[aquariangt]

I don’t use any of the grain inclusive ones, not because of the grains-they aren’t unhealthy grains and my dogs can tolerate them-but because they are all fairly low protein %.

I rotate through some of the others, but it depends what else is in your rotation if you rotate. I like their Pork and Pea because I don’t feed anything else with pork in it.

I’ve also used Game Bird, Beef Frittata, and Surf n Turf. I don’t use Salmon Tunalini because I have another in my rotation that’s Salmon based. I haven’t tried the Lamb yet, it’s pretty new, looks good, but since it’s getting hot out, one of mine gets really warm on lamb

Overall, they’re all pretty nice, i’d recommend all the ones ive used, and probably the ones I havent

[aquariangt]

Definitely gold over classic. Personally I use 4 star in my rotation, and perhaps the grain free variety would help firm your labs up, though you have to watch, some varieties are a bit low on protein

[aquariangt]

Yeah, they’re cute. I use the small gator which should be a good size for Bruno

[aquariangt]

I use a brand called whimzees, used to be paragon. I don’t do them daily, they get a decent amount of other chews as well-including bullies and Tracheas which help teeth to a degree

[aquariangt]

Because comparing two sub par products and saying “look, greenies are fine” isn’t really proving a point. All you’re doing is bringing up two other products I’d never buy.

Technically ol Roy and alpo have a stamp of approval from Aafco, that doesn’t mean I’ll feed them. Everything in there is edible for a dog, so that makes them an acceptable product?

Those were the two points you made, and neither makes a good case for greenies. There are better products that are better for my dog, that have ingredients I approve of, and aren’t any brand you listed

[aquariangt]

When I raised rabbits, I always did it myself. I used to do the goldens too. It still freaks me out, and since the current pack has a groomer, I have them do it.

However, my brother in law does theirs with a grinder and said it’s fairly easy, and hasn’t ever hit blood, dark nails too. As far as commercial groomers, my sister brought her westie to petsmart because there was a lady there who specialized in them, and they did a nice job so that would be fine. Now that I’m watching him (only 6 more weeks 🙁 ) he goes to my groomer because I don’t want to make the extra stop

[aquariangt]

I gotta say, your reasoning is fairly flawed, suburban gal. I have no desire to go into some lengthy discussion as to why, but that seal means nothing. I also don’t buy any of those competitors you cited. Kinda like saying purina, iams, and eukanuba are all the same, so use iams.

[aquariangt]

for all you coupon types out there-right now if you buy one of the “natural” brands at petsmart, you get a 5$ off your next bag of food (dog or cat) bought before the end of May. Just found out today when i picked up a bag of Simply Nourish Source. unfortunately i won’t be using it because nothing else from my dry food rotation is carried there, so I’m bringing it to work to see if anyone wants it. Wish it worked on cans, because i buy a few of those there.

Just a heads up

[aquariangt]

I have a lot of clients who swear by precise light. One of our vets rev’s it, as well as a pet boutique that recently closed, and people started ordering their dog food from us. Haven’t tried it myself

[aquariangt]

I also top with canned, instead of feeding it as the bulk of their food. Honestly, I rotate around a lot with canned (dry as well, but less so) whenever I’m at PetSmart, PetCo, or Four Paws (my usual specialty store i stop at) I get whatever high quality is on sale.

I also keep a bag of Sojos (i rotate flavors, haven’t tried the new lamb yet, as it’s hot out and one of mine gets real warm on lamb) for when I don’t have any canned on hand. As long as it’s all good quality, your dog shouldn’t have much problem switching canned flavors often. If something is giving him the runs, take a look at what’s in it, and it could be an intolerance to one of those ingredients

[aquariangt]

Dog allergy testing is sketchy at best. If she has no reaction to peas….maybe she can handle them?

If you want to stick directly to that list, I’d look at homeade honestly. Next is dehydrated or canned. I perused a few lid kibbles that I thought of and none were free of the full list

[aquariangt]

They’re good, and the good dog ones are small so they actually work for training treats too even though they’re crunchy. Not too high in cal count either. The classic line (Duck/Cherry, Chix/Veg, Sweet Potato/+Cant remember? Salmon?) Are a bit bigger, but easy to break and not too crunchy. I like them.

On topic of treats, we just got in some of THKs, and while my dogs love them, they kinda said they were quick eats so they still worked for training, and during agility last night, the pecks took Dani so long to eat that it was a bit of a hindrance, and she made a huge mess of them. Cool idea, but not sure i’ll use them much

[aquariangt]

I’ll second M2C, meal time feeding may help force her to eat if it isn’t available at all times.

Switching foods may help keep things interesting, more expensive to buy many small bags, yes, but could be effective. If you don’t want to go straight canned, maybe a dehydrated food? Honest Kitchen, Sojos, etc… may be a good fit for her. And if you really want her to graze, you could feed that at meal times, slightly less than you should, and keep the kibble for grazing.

[aquariangt]

DFA rates foods based on what’s in the food for the star rating system. They keep a collection of recall notices and such to be taken into account that you can read about on the top bar there.

However, because of these other issues, that’s why BB doesn’t end up on the Editor’s Choice lists. There are many 4-5 star foods that don’t make the list, and there a few reasons why, but the things that have been in said in this thread are some of the reasons that BB isn’t

[aquariangt]

out of curiosity, do you believe that is true BC? the allergies comment, ive heard it as well, but haven’t ever noticed it myself so not sure if its a myth or not

[aquariangt]

As long as your dog doesn’t have intolerances towards any of those, switch between all of them 🙂

[aquariangt]

Are you interesting in dehydrated ? The Honest Kitchen’s Preference looks like it’s safe for you, but would have to add your own meat. The zeal blend looks ok as well, that’s the fish blend.

You could start looking at the list at the beginning of this, but the first few I checked had tomato pomace

[aquariangt]

All the freshpets are highly rated, haven’t had recalls, and are widely available, which is why they made it on the editor’s choice list.

I believe that the budget friendly is just a list of 4-5 stars that are less expensive than the usual 4-5 stars, as a helpful tool. If they were the best of the best, they’d be under the editor’s choice review section. That’s my take on it at least

[aquariangt]

I don’t think that pup needs large breed food. And all life stages and puppy food have the same Aafco profiles, so you’re safe there as well. I like all 4 of those foods, overall, though fromms is the only one in my current rotation

[aquariangt]

We just got in fromms new lamb and lentils 4star gf blend. It’s potato free

[aquariangt]

Great Life has been discussed somewhere on here, i assume it has to do with their silent recalls

[aquariangt]

Depends what you’re looking for as far as “cheap” . In relativity, things like Fromm’s, Simply Nourish + many of the others that have already been mentioned are less than other 4-5 star food choices. Authority Grain Free runs pretty reasonable as well

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by aquariangt.

[aquariangt]

I agree with Marie. There are some grain inclusive foods that I feed in my rotations. There are grains I do avoid-any corn (one of them gets really gassy with any amount of corn, on top of the fact that corn provides very little nutritional value of any sort) things like brewer’s rice (cheap filler that I don’t want to pay for) I try not to have wheat or soy, but if it isn’t bothering your dog and they are thriving on it, there ya go. 2 of mine have oatmeal in their current food, and then one is currently on a grain free.

Take a look at some of the articles on the library section, and Dr Mike talks about the things that you really want to avoid, and again, it’s very dog dependent.

[aquariangt]

Maybe one of the fromms grain free?

[aquariangt]

Hah, yup. I hadn’t even gone and looked since it changed over to April. Hopefully Mike can answer that question for us

[aquariangt]

The honest kitchen is on there

[aquariangt]

It could be an intolerance to something in the food. What blend of Pro Plan were you feeding? What blend of BB are you now feeding? They very well could have some sensitive stomachs

[aquariangt]

Check out the Editor’s Choice April 2014 listing, and read about those companies. They have a little more in depth about what sourcing and chemicals are used in the food. Off the top of my head, The Honest Kitchen would probably be safe to use-it’s not a kibble though.

[aquariangt]

Since turkey isn’t a super high allergen, you may try a food with no rice or barley. As Shasta said, that sounds like an allergen, so it’s usually easiest to try eliminating things that are common allergies, in this case, the grain. Brewers rice is filler/junk anyway, so good to get away from that.

Pro plan is fairly expensive for what it is, so you should be able to find a high quality food that is grain free for a similar price point. I wouldn’t particularly recommend going back to it either, especially not that blend

[aquariangt]

Bully sticks also smell like crazy. But they do the trick. Some of my other favorites for time consuming:

Beef knee caps
Rib bones
Kongs with safe peanut butter (I’m sure you knew this one)
Tracheas (they don’t take much time)
Ligament bones, or plain ligaments
Dried jerky sticks

And of course, I’m always an advocate for feeding them out of trick bowls or treat dispensers, makes a huge difference in the evening

[aquariangt]

Shasta- that’s my 7 mo sheltie, Dani (short for daenerys,

[aquariangt]

sojos also has a beef blend if you want to try one that you dont have to add meat. It’s a little less pasty than THK.

Kibble wise-it’s a tough one to find one with none of those, but not impossible. Fromm’s Pork and Pea is the one i know of for sure. Look for something that specifically has Pea in it (to my knowledge, as most other grain free kibble needs pea or potatoes to bind it) but you really may be best off with a base as Shasta said. Orijen has one as well

I’d recommend Marie’s list over on the Canine Nutrition forum about grain free, potato free food options as a starting point

[aquariangt]

Acana is covered under champion foods

[aquariangt]

Locally made is a good word that gets people’s attention

[aquariangt]

Is organic for dog food the same as people food? If so, you can’t call something that isn’t 100% certified organic

[aquariangt]

I use that flower one, Marie. It’s great. more durable than the picture makes it look too

[aquariangt]

What about purchasing raw or dehydrated raw if you want to keep them on that kind of diet? Of the two you mentioned, I trust wellness more than blue, but blue in and of itself isn’t terrible

[aquariangt]

I like Earthbath, and there are a lot of varieties to pick from-depending on fur type, climate, etc…I live in a dry climate, so use one that is extra moisturizing, etc…

[aquariangt]

I like slo feeders for gulpers. Kyjen makes some awesome ones that tire the dogs out a bit as they are a puzzle to get the food out of as well.

Could also try probiotics/digestive enzymes, or switching the food

[aquariangt]

And Shasta-

Lavender doesn’t particularly work for me either, but I know a lot of people love it. I have a friend that is a lavender farmer so I can always get it from her, but overall, it shouldn’t be too expensive.

If it’s something you want to pursue, and have trouble finding any, message me and I can get some shipped over to you, nice and local too!

[aquariangt]

When I was young I remember my mom used to use a half Benadryl for one of our goldens during thunderstorms. It was crazy how much of a meltdown she had. Even getting in bed with someone, laying on the floor next to her, nothing would work. That was enough to put her to sleep, not sure how it would work for Loki since he has issues around people in general.

I haven’t looked into it enough to know if its something I want to do

[aquariangt]

I just had a thought-

Does anyone know if Lavender has any effect on dogs? It’s calming for people, I wonder if that could help. If so-I know you make your own dog treats Shasta, you could potentially work in some culinary lavender (not ones made for fragrance, though you could try a lotion of sorts) into some treats for Loki

[aquariangt]

Do you have access to a smaller pet boutique that you can get a few options to pick from (ordering online works too but annoying for testing out food intolerances)

Wellness is one of if not the best food at petsmart type stores, so it’s not a bad choice. There are others as well, but overall depends what’s causing the pup to have stomach trouble

[aquariangt]

We teach a shy dog class that maybe helpful to him (not me, so I can’t explain how to do it myself, I only do obedience and agility) perhaps see if you have something like that near you? I would research the type of training though. A, I agree with others and wouldn’t touch a Caesar trainer. They will do irreparable damage. That man should be taken off the air and his books burned. B. careful for adversive shy dog trainers, I did a visit to one who was teaching a fear class and the forced interaction “flooding” methods were pretty awful. I hope those dogs are ok.

[aquariangt]

Depends on the bottled water, but most of it is somewhat gimmicky. I believe purified is just filtered iirc, and is using the word purified to get your attention.

Most of it is the same, and rarely distiller, so you should be ok

[aquariangt]

I also like that I don’t have to order SN online. For some reason, it;s weird to me. I’ve done it, but i’m always happier when i can get my hands on my dog food

[aquariangt]

Colorado now. I was born in Minnesota where I lived until I was 5, moved to Wisconsin for 10 years, now colorado for the last 13. Always grew up with rough collies and golden retrievers, some others here and there. Lots of barn cats. Goats, chickens, horses. Raised and showed rabbits for 10 years.

After the bigger dogs, somehow I have changed gears. I have a mini schnauzer named liesl (rescue, abused dog, sweet thing) almost 5. I’m watching my sisters westie, willoughby (2.5) while she’s abroad, and then my sheltie, dani, is 7mos. I also have a 5 year old cat, shinku.

[aquariangt]

I have 2 tanks that I’ve used before, they each can fit 6 small plants (last year strawberries and cucumber) this year I’m adding a 6 box vertical vertigro planter, but don’t know what I’ll put in it yet. My mini greenhouse does all my herbs, and my outdoor garden does tomatoes, artichokes, 3 squashes, a few peppers. This year I’m going to toy with some more root vegetables too

[aquariangt]

My pets are my hobby, but a well worth it timesink. I work as a dog trainer part time, but during my main jobs busy season I don’t do it much. The rest of my hobbies revolve around my main job. I’m a chef-tho right now I work as an f&b director so not much hands of cooking- so I’m constantly researching and eating. I’d like to get to the point of cooking for my animal family, but not ready/feel not educated enough yet. I like to garden, and am currently getting some hydroponic stuff ready for this years planting, but it’s more for fresh produce to play with than the enjoyment of doing it. Grew up Oma hobby farm, so that was always a big part of my life, and hopefully soon I’ll be able to purchase property large enough for that of my own. I did show rabbits around the country for 10 years as well. I listen to country music, and try to get to a few shows a year (Colorado- we have red rocks, best concert venue in the country!)

[aquariangt]

while there are a lot of options NOT at walmart, the only one I would even consider is pure balance

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