[aquariangt]

I didn’t double check, thanks Betsy 🙂

so to edit my post: any of them matt listed but are on the list, would be good options

[aquariangt]

It doesn’t matter so much if it’s specifically a large breed puppy food or not. As long as it has the AAFCO profile for growth and hits the necessary nutrients (specifically calcium) they are noted as acceptable. In fact, many LBP foods AREN’T appropriate for what they are aiming for. All of those Matt listed would work for your golden pup

[aquariangt]

Short answer: I wouldn’t use either of those brands.

Switching in and out is definitely good, but you need to make sure it complies with the proper calcium levels. HDMs most recent document is on page 15 of that thread, and pick a few things off that and rotate through there

[aquariangt]

Sandy, that is my favorite picture you’ve put up yet

[aquariangt]

There is a sticky on one of the pages under Help and Feedback that gives directions on how to create an avatar. it’s done offsite through a website called gravatar

Graham is my name! I don’t feed raw-I do use HK and like it-but a lot of people here seem to use Steve Brown’s books as a guideline to a full on homemade diet. You can download them on Amazon or order the books there as well. From my understanding, completely homemade the most important thing is balancing, so hopefully someone like Sandy or HDM that already does this will chime in

Good luck

[aquariangt]

Something most likely has happened to this poor guy. Aggression issues aren’t something that will go away in the near future, but lots of hard work, patience, and positive training will eventually (hopefully) lessen that problems.

First, I would always have treats available when you’re working with him. When getting ready to put a leash or collar on him, have treats, and counter condition that act to be a good thing. Make sure you approach him from the side with your body turned so you aren’t coming directly at him. Squat down, hand to the side, ive him a treat. Get another one ready for while you are leashing him up, and give another one, with praise for putting it on well. Do this slowly, and if he reacts, back away. Wait for him to calm down, and try to repeat the process. Don’t let him greet anyone on the street, if they get offended, explain he is a foster with some aggression issues you are working on. Anyone that you may have in his space, make sure they are using proper dog language to greet him, and no one is rushing the dog.

Resource guarding can be tricky- toys shouldn’t be left out for the dogs unless you are there monitoring, and if things turn from friendly rough play to aggressive guarding, the toys and treats go away. Reward good play and sharing with treats

Good luck

[aquariangt]

That would come down to the discussion on survive vs thrive. You may see a vast improvement if you got them onto something a little better. Seeing that RC is such a low quality food, switching directly onto something high protein, lower filler, etc would be difficult for your dogs to do straight up (not sure what else you tried) I would recommend transitioning them onto a mid range food-I like Precise Foundation for a transition food-and then onto something else. Precise foundation is still chicken and brown rice, but with less trash than the lower quality foods. It’s easy on the stomach and the protein is still not too high. Once they’ve made it onto that, you can go into a 4-5 star food and hopefully continue to rotate to build a healthy gut

[aquariangt]

Those are pretty remote options-do you have petsmart or petcos? Those brands sound like what’s in a country supply store (i buy earthborn from there) and I know you need one today, but will you be able to order online as well later? If so, you don’t need to worry as much about the single amino acid source as you can get something different next bag.

Short answer: I don’t touch Blue, and Earthborn is in my main rotation

[aquariangt]

Fromm is on the editor’s choice list if you check it out, and the reviews are quite favorable as well. I love their 4 star line, and they are a really fantastic company to boot

[aquariangt]

Acana regionals are biggish too. Actually too big for my crew so I’m not using it much anymore

[aquariangt]

What about mixing in canned and/or dehydrated to help get him eating? Dogs often won’t reject things like the honest kitchen or sojos

[aquariangt]

wowza! That’s a lot, sorry-you must be so frustrated! The one that comes to mind is Fromm 4Star Grain Free Pork and Pea

Nature’s Variety Instinct LID diets may have something for ya as well-Natural Balance if you’re ok with them. Simply Nourish has an LID Sweet Potato and Salmon-I like the company but only use the source line myself- it’s low in protein so you’d probably want to top it

[aquariangt]

Ingredient lists are only a portion of what makes a dog food good.

Where is it manufactured, and by whom?
Where are their ingredients sourced from?
Why are there SO many problems with dogs on that food, when according the the GA and the ingredient panel, there shouldn’t be?
What the hell are those lifesource bits?
Why don’t they answer any of these questions?

I’m glad Blue is there for the general uninformed masses so they can get off of Beneful, Dog Chow, and Science Diet, but it’s certainly not a great dog food. Blue isn’t winning the dog food sales, at petsmart, maybe, but they’re still behind Purina. Did Purina lose a portion of their sales to them? Yes, but their lawsuit may not be totally off base. Not saying I’d feed purina either, but I will say that one thing hey don’t do is lie. They make you look at their food through some colored lenses, but they don’t outright tell lies other then “this is healthy for your dog”. I’m not 100% positive that I could say the same for Blue

[aquariangt]

I mean, Blue is a shady company. They have a lot of issues and terrible customer service. People have many problems on that food that they shouldn’t be, and you have no idea where any of their sourcing/manufacturing comes from. Yes they are a name brand, but they aren’t even my first choice from petsmart or petco, much less any dog boutique. I won’t touch it

[aquariangt]

the list has changed every month since it started-not drastically, but some

[aquariangt]

I did some googling (very difficult as I can’t read most of these websites) and found this site mentioned on another forum:

http://www.lacasadelasmascotas.com/b2c/index.php?page=pp_productos.php&tbusq=1&ref=PSPe&md=1

seems like they are based somewhere down there, and Acana/Orijen are both great foods. Taste of the Wild is made by Diamond…not sure if i’d go with a diamond product that looks good on paper or something that is a poorer product. Nutro Ultra is fine I suppose, I think I’ve heard of people using Applaws in Europe. I’ve never heard of the other two brands

[aquariangt]

because of the corn and rice, I wouldn’t feed that food, though the calcium levels seem to be closer to ok. Is ordering online an option for you? chewy.com and petflow.com i’ve used though I don’t know about their international shipping, but there are people who order from amazon though that could get to you

[aquariangt]

It’s a forum, not sure what you meant by “run by professionals” but forums are a place where people gather to discuss things. Looking at your previous post, you posted at 5:30 in the morning, that could easily be bumped down to the point where no one even saw it as a recent comment being so early, and not that many people are up and posting on the forums. No need to be rude-and attempting to guilt people doesn’t get you very far, anywhere in life really. (referring to this comment: “should I say Max a 10 week old puppy’s plight is ignored”)

Take a look at the above post that Naturella linked the list of acceptable foods for a large breed puppy, the most recent list in on page 15. Eukanuba is not a good food. That entire thread is full of good information. As opposed to asking “what food can I get around here” since most of us aren’t from spain, post what foods are available, and people can help you from there

[aquariangt]

HDM- I’m not sure I’ve noticed you say your minimum food order before! How big is your freezer?!

[aquariangt]

3rding the comment about Blue. I won’t touch it.

What about dehydrated? I don’t have much experience with canine cancer-and the people I have talked to about it I’ve steered towards commercial raw-but a dehydrated food may be efficient for you. Canine Caviar also totes being the best kibble for cancer

[aquariangt]

Fromm’s makes a small breed as well. Also-Earthborn’s small breed is little. Annamaet Small breed might be, I’ll be ordering it soon to try it out

[aquariangt]

The more that doesn’t digest (all those poor quality foods you mentioned) will have worse poop. More comes out, more is there. I would try out a higher quality food that has a lot of good digestibility.

Remember that budget conscious means different things to different people, so take this for what it’s worth

Some options that are budget friendly: Victor (if you can find it locally, I can’t) Earthborn Holistic, Pure Balance, Simply Nourish, Dr Tims

None of these will be as cheap as beneful, but unfortunately you can’t make a decent food that cheap. The closest will probably be Pure Balance-which is from walmart- but I can’t say the exact amount, I’ve never used it myself

[aquariangt]

I’m confused. Your dog smells? Or the dog food smells?

One way or the other, what are you feeding?

[aquariangt]

I’ve never fed it despite it being made about 20 miles from me, and it does look good. I’ve heard though that their customer service is a bit shaky, so that could have something to do with them not making editor’s choice, as much of that list is comprised of the company itself.

I do like that you can get it at King Sooper’s. The Safeway across the street from the dog training place I work at also has Nutrisca, albeit a very small section, but it’s nice that there are options to give people who can’t make it to a pet store (which I don’t totally buy that excuse for long term, but hey)

[aquariangt]

You should be feeding based on calories as opposed to a cup amount. I don’t follow the cup recommendation and instead try to hit a caloric amount for the dogs. You could feed less Victor Hi Pro than either of the other two. According to the calculator on the home page of this site, you would do 2.5 cups of victor, and would need almost 3 for of victor chicken meal, and over 3 for chicken soup. Based on a 48 pound dog who is typically active

High protein isn’t an issue either, and the hi pro is the only of those three I would consider as 30% is my minimum, though I haven’t fed any Victor (though a lot of people here love it) and I don’t feed any Diamond so TotW and Chicken Soup haven’t ever been with me either

Diamond has a long history of recalls and poor quality control, yes.

[aquariangt]

They’re both made by diamond, so both are a no go for me. Technically, yes totw is better than chicken soup, but I wouldn’t touch either of them

[aquariangt]

oi, that’s a tough one. First I would check the dog food ingredients thread started by inked marie that is the potato free one (also grain free) but from there you’re going to need to find one that is PEA free, which isn’t super easy.

What about the honest kitchen? Zeal, the fish based on is good for you it looks like, however, I no longer see it on their website so hopefully someone else may know if its discontinued

[aquariangt]

If you live in the states, you won’t be able to get Acana Classics

Maybe Earthborn Puppy?

[aquariangt]

I believe Earthborn is at tractor supply (correct me if im wrong, I don’t have them) so maybe try that.

As far as getting your dogs to eat, I really recommend adding high value like canned or dehydrated. As I said, the super cheap foods-and baneful in particular-add additives for taste, so even though we know it’s better for them, they may ignore it. Also, don’t be afraid of making your dog be hungry for a day or two…they aren’t cats. they’ll eat

[aquariangt]

If you aren’t in Canada, all those Acanas won’t be available to you-none of the Acana Classics, just Singles and Regionals.

With over a mile a day and some fetch, I wouldn’t be super concerned with fat unless you are seeing a lot of weight gain. Not only has high protein % been proven, it’s recommended for senior dogs. So if he is fine on the high protein, keep it up.

I would try out a novel protein, and I would try rotating through proteins that he works just fine on, it will help keep him healthy. Of the things you listed, the acana you may not be able to find, and in my opinion, Taste of the Wild and Merrick have too many company issues to bother with, especially with a dog you are trying to pinpoint some stomach issues, it may throw off your findings unnecessarily. Wellness is nice, Acana and Orijen are Nice, Earthborn is nice-and they have the primitive naturals that is poultry based and over 40% protein as well

[aquariangt]

another point to keep in mind when comparing dog food prices for your budget is how much you feed. I took the food you linked (and I wholeheartedly agree with everyone else to get off that food) and for my dogs, it’s recommending up to 2 cups a day-that’s double what I feed them on pretty much anything that they are on at the time (I rotate brands-I also use toppers and do a fair amount of training so they don’t get quite as much as recommended) whereas the victor grain free has them on 1.5 cups-this adds up a lot over a year for food cost. Victor is certainly a good option it seems-I haven’t used it, can’t get it locally and online victor is a bit pricy for something that I can’t test-but a lot of people swear by it. Betsy linked some good options as well. Hard to say what would be best because your budget is your budget, but there are certainly options within every price range that would be sufficient

Good luck

[aquariangt]

You can order a variety of good chews from http://www.bestbullysticks.com too,, they have all kinds of great stuff, not just bullies

[aquariangt]

Do you mean zignature? I don’t actually know much about it other than it looks good

[aquariangt]

Cheap food is giving in. It’s equivalent to feeding macdonalds, and there are chemical additives sprayed on the kibble to make it taste better. THATS why your dog will eat it, and their performance won’t be great on beneful.

4health and diamond aren’t great in my opinion either. To help ease your dog into eating something healthier, I’d look in to adding some canned or dehydrated

[aquariangt]

I like rib bones top. I also use a brand called whimzees about once a week

[aquariangt]

As Robin said, I would say there is a less than 5% chance of TotW ever making editor’s choice. Much of that list is comprised of solid companies, and Diamond is not

[aquariangt]

You can start any age on raw really (what breeds do you have?? 2 5 month olds go through 50 lb a month, oi-my 3 go through 15 ish pounds)

There are a few threads about starting raw, and Hound Dog Mom and Rescue Dane Mom both have a lot of tips

[aquariangt]

The tuna was a success over here. I haven’t tried any of the chicken ones yet-it’s made by Weruva, is their PetCo exclusive brand. Now that I’m narrowing down what picky will eat and what she won’t, this one will probably be getting a case ordered

[aquariangt]

In all honesty, while I don’t feed anything Diamond touches, I would feed a decent diamond over Ol’ Blue. Sportmix Wholesomes definitely looks better as well, wouldn’t be a bad start

[aquariangt]

Meat and bone meal can be a very dangerous ingredient, and while your dogs may seem to do fine on corn, its a cheap filler that causes you to have to feed them MORE instead of nutrient dense ingredients. Do you have a walmart? People have used Pure Balance, and while its not $20 for a 50 pounder, the 30 pound bag online is about $30. I havent used it myself, but people seem to do well. If you have a tractor supply (i dont) people also recommend 4healthm if you’re ok with Diamond…

[aquariangt]

Ugh, this food looks pretty poor. The price tag reflects that as well. Check out the budget friendly dog food list, maybe? Nothing of any decency will be 20 for a bag that size, but there are other budget friendly options. Follow the coupon thread by Akari as well, lots of tips there

[aquariangt]

affordable is somewhat dependent on your opinion of “affordable”

Authority Grain Free (4 stars)
Simply Nourish Grain Free (4 stars)
Simply Nourish Source (5 stars)
Earthborn Holistic (5 stars)
Victor has been mentioned-I will say ordering victor online gets a bit more expensive that finding a retailer

all can be a bit cheaper than some other options you’ll find out there

SNS and Earthborn are both brands I use-Fromm’s 4 star grain free as well, also cheaper than some other options. I also use Acana-while not super cheap, you don’t need to feed as much as some other options so it cuts down the price a bit. Authority I don’t particularly like, and simply nourish grain free is too low in protein for me

[aquariangt]

Definitely go with something on the list, as they have the appropriate calcium levels.

It won’t hurt the lab to go large breed even if they end up small, so it’s better to be safe than sorry. They can still get the same bone/joint/hip issues that effect the giants

[aquariangt]

If she’s picky, and not used to eating things like yogurt, coconut oil, and gravy (do you mean like nupro?) that’s definitely something she may eat around. I would try mixing a little of those things into canned to make it more enticing to her. If she just had a teeth pulled, her mouth still may be very sensitive as well.

If she’s eating some, she may not require as much food as she’s getting. Some dogs will portion control themselves, or she may be eating the minimum and just doesn’t care for the food. What protein sources have you tried?

[aquariangt]

You can retrain a dog to not be a grazer-and with 3 dogs, I would definitely do that. Try mixing in some canned or dehydrated food-dogs usually go crazy. I’d try a stew style over pate style so you can really mix it onto the kibble and get her enjoying eating the kibble

Doing this will be a good time to try something that isn’t Euk or BB as well

[aquariangt]

In that case, I’ll feel good about doing it for now. Once I have her to the point where dry is just a snack between meals, I’ll look into pulling the tuna out. She eats it so much faster than the poultry based ones, I just don’t want to go backwards in my canned progress

[aquariangt]

Few things in this.

There are many studies showing that high protein causing kidney damage in dogs is a myth, and 30% isn’t terribly high either-it’s actually the number i shoot for at minimum, and i supplement with high protein canned and dehydrated on top of that. That shouldn’t be a concern for you, and lower in fat is more important for weight loss than lower protein.

However, I wouldn’t continue feeding blue. If you want to stay on a weight loss food (i’ve never personally used any) the two I see recommended the most on here are Wellness Core Weight Control, and Annamaet Lean. I’ve seen a few people use Natural Balance Fat Dog as well, but I won’t feed anything from that company either.

[aquariangt]

A few pages back there is some discussion on why Evanger’s isn’t on the list. The company is somewhat shady, even though their food is good on paper (which is all the rating system goes off of)

Don’t be afraid of meals as long as the protein in them is named (IE beef meal is fine, meat meal is not)

[aquariangt]

I would try the core. The grain free could clear up some of that condition. I would maybe look into a transitioning food since wellness core is a lot richer than hills. Something like precise that isn’t crazy rich and also is basic chicken and brown rice, I wouldn’t feed it long term though

[aquariangt]

I have another question (why are cats so much harder for me than dogs?!) also- the wellness cubed and sliced has worked, so thanks for that suggestion!

The tuna has been working, so I now have a mix of tuna and chicken cans and pouches. BFF, weruva a, wellness, soulistic. However, many people don’t like feeding fish for some health reasons, do you guys think any canned is more important than the fish issue?

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