What dry food do you feed?

[DobieLvr]

pro plan did well for you? my male cant tolerate purina foods or pedigree, he will drop weight terribly! he looks like a rottweiler on the eukanuba! hes all muscle! looks amazing, but they are gassy, i need a mid range priced food that still does well in improving the coat. im paying about 36 dollars for a 46lb bag (thats with my petsmart employee discount though) i need something similar that does just as well especially since i have a new pup i need her to get the best. anyone here show their dogs? if so what do you feed your show dogs?

I'm switching off of Canidae and going with Premium Edge - it's not causing gas so far - it's about $35 a bag... no beet pulp (this is a good thing)... a really good idea to feed puppies the same thing you feed adults...

I'm feeding the Lamb and rice formula - it's only 21% protein which is perfect for most house dogs.

Here is a list of the ingredients:
Ingredients
Lamb, lamb meal, whole grain brown rice, cracked pearled barley, oatmeal, millet, egg product, white rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, tomato pomace, flaxseed, ocean fish meal, natural flavor, choline chloride, dried chicory root, taurine, glucosamine hydrochloride, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-Carnitine, chondroitin sulfate, Enterococcus faecieum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevesiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

When offering a handful of dried Canidae and a handful of dried PE - all the dogs chose the PE.

Dogs used in this demonstartion: GSP and a GSP puppy that will eat dirt - sticks - and "dead" things... so I don't think she counts... a Fila Brasileiro - who eats dead things - so I don't think he counts either - and a Doberman - okay - he's picky...he might count....

 

[Bet]

i have been feeding my dogs i have now on Natrual Balance Sweet Potato and Venison..
I have not had Dobies for awhile and dog foods have changed so much since then..
I am getting a new pup next month..
Bet

---------- Post added at 05:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:59 PM ----------

I have used innova but here in remote Wyoming we finally got a pet depot store..
it doesnt have innova lol..
I am using natual balance for my poodles. and probably will for the dobie pup
Bet

 

[MyBuddy]

I have used innova but here in remote Wyoming

Wyoming, huh? I haven't seen too many members from there. You'll have to post in our What's your weather thread! I'd love to hear about it!

Good luck with your pup, she's a cutie!

 

[Budboy88]

im not a doberman owner but i do own several APBTs and i feed most of the dogs Premium Edge Chicken, Rice, and Vegtables and Jake (APBT) and Scout (beagle) are my house dogs and both have bad allergies so they get TOTW Pacific Stream and any dog im conditioning gets Evo or Blue Wilderness just depends what store i think about going to

i would suggest everyone to look into premium edge products they are very good quality for a very reasonable price Premium Edge Pet Food | Home

 

[chadandcristi]

I am such a jackass! I have been feeding my dobie purina dog chow for the past 6 months or so. I always thought the people at petsmart/petco were just trying to sell their product by telling me how bad the main stream dog brands are. But then at the vet the other day I talked about how I didn't think Lucean was as full looking at some of the dobies I had seen pics and videos online and the first thing he asked is what I was feeding. Of course he then went on to tell me how bad this crap is! So I am making the switch today but their are so many choices. Lucean isn't small or scrawny by any means, he weighs 80 pounds at 11 months. But I have just seen some big, full, powerful looking dobies on here and want my dog to look as healthy as they do. Also, the gas is TERRIBLE with the purina.

 

[Apollo]

I am such a jackass! I have been feeding my dobie purina dog chow for the past 6 months or so. I always thought the people at petsmart/petco were just trying to sell their product by telling me how bad the main stream dog brands are. But then at the vet the other day I talked about how I didn't think Lucean was as full looking at some of the dobies I had seen pics and videos online and the first thing he asked is what I was feeding. Of course he then went on to tell me how bad this crap is! So I am making the switch today but their are so many choices. Lucean isn't small or scrawny by any means, he weighs 80 pounds at 11 months. But I have just seen some big, full, powerful looking dobies on here and want my dog to look as healthy as they do. Also, the gas is TERRIBLE with the purina.

don't blame yourself, you didn't know better and i wouldn't trust the petco or petsmart workers at all either, i have more knowledge then the kids what working there, but thats another storie
i think your dobe has pretty good weight for is age, but sure, you always can do better with food and tell me about the gas, hehehe
my boy's can clean a room :blink:
and every dobe looks diffrent, so some might have a brider chest at tis age, some not, i would go after how someone elses dobe looks, there are somany things what play a role in it. like what pedigree they have, speak, how the parents look ect.

 

[willi_pup]

I am such a jackass! I have been feeding my dobie purina dog chow for the past 6 months or so. I always thought the people at petsmart/petco were just trying to sell their product by telling me how bad the main stream dog brands are. But then at the vet the other day I talked about how I didn't think Lucean was as full looking at some of the dobies I had seen pics and videos online and the first thing he asked is what I was feeding. Of course he then went on to tell me how bad this crap is! So I am making the switch today but their are so many choices. Lucean isn't small or scrawny by any means, he weighs 80 pounds at 11 months. But I have just seen some big, full, powerful looking dobies on here and want my dog to look as healthy as they do. Also, the gas is TERRIBLE with the purina.

Don't be too hard on yourself. I did the same thing for years with my little dogs because I thought the premium food was ridiculous and not any better then Beneful... Then I came on this forum and a few others when I decided on a dobe pup and immediately switched food (took a while for them to like it, I don't know what they put on the bad food but dogs loooove it). I now feed half Wellness and half Pro Plan sensitive skin and stomach. Still not 100% sure what I will be feeding the pup... sooo many brands... but I am going to give her a week before I start switching her over.

 

[chadandcristi]

its really confusing. everyone is feeding something different. Just to some it all up, here are the brands people have said so far.
Diamond
Eukanuba
Bil-jac
Innova
Natures Recipe
Natures Variety
Natural Balance
Eagle pack
Chicken soup for....
blue buffalo

and maybe a couple of others. I'm not going the cheap route anymore, my dog deserves better. But there is no way I can afford $50 for 30#'s. Is there anything that isn't outrageously priced that is good? I'll shell out for the high dollar stuff if I HAVE to, but this dog eats like a horse.

 

[MeadowCat]

I'd look into Chicken Soup or Taste of the Wild. Those seem to be very reasonably priced. Our foster dog did great on Taste of the Wild (it's a grain free). If you decide to go expensive, I highly recommend Orijen. I constantly get stopped by people who ask me how I get my dog's coat so shiny and why she looks so great I always tell them it's the food - she doesn't get baths regularly or anything.

MeadowCat

 

[Patwit]

Like they said...don't be hard on yourself. Twenty years ago, for our first Dobie, I had no clue about food and fed her supermarket brands and wondered why she was always sick and had skin problems. Pat really was a Twit! But now I see what a difference good brands make for a dog. Wish I could go back in time and make it up to her.

 

[chadandcristi]

ok so I just went to petsmart and petco and came home empty handed. I couldn't make my mind up. How much do you have to feed of the good food per day?

 

[MeadowCat]

Always take a look at the feeding instructions on the bag. There can be a difference in how much each recommends. I found that because my food is a smaller recommendation per day, it's not actually as much more expensive as it looks at first glance. Taste of the Wild, for example, recommends feeding more cups per day than Orijen, I think.

MC

 

[DoberDon]

I am such a jackass! I have been feeding my dobie purina dog chow for the past 6 months or so. I always thought the people at petsmart/petco were just trying to sell their product by telling me how bad the main stream dog brands are. But then at the vet the other day I talked about how I didn't think Lucean was as full looking at some of the dobies I had seen pics and videos online and the first thing he asked is what I was feeding. Of course he then went on to tell me how bad this crap is! So I am making the switch today but their are so many choices. Lucean isn't small or scrawny by any means, he weighs 80 pounds at 11 months. But I have just seen some big, full, powerful looking dobies on here and want my dog to look as healthy as they do. Also, the gas is TERRIBLE with the purina.

Just by realizing this you're doing better than most dog owners. I was proud of myself for years for feeding my dobe science diet lg. breed till sites like this opened my eyes that it's overpriced crapfood!! It is very frustrating trying to wade thru the sales hype and find something good while still affordable.The fact that what works for my dog,may not agree with yours makes it even harder!! I try to avoid any food that has corn,wheat,or beet pulp.I've had good luck with Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul,but just switched to a new food,Whole Earth Farms both are available here for under 35$@35lb bag.Canadae is also fairly affordable altho it doesn't agree with Shiloh,others have no problem with it.It's a slow process to find a new food because it may take a while for your dog to adjust to it and then you have to figure out over time how much to feed each day.
There's a web site I think it's"dog food analysis"I'm not sure,that helps explain the subtle differences in the ingredients,like what exactly meat byproducts can be,that also ranks most foods.It helped us a lot but you still have to find something always available in your area at a reasonable price!! Good Luck!!!,Don

 

[DobesMom]

Can't remember if I answered this before...
I feed Chicken Soup Puppy canned, and add all their suppliments to that. Showstopper, Kelp, ( K-9 superfuel -now & again), salmon oil, and Prozyme. This is 2x a week. Sundays they get raw beef rib bones w/ good amounts of meat left.

Daily they eat Chicken & vegetable Kirkland kibble. I have found the ingredients to be very good quality for the price. I pay $26 for a 40 lb. bag. Currently I mix it down with Kirkland Chicken & Rice Puppy. The Puppy food is $12 for 20 lbs.. So, just about $40 every 2 weeks for BASIC food for the 3. The extras cost me about $150....but will last a year.
Both Hooter & Emmie have nice , thick, shiny coats. Just my Fire looks bad....but I knew going in with a blue I'd be facing this more likely than not. Not a big deal, but it'd be nice to find something that'd clear her sores up & grow her coat back.
On the scoring website: Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
I feel good about what I feed vs. what I pay.

Here are the labels off my bags. I accidentally found this link. Pretty cool. I do see beet pulp in there, and Don specuifically mentioned NOT feeding that. Why? Because it's a filler? **I need to look into that!
http://www.kellyco.com/pet-products/3003.shtml

 

[boehmeca]

I have been feeding Kobe the Solid Gold Bison Large breed. His stools are fairly loose sometimes and he is super gassy. We live in Germany. The foods sold off base are really expensive and contain a lot of corn products. Not to mention how bad the exchange rate is right now! The selection on base is pretty lame for the most part so we have been ordering the solid gold on line, which takes about 5 weeks to get here. So I have been cutting it with the Eukanuba that I get on base. I have noticed that during the times when we are low or out of the SG his stools are a lot firmer. I might save myself the hassle and just stick with the Eukanuba. I get it here for $42. for 40lb. I am paying $54. for 30lb of the SG not including shipping. Ok so not so sure i've helped you at all, but I think I may of just solved my own problem. Quick question when did everyone stop moistening the puppy food?

 

[JanS]

Quick question when did everyone stop moistening the puppy food?

I never have moistened it since they've been old enough to eat it dry when I get them, but I don't think they need it soaked once they're past 6 weeks or so since they already have a good set of puppy teeth at that point. I'm sure it's mostly personal preference, but it's not necessary.

 

[boehmeca]

I never have moistened it since they've been old enough to eat it dry when I get them, but I don't think they need it soaked once they're past 6 weeks or so since they already have a good set of puppy teeth at that point. I'm sure it's mostly personal preference, but it's not necessary.

Thanks Jan. We always wet it because I had heard that you didn't want to food to expand in his tummy. I think i knew i didn't need to still wet it but for some reason kept doing it.

 

[MLR]

Ya, the main thing is do they have their puppy teeth. Those babies are sharp and can pretty much crunch done on puppy kibble.

 

[DoberDon]

Hi Racheal,I think beet pulp is basically what's left over after all the beet sugar has been processed out of it.It may not be harmfull and some companies try and spin it as fiber,but it's not anything they'd naturally eat and the dog food analysis site considers it a questionable ingredient and it negatively effects a foods rankings.It's not in the top quality foods.

 

[DLS]

I have fed Purina products for over 30 years. I have tried others but always come back to Purina because my dogs do well on it. Right now all my guys are on Purina Pro Plan Salmon and rice.