen anyone say that Purina or Iams or Science Diet or Royal Canin or Blue are acceptable foods so the recommendations you do find here are all going to be good to excellent choices. I’ve stated my preference a number of times – Orijen, but that doesn’t make Earthborn or Wellness or Canine Caviar bad foods. Open up a few separate browser windows and do a side-by-side comparison to see what you think is best, check Chewy.com prices and you’ll make the right decision for you and your pup.

Now, if you’re wanting to find out more about raw, there’s plenty of information here – I’m already smarter about feeding Mystery raw for the time I’ve spent asking questions and reading responses. But I’ve also signed up for a weekend-long web conference being hosted by DogsNaturallyMagazine.com at the end of this month called Raw Roundup. Experts in the field will be presenting any number of topics on feeding raw and I have started a list of questions to ask in case they are not addressed during the sessions.

You can do this!

[Sharon Buchanan]

jewels~
Sorry for what seems like conflicting/confusing information – it shouldn’t be as I was addressing the percentage of calcium in the Wellness formulas, Duke is addressing the grams of calcium that percentage represents in the food.

If you haven’t opened the bag, PetCo will take it back – actually, they’ll take it back even if you have opened it. If you have a couple days worth of NV left, I can agree with Imnordrum regarding ordering from Chewy. They have excellent customer service and I’ve always received everything within two days as well.

PetCo should carry Innova LBP if you’re considering that, which has one of the lowest calcium/phosphorus ratios – closest to what Dr. Henry Baker recommends (see article #3 on HDM’s list on the first page). Their food is not the best, but certainly better than Purina or Iams, Science Diet…

My primary concern when I first brought Mystery home was calcium, since we already had a Golden that required double-hip surgery, so I put him on the Innova LBP. When he was about seven months old, I switched him to Orijen LBP which has a higher calcium, but only as an interim food while I researched raw, which he is now on. If I had not gone raw, he’d still be on Orijen LBP formula until he was two and then over to Orijen’s adult formulas. Orijen is grain-free, preservative-free and synthetic-free. You won’t find Orijen at PetCo. Only one of my five cats likes raw so they’re all on Orijen Cat and Kitten. (No, I don’t work for Orijen – it’s just the best I can find at a price I can afford.) I’ve had no dietary issues with either the cats or Mystery from any of the foods I’ve fed.

As for the pumpkin, if there are no medical reasons for your pup to have loose stools (I don’t know what they would be except for my experience with Sunset having eaten rabbit poop), a tablespoon of plain pumpkin will help. I never had to give more than two tablespoons, even when Sunset did clean up after the rabbits.

[Lablubber]

Rick Rankin

So can somebody make it simple for me and please tell me on the kibble end of it. If you were just starting out with a lab puppy and wanted to feed him the best kibble… What is the best overall choice. Orijen, Acana, Annamaet, Earthborn Holistic, Go! Fit & Free, Wellness or Dr Something or whatever for a 13 week old Lab puppy. I have read to oblivion on what is best. I have read every persons articles about what is recommended and I am even more confused now and becoming quite desperate watching my grow and hopefully do well.

As I said I tried to switch over to a good food and switched to Blue Lg. Breed Puppy and then only to find out that it too was too high in calcium after all the 20 days of transitioning to another food.

I do plan to slowly work over to some raw diet when I feel knowledgeable enough to do so…Mainly on his evening meals and I have tried some of the stuff PattyVaughn recommend for him as well as adding it to his kibble as toppers to his food to see how he reacted to it and so far so good. But for me and my lack of knowledge, I am just afraid that to jump off completely in the Raw scene because you also need to know that I take this dog with me 24/7. He goes everywhere I go and I also take him to work with me as well. Plus he is already training hard every day with all of his retriever work and obedience training. So then with the very limited knowledge that I have on this subject and the conditions that I am involved in, a totally raw diet would almost be impossible for me to do right now….Plus I am afraid I would not have enough knowledge to give him and provided everything that he needs as far as supplementations that go along with it for a lg. breed growing puppy. Especially when I want to be extra careful on the calcium end of it and then again saying that… I also don’t want to under nourish him in anyway whatsoever either.

So could I just plead for someone’s mercy and wisdom in this situation and please recommend the best kibble for a 13 week old lab puppy and then if you don’t mind, share with me where the best place is to order it…. Because as most all of you warned me….My local pet stores carry very little healthy lg. breed puppy food and all the local vets carry is Science Diet and Royal Canin or something like that and when you read their ingredients, none of them meet the requirements…

So then…Could someone please come to my rescue and help someone in a pinch here, because I am down to about the last 8 # of the food that I have and so now would be the time to transition to another one. I have learned tons from all of you guys but for me time is of the essence because I want this pup to have the best I can get for him with the limited amount of knowledge that I do have on board.

Thanks Lablubber

[LoDoVilla]

Well, I visited my local Pet Supplies Plus, and was happy to discover they carry about 3/4 of the Dog Food Advisor’s 4- and 5-star foods 🙂 Plus, they have a really good rewards program and helpful staff. HIGHLY recommend them. I picked up a bag of Orijen Puppy; we pick up the little big guy Wednesday, so we’ll see 🙂

[pitbullmomma]

First off, so sorry for the loss of your loved one, that’s never an easy thing to go through.

In regards to dog food, a lot of it is going to be trail and error as to what works for your dog! I highly recommend a grain free, but some dogs just can’t handle a grain free (my senior girl gets all constipated)… Champion Pet Foods is one of the best, I love that you can look at their website and find the specific ranches and lakes that their product is sourced from! Another great thing is that the meat is always fresh, never frozen. The fish come straight from the lake to their plant and into the dog food. Can’t get much better than that! But Orijen and Acana can be too rich for some dogs. Merrick has a really great GF food that is still high in meat content, but doesn’t seem to be as rich to the sensitive tummies, and they have a great range of flavors to choose from, which my guys always appreciate. Hope that helps! 🙂

[LoDoVilla]

Orijen and Victor have come up quite a lot here…looks like I can get Orijen at Pet Supplies Plus, but Victor is available in Ft. Lauderdale only. Strange, since I live close to Wellington, and that is big horse country. There must be a feed store that carries it.

[Shasta220]

I don’t have a whole lot of experiences with different foods, or where they’re sourced from. First off, I’m SO sorry for your loss! I’ve lost my favorite dog ever prematurely (I know you shouldn’t pick fave furbabies…but Otto always had a special spot), he was only two when he got killed..

Anyway, back to food. I trust this site quite a bit, and would say you could /probably/ get any 5 star food on here and be happy. Orijen is one of the favorites on here, and my friend has her dogs on NutriSource Grain Free. The 13y.o, lab/collie is happy, energetic, an super healthy. I also have heard good reviews on Victor.

But it really may take some trial and error. Some dogs have insanely great health on a brand, while other dogs don’t do so well, but like I say – check into the 5 star foods on this website to get started, 😉

Best wishes, and thank you for trying to get your dogs the best you have the resources for.

[mountainhound]

It’s hard to recommend “best” food since every dog does differently on different food. One dog might do great on a 5 star food which another one not. I don’t feed kibble anymore, but if I did I would go with either Champion (Orijen/Acana, I prefer Acana regional due to slightly lower protein), Petcurean (the grain free Go formulas) or Fromm.

[raylene5]

Took our 12 week old Miniature Schnauzer puppy to the vet for his first check up yesterday and, like with most vets I’ve ever met, I sure didn’t like her. I had called ahead of time and asked if the vets at this office are supportive of raw feeding and was assured that they are. Well, as soon as I told her I was feeding raw (Primal Pronto and ZiwiPeak) she gave me the spiel about contaminating the kids with his kisses and salmonella.

So Kamper has been eating grass since he got to our place. He was born in Arizona and had not seen grass at all before so at first I thought it was just curiousity. When I told the vet I was concerned about his eating the grass, she said it was probably because he was on a raw diet and that dogs can’t digest raw foods. That, like our bodies, they can better digest processed foods (she brought up how when we were cavemen we ate a lot of uncooked food and just sat around digesting it all day). Now, the good thing was that she did suggest very high quality kibble (Orijen, Acana, etc…) and not the typical vet-endorsed Science Diet or anything like that.

Anyway, it was a frustrating visit. I just wanted to know if anyone else’s vet had said these things about processed foods being easier to digest for their dogs.

[RescueDaneMom]

I agree with what Ana said. I have a Great Dane as well so I understand the challenge that feeding a giant breed can be sometimes. I would avoid the hot dogs too. I only use hot dogs (good quality, all meat, all natural) for very special rewards. It’s not something you want to feed all the time.

My Dane was always slightly overweight on kibble no matter what brand I fed or how much I reduced his portion. The best thing I ever did for his health was switch him to The Honest Kitchen and raw. THK is a dehydrated food. You add water and let it rehydrate before serving it. It would be great for traveling in your motorhome with. You can incorporate some raw food instead of hot dogs if the concept of raw doesn’t bother you. There are a number of high quality raw frozen foods out there. I like Primal and Stella & Chewy’s the best. I started making my own homemade raw food because it was cheaper for me.

If you want to feed kibble, definitely check out the 4 and 5 star rated kibbles on this site. Everybody has their preferences. A few I like and have fed my Dane are: Earthborn Holistic, Annamaet Grain Free, Go! Fit & Free, Acana Regionals (Grain Free), and Orijen. Others I like are Horizon Legacy, Dr. Tim’s, and Victor. I would feed the 7 month old a food from Hound Dog Mom’s list of foods that are appropriate for a large breed puppy: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit All of these foods are 4 or 5 stars and have the appropriate amount of calcium for a growing large breed puppy.

Good luck and have fun with your newly adopted pups!

[Momof6]

I have had a few friends switch to orijen and it was simply too much. It’s extremely rich food and high protein. I always recommend giving dogs a little time to adjust, you can help with pumpkin and some sort of digestive aid. If no better, look into acana. same company, great food as well. Some times Orijen, beings so rich, just doesn’t sit well. Personally, it gave my dogs horrific gas and I couldn’t handle it lol.

[Jazz Lover]

Sounds like a busy wknd for sure!

I was feeling so good about my choice. I p/u Orijen adult. Now it sounds as if I should have p/u their LBP. I did not notice a significant difference in the 2 guaranteed analysis. Other than LBP note carbs & adult did not. I thought the overall consensus was the adult at 10 mos.

Susan responded to my email & her site is back up? She says any links that have the “2,” you’ll need to remove that “2” to find the article. I plan to follow & did like on FB, as well.

Lmk what you all think & if I should exchange Orijen Adult food for Orijen’s LBP?

PS How can I add a picture to my profile?

[Sharon Buchanan]

Freed1 ~
You can see the entire 5-star list of foods here: /dog-food-reviews/dry/5-star/.

My opinion is that Orijen is the best dry food, whether you are feeding puppy, large breed puppy or adult. It is however, more expensive that the average brand you find at Petsmart.

[Sharon Buchanan]

Jazz ~
Sorry I didn’t get back to you yesterday. It’s been a madhouse around here with my oldest daughter moving out yesterday, me trying to finish some reading on raw diets so I can order some food before tomorrow and trying to find the right adoptable Golden for my husband.

I appreciate that RescueDaneMom jumped in to give you some very good advice. Pattyvaughn is another great resource as are any number of people more qualified than I.

Although some of the papers from the Great Dane study indicate that a 6 month old LBP could effectively absorb calcium, I have to agree with GDM that waiting at least until 10 months to switch to a higher calcium diet is better. I would however, still feed LBP kibble until full grown, up to 2 years old – you’ll know when your pup has reached that point.

I did switch Mystery to Orijen, Large Breed Puppy a month or so ago and if I hadn’t gone raw I’d have fed it until he was at least 16 months old. I wouldn’t have moved to Acana LBP because their MINIMUM calcium is 1.6%, Orijen is 1.2/1.5 min/max. Some of the Acana Regionals recipes have a similar low minimum calcium of 1.2% but they don’t say what their max is. Additionally, the protein content is lower than Orijen LBP. For comparison’s sake – Orijen LBP and both adult formulas contain 14 proteins and then starches follow. Acana Wild Prairie 2 proteins then a starch while their Grasslands is a bit better at 4. 80% of Orijen’s ingredients are protein, Acana is 60%. Of the other foods that RDM listed, I have opinions on all of them, but you can do further comparisons.

IF I were going to continue into adult kibble, I would absolutely have stayed with any variety of adult Orijen and would have felt very good about my decision. All five cats are eating Orijen with the youngest, a five month old Maine Coon stealing a few ounces of Mystery’s raw. I spent a lot of time researching pedigrees and genetics and food so that we could avoid, to every extent possible, a repeat of the $10,000 it cost us to have double-hip surgery on Sunset before she was two and three months of 24/7 in-clinic therapy to teach her how to walk again. I’m by no means an expert, but I can read and the more I do, the better I feel about my food choices, and why I switched to Orijen at 9 months and then raw so soon after at 10 months.

I wholly agree with RDM on turmeric. Mystery is enrolled in the Morris Foundation’s lifetime study on the relationship between cancer and Golden Retrievers and since we just lost Sunset to cancer, I feel a duty to do everything I can keep Mystery from getting cancer. I do purchase some supplements from Swanson and I’ve had Mystery on Springtime’s Longevity but I’m not certain I will continue that. I do agree with your decision to limit supplements since most kibble already contain a variety of supplements – I recently read an article on supplement overkill. If I can dig that article up I’ll let you know.

I also give Mystery raw eggs on occasion. It’s my understanding that the shell of the egg has a perfect balance of calcium to phosphorus. So if you’re still feeding a low calcium kibble and you want to add a bit more without switching to a higher calcium food, break an egg! I usually break it over a bowl, break up the shell a bit with my hands and pour it over his food. He gets the same eggs I eat – Born Free, Vegetarian without the added omegas or any other organic, free-range brown egg when Born Free is unavailable.

One more note – Susan Thixton had her site truthaboutpetfood.com hacked a couple years ago and so opened another site adding a “2” to the end. The problem finally resolved, she’s moved everything back over to truthaboutpetfood.com but is in the process of cleaning things up – hopefully that will be finished soon. Keep checking back, sign up for her newsletter or “Like” her on Facebook. She’s worth following.

Whew! 😉

[RescueDaneMom]

Jazz lover,

I do like Dr. Becker’s stuff. It makes sense to me and I like how she presents her information. The eggshell can be beneficial because it is a source of calcium. I do not give my dog the shell because I don’t buy organic eggs and I can’t be sure of what’s been sprayed on them. I just crack a raw egg into my Dane’s food bowl and mix it with his other stuff. He loves it. I will also cooks eggs over easy for him. He likes them both ways. The only dairy product I will give my dog is kefir because it’s 99% lactose free. He may get cheese if I need to give him pills. Other than that I don’t see a need for dairy. I don’t know why kibbles include cheese. Fromm has the cheese. Orijen has eggs. I’ll be honest- I’m not a fan of Fromm. Some people rave about it but my dog never liked it.