APBT moms & dads: what are you feeding?

[rednosemama]

having recently acquired a 14 week female APBT (my first) and doing some MAJOR reading on the breed, i've learned many commercial foods with corn in them can he harmful and cause digestion problems, not just in the APBT but in all dogs.

i'm wondering what you're feeding your pits, or other dogs, that is natural and healthy, and if you have any suggestions on brands/diets to switch her to.

thanks!

[DogPaddle]

I would suggest you look into:
Innova
Wellness (Old Mother Hubbard)
Wysong
Solid Gold
Canidae
Flint River
or carefully researched home prepared foods.
You have to buy them at a pet specialty store but each of them will have a store locator on their websites.

[BuddysMom]

I've heard of most of the above and that they are great.

I have also heard wonderful things about Lick Your Chops, available in many natural food stores.

Does anyone have experience with, or know about that one?

I too am getting a new adoptive dog Sunday (!!! more on this very soon!) I'm trying to figure out what food to start him on and need to figure it out quick!

[TDG]

if you are interested in details about commercial food, have a look here:
[url]http://www.mordanna.com/dogfood[/url]

[BuddysMom]

[quote name='TDG']if you are interested in details about commercial food, have a look here:
[url]http://www.mordanna.com/dogfood[/url][/quote]

HOORAY! I follwed this link, read a ton, followed some other links and found out that my bording kennel sells (and feeds) California Natural by Innova! Ashamed to say I had never given it more than a glance in the past and instead brought my own WAY inferior food.

So Californial Natural it is for my new "kid". (Hope he likes it!)

[BuddysMom]

Sorry to hog this thread ... but I have one other question.

I know you are supposed to phase in new kibble by mixing it with the old, increasing the quantity over several days. However, Buddy (the one I'm adopting) is currently being fed the most horrible stuff, Ol' Roy (sp?) and I'd rather not give him any, just change him to California Natural.

Can anyone tell me if this would be OK or not OK?

FYI he's a 3 year old lab mix and is overweight.

[rednosemama]

i read that if you absolutely MUST change diet immediately you should first go through a day of fasting, or feed the dog oatmeal and yogurt for a day before chnaging him over to the other food... that actually may have been on the mordanna site too, i think that's where i saw it...

[rednosemama]

"How do I switch foods properly?
If you have the time, mix the old and the new food and gradually increase the amount of new food over about a week. If you notice very loose stools, take it even more slowly and add a bit of canned pumpkin (not the ready to use pie filling but just plain pumpkin!) to each meal.

In case you just have to switch quickly because there is no other way (rescue, adoption etc.), my veterinarian recommends either a 24 hour fasting period or feeding oatmeal and plain yogurt for a day before starting on the new food. Any time a dog's digestive system is stressed, giving an Acidophilus supplement is also a good idea. "
from the mordanna Questions about Diet...

and after comparing most brands on the board there, i'm going to go with the innova... now i have to FIND it... :)

[Smooshie]

RedNose- here is the link to the store locator for Natura/Innova :

[url]http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=stores-tab[/url]

[BuddysMom]

Thank you smooshie and rednosemamma!!

I found Innova!! It looks like truly "the stuff". And not as expensive as I though it would be.

I will probably do the oatmeal & yogurt switchover.

[Smooshie]

Desertlady...congrats on your new rescue baby :D Hope the Innova works out for you. It is a great food.

Can't wait to see pics of the new furkid!

[rednosemama]

yeeeaaa! they have innova at the same store i get my rabbits' food from! they need some new food so i'm going to go check it out tomorrow, thanks smoosh!

[Smooshie]

Rednose- what do you feed your boxers? Their coats are beautiful.

[AllAmericanPUP]

I am currently feed my APBT, and my other adults dogs, Diamond dog food.
I am hopefully going to get a job though and switch them to Chicken Soup For the dog lover's soul.

[rednosemama]

if you believe it, they're actually getting IAMS adult dry! ted gets 2 heaping cups twice a day(he is skinny! sometimes refuses to eat, and will not put weight on) and chey gets 2 level cups(she's only slightly chubby! heh)... i also have a 13 year old retired racing greyhound who eats 2 level cups 2x a day of IAMS active maturity. i also soak hers in warm water to make it soupy as she has had to have most of her teeth removed due to gum problems. the boxers get only a tiny bit of warm water to moisten it up a bit, and they have GREAT teeth... they don't get any extra supplements, and the only treats they get are cookies and greenies. i don't feed "people" food to the boxers as they both have very sensitive stomachs and any time they had even the slightest taste of people food they have gotten sick. graycee (the greyhound) will occasionally get some leftover beef fat from steak but that's about it... graycee has a dandruff issue and a slightly greasy coat... but the boxers are slick and soft (ted is softer than chey!) and no dandruff!

other than ted's occasional refusal to eat, and their inability to stomach "people" food, we have had no problems feeding them IAMS, but previous to recently i haven't done much research on dog foods... i figure it can't hurt to make a switch and perhaps it will spike ted's interest in his meals, and maybe they can be even better dogs than they are, but i doubt it! :D

[Smooshie]

Well they look wonderful :D Have you had them both since they were puppies?

Mine don't stomach table food well either, so all they get is the occasional piece of cheese as a treat ....raw meat scraps on occasion and cottage cheese or yogurt in their food once a week. I had a tough time finding a food that worked for BOTH of them....so I have switched 3 times in the past few months. Currently I have them on Canidae though and it seems to be agreeing with them (yippeee!). Previously I had them on Nutro Natural....then Burns.

Well good luck with the Innova! So will you be switching the Boxer-kids over to that as well as the new pup?

[rednosemama]

i'm going to switch the boxers over as well, but keep graycee on the IAMS... don't know how well she'd take to change at this age, and the maturity gets really mushy really quickly so she doesn't have to sit and wait to eat it...

ted and chey came from the same breeder, they are half brother and sister (same mom)... we got teddy as a puppy and he was so tiny and adorable and sweet! originally i wanted the white female that turned up in his litter but after meeting him it was all over!

chey is a year older than ted and was sold to a guy by the breeder(hence the cropped ears, if i have a choice i much prefer natural ears), who didn't really have enough time to spend with her to keep her happy. she is VERY needy and LOVVVVES her people... the man got married and his wife did NOT like her because she was very jumpy and spastic (because she was basically starved for attention), and when the woman became pregnant she made him give cheyenne back to the breeder. he was very upset but it was lucky for us and for cheyenne!

she is definitely the little princess! a total sweetheart, such a lover, she has stopped jumping and acting so neurotic, but she's still very skittish around loud noises or new stuff but she loves loves loves people and other dogs, especially her brother. we got ted first, and after he grew a bit we brought her home. she went to obedience with her little brother and she's soooo eager to please and smart. ted's a little more stubborn and regal haha...

(i really try not to play favorites but her personality is so great!)

and she is soooooooo vocal! she makes all kinds of crazy sounds i've never heard any dog make before and i've owned many different breeds... we nicknamed her chewbacca because she really sounds like chewbacca lol!

*sigh* i just love them all!

[Smooshie]

Awww...well it sounds like they were all lucky to have found you :D

My two are both rescues. I grew up with Boxers (my family had 3 growing up). So I've always had a soft spot for them.

We adopted Loki from Boxer rescue two years ago (when he was a yr old). He had been abandoned by his original owners. He is my 70 lb lap dog......very quiet and laid back....but still ALL Boxer (LOVES to play with anyone who's willing).

This past spring we moved to a bigger house with a huge yard and decided it was time to find Loki a playmate. We originally wanted another brindle boy, but when the rescue sent me Lyra's pic, we knew we had to take her. She was sooo skinny and skittish and sad looking. She too had been abandoned by her owner....and we found out later had been beaten quite badly at some time in her short life :evil: (she was 15 months old when we got her). She has since come a very loooong way. She is no longer skittish at ALL, but she sounds almost identical in personality to your Cheyenne...VERY vocal and lovey. She has to be where I am at all times.. and she's smart as a whip. Of the two she is also the most protective.

It would be a very lonely house without them!

[BuddysMom]

Buddy Loves the Innova! I am so glad ...

[Smooshie]

[quote name='desertlady']Buddy Loves the Innova! I am so glad ...[/quote]


Yay!...success! :D

So how [i]is[/i] the new addition so far? What kind of dog is he? I'm so happy you found a new furbaby to add to your family!

[Lada Daddy]

I started my girls out on Nutro Max, and switched over to Pro Plan performance blend for the high fat content for my little monster. I have had VERY good results with it and it is MUCH less expensive than the "salon" dog foods. There is very little bad in it, filler mostly, and the fat/protein ratio is outstanding if you are going to do any heavy training with the dog. Just be VERY careful about over feeding stuff like this, and if the dog starts doing a lot of "foot icking/chewing" drop the fat content down quite a bit. In doggie diets, they get most of their energy from the fat, and protein is secondary in that respect but ultra important for building and maintaining the muscle and tissue health....Good luck with your new pup and have fun!!

[DogPaddle]

Smooshie - I find the same thing about Canidae and other specialty dog foods, but Canidae in paticular. You may pay a teensy bit more per bag but you usually feed a fair portion less per day so it works out to cost the same or less. Also I agree about the ingredient splitting, corn, by product, salt etc. just imagine eating that yourself, it would be something like eating KD with SPAM everyday.

[DogPaddle]

Lada Daddy - If you want a healthy dog food with a really nice high fat/protien look at Solid Gold's Mmillenia. No byproduct, no corn, no added salt or suger, no apparent problem with licking or tarter, it is more expensive than proplan but you do feed less. I had nice results with it for my super active BC - plays tug for 33 min straight, never lets go, can lift him off the ground and then he goes out and fetches and wades for 1/2 hour. I'll post the store locator or something in just a bit.

[DogPaddle]

[url]http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/stores/[/url]

Product Description Dry food formula made with Beef, Barley, Brown Rice & Sweet Potatoes. Ideal for active adult dogs, to provide the energy levels required for sports or performance, and to maintain total health.

Protein, Min 22%
Fat, Min 12%
Fiber, Max 5%
Moisture, Max 10%
Calories per cup, 387


Ingredients Beef Meal | Ground Barley | Ground Brown Rice | Menhaden Fish Meal | Flaxseed Oil | Salmon Oil | Rice Bran Oil | Garlic | Parsley | Thyme | Dried Seaweed Meal | Cranberry Meal | Dried Sweet Potatoes | Dried Apples | Dried Carrots | Taurine | Carotene | Choline Chloride | Calcium Carbonate | Iron Proteinate | Vitamin A Supplement | Zinc Proteinate | Niacin Supplement | Folic Acid | Thiamine | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Manganese Proteinate | Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide |

Two types of good protien in top five, taurine, added supplements, not alot ot chems, apples to control blood suger, a touch of veg and fruit, quality grains, salmon oil provides omegas as does flaxseed, garlic for palatability and garlicy healthyness, there is seaweed meal wich will add some salt but it is the only salt type ingredient and seaweed is loaded with great vits and mins it also reputedly increases bloods oxygen carrying capacity wich will increase performance.

[Smooshie]

I am not a fan of Purina products to begin with , but the amount of [i]corn[/i] in Proplan Performance scares me....it lists corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, [i]and[/i] corn bran all within the top 10 ingredients. (Boxers are notoriously allergic to corn)

Even if this [i]wasn't[/i] an Purina product I would run the other way....too much filler and by product. Glad it works for your pups , Lada...although I can't imagine its [i]that[/i] much cheaper than some of the more premium brands??? I know some can get pricey, but I pay $33.00 for a 40 lb bag of Canidae...of which my female gets 2.5 cups/day and my male gets 3cups/day.....so the bag lasts me close to a month.