Bird Dog Food

B

brittboy

Banned
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/dry/

I have a friend that does Golden Retriever recue and about two years ago we were talking about dog food and I was informed I didn't know didley about how to choose dog food. I was feeding Purina Beniful and it turns out it's not very good at all. I have found that I'm feeding less and my dogs skin and coats are in much better shape feeding better food.
The best bang for the buck I've found is Diamond Natural, Chicken and Rice formula. I can buy it at Murdocks, in the Denver area, for $33/40lb bag. I highly recommend it. Check out the link above and see how your kibble stacks up.

Anyone else have any suggestions on a high quality food at a reasonable price?
 
Ive been told by my vet, that diamond is not a good food. Its had over 15 recalls in the last few years. Many that have caused dogs to die, or get very sick. Something to do with mold, and bacteria in the food. So i switched to purina pro plan, and then switched to this durabrand dog food, the high protein stuff.
 
I don't want go through this again. No offense, but we have copius amounts, I mean copius amounts, on Diamond and other dog food in the bird dog sections here. Everybody has a favorite, based on performance, economic, etc. Lots of experience, yes there are differences in ingredients, the AFCO requirements are drivel. Learn to read te label and make your choices. Yes Diamond is in our state, Meta, Missouri and has had difficulties with ingredients in the last 5 years. I feed Diamond for years and liked it. No more. Have to decide if you believe them this time.
 
dog food

I switched to Taste of the Wild Venison Puppy Food and my dogs coat really took off and she is doing really well on it. I'll stay with the puppy chow during hunting season even though she's a year old now. My wife wants to put me on it too. Energy level and coat noticeably better. Pricey though, about 52 bucks a bag at Mounds. Worth it though.
 
I'm not trying to sell you anything

oldandnew said:
I don't want go through this again. No offense, but we have copius amounts, I mean copius amounts, on Diamond and other dog food in the bird dog sections here. Everybody has a favorite, based on performance, economic, etc. Lots of experience, yes there are differences in ingredients, the AFCO requirements are drivel. Learn to read te label and make your choices. Yes Diamond is in our state, Meta, Missouri and has had difficulties with ingredients in the last 5 years. I feed Diamond for years and liked it. No more. Have to decide if you believe them this time.
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I only bring this up because I didn't know how to read the label and came up with Diamond Natural after trying several different brands. There are plenty of great dogs foods out there that you pay out the nose for and I'm not made of money. I simply told you the one I came up with. What do you feed and why? Hell, I may switch to your preference.
 
brittboy said:
I only bring this up because I didn't know how to read the label and came up with Diamond Natural after trying several different brands. There are plenty of great dogs foods out there that you pay out the nose for and I'm not made of money. I simply told you the one I came up with. What do you feed and why? Hell, I may switch to your preference.
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Ingredient label, the first item is the most common item in the bag. This is usually meat. That can be false, because they can put chicken, ground chicken, chicken by-product meal, all are different, are all meat after which they put corn, ground soybean meal, ( bad), oats, corn groats, rice bran, it could go on and on. Remember that the first ingredient is the most volume in the bag. So chicken could be first, but only 10% of the bag, where ALL of the grain products amount to 70% of the bag. Sometimes it is just corn, in various product amounts, which is over 50% by volume. Meat is good, grain is bad. All of the commercial dog foods use a vitamin pack to provide the basic minerals and vitamins. Big problem with grain it is the number one cause of allergies, both digestive and skin. And dogs are omnivorous not a "grain" eater. The get grain in the wild by eating intenstinal digest, ( stomachs and intenstines ) in what they catch. Some will graze berries, fruit if available. You can give a once a day vitamin pill, and make a high quality dog food on your own for less. Using ground beef, pork, turkey, whole brown rice, vegetables in season. It costs about a $1.00 a pound. Most dogs do fine on one of the brands discussed. I doubt you want to use what I use. I do it to mitigate skin allergies. I use Wellness, ocean mix, no grain, no gluten meal. I have had fine results with NutroMax, Iams, Eukanuba,Pro-Pac, O.N.E., Diamond and of course my own. It would be easier, and a whole lot cheaper to use them again. Good Luck. Be sure to review the dog food blogs below.
 
dog food

12gaugedust said:
Ive been told by my vet, that diamond is not a good food. Its had over 15 recalls in the last few years. Many that have caused dogs to die, or get very sick. Something to do with mold, and bacteria in the food. So i switched to purina pro plan, and then switched to this durabrand dog food, the high protein stuff.
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The recalls are included on the website on my first post. Thanks for your suggestions, I'll check them out. I used to feed Old Roy because someone told me Sam Walton had that dog food formulated special for his dog. DUMB!! My old vet told me to feed a major brand such as Purina. TO SIMPLE!! My new vet told me I needed to feed a perscription diet. TO EXPENSIVE!! I love my brittboys and am always looking for something better for them that doesn't cost so much I can't afford shotgun shells.
 
only a pointer said:
proplan performance when hunting just the regular pro plan chicken rice when not hunting simple as that
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I stopped feeding Diamond after one of the recalls, I switched to a local "natural" food which turned out to be mostly corn and now to Purina ProPlan Performance (new packaging says SPORT). My dogs seem to be doing well on the ProPlan and there is a lot less poop to scoop.
 
Im a dog food Junkie and study labels in great detail.
I was a Diamond supporter for many years but switched after a recall too. Not because of the recall but the fact that I contacted Diamond with a question and never heard back. Customer service is what made me switch..
I feed TOTW Pacific Stream and am very happy with it. It is more expensive than Diamond products but the peace of mind is worth it.
Im grain and poultry free as much as possible.
Man have dog food costs gone thru the roof in the past year or two. Just crazy
 
Was just gonna say, Diamond makes Taste of the Wild. That being said, I think it is great food and has worked very well for most of the dogs I have fed it to. Not feeding it now, but that is purely price based.
 
I found taste of the wild with my new Springer pup last year and his coat, energy and strength is great, so much his trainer switched a few of the other dogs to this food because he does so well on it. I had the waterfowl formula at first but he started getting ear infections and while at the vet I mentioned he was starting and the two older ones have struggled all their life (pretty typical for springers). He recommended moving to a non poultry/waterfowl diet and I switched to the Bison/Buffalo mix and bingo no more ear infections for the puppy and only a few small ones for the two older dogs. Guess a lot of the springer ear infections stem from a skin allergy to their food. If I would have known that a lot earlier!

I do agree though personal preference, I like taste of the wild for my dogs.
 
I misspoke.
Switched from TOTW when I found that out. Im one switch behind...

Im drawing a blank on what we're on now...youd think I started my new years weekend already:D:D

It'll come to me..
 
Springers

jeepin981 said:
I found taste of the wild with my new Springer pup last year and his coat, energy and strength is great, so much his trainer switched a few of the other dogs to this food because he does so well on it. I had the waterfowl formula at first but he started getting ear infections and while at the vet I mentioned he was starting and the two older ones have struggled all their life (pretty typical for springers). He recommended moving to a non poultry/waterfowl diet and I switched to the Bison/Buffalo mix and bingo no more ear infections for the puppy and only a few small ones for the two older dogs. Guess a lot of the springer ear infections stem from a skin allergy to their food. If I would have known that a lot earlier!

I do agree though personal preference, I like taste of the wild for my dogs.
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I had a female Springer (Priss) and she was the best! As you say, if I didn't clean her ears with that blue stuff almost daily, it was back to the vet with another ear infection. I started clipping her back to the hair length of a short hair and that helped some. Those dang floppy ears are the problem; shave the hair off and they get a little circulation thru there.
Ear infections are one of the reasons I have britts now. Good luck with those springy dogs. I still remember those ears flopping as she did that jump and pounce flush thing of hers.
 
We are on Purina Mills Exclusive(not the same as Purina, friend said he went through their facility years ago and was highly impressed with all the research behind the product. Not sure what the parent company of Purina is anymore, use to be Ralston, maybe General Mills at one time, now Nestle?) From what I recall Purina Mills Inc is like the parent company, sold off the pet food division, and focused on livestock feed, yet still dabbling in pet food. Only find it at feed stores around here. Never had any health related food issues with any of our dogs. Last one lived to reach 16, 2 going on 9. Not the cheapest food, you get what you pay for. You can save money on the front end, but maybe pay more in vet bills. I'll pay it on the front end, have happier healthy dogs, instead of a happier healthy vet.
On a side note, someone stated this has been previously discussed. I have been a part of this site for a year and a half and I recall that. I imagine you guys that have been around since its inception have seen it many times over, not only food, but guns, loads, dogs...and probably get tired of re-hashing the same old thing. New threads like "why you hunt", among others have come up like 3 times in my short span. I realize there are new people on here every day, with honest questions, and that's great, that's what this is all about. I for one, am going to make a concious effort to research through the old threads in search of answers before asking again. There is such a wealth of information contained within many of these old posts, if we only took the time. Imagine all the time that could be saved if we all did this. I am not seeking, and don't have the time, to set the record for "quickest time to achieve moderator" status.
 
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thanks for your tolerance......Master

birddog456 said:
We are on Purina Mills Exclusive(not the same as Purina, friend said he went through their facility years ago and was highly impressed with all the research behind the product. Not sure what the parent company of Purina is anymore, use to be Ralston, maybe General Mills at one time, now Nestle?) From what I recall Purina Mills Inc is like the parent company, sold off the pet food division, and focused on livestock feed, yet still dabbling in pet food. Only find it at feed stores around here. Never had any health related food issues with any of our dogs. Last one lived to reach 16, 2 going on 9. Not the cheapest food, you get what you pay for. You can save money on the front end, but maybe pay more in vet bills. I'll pay it on the front end, have happier healthy dogs, instead of a happier healthy vet.
On a side note, someone stated this has been previously discussed. I have been a part of this site for a year and a half and I recall that. I imagine you guys that have been around since its inception have seen it many times over, not only food, but guns, loads, dogs...and probably get tired of re-hashing the same old thing. New threads like "why you hunt", among others have come up like 3 times in my short span. I realize there are new people on here every day, with honest questions, and that's great, that's what this is all about. I for one, am going to make a concious effort to research through the old threads in search of answers before asking again. There is such a wealth of information contained within many of these old posts, if we only took the time. Imagine all the time that could be saved if we all did this. I am not seeking, and don't have the time, to set the record for "quickest time to achieve moderator" status.
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why do you hunt?;)
 
birddog456 said:
On a side note, someone stated this has been previously discussed. I have been a part of this site for a year and a half and I recall that. I imagine you guys that have been around since its inception have seen it many times over, not only food, but guns, loads, dogs...and probably get tired of re-hashing the same old thing. New threads like "why you hunt", among others have come up like 3 times in my short span. I realize there are new people on here every day, with honest questions, and that's great, that's what this is all about. I for one, am going to make a concious effort to research through the old threads in search of answers before asking again. There is such a wealth of information contained within many of these old posts, if we only took the time. Imagine all the time that could be saved if we all did this. I am not seeking, and don't have the time, to set the record for "quickest time to achieve moderator" status.
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What you have said is correct. Subjects like dog food, etc. do come up repeatedly. I also get tired of seeing the same old thing rehashed over and over. But, we have to be patient with the new members. Probably a gentle reminder that the subject has been discussed before and providing them with a link to that thread would be a good way to go.
 
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