Kibble

[darci]

http://www.timberwolforganics.com/

http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_Home.html

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/


I just wanted to share these websites with everyone. These are the foods in our rotation. I just recently added the Timberwolf Ocean Blue formula and have been very pleased with the results. I dont have any where that locally sells it so I ordered it directly from the co and had it in 2 days free shipping.

It's a little more expensive than the others but the kcals are high, ( 550 )
so you feed less. They absolutley love the food, eating with gusto.

As everyone knows we have been fighting bladder crystals with Darci and through my research I have found that if chronic crystals or UTI's are a problem then looking for kibble with a lower ash content would benefit. I also add water to her kibble. More h20 in more crystals out.
I also have been giving canned food at night ( natural balance, innova, eagle pack ).

So far the Timberwolf ocean has really low ash ( 5.4 ), of course we are now on bottled water, I tested our tap water and it was very high at 9, bottled water I tested was 5.


Anyway, the purpose of my thread was to share the foods I am using with you.

Improvements I have had:
Softer, shiny coats.
Less shedding.
More energy, less hyper type energy.
Stablized weight
Best of all - poops............LOL ( firm, dark, small )

I thought they looked great, and that I was having good results until I started using more premium brands and getting even better results.
Please share with us foods you are pleased with and results you have had.

I would also be interested in hearing about foods you've fed and been not so pleased with.


Foods we've used in the past and results:
Pro plan puppy- with Darci whew.... stinky gas, and too much wt gain, itchy feet.
Eukanuba puppy- with Darci, she wouldnt eat it, didnt like the taste.
Iams- Darci (she loved it), but huge poops, stinky gas, itchy, more shedding, her coat was dull.
Solid Gold - hund n flocken- Darci loved the taste, itchy stopped, coat started to improve, good energy level, no wt gain. I was pleased with this food, the only thing I wasnt thrilled with was Darci still had some gas, and larger poops, but not as bad as the other foods.
Natural balance- both dogs have been on this, (all three allergy formula's). I have been pleased with these foods. Great results, no gas, no itchies, good poops.
Eagle pack- holistic fish and anchovy. I have been very pleased with this formula as well. Great poops, they LOVED the taste, great coats, no itching, no gas, great energy level, low ash levels.
Timberwolf- Ocean Blue- LOVED the taste, great coats, no gas, great poops, great energy levels, low ash levels.


Ok with all that said, I am in no way trying to put down any food that anyone feeds their dogs. I am only sharing my experiences with you.

Not every food is right for every dog. The best food is the one that works well for your dog.

[darci]

All of our older members know that I have really enjoyed researching and learning about canine nutrition.

I know I have shared many of these wesites before, but I thought this would be an good place to post them again.

http://www.dogaware.com/
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/
http://www.greatdanelady.com/
http://www.candyspetsitting.com/WDJ_DryFood2006.pdf
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in.../bc/182902.htm
http://www.rawdogranch.com/
http://www.doggiedietician.com/
http://www.betterdogcare.com/
http://www.raw-dogs.com/

[Dillydoodle]

Cindy- This is a great informational post, thank you for sharing it. I am a firm believer in the highest quality premimum brands that are all human grade ingredients.

First - the one thing that has never changed in his diet is the organic lowfat plain yogurt that i give him mixed in with his canned food and most recently with pumpkin too. So Dillon was on Nutro lamb and rice puppy food mixed with canned nutro lamb and rice puppy from the breeder and i immediately switched him over to Innova puppy food mixed with the canned nutro lamb and rice. It was a bit too rich for him but he was on it until he was 4 months old ( remember, I didn't get him until he was already about 10 1/2 wks old...so he only had the innova for about a month and a week or so. From there I switched him to the Wellness Lamb dry mixed with wellness lamb and sweet potato canned. He has been on that until about 3 wks ago, when i decided to make a little change in things...First thing is that I am still keeping his canned food as the lamb and sweetpotato wellness. I am doing about 2/3 of his food as the wellness lamb dry but the other 1/3 is now Natural balance fish and potato. I also have been using a sample pack of the timberwolf organics Dakota Bison for training treats and Dillon likes them. I am trying to diversify what he is eating. I read an article that basically says that if you feed your dog only one thing for its whole life that even with the best quailty food they can become deficient in certain nutrients. So I have decided that i am going to keep him on wellness for the 2/3 of his diet but switch that 1/3 of his food from the natural balance fish and potato to maybe another one of the natural balance varieties, or maybe the timberwolf varieties, as their food is good quality...There are good foods out there, so i can just buy different ones and see how he does on them. I do like the results so far of adding the natures balance, because his poops have gotten more firm, and smaller, a good sign, and his overall appearance is great, fur, teeth, eyes, all look wonderful.

On a side note i tried a sample of the solid gold hund n' flocken, and the disk shape of the food was not good for him- he constantly choked on it and i finally threw away the rest of the sampler.
Great thread, thanks Cindy

Emilie

[corgimom]

Thanks Cindy,

I think with all the new people that have joined recently, this was very good of you to put these sites on here again.

As you know, because of you, I switched Cody this summer to the Natural balance because of the itching and very soft stools he was having before. I have been very pleased with the results and I rotate between the three allergy formulas. When one bag is done, such as the Venison and Green pea, I will then give him the fish and sweet potato one.

I think the Pet Supply Plus store in our town sells the Timberwolf Organics, so I will have to check it out next time I am in there.

Thanks for the information Cindy.

[fido]

Cindy--great post!

A few questions: on the Timberwolf site it suggested supplementing meats, etc when using the Ocean Blue. Do you supplement? and if so, with what? Also it stated the Chicken and Herb did not need supplementing, but that you could. So, would that one be a good choice?

Buddy has never had allergies or other issues with his present food (Royal Canin Med Adult), but it is not organic--so we are contemplating switching or adding to his current diet.

[darci]

Instead of supplementing with meats, I give canned at night.
They suggest that you can add meats but it is nutrionally balanced enough that you dont have to. You can feed straight timberwolf without supplementing.

Royal canin is a very good food, with a lot of research that has went into their different breed formula's. I wouldnt change it if he's doing good unless you just want change it up or start rotating his diet, which is what I like to do.

[darci]

Emilie,
I agree with no food being everything for every dog 100 percent of the time.
We must have read the same article. LOL

thats why I like to rotate every few months with different foods including canned. I really like the extra moisture and meat content of canned foods.

I would like to try evangers canned sometime, have you ever tried it ?
I tried solid golds tripe..... ewwww OMG I coudnt stand it, so disgusting. Just cant stand the thoughts or smell of cow tummy.

( where is the vomiting emotion icon when you need it ) lol

[darci]

Linda,
So glad Cody is still doing so well on Natural balance I bet he loves having 3 formulas to add vareity.
And I know you are tickled with the firm poops and no itchies.

[jprechel]

Thanks for all the websites to check out! I know we had a time a few months back trying to get Ace to eat and finding the right brand for him. He is currently rotating between the Wellness super 5 mix and Natural Balance. I do put about 2 teaspoons of organic yogurt in his food at night. We haven't really used the canned food. What are the pro's to mixing the canned with the dry? How much of each is a good balance? Just wondering if it's something we should try. I'm sure Ace would definately enjoy it!

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by darci

Emilie,
I agree with no food being everything for every dog 100 percent of the time.
We must have read the same article. LOL

thats why I like to rotate every few months with different foods including canned. I really like the extra moisture and meat content of canned foods.

I would like to try evangers canned sometime, have you ever tried it ?
I tried solid golds tripe..... ewwww OMG I coudnt stand it, so disgusting. Just cant stand the thoughts or smell of cow tummy.

( where is the vomiting emotion icon when you need it ) lol

What is Evangers Canned? - never heard of it, and yes, I am tickled pink to have firm poops and no itchies for Cody.

[Jane Austen]

I am not much of a researcher and would like to have the ultimate good food for Duchess. I am not concerned about the cost of kibble. She gets so little of it at a time( half cup a day) that I am worried it will go bad before I finish the bag I am on. I made the mistake of purchasing a large bag before I finished the last one. She is being fed Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, about a spoonful each canned food, pumpkin and yogurt. Her coat is shinier than before the Chicken Soup. After having a bout of diarreha, she seems to have good poop and sometimes has a little trouble passing stool. A change/rotation of food may be a good idea for her.

[MissGambler'sMommy]

My husband picked up a magazine today that's devoted to a dog's good health and read an article that stated cranberry juice is extremely healthy for a dog, that it's a wonderful antioxidant for them and can extend their life. Lo and behold, he came home with two big bottles of cranberry juice, just for Miss Gambler(he told me not to touch!). And you guys think I'm the bad one, lol. He was so cute, he made a point of showing me how he compared the brands and even bought the brand with the most REAL cranberry juice. He was quite proud of himself.

PS I really enjoyed reading all of this nutritional information, Miss Gambler means the world to me, and anything that I can do to make her happier and healthier is greatly appreciated.