AtTheMurph
Well-known member
Sure they do. just give them less food. I have had some quite picky eaters and some that will eat everything and anything. Current dog doesn't like to eat food other than what he likes, and that's 30/20 ProPlan.
High protein and organ failure?
- Thread starter Weimdogman
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Weimdogman
Well-known member
Now in the off season my dogs don't "need" 30-20 but they do well on it and it is cost effective with smaller portions.
westksbowhunter
Well-known member
No they don't need it. Like I said, I know that my dogs fair much better on the 26/16 with a supplement of fish oil vs just straight 30/20. I fed 30/20 Pro Plan for more than 25 years and switched to 26/16 with a supplement of fish oil 4 years ago. I feel I have much better coats now than I did with the 30/20 and have had no drop off in the field. 26/16 is still a premium performance food for athletic dogs. By supplementing with fish oil I feed less of the 26/16 than I did with the 30/20 and the benefits of the fish oil far out way the benefits of the 30/20 feed without supplementing. So they don't.
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Mosby
Well-known member
I feed my 12 year old Vizsla a 26/16 that has 449 k cal per cup. That is more calories than Victor 30/20 and about 20 fewer calories than Kinetic 30K. It's also more expensive than either. Nothing wrong with 26/16 and likely not enough % difference between some of the feeds to lmatter in the field for most dogs. A quality fish oil would add a significant amount of fat to your dog's diet, so they'e obviously getting what they need. Different strokes....
Leftyhunter
New member
That's a good article. So would it be fair to say that the general consensus in the community of field-trial competitor's and hunters is they basically buy what's ever on sale from top quality dog food brand formulas such has but not restricted to Purenia and Euknambia? Is there say a list of the top five dog food blends they look for on sale because price can really vary for essentially the same product or its just best to stick to a very few brands and formulas?
What is the Best Nutrition for Hunting Dogs?
What requirements a hunting dog needs in their performance food? Learn about a study answering the needs of hunting dog nutrition.projectupland.com
Leftyhunter
Weimdogman
Well-known member
Some dogs do better on 1 food then the others . I met a pro retriever trainer who was getting paid by a dog food company to run a 6 month trial of their hi pro food. He told me all the dogs but 2 had loose stools if worked hard. The other 2 were in the best shape he had ever seen them. 1 of the 2 had littermates in the loose stool group. He added it wasn't that surprising because he sees similar no matter what he feeds. He did add , no matter the brand , he always feeds high pro/high fat. He said can't return a bag of skin and bones to a client.
LC Smith
Well-known member
I feel like I have researched dog food to the ends of the the Earth. I started Whisky (4yr old Lab / not intact) on PPP 30/20 because that is what the breeder fed. It worked fine until they changed the formula. He just stopped eating it. I switched to Victor Hi-Pro Plus during the hunting season and Professional in the Summer. Then they had the recall and I switched to Diamond Sport whatever it was. He hated it! I then switched to Kinetic Active 26 and it was fine, but he was too big, even cutting portions back. It is harder to get for me so I switched. I have recently switched to Extreme Dog Fuel 26/18. It is 459Kcal and he gets 2 cups per day. One in the morning and one at dinner. During hunting season I will feed him only at the end of the day and probably 3-4 cups. He seems to really like the food and I think it is working for him for all-around nutrition.
This is what I am feeding now and I can get it locally at a really nice price. I like the ingredients and the lack of corn. I have not had issues with corn in his food, I just prefer not having it in the food. It is a really small kibble as well.
This is what I am feeding now and I can get it locally at a really nice price. I like the ingredients and the lack of corn. I have not had issues with corn in his food, I just prefer not having it in the food. It is a really small kibble as well.
Leftyhunter
New member
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...n-sport-performance-3020-formula-dry-dog-food
So if one has a fifty pound active healthy hunting dog he or she would eat one pound of Pro Purenia 32/20 a day at a cost of $1.78 a day and if you don't live near a Petco no problem as they have free shipping.If the dog is extremely active then maybe add less then a dollar a day does that sound about right? Not to say for training one could add healthy snacks such as a thinly sliced carrot or frozen berries on a hot day.
Leftyhunter
So if one has a fifty pound active healthy hunting dog he or she would eat one pound of Pro Purenia 32/20 a day at a cost of $1.78 a day and if you don't live near a Petco no problem as they have free shipping.If the dog is extremely active then maybe add less then a dollar a day does that sound about right? Not to say for training one could add healthy snacks such as a thinly sliced carrot or frozen berries on a hot day.
Leftyhunter
BrownDogsCan2
Well-known member
Most likely you would be over feeding with that. One brand of food may get 3 cups of food to the pound, another brand or formula it may be 4. Like grape nuts vs corn flakes.
FeedIng 2 dogs I get about 3 weeks out of 30 lbs of 26/16 pp. when I feed Innukshuk 26/16 feeding the same number of cups it’s closer to 2 weeks
I’ll feed different food depending on activity
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westksbowhunter
Well-known member
Browndogs that is going through a lot of food. I get about 5 weeks out of a 35 lb bag. 2 cups per dog a day. Both labs 56 lb female and a 68 lb male. 4 squirts of fish oil per dog daily.
BrownDogsCan2
Well-known member
West probably a little bit. My peake weighs 62 and hasn’t added a pound in 6 years. My boykin could be a little thinner. She’s built like a bull and try to keep her under 50. I feed my peak about 2 1/2 cups and my Boykin about 1 3/4.
Short scoop for 1 dog a tall scoop for the other. This is on shredded blend.
Short scoop for 1 dog a tall scoop for the other. This is on shredded blend.
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westksbowhunter
Well-known member
I think you would like the benefits of supplementing with fish oil. To be honest, I feel like I short-changed my dogs all those years by not giving it to them. The benefits far outweigh the cost. It is terrific for joint health, a shiny coat, healthy kidneys, a strong immune system, and a bright mind. I know once I starting supplementing with it, my dogs coats were more shiny and not near as much shedding.
LC Smith
Well-known member
West, can you share a link or something with the oil you are using? I am interested in it for my Lab.
My 8 year old lab had a great hunting season last year. After the first of the year he slowed down, He jogs with my wife and couldnt go. He quit eating and then puked blood. My third trip to the vet they x rayed him. He had an enlarged heart and my vet basically said it was a death sentence. It was cardiomyopathy. It can be diet induced, which shocked me. I have fed him the green bag Victor. He did best on it. I went to a specialist and he had an echocardiogram and he told me it wasnt diet induced. He said stay away from any food that has legumes, peas, in the first 5 ingredients. I know you guys feed quality foods but thought that was interesting. I did change him to purina. The specialist put him on 3 meds and said he could hunt, just watch him. He asked if I did 10 mile hikes at 12,000 foot elevation. I just replied look at me, do you have to ask.
He is doing fine now for a 9 year old dog. So this year will be a trial and error as I add my 14 month old pup into the mix also. I think a good quality food and keep dogs at a good weight and you will be fine. Has anybody had a dog with cardiomyopathy?
He is doing fine now for a 9 year old dog. So this year will be a trial and error as I add my 14 month old pup into the mix also. I think a good quality food and keep dogs at a good weight and you will be fine. Has anybody had a dog with cardiomyopathy?westksbowhunter
Well-known member
Here is the one I use but there are many from Chewys. https://www.chewy.com/pethonesty-omega-3-fish-oil-immune/dp/251044
LC Smith
Well-known member
Weimdogman
Well-known member
One nice thing about content in this thread is no one has posted.....my 100lb lab is all muscle and I feed....
Mosby
Well-known member
I think it's best to find a brand your dogs like and you can afford and stick with it, unless you have to make a change. Recent cost increases have forced a lot of people to reconsider what they were feeding. I don't like changing dog food but I have Vizsla's and I have found them to be a pain in the butt when it comes to what they like to eat. Most of the people that I know...ie: breeders, trainers and people that compete in trials and hunt tests feed the best they can afford but don't change brands/food often. Pro Plan and Inukshuk are really well thought of but there are several others that dogs seem to do fine on. Inukshuk is really dense and high calorie feed....even more than PPP. I was getting it for $50 a bag from a re-seller and is a really good value. You will fed less of it than PPP or others too. Eukanuba is more expensive than the others mentioned and I don't know any that feed it except for a well known kennel in Kansas that is sponsored by them. A friend of mine breeds GSP's and trains dogs and she has switched off Pro Plan to Valu-Pak 24-20 because of cost. Diamond is available just about everywhere too and they make food for Sam's, Costco etc.,
I went from Pro Plan to Inukshuk to Nutrisource. I don't know a lot of people that feed Nutrisource, but I was running out of options that I can get locally or on the road and Inukshuk wasn't working for my Vizsla. Nutrisource costs me about $70 for a 40 lb bag.