Just came back from the feed store: Nutro, Canidae, Innova?!?!?

[kk0926]

I've been feeding Raven Canidae for over a month now and at first it was great. Now I can see the dandruff on her coat. I'm thinking I should switch foods again.

[boombamax]

Huggybear-Are you going to switch again? Thank you, at least somebody is feeding rotties the same food I am feeding :)))) You see, my male rottie, Maximus, had parvo and the vet told me that he is going to have diaherra once in a while. She actually told me not to panic if he has it. So I am EXTREMELY careful with what I feed him. Now my female rottie, Boomba, didn't catch parvo from him which I thank god for, had diaherra 3 days later when they were both on Science Diet after 3 months. Anyway, I have started to switch them last Fri. and I am still mixing the new food with Prescription I/D like 75/25%, so far so good. Good luck to me !!

[HUGGYBEAR]

You know I don't know; this Nutro I got them should last me about a Month and a half....I am not unhappy with the Nutro; but I don't know, Im so confused--I feel like there is always a better food! but I suppose the same theory would apply if I get Canidae then the BARF diet would be a better food; If I don't have any problems then I think i will stay on Nutro; It clearly has reversed some things that eukanuba caused and I actually like it, AND it is cheaper than eukanuba.
Diarrhea every once in a while isn't something to panic over, it happens--Heck you have a uprising in your stomach every once in awhile.
Yeah I/D is really easy on the stomach, he shouldnt have any problems and that will help buffer the whole switching process....Im going to stick with Nutro until I have a reason not to; Good Luck, and Im glad he got through the parvo episode..

[VANCOUVERISLANDROT]

Huggy- I totally hear you on the "so confused" about what food to switch to etc. We really wanted to go R.A.W. with Oscar when we got him but it's just not feasible as I don't have the time to prepare all of the food and I don't want to spend the $ they want for the pre-made stuff. We've had Oscar on Nutro Natural for L.B. Puppies since we got him at 6 w/o. He's now 16 w/o and we're just starting to ween him onto Canidae. I have no complaints about the Nutro, he has a beautiful coat, no poop problems etc BUT he eats a TON of it. He eats 5 cups per day of it right now plus his treats etc. It's just not filling him up and he poops ALOT.

You're right, there will always be a better food choice out there for sure..it's a hard choice and confusing one to make. I've decided after many PAINFUL weeks of deliberation to upgrade Oscar to Canidae and we may shuffle his food between Canidae, Innova and Wellness. We figure what he doesn't get in one food he'll get in the other. I have no complaints about the Nutro but I just want the best I can give him before going RAW.
I only paid $10 more for a bag of Canidae versus his Nutro Natural and apparently he'll eat quite a bit less of the Canidae which equals less POOP! haha

Julie

[boombamax]

Well, the feed store I go to carries both Canidae and Natural Choice and I think Canidae is $1.00 more than Nutro, so i am not too worried. Like the guy told me at the feed store, the best brand will be the brand that your dog is used to. As long as he is healthy, you should stick with the food that you're feeding. The parvo episode was terrible. At that time, we only had Maximus for 2 weeks, and was hospitalized for 4 days. What a horrible experience !!!

[mook1620]

[quote=boombamax] As long as he is healthy, you should stick with the food that you're feeding.QUOTE]
But, when many switch to premium foods, they find their dog is healthier than they thought possible.

[fostermom]

I alternate between two to three different foods....my dogs (and cats) do NOT like Canidae...have to give it away every time I buy it. I do have some concerns with dog foods that promote "less poop" as my sister's gsd and my son's golden were both on such foods and became severely constipated (necessitating veterinary intervention). Although I understand the concepts of "more utilizable" and "less waste", seems like in the wild, animals have bone fragments, fur, feathers, etc passing through as roughage such that a certain amount of roughage benefits the animal.
I can and do scrutinize labels to try to buy foods that contain what is currently considered optimal ingredients for my dogs..but I will also admit that when feeding several of these foods, the quality of my dogs' poop, their coats (and how enthusiastically they eat the food) does not always equate to the most premium foods equalling the best results. Each dog is different on what they do well on but my guys do best on Nutro Large Breed Natural Choice. Their coats are shiniest, their poop looks great and I do not find I have to feed more of this than say Innova (another brand I use).
Certainly there is no harm in trying different brands to see what your dog does best on...and don't feel locked into feeding the most "premium" foods if your dog doesn't do well on it. (All that being said, there are certain JUNK foods that I truely hope you'll stay away from...mostly grocery store brands. ) Good luck with your guy.

[Sportyj]

Caboose is loving the Innova. When she was in foster she was getting Purina so I can see why! :) Thanks for all the help!

[masonette]

I was reading some of these posts as I am starting to have trouble with Mason. His coat is not shiny, his skin is flaking terribly, he poops about 2-3 times a day, sometimes firm and sometimes not. I used to feed California Natural to my danes as the male had terrible skin allergies but it got too expensive. In the long run, it's going to be cheaper to buy California Natural then switching foods, buying supplements and stuff to end the flaking and vet visits.

Mary