Dog Food ?

[PPieKilla]

Thinking of changing to Eukanuba Breed Specific (Labrador) for my 2 year old male lab.Wondering if anyone uses of has tried it and what the think?My lab is very active and is as about as big as they come so I want him to get the best nutrion possible,is this food a good fit?

[brittman]

Eukanuba is a good brand, but ....

they appear to be driven by marketing ...

they have so many different bags of food targeting different breeds, etc..... I could never find the same "brand type" twice.

Iams and Eukanuba are owned by the same company. Iams has just a few bags. Active, regular, senior, puppy .... color coded.

I feed my 3 year old Brittany gets the red bag ... lamb & rice

my senior Britt gets the purple bag ...maturity

[tealitup]

Look at Candide for about the same price

[deerhuntr8]

Canidae.

[NELS-BELLS]

I was going to try Canidae, but I live in the St. Cloud area. I looked up there HSOforum and the closest location to get it for me is 30 miles away. Sorry, but I'm not going to pay shipping on an already expensive dog food and I'm not going to spend the extra time and gas money to drive there. St. Cloud is a huge market. I can't believe that they don't sell the stuff around here.

I guess I'll stick with Pro Plan for now. When I run out, I just swing over to the local pet supply store and pick up a bag.

Nels

[LABS4ME]

Tell the pet supply store you want to begin to purchase Canidae... I bet they will begin to carry it for you.

Good Luck!

Ken

[Lindy Lee]

Switched my 5 month old pup to "Taste of the Wild". There is 3 different flavors made from fowl, bison, or fish. Her output of waste was cut in half and her coat is really soft and shinny. The bag says it is good for all ages. [Note from Admin: Please read forum rules before posting again.]

[crazydew]

Canidae! We used to use Eukanuba for our dogs. Was a fine food but my female seemed to get onset of food allergy from it. After her litter we switched to Canidae it works great. it absorbs nicely and the benefit is smaller firmer yard mines to contend with. My 9 month old is on Chicken N Rice and the momma is on Lamb n Rice. I thought I saw it at PetSmart or that other commercial pet shop joint. maybe not.

Chad

[fasternu]

Every time I drive through St. Cloud I always stop at PetSmart and put my 2year old golden on Nutro. I started it simply because I liked the Glucosamine and Chondroytin, but she likes it, is very healthy, and I have heard from several vets that it is one of the better ones out there. I had never even heard of it until I started looking for extra Glucosamine.

[tealitup]

Does anyone give Glucosamine or any other supplements with food?

[NELS-BELLS]

What is Glucosamine or Chondroytin suppose to be good for?

[fasternu]

I looked into doing it, but at PetSmart the container had something like 200 tablets for $25.00 (500mg). The Nutro food was actually $32.00 for 40 lbs and has 625 mg in it already. They told me that basically I would pay more for giving less than is already in the food. I know a few other brands (Science Diet is one) that is the same way.

[crazydew]

Both glucosamine and chondroitin help with your dogs joint cartilage health. basically one helps replenish the joints and the other blocks the breakdown of your dogs cartilage

[fishingbuddy]

I use Nutro and my lab loves it. The place I take him for training is all they use.

[311Hemi]

 Originally Posted By: fasternu

I looked into doing it, but at PetSmart the container had something like 200 tablets for $25.00 (500mg). The Nutro food was actually $32.00 for 40 lbs and has 625 mg in it already. They told me that basically I would pay more for giving less than is already in the food. I know a few other brands (Science Diet is one) that is the same way.

I would definitely recommend looking over the labels on dog foods to see exactly what is being stated by the company. They can and do label things to make it seem what it is not!

IMO....."most" dog foods do not provide enough glucosamine to be beneficial......as I personally think holds true with this food.

In this case....while whoever you spoke with is correct that the Nutro (Natural Choice) food has 625mg in it, thats 625mg/kg of food. This means that in order to get the 625mg of this particular ingredient (glucosamine) you would need to feed 1 kg of food per day (1kg = 1000g = 2.2lbs), which I would assume you do not come close to.

Now, assume you feed 3 cups a day and each 8 oz cup contains an estimated 100 grams of food (not sure exactly how much of this food is provided per cup as it does not say on the site). In this case you would need to feed 10 cups a day to get 625/mg of glucosamine. Or, looking at it the other way you would be feeding 187.5mg of glucosamine per day in the 3 cups of dog food youre are providing your dog. This is far from the 500mg for one pill a day of an actual supplement. If your looking to get any benefit from the glucosamine, I would check with your vet to see what daily dosage they recommend.

I personally feed 500mg/day of Glucosamine Sulfate.

PS - I noticed that for working dogs their feeding guidelines for Natural Choice Large Breed Adult dog food recommend 5 1/2 to 6 cups per day. If you really need to feed that amount to your dog to keep weight on, it may be cheaper for you to buy a different food that offers more calories/cup of food.

[akomadogman]

I would not touch any food made out of the US. I switched to Native and am more than pleased!! My dogs coats and teeth have never been better. Another great one is made in Perham, mn. I belive that one is Nutra Source? I used it but and loved the results but didn't like the price. Hound Heater guy

[tybo]

The food from Perham is Nutrisource. I feed my pup that. He's done wery well on it.

[protiller]

My lab loves Nutro's Lamb and Rice, but lately it's impossible to find. (Nutro is having problems with their ingredients). I've switched to Nutri Lamb and Rice. My dog is doing fine and doesn't know the difference. Both are great products and I'd reccommend both, as both use quality ingredients with no by products.

[cjthomps]

Wow, I was going to ask where you saw the information about Nutro having problems...then I did a quick news search and found a recent story.

Anyway, I've fed my Springer Nutro for two years without having any problems. Two weeks ago I bought a new bag and she's had at least five accidents on the kitchen floor since. She has never had this problem before.

Nutro is saying that their food is safe, but I'm pretty sure it affected my dog. I just realized this problem was most likely due to her food and switched yesterday.

Maybe it was just a bad bag of food, but I'm starting not to believe that after seeing this story - which was from a Consumer Affairs HSOforum.

[DRH1175]

There are many better foods out there for the same or less money! Some that have been recomended are much better choices. There is no 1 best food. But many great foods to pick from. Eueknuba IMHO is average at best. Just marketed very hard.

[LABS4ME]

DRH...

O.K.... You stated that many of the foods recommended are " much better choices ". I'd like to hear which ones and factually why? We all have opinions, but if you have some evidence to this statement to share, let us all hear it so we can make an informed decision on the food we use.

I feed Canidae and after much research, I've chosen it as the best "value" for the money. I needed to switch for geriatric dog needs... the food I fed for over a decade was not keeping them fit any longer... so the search began. I ended up on Canidae and could not be more pleased! Even my two young dogs are flourishing! I know of a couple others that I might say are as good or MAYBE better, but, they do cost more than Canidae.

I would like you to substantiate your premise that "there are many better foods out there for the same or less money". I'm serious!... as I'm always looking for the best "VALUE" in a food. Now my perception of dog food has changed over the last couple of years and the criteria is this: NO corn - wheat - soy of any amount in the food. Human grade meat. No "by-products". Naturally preserved (I still think their is some evidence to increased cancer in dogs because of preservatives and questionable ingredients) and under $40.00 a bag. (a 40lb. bag) Preferably under $35.00 a bag (which Canidae is).

I looked at Nutro and Nutri's websites and the do not list their full ingredient lists or they have fillers (ie: corn, wheat, soy, or sorghum) in them.

Native looks like a match (though I do not know the cost). Royal Canin is a match (though more expensive than Canidae). Fromm's is another match (and I used it for a short period with great results) but is more money.

Most of the other foods were immediatley disqualified for not meeting my criteria.

So there you have it. The reason(s) why I ended on Canidae and why I feel it is a great food for the buck...

Good Luck!

Ken

[kentuck_ike]

LABS, You assessment on Canidae & Naitve are correct they are very comparable. I actually sell both and they are with in a couple dollars of each other. I believe Native is a little less money but not enough to justify a switch for someone using Canidae.

Ike

[Down2Earth]

Canidae just jumped up over the $40 dollar mark here.

[walleyes12]

I get my new springer pup tommorrow!! I am planning on putting him on Canidae! I guess my question is for you people that use Canidae, what should I start my pup on, Chicken and rice or Lamb and rice or does it even matter?

[LABS4ME]

I use the regualar Canidae... the PAWS formula, puppies, adult, working, senior. One food for their entire life!

Good Luck!

Ken