[Labsnothers]

Originally Posted by Ayanla

I look at it this way, from a nutritional standpoint. Let's say you could eat only one meal for the rest of your life. Your choices are:
Meal A - Breaded chicken fingers, french fries, corn, pecan pie, and a glass of chocolate milk
Meal B - Grilled lean chicken breast, brown rice, steamed broccoli/carrot mix, strawberries covered with light cream, and a glass of skim milk

I tire of those invalid comparisons. The cheaper dog foods are still the same well balanced diet as the more expensive ones. They just get there using cheaper ingredients. They are more like the low cost but nutritious meals served in institutions.

Before the current form of the net existed, we were raising puppies for a large dog guide school that feeds Pro Plan, no better rated than Science, Iams, etc. Once I started reading how awful it was, I started digging. What I have learned is that many other service dog schools with all their resources to determine the best diet and the incentive to do so, are feeding back of the pack chows including Iams, Science Diet, and Pro Plan. I have not been able to find any research backing up the claims of the premium chows.

[RaeganW]

Originally Posted by Labsnothers
I tire of those invalid comparisons. The cheaper dog foods are still the same well balanced diet as the more expensive ones. They just get there using cheaper ingredients. They are more like the low cost but nutritious meals served in institutions.

Before the current form of the net existed, we were raising puppies for a large dog guide school that feeds Pro Plan, no better rated than Science, Iams, etc. Once I started reading how awful it was, I started digging. What I have learned is that many other service dog schools with all their resources to determine the best diet and the incentive to do so, are feeding back of the pack chows including Iams, Science Diet, and Pro Plan. I have not been able to find any research backing up the claims of the premium chows.

Actually, the analogy holds up to yours as well. Breaded chicken fingers use lower quality chicken than lean chicken breast. Sure it's still chicken, but lower quality. That's how McDonald's can charge the same price for 10 McNuggets as a single breast from the grocery store.

I would postulate that part of the reason research shows non-premium brands are as balanced as premium is that Iams, Eukanuba, et al are the ones paying for the research to be done.

Sidebar: Is your username supposed to be "Labs no others" or "Labs and others"? I've been trying to figure it out all day.

[Michiyo-Fir]

I'd just like to add that it's also good to know where your dog food gets their supplies like meat meal, etc. I tend to not trust companies that get their ingredients from cheaper chinese plants/mass production plants since the recall a while back. A very large number of companies had reports of very ill and dying pets.

for now, I only stick to foods that have their own manufacturing plant and weren't previously affected by the recall.

[Labsnothers]

Yes, it turned out ugly, perhaps Labs'n'others would have been better. Our family is getting our 20'th Lab to raise as a service dog. We have also raised 2 Shepherds, a golden, and a Lab/Golden. I see many other dogs in the programs although they are dominated by Labs.

It is funny the highly experienced professionals with every possible resource still choose common brands for the highly valuable service dogs.

[pugmom]

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

Yes, it turned out ugly, perhaps Labs'n'others would have been better. Our family is getting our 20'th Lab to raise as a service dog. We have also raised 2 Shepherds, a golden, and a Lab/Golden. I see many other dogs in the programs although they are dominated by Labs.

It is funny the highly experienced professionals with every possible resource still choose common brands for the highly valuable service dogs.

I don't think that is necessarily true....I think some highly experienced people might still use "common brands" if that works for them...I don't see that proves oneway or the other what is better.....I know a ton who don't.....they feed raw... people that breed, show, are involved in obed ,mainly S&R, and Cadaver search and recover.

[RaeganW]

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

It is funny the highly experienced professionals with every possible resource still choose common brands for the highly valuable service dogs.

You know, I wonder if it's a genetic thing. Are a lot of the service dogs related? That might carry some weight in what they do well on. Tirluc's dogs and their littermates suggest some genetic component. Just speculating here, but it's a thought.

[PetLvr100]

I found a new food that you might like. It's called Rotations, and the concept is a rotating diet for your dog. It comes in a box with three bags inside; each bag is a different kind of food (chicken, salmon, lamb) and you rotate from one bag to the next. It's a smart concept because it allows your dog to have a balanced diet, variety of taste, and it's all natural/USA made. My dog used to get really bored with his food and stop eating, but once I started him on Rotations, the variety keeps him happy and he loves the new tastes. Also, they have a puppy line for your little one...

[Labsnothers]

Originally Posted by RaeganW

You know, I wonder if it's a genetic thing. Are a lot of the service dogs related? That might carry some weight in what they do well on. Tirluc's dogs and their littermates suggest some genetic component. Just speculating here, but it's a thought.

I wouldn't be surprised if it is. Yes there is a certain interrelatedness. Early this year there was a meeting that included 5 Shepherd puppies. The Shepherd I raised was grandmother to all of them. But their Labs and Goldens aren't related to the Shepherds. I can say the food sensitive and allergy prone dogs are never selected as breeding stock. Bloat is rare in the program too. The main food issues that come up in meeting and training sessions all involve how much. Assuring the Shepherd raisers it is OK if the ribs show a little, and telling some with Labs and Goldens to cut back.

They are careful to maintain genetic diversity. Quite often they will use a donated male as a stud breeding him to many of their females that come from different lines.

The different schools also trade breeding stock.

I have to wonder about those claiming to be breeding to ''improve the breed'' that use dogs as breeding stock that they went through a half dozen different expensive foods before finding one the dog would tolerate.

[DobManiac]

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

I have to wonder about those claiming to be breeding to ''improve the breed'' that use dogs as breeding stock that they went through a half dozen different expensive foods before finding one the dog would tolerate.

That really doesn't happen. Most breeders are pretty stuck on the food they have chosen to feed. It's very rare for them to change brands. What I have noticed is that new people to showing or competition put in extra research and then test out different foods. But most dogs you see in conformation shows are being feed a grocery store brand. Some breeders have switched to grainfree like my mentor has after lots of discussions with me. And a few fee RAW.

[ArohaSpringer]

I've fed a "premium" food to my dogs and cats for five or six years now. Before that they ate Iams. All of them. I switched because Buzz has allergies. They aren't gone completely but he feels a whole lot better, consistently.

I typically feed Fromm Salmon and raw (chicken, pork, venison, beef) to the dogs. It is about how they look, but it's also about how comfortable I am feeding a certain food. For a while this spring they both ate Kirkland when I had to cut costs somewhere as vet bills were running high. They did fine on it, as did the cats, but I'm more comfortable with them eating Fromm and raw. Peace of mind for me, based on research.

[DogsforMe]

I had this problem today when I went to a pet warehouse to buy my dog food. I have been feeding her on Advance since she was a puppy when I used to feed Innova. In between the 2 I used to feed Supercoat until I found it had beet pulp in it. I'd read somewhere that it wasn't good for dogs.

I know corn isn't good for dogs also but a lot of brands use it in one form or another including Advance. I wanted a change for the better but the ones I looked at this morning either had corn or beet pulp or both. The brands were Nutrience, Canidae, Pro Plan & others, I can't recall atm. We don't have the brands availabe as you do in the US. One that a lot of Aussie ppl use on an Aussie forum is Great Barko & Uncle Albers.


The ingredients say grains, which I'm suspicious of as it doesn't list them & could include corn. Another ingredient is soy. Is this worse or better for dogs than corn?
http://www.lauckemills.com.au/dogfood1.html

[RonE]

Originally Posted by bully

This is extremely hard to believe -sorry

please tell me what "premium" brand you tried and what you feed now, and how long you had the dog on the "premium" food for before giving up. This is the exact opposite of almost everyone elses experience.

Actually, Tirluc's experience pretty much parallels mine.

And it makes no differnce to me whether you believe it or not.

[luvntzus]

I've had better results after switching dogs from Purina, Eukanuba and Nutro. This was with 3 Shih Tzu, a Coonhound and Chihuahua. The issues that went away were yeasty ears, pink stains on fur, excess shedding and dull coat. I did have a Cocker Spaniel and Shar Pei whose condition didn't change from switching from non premium food to premium.

For me the biggest issue with non premium food is the ingredients that can silently take their toll over time, like BHA/BHT, ethoxyquin, animal digest, animal fat, artificial colors and flavors, etc.