Pedigree

[Jedi690]

I have an issue that I would like to address. Feeding. Currently we feed our boy Pedigree food. This is what he has been fed for as long as we have had him. He seems to like the food, but there is a few problems.

Number one, I like to throw him a piece of meat, or some type of treat about once a month. I know I shouldn't, but other than that he eats strictly dry dog food. In fact, it has reached the point that he can eat nothing besides dry dog food or it gives him "the runs". I thought this was a good thing, because it proves that he does not get a bunch of garbage and is on a good diet. At least as far as not eating a lot of "people food" is concerned.

Number two, I don't feel like the Pedigree that we are feeding him is giving him all of the nutrients that he needs. It seems that I need to switch dogfood. Any suggestions?

Please keep in mind that I live in a rural area and do not have access to all kinds of specialty pet stores. Some of the national chains are the only readily available shopping around here. I could order the food I suppose, but who to call?

Thanks and Regards,

Jedi 690

[Homerhomer]

the following are some of the best brands:canidae, solid gold, wellness, california natural, innova... all of them are available in the speciality pet stores, wellness is available in some of the large chains (wellness is also the most expensive). You can order just about any type of food over the internet, I hope other members will come up with the websites.
You can also go the manufacturers website and see if you can find out there where you can buy them.
For example you can go to www.canidae.com and check in the store locator area if there is a store near you or you can email them to see what would be the best way for you to buy it.
Big national petstores carry Natural Choice lamb and rice which is available just about anywhere. Not as good as the once I mentioned above but still much better than what you are feeding now.
BTW there is nothing wrong with meat, in fact I don't feed kibble at all and the diet I feed is made up of raw meat, raw bones and raw friuts and veggies.

[Rottie Dude]

personally i feed my rottie Nutro, but i know 2 other rotties that i walk with on a daily basis that have been fed pedigree since they were puppies. one of them is 8 and the other is 10, both are in perfect health/condition, look great and dont have any problems whatsoever, so if you ask me........if it aint broke, dont fix it.

[lblax]

we feed canida and luv it currently the closest place is 80 miles but fortuanatly i travel by there a lot and just get some everytime i pass. we used to feed nutro and had good results with it.also do a web search for flint river ranch on the web it is delivered fresh to your door and the dont charge for shippuing and its about $48 for 4- 10 lbs bags and the amount you feed it doesnt add up to much more than what your feeding.. if it gets to where i cant drive by and get the canidae i will be switching to flint river ranch

[AngelBunny]

Jedi690:

Pedigree isn't a brand of food I'd give to any of the dogs in my house, including fosters; Homerhomer's advice is good.

Rottie Dude:

"...fed pedigree since they were puppies. one of them is 8 and the other is 10, both are in perfect health/condition, look great and dont have any problems whatsoever, so if you ask me........if it aint broke, dont fix it."

We all know people who smoke heavily, drink more than they should, eat quantities of food they shouldn't, never see a doctor because they're never ill, and don't exercise. They live hale hearty lives, dying at 90 when they get hit by a car. These people are exceptions, not the rule.

I think these two dogs you know are exceptions. Reading thru the posts in Nutrition & Grooming uncovers lots of posts where dogs have all sorts of problems that clear up once they're put on a better quality food.

[Jamie & Odin]

Jedi690, I would suggest you search the forums for information on food, as you will find a wealth of info. I always thought "people food" was bad for dogs too, but it's not. If you give him healthy "people food" ie, pizza is bad, potatoe chips are bad, chocolate is bad, low-fat hot dogs are good, turkey, chicken, raw meaty bones etc. etc. are good.

I feed canidae, and use the above as treats in training, with a rmb thrown in a couple times a week for fun (and healthy teeth).:)

[Jedi690]

Thanks all for information. I am going to order some canidae food and see how that works. I found a web site that I can buy off of for minimal shipping costs.

I will let everyone know how it works.

Thanks again for the replies, and have a great time!!

[German Vanegas]

Originally posted by Jedi690
Thanks all for information. I am going to order some canidae food and see how that works. I found a web site that I can buy off of for minimal shipping costs.

I will let everyone know how it works.

Thanks again for the replies, and have a great time!!

Great choice!

[BigRotty]

Can anyone tell me what is wrong with PAL PEDIGREE dry food?
I fed my 2 puppies (7 months old) both with PEDIGREE PUPPY DRY FOOD with little fresh chicken everyday.
They weighted at 40kgs and 42 kgs each. They seems loved the PAL PUPPY food. Cuz the breeder told me not to feed them dry food with too much protein in it.
so could anyone tell me is there are anything wrong with PEDIGREE PAL PUPPY dry food?

[AngelBunny]

BigRotty:

To get you started, read http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=79 - What's Really in Pet Food. This will help you understand what those ingredient lists means and how to decipher them.

Then, do as Jamie & Odin suggests--start reading thru all the postings in Nutrition & Grooming. Food has been discussed to the moon & back again.

The premium foods are for all life stages--you won't have to worry about giving your two puppies too much protein with a premium food.

[BigRotty]

I want to feed my pups BARF food, but not sure the amount I should feed them. Cuz I got dietsheet from breeder who recommend to feed dry with fresh meat.
So how much should I feed my pups? I mean chicken wings or neck or anything.
They are 7 and half months old and weighted about 45kgs each

[Homerhomer]

the general guideline would be approx 2% of the body weight daily, however for young pups like yours it probably would have to be more.
Before jumping into the diet I would recommend you reading "give your dog a bone" by Dr Billinghurst, and since your dogs are still pups also "give your puppy a bone" by the same author. Also you can join barf mailing list and learn a lot from there.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BARF/?yguid=74600773

As to your previous question why is pedigree so bad? The ingredients quality isn't very good. I don't have the ingredients list handy but if you care to post it we could tell which once are low quality.