My Take on Dog Food and Feeding My Dogs

[Mazz]

There are a lot of questions that come up regarding what to feed, how much to feed, when to feed, leave it out for them, pick it up after so many minutes; and the list goes on. So here's my take on dog food and feeding my dogs.

People have a tendency to get hung up on buzz words. "Holistic", "organic", "natural" are three that come to mind. Then there are those same buzz words with "ultra" placed in front of them. "Grain-free" has also become somewhat of a buzz word, only because it is used so frequently. The more a word is used within a language, it often times begins to loose its distinctiveness. But I digress.

I have fed my dogs Nutro Ultra Puppy, Diamond Naturals (buzz word), Diamond Lite (buzz word), and TOTW. Of all of those brands, in my opinion, TOTW is by far the best quality and most nutritious food, and it's grain-free. I don't need to feed as much when mine are on TOTW. Second on my list is Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice. While not grain-free, it does not contain any corn, maize, soy, or wheat. Remember those four words, corn, maize, soy, and wheat. Good to avoid those in anything you feed your dog.

The mainstay food for my dogs is TOTW. If they get a bit too padded on the sides, I switch them over to Diamond Naturals for a month or two, to get them back down. This usually happens in late winter.

Here's the bottom line. Read the label! Don't buy a food for your dog, just because I or someone else touts about how great it is. I think TOTW is a great food (there I go touting again). But it's not great for every dog. There are some dogs who have problems when eating TOTW, just as there are dogs who have problems eating one of a thousand other brands. So we are back to reading the label. Understanding what the label is telling you.

Dog food labeling in the US, may differ from other countries, so take this with some reservation and need for qualification.

First on the list indicates the highest content. True or False?

True - sometimes. If the first item on the list is a meat, not a meat meal, chances are, it's not the highest content item in product. Why? Water content of meat will dwindle its weight dramtically, so that items farther down the list that are in dry form, will actually have a higher content within the product.

By-products are fine. True or False?

Maybe. I avoid any food that has any by-products listed in the ingredients. Simply because I have no clue what is in the food, because they don't really tell you.

Don't understand the words, but it must be OK. True or False?

Google is your friend in this case. Some companies use chemicals for preservation of the food. Some use natural items like citric acid. Do some research, read about the ingredients. Educate yourself.

How much to feed is another question that really, the only answer to expect is a guesstimate from anyone. It takes a bit of trial and error sometimes to come to the correct amount to feed. Too much food = runny poos, that's my motto. Too little food = a scavenger. We feed our two , one cup of TOTW in the morning and one cup of TOTW in the evening. When Zoya was a pup, she actually ate more than she does now. We also mix a bit of tuna in with Eisa's food, since she is such a fussy eater. Somedays, she simply will not eat. At any rate, don't pay too much attention to the amounts listed on the bag. For a Husky, we'd be feeding ours almost double the amount per day they receive now.

Leave it out for them, or limit the time the food is out? Discipline is what it's all about with a Husky. Let up in one area of the disipline routine, and they assume it's a wide open range for them. We feed on a schedule, and if they don't eat within ten minutes, the food comes up until next time. It's not been a problem, and they know the routine. Works for us.

So that's it. Not an expert, not an authority. Just have my own opinion, and I know what works for me and our two. What works for you and yours, may be at the other end of the spectrum, and that's fine. At the end of the day, it's the welfare of the Huskies that really matters.

Edited May 15, 2012 by Mazz

[Rosemary]

Great post Dave

[Sarah]

great post dave - have made a sticky x

[sharloid]

Just to add to what you said about researching ingredients - I find this website very helpful:

http://www.whichdogfood.co.uk/dog_food_ingredients_br.php

[Rotorhead]

Just for everyone's information, Costco's premium dog food, their Natures Domain Salmon Meal and Sweet Potato or Natures Domain Turkey Meal and Sweet Potato kibble, is actually Taste of the Wild.  Knowing that will save you as much as $20 a bag compared to what the feed stores and hardware stores charge for the same food. 

 

Another site to find out what various dog foods are made of is the Dog Food Advisor.  http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com

 

I was amazed to find a whole chicken thigh in a can of Merrick wet dog food.  You can see the ingredients and it is almost good enough to be people food.  Some flavors I actually like.  Am I the only person who actually samples the foods they feed their doggie?

[Jase]

Great post Dave,

 

I feed TOTW Wetlands and think it is very good product.

 

@Rotorhead, I believe the foods you mentioned are made by the same company, but they are not the same formulas as TOTW. TOTW does not have those combinations in their range. They might  be a good food and certainly cheaper, but to say they are TOTW is not correct from my understanding.

[Jay]

Just curious...how much does the dog food from Costco cost per bag? And how big is the bag?

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[Giddy-Lupin]

I'd like to consider a raw food diet for my (future) dog because I really don't trust that the big dog food companies have our dogs health in mind, but it looks like it would be expensive.. I'm trying to think realistically for prices and that so I don't think eating raw is in my price range..

[tinh_cho_em]

Just curious...how much does the dog food from Costco cost per bag? And how big is the bag?

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http://petfoodtalk.com/dogfoodreviews/kirkland/

 

I, too, am using costco pet food for my husky. After some research, Kirkland pet food is made by diamond specifically for Costco. It is cheap and by far beats most of the other brand with the same and higher price. I would say a bag of kirkland puppy food cost around $35 for a 40lbs bag

[Clare70]

We've been looking into changing the dogs diet now that Snow is 15 months plus, get them all on the same food when I came across this post.

 

I find the whole dry food business to be such a mine field as they are all so different.  I've come across a food manufactured here in France called Nutrivet, I can buy online at zooplus. It's a grain free, high protein 42% food and whilst it's more expensive than the food I currently use it does sound very good.  They also manufacture foods which have a lower protein content which aren't grain free and linder on the pocket.

 

So my question is, what do you make of a 'high protein' dry food?  

[NOBELHOWLUC49]

Why is corn wheat etc bad for dogs... I hear this a lot and can come to some logical conclusions. I think it would be interesting to understand why... ..  If you can oblige I would appreciate it..

[Clare70]

Why is corn wheat etc bad for dogs... I hear this a lot and can come to some logical conclusions. I think it would be interesting to understand why... ..  If you can oblige I would appreciate it..

 

I think it's because their digestive system isn't built for wheat etc, like humans isn't designed for meat. Lets face it, we humans don't eat cereals unless they've been cooked/modified in some way, so why shouldn't it be the same for a dog?  Fruit, nuts and berries are different as any wild dog would eat an amount of these.

 

But as for the high protein in dry food?

[Stormy]

Can't say I test my dogs food as they have raw lol

[Mazz]

Why is corn wheat etc bad for dogs... I hear this a lot and can come to some logical conclusions. I think it would be interesting to understand why... ..  If you can oblige I would appreciate it..

Corn is a cheap, semi-non-digestible filler that is subject to carrying aflatoxin which can be lethal to dogs.  Corn, like wheat, is part of the grass family.  Some, in fact many dogs, develop allergies to grasses.  Our Zoya is one.  Corn simply is not meant for dogs.  Same with wheat and soy.  They don't do well on these grains, they don't digest them well, and there is very little nutritional benefit for dogs from those three grains.  Soy is used to up the protein levels many times.  And the protein from soy is not the same digestible protein a dog gets from meat.  So it helps the bottom line of the dog food company, but does little to benefit your dog.  Hope that gives you better insight.

[Mazz]

We've been looking into changing the dogs diet now that Snow is 15 months plus, get them all on the same food when I came across this post.

 

I find the whole dry food business to be such a mine field as they are all so different.  I've come across a food manufactured here in France called Nutrivet, I can buy online at zooplus. It's a grain free, high protein 42% food and whilst it's more expensive than the food I currently use it does sound very good.  They also manufacture foods which have a lower protein content which aren't grain free and linder on the pocket.

 

So my question is, what do you make of a 'high protein' dry food?  

High protein dry food is OK, if your dog is very active or is a working dog.  42% protein is going to be rough on the kidneys and liver unless a dog is extremely pushing the limits of the envelope, running several hours per day, pulling loads, really working hard.  For normal pets in the Husky breed, 28% is more than enough protein.  

[Clare70]

High protein dry food is OK, if your dog is very active or is a working dog.  42% protein is going to be rough on the kidneys and liver unless a dog is extremely pushing the limits of the envelope, running several hours per day, pulling loads, really working hard.  For normal pets in the Husky breed, 28% is more than enough protein.  

 

Thanks Dave

 

Stupid question, but surely if a dog is on a raw diet that will be 100% protein?  Is this not bad for a non working dog? 

 

Whilst my dogs are pretty active, 2 long walks each day, plus they now have an off lead fenced dog run of about 450 m2, they charge around that several times a day weather permitting. They are by no means over weight, so I think they are pretty healthy all in all, would the food I've mentioned be really that bad for them?

 

I only ask because I was always under the impression it was better to give them a high protein diet.

[Mazz]

A raw diet would not be 100% protein.  Lean beef for example, is around 22% protein.  Chicken is slightly higher.  Neither is near even 40% protein.