Upland4Ever
New member
Only wanting to compare these three. Purina Pro Plan is it a USA made? Now that said, would Sportmix and or Country Vet do the same job as Pro Plan. Or is Purina worth the extra money.
Huge question
- Thread starter Upland4Ever
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UplandHntr
Well-known member
what does your dog think?
Upland4Ever
New member
He does well on all three Purina just a little better but dang $49 a bag now
Upland4Ever
New member
$49--is just a steak dinner for you and your wife---what's your best buddy worth to you?
Very tired Purina it is. Now where is pro plan made at?
mustistuff
Banned
dog food
it is a rare dog that can't and won't eat most anything, they eat by smell, not taste, I would bet that over 1/2 the dogs in this country lead a great life eating whatever walmart sells. some of the popular brands like purina, you are paying a very high corporate cost with not much gain. things to keep in mind is that if you are seriously working your dog, he needs extra fat. most owners are fussier than the dogs and it is to them that the advertisers target so don't teach your dogs to read. there must be over 100 brands out there with almost no diff. between them, just some appealing b.s. to make the sale. they can't all be the best and of course they aren't. so if it were me I would be concerned with the fat level and whether or not you want to use a corn base or another grain base and rarely does that make a diff. either. I up grade just before hunting season and then the rest of the year I look for deals. for my 50 years with dogs it has worked for me.
cheers
it is a rare dog that can't and won't eat most anything, they eat by smell, not taste, I would bet that over 1/2 the dogs in this country lead a great life eating whatever walmart sells. some of the popular brands like purina, you are paying a very high corporate cost with not much gain. things to keep in mind is that if you are seriously working your dog, he needs extra fat. most owners are fussier than the dogs and it is to them that the advertisers target so don't teach your dogs to read. there must be over 100 brands out there with almost no diff. between them, just some appealing b.s. to make the sale. they can't all be the best and of course they aren't. so if it were me I would be concerned with the fat level and whether or not you want to use a corn base or another grain base and rarely does that make a diff. either. I up grade just before hunting season and then the rest of the year I look for deals. for my 50 years with dogs it has worked for me.
cheers
mustistuff
Banned
dog food
we are interested in what the dog likes, not you, I have tried lot's of things but dog food isn't high on my list, anyway
cheers
we are interested in what the dog likes, not you, I have tried lot's of things but dog food isn't high on my list, anyway
cheers
I switched to Pro Plan for a while and notice a marked improvement in my 8 year old labs energy level and overall mood. However I have four dogs and cost became to much for me. I switched to Sprout's food for active sporting dogs and have seen zero let off in her energy. Half the cost and it's working fine for me.
mustistuff
Banned
dog food
for much of the dog food business it is kinda like blondes and red heads. there are many older post that have beat this to death, you might look some of them up, go to the internet and you should find a fairly serious study and review of various brands but most importantly you should find out how to read a dog food label and what the major ingredients mean and their order of I ortance. as far as cost go, money probably won't get you the best for your dog. what I do to save on cost is 4 mo is the year, hunting season, is to go with a non corn base, high fat, then the rest of the year while their lazy butts are on the couch I switch to a cheaper lower grade, about 1/2 the cost, been doing it for about 50 years, seems to work for me. anyway, read
cheers
for much of the dog food business it is kinda like blondes and red heads. there are many older post that have beat this to death, you might look some of them up, go to the internet and you should find a fairly serious study and review of various brands but most importantly you should find out how to read a dog food label and what the major ingredients mean and their order of I ortance. as far as cost go, money probably won't get you the best for your dog. what I do to save on cost is 4 mo is the year, hunting season, is to go with a non corn base, high fat, then the rest of the year while their lazy butts are on the couch I switch to a cheaper lower grade, about 1/2 the cost, been doing it for about 50 years, seems to work for me. anyway, read
cheers
birdshooter
Well-known member
What ever you feed it should be highly digestible and meat based, meaning it should have some form of meat (preverably in a meal form) as the first ingredient.
Chelated minerals and probiotics are also a good thing to look for.
Chelated minerals and probiotics are also a good thing to look for.
Upland4Ever
New member
Been on it now for 4 weeks not in pressed with purina for what price you pay for it. Diamond 4health or country vet here I come.
mustistuff
Banned
food
I have used diamond off and on for 30 years, mostly their top grade during hunting season because of the high fat. if you can believe the label on the bag, not sure you can, none of the mfg. are going to tell you much, the concern with diamond is the really large number of recalls and or dead or sick pets they have had over the years, like when they bought a whole train load of moldy corn cause it was cheap and got caught using it. anyway, right now for my off season brand it is retriever hi protein which I get at tractor supply in my area. been pleased with it, price is right, about $22/50#'s and the dogs seem to ask for more . go to the internet and try to learn about reviews, reading labels and pros and cons of various grains, mostly corn based vs other grains, interesting but don't think most dogs care on hoot. you should look for high fat for this fall and if you use you dog a lot it should be close to 20%
cheers
I have used diamond off and on for 30 years, mostly their top grade during hunting season because of the high fat. if you can believe the label on the bag, not sure you can, none of the mfg. are going to tell you much, the concern with diamond is the really large number of recalls and or dead or sick pets they have had over the years, like when they bought a whole train load of moldy corn cause it was cheap and got caught using it. anyway, right now for my off season brand it is retriever hi protein which I get at tractor supply in my area. been pleased with it, price is right, about $22/50#'s and the dogs seem to ask for more . go to the internet and try to learn about reviews, reading labels and pros and cons of various grains, mostly corn based vs other grains, interesting but don't think most dogs care on hoot. you should look for high fat for this fall and if you use you dog a lot it should be close to 20%
cheers
Gatzby
Well-known member
I think they may all be USA made... Purina does a lot for the dog sports, country vet does some, I have never heard of sport mix. Purines has a great track record, country vet is gaining popularity....
I would choose a food by these qualitys.
1 how dog does on it (3 month trial)
2 avalibity
3 price
4 support to the dog world
That being said. I have 3 dogs and feed 2 different brands.
Steve.
wisturkeyhunter
New member
Never really notice a difference in my dogs from 1 food to another. Even when running out on a road trip and buying whatever we can there is really no change. I also feed them table scraps and they are real good at stealing butter off the table.
Gatzby
Well-known member
Typically you will not see a change when swapping foods (other than loose stool). 3 months is about the minimum test window to see real change.
Steve
mustistuff
Banned
change
I would have to beg to differ on the fact that quality dog food or change does not make a difference. sure, if the dog mostly doesn't get used to any extent, most anything would work and if you have a generally normal dog, you won't see any difference from one food to another. that said, I run shorthairs and have for many years and before Christ I ran labs. for a days hunt anything will work and in a pinch on the road, they love to go to the drive inns. but for me it is very clear that if you are to run your dogs several days in a row and 3 to 4 days per week during a 4 or 5 month hunting season, they need fat and quite a lot of it like about 20% or more. with a dog being used that much it is impossible to keep weight on them, gone will be their love handles and that is probably a good thing. what shows up and shows up very clearly is their stamina. without the fat they absolutely will run out of gas, sure they will still kinda run but you will notice that on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, day while they may be moving their nose isn't connected to their brain and they are just going through the motion, you would be pleased maybe cause finally you can keep up with the dog but he ain't really hunting any more than you function well after an all nighter. dogs eat by smell so if they like the smell, they will eat it and or if hungry enough will also eat about anything. dogs need fat for energy and quality fat is better than low quality fat, protein while also is necessary in the long run, fat is what gets them through the day, apparently fat cost more than protein, that and it sells better but fat is where it's at. on extended hunts there are some theories about when to feed your dog, like once a day, evening, within 1/2 hour after the hunt, snacks, and for the most part they are just guesses. the biggest problem you will have on an extended hunt is to trick the dog into eating, period, ie: keeping it awake, so it is able to hunt the next day, to do that you might have to change the smell somewhat, like adding something different to their food. from what I see in the field it is the rare dog that ever gets to experience hard work. most seem to get to spend most of their time riding around in the pick up cause their owners are not up to walking 6 or so hours per day several days in a row and those will find what I am talking about, foreign. anyway
cheers
I would have to beg to differ on the fact that quality dog food or change does not make a difference. sure, if the dog mostly doesn't get used to any extent, most anything would work and if you have a generally normal dog, you won't see any difference from one food to another. that said, I run shorthairs and have for many years and before Christ I ran labs. for a days hunt anything will work and in a pinch on the road, they love to go to the drive inns. but for me it is very clear that if you are to run your dogs several days in a row and 3 to 4 days per week during a 4 or 5 month hunting season, they need fat and quite a lot of it like about 20% or more. with a dog being used that much it is impossible to keep weight on them, gone will be their love handles and that is probably a good thing. what shows up and shows up very clearly is their stamina. without the fat they absolutely will run out of gas, sure they will still kinda run but you will notice that on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, day while they may be moving their nose isn't connected to their brain and they are just going through the motion, you would be pleased maybe cause finally you can keep up with the dog but he ain't really hunting any more than you function well after an all nighter. dogs eat by smell so if they like the smell, they will eat it and or if hungry enough will also eat about anything. dogs need fat for energy and quality fat is better than low quality fat, protein while also is necessary in the long run, fat is what gets them through the day, apparently fat cost more than protein, that and it sells better but fat is where it's at. on extended hunts there are some theories about when to feed your dog, like once a day, evening, within 1/2 hour after the hunt, snacks, and for the most part they are just guesses. the biggest problem you will have on an extended hunt is to trick the dog into eating, period, ie: keeping it awake, so it is able to hunt the next day, to do that you might have to change the smell somewhat, like adding something different to their food. from what I see in the field it is the rare dog that ever gets to experience hard work. most seem to get to spend most of their time riding around in the pick up cause their owners are not up to walking 6 or so hours per day several days in a row and those will find what I am talking about, foreign. anyway
cheers
Gatzby
Well-known member
Maybe I wasn't very clear. The food you feed is tremendously important. I don't believe you can choose a food based on the 5 pound bag you buy in a pinch. To really evaluate a food you need to feed it for a few months to make a accurate decision. I firmly believe that their is difference to many similar quality foods.
For what it's worth I feed the same food year around but my boys a run nearly every day.
The canine nutrition folks
like to recommend switching to the higher grade dog food 5-8 weeks before hunting season. This allows the canine body time to fully utilize the "new better"
food. It doesn't happen overnight. Multistuf (butchered his username) is pretty well on target. I used to switch back & forth but now just keep'em on the high fat / protein stuff. They all shine in their coats & have plenty of zip. We hunt hundred plus days a year mostly grouse & two Phez trips.
Have considered switching back & forth again...... but just stay on same food now. If it ain't broke - don't fix it. & It's simpler to just stay on same food
& the dogs really like it............
like to recommend switching to the higher grade dog food 5-8 weeks before hunting season. This allows the canine body time to fully utilize the "new better"
food. It doesn't happen overnight. Multistuf (butchered his username) is pretty well on target. I used to switch back & forth but now just keep'em on the high fat / protein stuff. They all shine in their coats & have plenty of zip. We hunt hundred plus days a year mostly grouse & two Phez trips.
Have considered switching back & forth again...... but just stay on same food now. If it ain't broke - don't fix it. & It's simpler to just stay on same food
& the dogs really like it............