which dog food is best?

[ToscasMom]

"Life's Abundance Opportunity"? I ask you this because you have four posts and every one of them is about Life's Abundance. Hope you don't mind my curiosity. I wouldn't feed this food as it has only one meat source and the rest of the first four ingredients are rice, potatoes and dried beet pulp. "Natural flavors" isn't very explicit. Lots of "supplements" that don't appear to be natural sources, but I could be wrong. Kind of looks like feed your dog a piece of chicken and give him a vitamin pill.

Anybody?

Chicken meal, ground brown rice, potato product, chicken fat (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (vitamin E)), dried beet pulp, brewers dried yeast, natural flavors, flax seed meal, egg product, fish meal, salt, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, l-lysine, carrots, apples, canola oil, alfalfa leaf meal, celery, lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, lactobacillus casei fermentation product, bifido bacterium bifidium fermentation product, streptococcus faecium fermentation product, aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, whole clove garlic, spinach, grape seed extract, vitamin E supplement, ascorbic acid, biotin, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A acetate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, menadione dimethyl-pyrimidinol bisulfate (source of vitamin K activity), citric acid, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate

Guaranteed Analysis
Protein: 26%
Fat: 16%
Fiber: 4%
Moisture: 10%

[mindif]

Actually, the ingredient list is inaccurate. (and yes, I've already emailed the webmaster to fix it). I had emailed Dr. Jane a couple weeks ago about the menadione (Vit K) ingredient that is so controversial. It had been removed from the food, the webmaster just didn't correct it yet.

Ingredients are:
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Potato Product, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E)), Dried Beet Pulp, Brewers Dried Yeast, Natural Flavors, Flax Seed Meal, Egg Product, Catfish Meal, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Carrots, Apples, Canola Oil, Alfalfa Leaf Meal, Celery, Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Bifido Bacterium Fermentation Product, Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Spinach, Grape Seed Extract, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Biotin, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Citric Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Selenium Yeast, Calcium Iodate.



Premium All Natural Chicken Meal, Catfish Meal, and Eggs provide high quality easily digested animal protein sources to support strong muscles, healthy organs, and overall health.

Whole Brown Rice provides an excellent source of highly digestible carbohydrates for short-term energy and dietary fiber that is gentle on the stomach.

Chicken Fat, Catfish Meal, Flaxseed Meal, and Eggs provide a natural balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids to promote healthy skin and shiny coat.

Fresh Vegetables and Fruit provide natural plant sources of phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and potent bioflavonoids that help support an active immune system. - Potato Product is the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) standard ingredient name that must be used for anything that uses potatoes and lists it properly in their ingredient list (so whole potatoes, or any other term is not following the established guidelines.

I can also get in contact with Dr. Jane and find out what "natural flavors" is exactly, if you really wish to know, or any other questions. However, I'd really like to know what other companies out there let you contact their product formulator directly and ask questions.

[DanL]

[ToscasMom]

Rofl!

[ToscasMom]

Whenever I assess myself, I always do really well.


The thing is, people don't want to contact the formulator to find out what's in a bag of food. They want to read the bag not have a relationship.


What I really would like to know is: Are you selling this pet food?

[MzDesz]

Gosh chosing the correct food is crazy! My breeder had my puppy on Nutro Classic (I believe thats the name). I changed it to Merrick Puppyplate. Now after reading this I guess I need to change it again.

He doesn't eat much so the cost of a higher price food isn't going to break my pockets. Maybe I will switch to Innova.

Now what to do with this 20lbs of Merrick?


*sigh*

[Zoom]

Donate it to a shelter. After you save some to help switch over to the new food.

[showpug]

Originally Posted by MzDesz

Gosh chosing the correct food is crazy! My breeder had my puppy on Nutro Classic (I believe thats the name). I changed it to Merrick Puppyplate. Now after reading this I guess I need to change it again.

He doesn't eat much so the cost of a higher price food isn't going to break my pockets. Maybe I will switch to Innova.

Now what to do with this 20lbs of Merrick?


*sigh*

There is nothing wrong with finishing your current bag of food. Save some to switch over, but no ill effects should come from finishing a bag of food. Merrick isn't that horrible.

[irotas]

Two things I don't like about Canidae:

1) It doesn't contain taurine. This forum is packed full of threads that talk about the benefits and importance of taurine.

2) Its caloric density is pretty high, so you'll have to be careful not to overfeed. If I fed my dog Canidae, he'd be hungry all the time because he wouldn't be getting enough food volume in his stomach. However, you could add volume to your dog's food by throwing in some unsalted green beans.


I did quite a bit of reading and I decided that for my dog the Eagle Pack Holistic is best, and not nearly as expensive (at least at stores around here) as Innova.

[irotas]

I was just reading the ingredients and nutrition info for Black Forest Canid Formula and was generally impressed (their ingredient list includes cranberries, blueberries, taurine, and glucosamine), but a few things that trouble me a bit:

1) They use venison as their primary meat source. For humans, eating chicken is much healthier than venison. I'm not sure if this is true for dogs, but possibly there's a difference in dogs for saturated vs unsaturated fat. However, this may be a good thing if your dog is allergic to chicken.

2) Their omega-6 to omega-3 ratio seems quite a bit out of balance (2.17:1). From what I've read online, the ratio should never go below 5:1, because (among other things) of the impact it has on your dogs ability to fight infection.

3) Their percent protein and fat is less than what I've seen in the other high-end foods

4) The cost is exceedingly high. Their website charges $50.56 for a 33 pound bag. That's just ridiculous!