this food thing is really stressing me out!!!

[LKLMommy]

Ok, so i have a 7 month old rottie pup. shes about 55lbs. she eats about 3 cups a day of Canidae ALS. all of a sudden, shes gone back to pooping like 6 times a day, her eyes are a lot more goopy, and her coat actually feels greasy. I'm hearing that Canidae has changed their formula?? I have about 20lbs of Canidae to go through before i switch her food, but i will be switching....just dont know to what yet! I have spent the last 2 hours while my kids are sleeping looking through the forum trying to find the right food to use! there are soooo many different opinions, and i'm not sure what to do! I cant pay much more for her food than i already am, but a few dollars per bag wont be a big deal. I know that Innova is probably way too expensive for our budget, but what about Wellness? thats actually what my trainer said he feeds his dogs. how much more expensive is it than Canidae? i pay $50 for a 40lbs bag. and someone actually suggested Kirklands,which is a costco brand....whats the deal with that? is it a high quality food? also, Canidae doesnt have a puppy food, so i just use the ALS, but all the other foods have a puppy formula...should i go with the large breed puppy formula, or the adult? I know there are a few others i'm forgetting about too. If there is anyone else out there who wants to do the absolute best for there pup, but is on a budget, HELP! lol. give me some better ideas on a really good high quality food that wont leave me broke!

[kina]

I'm in the same situation! I also have a 7 month pup and we feed him Eukanuba, but after doing research on the forum I just ordered a bag of Canidae...now I'm just reading threads about how they've changed there formula and its not good food anymore.
I'm in New Zealand and thought I was lucky finding someone who sells Canidae, I'm not sure if I'll find a better quality food here.

[AngelBunny]

Clearly, Canidae doesn't agree with your girl. Donate the remainder to your animal shelter since continuing to feed the rest of what you have is going to give you more of the same.

For several years I fed Wellness. My dogs all did fine on it. I rotated between Wellness' various meat formulations. I also fed CA Nat and my girls did well on it, too.

As far as Kirkland--leave it on the Costco shelves.

[gmo1379]

My 6 month old pup also didn't do great on Canidae, pretty much the exact same problems you are having.

I switched her to Orijen Large Puppy and shes done great on it. She goes about 2-3 times a day now, much smaller/firmer stool, less eye gunk, nice coat.

Pretty much ALL puppy brands are gimmicks. The only exception has been Orijen, as many people will agree. So whatever food you get, get the adult version.

Orijen is expensive though, I'm sure some members will give you suggestions on other quality cost effective brands.

[LKLMommy]

does anyone have an idea what Wellness or California Nat. cost? i'm also thinking about doing a little cooking for her as well....does anyone have any thoughts on that? I dont want to 100% cook for her, because thats a lot of cooking, but i do cook only fresh organic veggies, meat, pasta, rice, and fruit for my family and we always have plenty. is it a bad idea to mix some home cooked food in with her kibble? i know there is a list of food they shouldnt eat, and i plan on educating myself on that. I want her to have a balanced diet, and i also dont want her to get bored (she gets really bored with her dry kibble), is this a good or bad idea?

[OnyxGold1]

Also keep in mind that the prices of the food / bag is going to vary depending upon where it is manufactured. I know when I had Cajen with a handler in the US I simply couldn't afford to order and have shipped the Orijen in the US......they wanted to charge like $60 + shipping. I found that the Solid Gold Barking at the Moon was a good alternative when she was in the US as it was a US manufactured food and therefore shipping costs were not as high to import it into the country. I think I was paying like $45/large bag for the Solid Gold. In Canada....or perhaps it is more a local thing with Orijen (the plant that manufactures the food is literally 20 miles from my house)......the price of the food isn't as inflated and I get it for $42/bag here in Edmonton....so I certainly can't complain there! **This is with a Breeder's Membership with ACANA however***

Heather

[Ayoka]

Originally Posted by OnyxGold1

In Canada....or perhaps it is more a local thing with Orijen (the plant that manufactures the food is literally 20 miles from my house)......the price of the food isn't as inflated and I get it for $42/bag here in Edmonton....so I certainly can't complain there! **This is with a Breeder's Membership with ACANA however***

Heather

Next door in Manitoba the largest bag of Orijen is 60$+. Maybe it's the shipping or maybe it's the breeder discount. either way, I'm jelous!

I have found that Innova, EVO, Cal Natural and wellness are all in the 55-75 dollar range for the large bag (EVO large bag is smaller). I have fed Healthwise (made by the same folks as the others) which is in the 40$ range with success. It's higher in grains than the others but it is also a decent food, if you can get it.

[Xena Rio's Mum]

Since picking my 8wk old pup up from Rottie Rescue I have changed her to Orijen Large Breed puppy and she is now 12 weeks old and going to the toilet 3/4 times a day and her poo is still abit on the soft side but it is getting firmer. Apart from that there have been no other problems from feeding her this. It is quite an expensive food but if you look at the ingredients its well worth the cost.

[LKLMommy]

I saw somewhere else on here someone mentioned Healthwise as a cost effective alternative? but i havent really heard anything else about it. is it high quality?

[sienadog]

For what my opinion is worth, my Siena has done very well on Nutro Ultra.

[gmo1379]

Originally Posted by sienadog

For what my opinion is worth, my Siena has done very well on Nutro Ultra.

Nutro Ultra is SO EXPENSIVE for what you get!

For about the same amount of money you can get a real premium food like Innova or Canidae.

Take a look at the ingredients in Nurto Ultra, then look them up here: The Dog Food Project - Ingredients to avoid

[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by LKLMommy

... i'm also thinking about doing a little cooking for her as well....does anyone have any thoughts on that? I dont want to 100% cook for her, because thats a lot of cooking, but i do cook only fresh organic veggies, meat, pasta, rice, and fruit for my family and we always have plenty...

If you're going to be preparing your girl's food, don't bother cooking. It destroys nutrients. Feed raw. And, since dogs are carnivores, there's no need to feed your dog pasta or rice.

There's a new section to N&G, Natural Diets Raw and Cooked, I suggest you read.

Originally Posted by LKLMommy

... is it a bad idea to mix some home cooked food in with her kibble? i know there is a list of food they shouldnt eat, and i plan on educating myself on that. I want her to have a balanced diet, and i also dont want her to get bored (she gets really bored with her dry kibble), is this a good or bad idea?

When I fed kibble, I'd scrap the plates into the dogs' bowls, but it never was with the intention of bribing them to eat their kibble. Rotties are typically stomachs on legs masquerading as dogs and it's easy to get them fat.

As for Healthwise--I know frontierrots feeds it. If she's feeding it to her dogs, it's a good food.

[FilosFolks]

Originally Posted by gmo1379

Nutro Ultra is SO EXPENSIVE for what you get!

For about the same amount of money you can get a real premium food like Innova or Canidae.

Take a look at the ingredients in Nurto Ultra, then look them up here: The Dog Food Project - Ingredients to avoid

I fed Ultra for quite awhile and thought I was satisfied until I finally tried Innova in my rotation. I pay $47 for 33# but its wayy worth it.