Help me pick a dog food!

[SmoothSavage]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

on any decent food, a dog shouldn't need to each much more than 1 cup per pound of ideal weight. So at 75lbs if that are in fact the perfect weight they should get no more than 4 cups of food PER DAY (2 in the am and 2 in the pm)

And four cups would be overfeeding for a 75lb dog on something like, say, Canidae or California Natural. I wouldn't do more than 3.5 cups a day for a 75lb dog of either of those.

Of what you have listed, I'd go for Canidae, honestly. Its a better price per pound than CN, it has a buying program (after 12 bags 13th is free) and you won't have to feed much of it.  

[CrissAngelLover12345]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

on any decent food, a dog shouldn't need to each much more than 1 cup per pound of ideal weight. So at 75lbs if that are in fact the perfect weight they should get no more than 4 cups of food PER DAY (2 in the am and 2 in the pm)

If you can get wellness, I would do that over rachel ray or purina. I just LIKE wellness lol, the only holistic vet I've ever come across recommends that, it's worked well for Rascal. Although their canned food is better than their dry their dry is still pretty good quality, even if it's not Core. The regular super5mix has 0.8% omega 3, how I don't understand they only have one fish meat and it's not a meat meal but, that's what's listed. The fish flavor has a whopping 1.1% of course only the large breed and senior has glucosamine the senior has O3 at 0.4% better than the average food but not as good as the large breed at 0.8% which is what I would go with for them. Also has probiotics, chelated minerals, veggies and fruits (which the california natural doesn't have as it's geared towards dog with allergies.)

Yes, you can supplement with glucosamine, but, I believe it to be cheaper to just get food with glucosamine in it. (I think wellness might) The same goes for fish oil. For a bottle of glucosamine HCL in liquid form (liquid is best) it is 30 bucks and that would last maybe 1 month for MY dog. But add the cost of food ontop of that A bag of food that costs 40-50 bucks but HAS glucosamine in it, I mean your spending an extra 10 instead of an extra 30.

Olive oil does not have the omega 3 your dog needs. It must be a fish oil. herring, anchovy, salmon etc. Or green lipped mussle powder if you can find such a thing.

OH, and omg, don't forget a lot of these companies have loyalty programs!!! Can't remember if Wellness does. I know Natural Balance does, Pro Plan did when I worked at a store that sold that. ugghhmmm, not sure about the others. I only know natural balance for sure.

I vote for Wellness, more types of grains but overall less carbs, more protein, omega 3 AND glucosamine, chelated minerals, probiotics...can you tell I like Wellness? I PERSONALLY, believe for the price, it's the best deal. Because it's a great food. My cat has been on it several years now. I think the price is more affordable instead of loyalty program. But you can get deals in newsletters and facebook sometimes.

Also with Wellness, if you register on their website, they'll occasionally e-mail coupons. biggrin I had used Wellness Core for a while. I only changed to Orijen because I wanted them on the best quality food, and I could afford to switch them to it. I do want to get them on completely raw when I can afford to. If there comes a time where I can't afford Orijen, I would definitely go back to Wellness Core. biggrin Charcoal still gets Wellness Canned once a week since I want her to have some variety in her diet. ^_^ I do add water to her food, so dehydration won't be an issue (unless it's the canned lol). I saw great improvements after switching to Wellness Core. biggrin I do agree that it is definitely worth the price. biggrin  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

Savage Destiny

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

on any decent food, a dog shouldn't need to each much more than 1 cup per pound of ideal weight. So at 75lbs if that are in fact the perfect weight they should get no more than 4 cups of food PER DAY (2 in the am and 2 in the pm)

And four cups would be overfeeding for a 75lb dog on something like, say, Canidae or California Natural. I wouldn't do more than 3.5 cups a day for a 75lb dog of either of those.

Of what you have listed, I'd go for Canidae, honestly. Its a better price per pound than CN, it has a buying program (after 12 bags 13th is free) and you won't have to feed much of it.

Looking at them now, they do have less carbs than I thought, although they are big on splitting. I'd still go wellness over canidae though.  

[Akari_32]

Ok so I got the cheapest 15 pound bag of wellness they sell, lamb and rice, or something like that. I used a $3 off Wellness coupon and tried to use a $5 Pet SuperMarket coupon but I accidentally printed one that was a year out of date rolleyes

Also, I weighed Licorice and Haley today (we tried to weigh Dweezle but he's just too big to pick up). Licorice weighs 71 pounds, and Haley 65. Moms confessed to horribly over feeding them, full bowls every day. So probly 5 cus each. No wonder Haley's fat! Dweezle is a good weight, however much he weighs lol Licorice is still underweight, even with overfeeding. Perhaps that's something health related, but hopefully just her being almost 15 years old. She's maintaining it though, so unless that change, It's something that will be let be.

I'm leaving back for college this weekend, so I told mom it's very important to feed them as I instructed her. Since they were fine at 1/2 the amount the Dog Chow said, I told her to start with 1/2 the amount the Wellness said, with would put the girls at just under 2 cups, and Dweezle just under 3, I think. I asked her to see how long the bag lasts. If it lasts longer than a month and a 1/2, then even paying the full $28 plus tax is already worth the price. But she's already said its too expensive. I'm trying to get her to see it how it needs to be seen though, and also get it through her thick skull that I am perfectly capable of paying for 1/2 of each bag. That'd be at most about $15 for each of us, and I plan on using coupos for every purchase we can. Wish me luck! >=O

Oh and some more good news! I switched my grandma over to Wellness =D I emailed her the coupons I used. Her dogs, a havanese and a shih tzu, the two most picky and sensative dogs in the world, have been on just about every mid- to high- grade dog food out there. They either don't like it or it makes one of them sick. They can't have beef or pork, too much grain, and so on. this is what happens when you buy mill puppies. They sure learned their lesson after they got the havanese. She had to have major surgery and get bones removed out of her back leg because they were causing more harm than good. Anyway, I showed my grandma the grain less line, and I think she'll go for that. So yeah, just thought I'd share smile  

[CrissAngelLover12345]

Akari_32

Ok so I got the cheapest 15 pound bag of wellness they sell, lamb and rice, or something like that. I used a $3 off Wellness coupon and tried to use a $5 Pet SuperMarket coupon but I accidentally printed one that was a year out of date rolleyes

Also, I weighed Licorice and Haley today (we tried to weigh Dweezle but he's just too big to pick up). Licorice weighs 71 pounds, and Haley 65. Moms confessed to horribly over feeding them, full bowls every day. So probly 5 cus each. No wonder Haley's fat! Dweezle is a good weight, however much he weighs lol Licorice is still underweight, even with overfeeding. Perhaps that's something health related, but hopefully just her being almost 15 years old. She's maintaining it though, so unless that change, It's something that will be let be.

I'm leaving back for college this weekend, so I told mom it's very important to feed them as I instructed her. Since they were fine at 1/2 the amount the Dog Chow said, I told her to start with 1/2 the amount the Wellness said, with would put the girls at just under 2 cups, and Dweezle just under 3, I think. I asked her to see how long the bag lasts. If it lasts longer than a month and a 1/2, then even paying the full $28 plus tax is already worth the price. But she's already said its too expensive. I'm trying to get her to see it how it needs to be seen though, and also get it through her thick skull that I am perfectly capable of paying for 1/2 of each bag. That'd be at most about $15 for each of us, and I plan on using coupos for every purchase we can. Wish me luck! >=O

Oh and some more good news! I switched my grandma over to Wellness =D I emailed her the coupons I used. Her dogs, a havanese and a shih tzu, the two most picky and sensation dogs in the world, have been on just about every mid- to high- grade dog food out there. They either don't like it or it makes one of them sick. They can't have beef or pork, too much grain, and so on. this is what happens when you buy mill puppies. They sure learned their lesson after they got the havanese. She had to have major surgery and get bones removed out of her back leg because they were causing more harm than good. Anyway, I showed my grandma the grain less line, and I think she'll go for that. So yeah, just thought I'd share smile

That's great! Hopefully your mom will cooperate! I'm sure you'll like what it does for the dogs too! Hopefully once she sees all the benefits, she'll want to stick with the food. biggrin

Hopefully your grandma's dogs will like the Wellness Core! biggrin  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

I don't want to be pesimist but if your mom is ALREADY not on board, I can't imagine her sudenly deciding to spend the extra chash when your gone and not around to nag.

The lamb recipe has a good amount of omega 3, so hopefully they'll be on it long enough for you to see if that help with her hips. The minerals are chelated, there's probiotics, all the ingredients are very digestible. A tad more carbs than some of their other flavors (a little less than 50%). Keep in mind the guideline on the back of the bag is based on IDEAL weight. So, if Haley is overweight at 65lbs then she shouldn't be eating more than 1.5 cups per meal. I would asses her body score condition, to try and estimate how much she should loose. Also keep in mind that these guidelines are under the ridiculous assumption that no one gives treats ever. So when you give treats you have subtract that amount from their next meal.  

[Akari_32]

CrissAngelLover12345

That's great! Hopefully your mom will cooperate! I'm sure you'll like what it does for the dogs too! Hopefully once she sees all the benefits, she'll want to stick with the food. biggrin

Hopefully your grandma's dogs will like the Wellness Core! biggrin

I hope so! She's on strict orders not to over feed the dogs. Lets see how well that happens lol I really hope it lasts long enough to be worth the price in her eyes *determined face*

I they'll like it. I think they don't like certain foods because some foods make them feel bad. A psychological thing, you know?

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

I don't want to be pesimist but if your mom is ALREADY not on board, I can't imagine her sudenly deciding to spend the extra chash when your gone and not around to nag.

The lamb recipe has a good amount of omega 3, so hopefully they'll be on it long enough for you to see if that help with her hips. The minerals are chelated, there's probiotics, all the ingredients are very digestible. A tad more carbs than some of their other flavors (a little less than 50%). Keep in mind the guideline on the back of the bag is based on IDEAL weight. So, if Haley is overweight at 65lbs then she shouldn't be eating more than 1.5 cups per meal. I would asses her body score condition, to try and estimate how much she should loose. Also keep in mind that these guidelines are under the ridiculous assumption that no one gives treats ever. So when you give treats you have subtract that amount from their next meal.

Don't worry, I know lol We'll just have to see how it plays out. If it lasts longer, or it helps Licorice's hips, she may keep them on it.

Haley had already dropped down to an ideal weight in the time I've been home, feeding her how much she should be fed. 65 pounds is good for her, it seems. She may still have a few pounds to lose, but right now, she doesn't look fat. She's about a 5 1/2 right now, I'd say. If mom sticks to proper feeding, I think she'll be alright once she gets on a good food.

Never giving treats... That is ridiculous! Dweezle had 1/2 of a 6 inch sub the other day XD  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

I just say that because sometimes you have to take baby steps. Like I didn't switch Cowboy from Nutrience (Hagen brand food) to Orijen overnight. We tried Nutro for a while, but he had bad gas, then it was FROMM for a good while and he did well on that, finally got him on Acana and when he was actually as active as he ought to be (the year I wasn't in school basically) it was getting hard to keep weight on him with Acana so I put him on Orijen. We went down two notches cause I had no money and won this decent grainless food, and then back to Acana now because his weight is not what I'd like it to be and he's not very active. Of course now I've taken over completely but back when my parents were paying, if I'd said let's get this food that's 20 bucks more, they'd have said no way. Downside is, it's harder to actually SEE the difference with baby steps. Sometimes it's there and you don't notice it.

And if Dweezle gets a sub, he probably shouldn't eat dinner, or very little of it..  

[imderanged]

We fed our dogs and our cat Wellness brand for long time and we were happy with it but have had some financial setbacks (who hasn't?!) and had to find a cheaper option. We did some research and decided to try Chicken Soup for the Dog/Cat Lover's Soul. It very good quality for the price and we have had really good luck with it.  

[Akari_32]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

I just say that because sometimes you have to take baby steps. Like I didn't switch Cowboy from Nutrience (Hagen brand food) to Orijen overnight. We tried Nutro for a while, but he had bad gas, then it was FROMM for a good while and he did well on that, finally got him on Acana and when he was actually as active as he ought to be (the year I wasn't in school basically) it was getting hard to keep weight on him with Acana so I put him on Orijen. We went down two notches cause I had no money and won this decent grainless food, and then back to Acana now because his weight is not what I'd like it to be and he's not very active. Of course now I've taken over completely but back when my parents were paying, if I'd said let's get this food that's 20 bucks more, they'd have said no way. Downside is, it's harder to actually SEE the difference with baby steps. Sometimes it's there and you don't notice it.

And if Dweezle gets a sub, he probably shouldn't eat dinner, or very little of it..

I know what you mean. With mom its sometimes better to just jump in and do it. I hope that was the case this time. Its hard to tell some times with her. We'll just have to see. I hope to have them in my possession in less than a year, atleast Haley, anyway. I don't really want mom to live alone with out Dweezle in the neighborhood she lives in. Since August, there have been people in out back yard TWICE. Sometimes I'm glad they are out-side-dogs, at the same time I'm not....

Oh, don't worry, he worked it off. We went to a state park, and I had lunch at a picnic table before we headed out, and he was being so good, and I was full. Then we walked for a good hour. He was so tired out, he was dragging along behind me. Not much harm done there, and it only happens once in a while.

imderanged

We fed our dogs and our cat Wellness brand for long time and we were happy with it but have had some financial setbacks (who hasn't?!) and had to find a cheaper option. We did some research and decided to try Chicken Soup for the Dog/Cat Lover's Soul. It very good quality for the price and we have had really good luck with it.

I've never seen that brand before. I've heard ot before in here, prob'ly by you lol Where do you get it at?  

[imderanged]

Akari_32

imderanged

We fed our dogs and our cat Wellness brand for long time and we were happy with it but have had some financial setbacks (who hasn't?!) and had to find a cheaper option. We did some research and decided to try Chicken Soup for the Dog/Cat Lover's Soul. It very good quality for the price and we have had really good luck with it.

I've never seen that brand before. I've heard ot before in here, prob'ly by you lol Where do you get it at?

You know, I'm not sure! I don't do the shopping! I THINK we get it in a Mom & Pop store. But I did find this Store Locator on the website:
http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/dealer_locator/
Hope that helps smile  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

I sell chicken soup at my store, we had a lot of cans expire though cause it's not a big seller so don't think were carrying it anymore. Isn't it owned by Merrick?

Edit: Just checked their website, they have quite a few different carbs listed, but they also have quite a few meats listed, so all in all not too carb heavy. I'd go with the large breed formula if you ever find it and it's cheaper, lots of glucosamine and a decent amount of omega 3.  

[Akari_32]

imderanged

Akari_32

imderanged

We fed our dogs and our cat Wellness brand for long time and we were happy with it but have had some financial setbacks (who hasn't?!) and had to find a cheaper option. We did some research and decided to try Chicken Soup for the Dog/Cat Lover's Soul. It very good quality for the price and we have had really good luck with it.

I've never seen that brand before. I've heard ot before in here, prob'ly by you lol Where do you get it at?

You know, I'm not sure! I don't do the shopping! I THINK we get it in a Mom & Pop store. But I did find this Store Locator on the website:
http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/dealer_locator/
Hope that helps smile

Cool, turns out theres 3 places near mom (10 hours away from me LOL), and 4 places where I'm at that sell it. >=3 Perhaps that'll be a good alternative, if she sticks with better food. What size bag did you used to get, and how much was it?