Premium Dog Foods...too Expensive!

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

corn is apparently a very digestible carbohydrate source

I'd heard the opposite, that it's not very digestable, and that one of the most common food allergies dogs have is to corn.

I'm confused now. LOL

Cass.

Cass you are correct - corn provokes allergic response in many canines which is why most of the super premium foods do not use it. Grains and cereals are not generally a good food for dogs at all if you can avoid them. But most processed pet foods include them as a primary source of protein b/c it's cheaper than providing an animal protein source in similar ratios.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

That's ONE of the reasons why I feed Nutro as it doesnt have corn.

[Flaves]

I am getting some Nutro samples sent to me, hopefully they should be here by the end of the week and then i can order the appropriate bags from paws and more (hope i have the name right!!)

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

4 Paws and More Pet Supplies Keilor Park now sell Nutro

[larry]

I thought i'd comment about allergies, corn is a very common grain in the USA, and as such most dog foods there use corn, and so if a dog has an allergy, corn is statistically more likely, just because it is used so often. In australia wheat is more commonly grown, so wheat is the most common grain used in dog food, so it is a more likely allergan.

Most dogs do not have allergies to wheat and corn, don't forget allergies only affect a minority of dogs, the same as food allergies are not that common in people, however if you do have an allergy, it is most likely to be a common ingredient that affects you.

Wheat and corn are not bad as such , it's just that they are used so often in foods, both for humans and dogs.

We feed our dogs a locally produced super premium dog food, Natural Balance (the one made in Australia !) http://www.naturalbalance.net.au/ , you can also get it delivered to your house (together with other dog products) http://www.pricelesspets.com.au/

I prefer to buy Australian made products rather than imported goods, as i prefer to support local businesses that produce more jobs in australia, also i trust products grwon in australia, more than ones grown overseas. (eg mad cow, bird flu, etc)

Edited August 15, 2006 by larry

[ellz]

Just as an alternative. Cheaper but definitely NOT nastier....why not look into Great Barko. Produced by the Laucke Mills in Australia. I have recently started some of my dogs on this and it is really very good. $25.50 for 22kg. Lasts ages as you don't have to feed much, especially if the dry food is not the major component of your feeds.

Doesn't look the most appetizing product on earth but even my two fussies will eat it. Stools are smaller, harder and easier to pick up. And even the skinny minny has put on weight in the space of a couple of weeks.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

If trying a new food I would always want to see both an ingredients list AND guaranteed analysis which I cant find for either Natural Balance or Great Barko

[ellz]

Great Barko

Beef, lamb, chicken, pork, fish, cooked cereals, wheaten bran, canola, soy

Lysine, methionite, antioxidant, bentonite

Vit A, D3, E, K, B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, pantothentate, folic acid, biotin

Calcium, phosporus, sodium, chloride, cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium, zinc

Protein 20%

Fat 10%

Fibre 5%

Customer information number 08 85628340

I have been feeding 2 American Cockers and 3 Staffordshire Bull Terriers on this food now for nearly 3 weeks. They are ALL doing exceptionally well, including the 9 year old Stafford who doesn't "DO" Tassie winters. Shiny coats, fat bellies (to the point of cutting back on rations) and no scratching or mucky eyes which is my usual indicator of a food not doing the trick.

[Cassiepeia]

I found this great site about dog foods http://www.dogfoodproject.com/ .

Natural Balance seems to have rice as the first ingredient and corn gluten meal as the third (and tallow as a fourth), I personally wouldn't include that as a premium food.

Great Barko looks good, I don't know where I could find that though.

I was going to get Eagle Pack Holistic for my sister's dog.

Cass.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

I typed Great Barko into a Goolge Aus search but it didnt give me a site where I could read the ingredients list, OK so it has beef, pork, chicken etc BUT does that include animal-by products?.

Whilst I am not going to change from Nutro am always interested to see what other products are avail and what their make=up is.

[panda]

You might want to read this website, where does pet food come from? http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04/P.../Processing.htm

Edited August 16, 2006 by panda

[ellz]

Of course Barko contains animal by-products. But that doesn't mean that it is bad. Heck, WE eat animal by-products.

I'd far rather look at the results (and the price) than worry too much about the label.

One mans' meat is another mans' poison. My dogs love it. My dogs look good. I can afford to feed it. It is convenient to obtain. I'll stick with it for now.

Good luck in your search for the "perfect" dog food and when you find it, I hope your dogs like it as much as you do!!

[panda]

When we buy a dog food, we read the label and look for the ingredients. Naturally, we only want the best dog food. More often than not, we don’t really know some of the ingredients these manufacturers are putting in the bag.

According to the AAFCO chicken by-product , it consists of the dry, ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines -- exclusive of feathers except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in good processing practices.

Under AAFCO guidelines, acceptable meat by-product dog food ingredient can include animal lungs, spleens, kidneys, brains, livers, blood, bones, low-temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents.

However, livers can be infested with worms (liver flukes) or diseased with cirrhosis. Lungs can be filled with pneumonia. Even parts of animals, such as “stick marks”, --the area of the body where animals have been injected with antibiotics, hormones, or other drugs — are used for meat by-product

The most objectionable source of protein used is euthanized cats and dogs. It is not uncommon for thousands of euthanized dogs and cats to be delivered to rendering plants, daily, and thrown into the rendering vat—collars, I.D. tags, and plastic bags — to become part of dog food called “meat meal”.

It is difficult to determine which company is using products like these on dog food, or mixing in tumorous tissues, hooves, hair, feathers and some unsavory fillers we occasionally hear about.

But it is common knowledge that the industry is built on the undesirable remnants of the human food industry. And common sense suggests that the cheaper the food, the more you suspect its quality we call bad dog food.

According to the USDA, there is no mandatory federal inspection of ingredients used in food manufacturing, though some states may oversee the canning processes.

Feeding your dog with slaughterhouse wastes increases their chances of getting cancer and other degenerative diseases because it is considered toxic dog food.

Chicken by-products are much less expensive and less digestible than the chicken muscle meat.The ingredients of each batch can vary drastically in ingredients (heads, feet, bones etc.) as well as quality, thus the nutritional value is also not consistent. Don't forget that byproducts consist of any parts of the animal OTHER than meat. If there is any use for any part of the animal that brings more profit than selling it as "by-product", rest assured it will appear in such a product rather than in the "by-product" dumpster.

Check this website out, some well known bad dog food http://www.greenpets.com/page/18-399.htm

Edited August 16, 2006 by panda

[ellz]

That is interesting, albeit a fraction alarmist.

I have just now hung up from a rep at Laucke Mills who manufacture Great Barko here in Australia. He tells me that they are selling in excess of 12,000 bags per month right around Australia.

I asked about the meat by-products. His response was that yes, they use them. Yes, they come from abbattoirs. BUT...there are three major abbattoirs in South Australia (where Laucke Mills are situated). One is for sheep, one is for cows and the other for pigs. The by-product is what is left after the animals are slaughtered ON SITE for HUMAN CONSUMPTION. They are not allowed to bring in dead animals Laucke to manufacture their foods. None of the abbattoirs have any involvement with euthanased animals of ANY species!! There are strict guidelines concerning meat handling and production and pet food preparation comes within those guidelines.

I specifically questioned him about the possibility of liver fluke and other parasitic involvement and he said that if the dogs are getting it, the humans are as well. But that during the processing, the food is exposed to great heat so if there WAS something it would be killed by the heat and processing. And if it missed the first time around, after it is prepared the food goes through a pelleting machine which again heats it to around 90 - 95 degrees.

Very enlightening conversation really.

[shekhina]

Ellz, I need to put about 3-4kg of fat onto Daegon as quickly as is possible and healthy, but I'm having SO much trouble getting him to eat more food...would the Barko work do you think?

Where are you getting it from?

[ellz]

Shekky it has worked wonders on Reg (within the space of a couple of weeks) and Dolly is as fat as mud at the moment as well. I've had to reduce the amount I give the Yanks too...Duncan looks like a tube on legs!

I get mine from Animal Tuckerbox in Derwent Park. 22kg for $25.50. Not sure if they do smaller sizes or not.

I'm PERFECTLY satisfied with it. Duncan doesn't "do" dry food as a rule but even HE eats the stuff!!

Edited August 16, 2006 by ellz

[shekhina]

Not worried about smaller sizes, that's excellent value for money, even better than the Bonnie Working Dog I have both on at the moment. Will have to keep Bonnie for Kovu, he gives the filthiest look if there is something other than Bonnie in his bowl

So when you say it's added weight to your dogs, you mean you can feel more fat over the ribs? That's what I need on Daegon, a really good covering of fat on him so he's good to go for conditioning training.

[ellz]

More fat all over!

Reg gets really lean and ribby in winter and he hasn't got a tuck-up at the moment. Dolly is like a shiny black seal. Duncan wobbles when he gets blasted with the dryer!

[shekhina]

that's what I need on Daegon.

Just checked the bank account and it's looking very hungry...no Barko this fortnight, and by next week it'll be too late to put the fat on him. Will smother everything in cat food so he hopefully eats more

[Miranda]

Ellz, I need to put about 3-4kg of fat onto Daegon as quickly as is possible and healthy, but I'm having SO much trouble getting him to eat more food

Have you tried Satin Balls?