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-   -   Sparky's food - your opinions!! (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=55851)

JennieV August 26th, 2008 02:02 PM

Sparky's food - your opinions!!
 
Hi,
So as some of you know, we got our new baby. He came with a whole bunch of stuff, and of course his food. :)
The food they were giving him is [I]Royal Canin Mini Puppy 33.[/I]
the contents are as follows:

chicken meal, brown rice, chicken, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, brewers rice, dried egg powder, natural chicken flavour, dried beet pulp(sugar removed), anchovy oil, brewer's yeast, potassium chloride.....theres a whole bunch of vitamins, B12, B6, B1, folic acid, blah blah blah (too lazy to list it all..)

I am a little confused when it comes to foods :loser: :shrug:, so I would truly appreciate if you could tell me what you think about this food, have you had experience with it...
Should I be switching? There is about 2 thirds of the small bag left, so now would be the time to introduce new food. I am a big believer in preventative measures, especially with pups.
Please keep in mind that Sparky is a small breed, a mix of Maltese and Pomeranian.
Thank you in advance!!

Chris21711 August 26th, 2008 02:10 PM

[QUOTE=JennieV;646872]Hi,
So as some of you know, we got our new baby. He came with a whole bunch of stuff, and of course his food. :)
The food they were giving him is [I]Royal Canin Mini Puppy 33.[/I]
the contents are as follows:

chicken meal, brown rice, chicken, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, brewers rice, dried egg powder, natural chicken flavour, dried beet pulp(sugar removed), anchovy oil, brewer's yeast, potassium chloride.....theres a whole bunch of vitamins, B12, B6, B1, folic acid, blah blah blah (too lazy to list it all..)

I am a little confused when it comes to foods :loser: :shrug:, so I would truly appreciate if you could tell me what you think about this food, have you had experience with it...
Should I be switching? There is about 2 thirds of the small bag left, so now would be the time to introduce new food. I am a big believer in preventative measures, especially with pups.
Please keep in mind that Sparky is a small breed, a mix of Maltese and Pomeranian.
Thank you in advance!![/QUOTE]


I've had all kinds of advice from here, someone knowledgeable will be on to give you excellent information.

mollywog August 26th, 2008 02:12 PM

Jennie, good for you for taking an interest in your dog's nutritional health. You are a step ahead of most dog owners.
This is a really good dog food website that I found. Here is the link to what they have to say about Royal Canin Mini Puppy 33
[url]http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1530&cat=5[/url]
it gives it a 3 star rating. I would recommend switching foods. Wellness and Solid Gold are both dependable brands IMHO.

That website ([URL="http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/"]Dog Food Analysis[/URL]) has reviews of pretty much all dog foods and tells you Pros and Cons of each, and also gives them a star rating (1 star being worst and 6 star being best)
good luck!

bendyfoot August 26th, 2008 02:19 PM

We've got all our dogs including our 12 week old puppy, and our cats on Orijen.

JennieV August 26th, 2008 02:28 PM

Thanks so much! thats what I was looking to hear, I knew it couldn't be good, but since he just came into our home I felt that a drastic change would have been very difficult. I will be switching, just needed more information.

Any more responses will be VERY appreciated! I know that there is a gold mine of information here :whistle:, so I am really thankful! :thankyou:
:thumbs up

mollywog August 26th, 2008 02:36 PM

glad to be of help!
just make sure when you do switch, make it gradual. Otherwise it could upset his little tummy! :yuck:

jcampbell21 August 26th, 2008 08:41 PM

heres the honest truth.
Royal canin (breed specific foods and so on) are mediocre foods.. they dont have the greatest ingredients, however the breed specific foods have certain ingredients that certain breeds are looking for.
If you were to find a brand that made breed specific food with human grade ingredients that would be perfect.
Personally, I feed my friend Blue buffalo wilderness.. he has tons of energy and loves it.

As far as dogfoodanalysis.com goes, they do not rate all of the kinds of food.
Depending on the $ you want to spend, there are many high quality brands available.
Check out sites such as k9cuisine.com.. depending on needs you can find foods with main proteins available from chicken to beef to possum to kangaroo.
Keep your options open.

JennieV August 27th, 2008 10:55 AM

I was also wondering if maybe someone could point me in the direction of the store that sells the good stuff, as I only know of one, which is pOinte-Claire and its about 40-50 minutes drive for me, completely out of my way and needs to be scheduled in advance, which is not very convenient.
I live in the very east end of Montreal, St. Leonard, so if someone could let me know where to go - I would also apprecialte that very much!

Frenchy August 27th, 2008 11:46 AM

[QUOTE=JennieV;647369]I live in the very east end of Montreal, St. Leonard, so if someone could let me know where to go - I would also apprecialte that very much![/QUOTE]

What would be easier for you is to choose a food that interest you (well , not you I mean the dog :rolleyes:) and go on their website to check out their store locator.

JennieV August 27th, 2008 12:49 PM

[QUOTE=Frenchy;647400]What would be easier for you is to choose a food that interest you .[/QUOTE]
:laughing: the whole thing is that I don't know WHAT interests me, :loser: I know! I wanted to go to a store and compare options that they have. As in benefits vs cons...That's also why I asked for opinions about puppy food, so that I have something to bounce off. I know that Purina and all these brands are no good, but I don't know where to begin, what names, what companies, what's better for the dog...:shrug: I think I may take a drive to Pointe Claire one day this week, because when we saw the guy about Max's problem with allergies to food, he was super-helpful and really knowledgeable.

breeze August 27th, 2008 01:07 PM

[QUOTE=JennieV;647439]:laughing: the whole thing is that I don't know WHAT interests me, :loser: I know! I wanted to go to a store and compare options that they have. As in benefits vs cons...That's also why I asked for opinions about puppy food, so that I have something to bounce off. I know that Purina and all these brands are no good, but I don't know where to begin, what names, what companies, what's better for the dog...:shrug: I think I may take a drive to Pointe Claire one day this week, because when we saw the guy about Max's problem with allergies to food, he was super-helpful and really knowledgeable.[/QUOTE]

can you tell us what he sugested??

jcampbell21 August 27th, 2008 03:41 PM

try something without corn, glueten, soy, etc. no by products or grain free would also be good with allergies.

breeze August 27th, 2008 03:49 PM

they also say that with food allergies or intolerance it is better to go with a "novelty protien" like duck or venison. not a protien that is common like beef or chicken or lamb..

JennieV August 27th, 2008 04:52 PM

[QUOTE=breeze;647444]can you tell us what he sugested??[/QUOTE]
Well, back then he put Max on duck food, I can never remember the name until I see the bag, Natural Balance I think...It helped greatly and we have not any problems with the cat since... So like I said, I may just go and see him, or call and se what he suggests.

SolaMio August 27th, 2008 04:59 PM

Hi Jennie, I'm no expert, but I'm a Natura brand girl myself. I was feeing Evo but switched to Innova. My cats are also on a mix of wet Evo and dry California Naturals which are both Natura products. We don't have a huge selection where I live either so I went with what I felt was the best that was available at manageable prices... Evo was a bit too pricey for me, and Innova has some grain but not much from what I can tell. I used to be a Canidae fan but am a bit wary since they're now being manufactured by a larger company, Diamond Foods.

Winston August 27th, 2008 05:18 PM

[QUOTE=jcampbell21;647539]try something without corn, glueten, soy, etc. no by products or grain free would also be good with allergies.[/QUOTE]


JennieV you could look into Orijen Puppy. I use the adult Orijen Fish Formula and it gets a lot of good reviews! Its 75% meat..25% Fruits & Veg..no grain, no by products, and no gluten...here is the web site...there is a food analysis and white paper that you can have a look at. Food is so tough to wrap your head around! :thumbs up

[url]http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/[/url]

Cindy

happycats August 27th, 2008 06:37 PM

I also found the [url]www.dogfoodanalysis.com[/url] site a great tool !
I have switched Buddy to Wellness core since reviewing the site , and he's doing great!

4KB August 28th, 2008 10:24 AM

I have tried EVERYTHING! I have tried Wellness, Orijen, EVO, Nutros, FROMM, Halo and Merrick. Just last week, I bought Solid Gold (Just a Wee Bit) and they love it! You may want to try a Solid Gold product for puppies.

happycats August 28th, 2008 11:15 AM

[QUOTE=4KB;648002]I have tried EVERYTHING! I have tried Wellness, Orijen, EVO, Nutros, FROMM, Halo and Merrick. Just last week, I bought Solid Gold (Just a Wee Bit) and they love it! You may want to try a Solid Gold product for puppies.[/QUOTE]

Yes Solid Gold "barking at the moon" (I think it's called) is a 6 star, on the dog food analysis, so it's a great food, and it's grain free!

rainbow August 28th, 2008 12:33 PM

I feed both my dogs Orijen and they do well on it. Here are a couple of great websites for information:

[url]http://www.dogfoodproject.com/[/url] ....also click on the links on the left hand side of the page.

[url]http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html[/url] ....click on the blue and purple highlighted places for additional information.

JennieV August 28th, 2008 10:09 PM

:D Ok, so I went for a consultation and was advised to go with food called "NOW!", by Petcurean, made right here in Canada and by the description a better one for the puppy than the Orijen, as it is a little lower on the protein, still grain-free and sounds like a really interesting possibility.
its made with 100% fresh meat, fresh vegetables and fruits and no grains. I bought it, he seems to like it, so we will see how he is doing.

This is the link to the description...I think it is good, and it is well-priced too...So I am relieved, no more "Real Crap" :laughing:.
[url]http://www.petcurean.com/index.php?page_id=157[/url]

Any comments?? :)

Chaser August 28th, 2008 10:13 PM

Very good choice! Petcurean's "Now!" and "Go"! are both great foods IMO. I just never used them because the stores near me only seem to have them in off and on...Orijen is just much easier for me to find on a regular basis. Since your store has it and your pup likes it, sounds like a great choice! :)

JennieV August 28th, 2008 10:35 PM

Thanks CM!! :D

bendyfoot August 29th, 2008 01:57 PM

We use Go! canned food with our gang too, they all love it.

JennieV September 11th, 2008 09:35 PM

A little concerned...
 
Ok, so by now, Sparky is entirely on the new food.
He eats well and the only thing I am a little concerned about is that he started having a bit of a gas problem.:rolleyes: Is it something that I should be worried about?? Do you think he isn't digesting well? His poops are good and he goes regularly, about 2 to 3 times in the morning, sometimes he does once at noon, and then 2 to 3 times at night.
I am a little confused, because Tarzan used to only go once-twice a day. Occasionally, he would go 2 or 3 times in one session, but Sparky almost all the time does at least 2 per walk. Is that too much?? Like I said, the poops are good consistency and color, he is lively, plays and sleeps well, but has some gas.:confused:

Chris21711 September 12th, 2008 09:46 AM

I'm no expert by far Jennie, but I think that going so many times in one day is a lot. I would be interested to hear what others have to say. My guys go about twice a day and maybe when I let them out late at night, I can't see then.

breeze September 12th, 2008 10:13 AM

could you answer some questions??

how many times are you feeding him
how much are you feeding him
does he eat very fast
how old is he again I seem to have forgotten
how much does he weight.
is he very active right after he eats..

Archer is on "NOW" but not puppy food he is on adult due to the fat and protein content.. some dogs do not do well over a certain amount of protein and fat content..

JennieV September 12th, 2008 10:35 AM

Hi breese, I answered your questions below:


[QUOTE=breeze;655941]could you answer some questions??

how many times are you feeding him - [B]food is freely available to him, I dont remove it[/B]
how much are you feeding him - [B]about 1 cup a day[/B]
does he eat very fast - [B]he nibbles mostly, doesnt finish all at once, but will eat more in the evening[/B]
how old is he again I seem to have forgotten - [B]almost 4 months[/B]
how much does he weight. - [B]approx. 7 lbs (per vet visit about a week ago)[/B]
is he very active right after he eats.. - [B]he is playful, sometimes he will grab a bite and run with it..sometimes roll it on the floor and pounce, I walk away and not play with him during that time, but he seems to entertain himself[/B]

Archer is on "NOW" but not puppy food he is on adult due to the fat and protein content.. some dogs do not do well over a certain amount of protein and fat content..[/QUOTE]

breeze September 12th, 2008 10:50 AM

[QUOTE=JennieV;655963]Hi breese, I answered your questions below:[/QUOTE]

Archer goes about 3 times a day and is fed 3 times a day.. bree goes 2 times a day and is fed twice a day (with treats in between)

when bree was younger she had terrible gas.. so bad she would not eat, I changed her food cause I thought it might be the food..I also gave her some bio yogurt to help with digestion..it helped until her system got use to her new food..

not sure if it was the food or just her digestive system..

Purpledomino September 12th, 2008 01:34 PM

I think it depends on the dog, my Petie is pretty gassy at seven months old, and is a regular pooping machine. I can always depend on him making a deposit just about every time he goes outside. He eats a variety of quality commercial foods such as Innova, Orijen, Wellness, Go Natural, Merrick, and Wellness...as well as green tripe. I like to add variety to their meals if their GI system can handle it.

My other dogs go maybe two or so times daily...but dear Petie goes probably about six times a day. Healthy poops...just lots. But then everything Petie does, he does in a BIG way..... :goodvibes:


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