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Post by sibemom on May 26, 2004 20:17:30 GMT -5
Well I have changed my feeding plan to this: Half raw and Half Canidae. Blade was having some problems with digestion and with meat prices sky rocketing and not being able to give the variety that I wanted to, I decided to add a good quality kibble and still feed some raw. He seems to be doing GREAT. He does not seem as hungery, still a pickey eater, but he always has been I am very comfortable with this plan. I will feed the new pup the same way, starting with the ground turkey and slowley introducing chicken wings etc... but also feeding the canidae. This particular kibble is good for all ages, from puppy on up. I do still supplement with Salmon oil and vitiman E, so I think I have my bases covered. So yes I caved and choose the half and half route at least for now, maybe if the prices drop and I can get the variety I want I will go back to total raw because I do think it is the best
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Post by Aussienot on May 26, 2004 20:57:49 GMT -5
Are you alternating days - raw one day, kibble the next?
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Post by Brooke on May 27, 2004 2:42:30 GMT -5
I just switched to Canidae this week Ann ;D They finally got it in a place that I live! I've been lookin for it forever.... we'll see how it goes.
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Post by Brooke on May 27, 2004 2:45:04 GMT -5
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Post by packerdogs on May 27, 2004 9:02:44 GMT -5
I feed Exceed (Maximumm Nutrition is the same exact thing from Walmart). The ingredients are almost identical to Nutro, but almost 1/2 the price. I will only feed the lamb and rice.
I have yet to have a dog with any allergies or bad coats, poos, etc. being on this food.
Cathy
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Post by amyjo on May 27, 2004 11:53:39 GMT -5
Ann - I too have noticed meat prices sky-rocketing... I think it is the popularity of all the atkins-like diets. All meats at my grocery have gone up at LEAST 20 cents per pound! And they have piles and piles of hi carb junk food on dirt cheap mark down. I refuse to believe that we are running out of meat in this country. I think the stores just want to make the consumer pay because they are losing sales on some of that other stuff. I am really struggling to keep the cost down. They sure are eating alot of chicken. Oh and my grocery had turkey necks marked down from 1.49 per lb to .27 per lb....so I bought a ton of those. I guess turkey necks aren't a popular atkin's item. I am getting a freezer and buying half a cow this fall and then I can start to use more bulk suppliers. I think Aussienot was getting at this - if you are feeding kibble - the common belief is it takes a long time to get through they dog's system and raw can back up behind it causing bacterial probs so it is best to alternate days- not feed in the same meal or the same day. But you prolly already knew that.
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Post by sibemom on May 27, 2004 15:32:12 GMT -5
No I am feeding alternate days of raw. I wanted to keep up with the total raw but right now it is not an opption. As far as the back up issue I am not so sure that is the case. Kibble as a rule will digest faster if there are less fillers in it as with the one that I am feeding. If you are feeding a food that is full of more than just meat, like a soy based then you would be right to asssume that it would take longer to digest, but with a kibble that is primarily meat based and does not swell with moisture ( I do the swell test before I decide on any dog food) then it would digest at a similar rate as the raw. If you feed a food that does have fillers that swell with moisture then also you are risking the chance of bloat. The one that Cathy is feeding sounds good but if it has barley in it then that would be a no go for Blade. The pup is eating Fromm's and I will slowley switch her to the Canidae/Raw. I changed my mind about the chicken wings and I think I will stick to the legs. The wing's have very little meat and the bones are pretty sharp so I feel safer with the legs.
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Post by Nicole on May 27, 2004 17:18:48 GMT -5
I do the swell test before I decide on any dog food What a great idea. I never thought to do that. How long do you let it soak before passing judgement.
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Post by sibemom on May 27, 2004 20:52:25 GMT -5
I leave it for about 5 minutes and by that time you can tell if it is going to double in size. The canidae does not swell, it will get soft but does not expand. This stuff they gave me with the pup though does not impress me and she will be off that ASAP. She got a hold of some of Blades food and right away crunched it down with no problem so I will start mixing it tomarrow to get her off the Fromms, you should see how that stuff swells up YUK! I did not think it would but it does
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Post by Willow on May 28, 2004 7:51:27 GMT -5
I decided to go back to feeding some kibble too. Old habits die hard. The majority of Kerra's diet will still be RMB's, however. As Ann said...it's still the best diet. I'm totally convinced of that. It really is confusing as to what is "the best" kibble to feed, but from past experience with my dogs, as I kept graduating to a "higher quality" kibble, my dogs started doing worse. They did well on Exceed and/or Maximum Nutrition, so I went back to MN Lamb/rice, simply because Walmart is closer to us than Sam's. I am not comfortable feeding a food that has fruits/veg's in it, because I also feed "table scraps", which is left over veg's etc., so wanted one without. I also see that Purina has a new food and I thought it sounded interesting when I read the label. The first ingredient is Salmon and it doesn't have fruit/veg. either, and is said to be "easily digested" for dogs with digestive problems. I debated between that and the MN, but the Purina is called a "growth" formula. Still, the protein level was acceptable...I believe 26%, which is still way low compared to the % of protein they get on a raw diet, so I actually look for a higher protein food. Protein is not "bad" for dogs. For one thing, it builds muscle, plus a dog thrives on meat protein. OTOH, too many Carbs from veg./grains is harmful, because it replaces meat protein in the diet, which a dog should be getting. Anyhoo....I'm back to feeding some *crap in a bag* too, but don't tell anyone. ;D
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Post by Willow on May 29, 2004 11:53:56 GMT -5
Yesterday when I went to the local grocery store, I checked for the Salmon based food and they did have it. This one was for "Adult" dogs, so I either got it mixed up, or they have a Salmon "growth" formula too, which the grocer down here does not have.
It does have barley in it.
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Post by sibemom on May 30, 2004 3:19:31 GMT -5
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Post by Willow on May 30, 2004 11:34:12 GMT -5
Puppies usually do react like this, because they have not acquired a "taste" for dog food like dogs who have been fed it for years, and as you said...they know what they were meant to eat!
I think I am going to have this 40# bag of food for the rest of Kerra's life, because I can't bring myself to feed her more than a handful every few days!!!!
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