Stuck Between 2 foods

[water101]

I am trying to figure out which of these 2 foods for Rocky.(11 week old rotti)
Orijen large breed puppy or Chicken soup for the puppy lovers soul.

I am looking to keep him with the same brand once he moves into adult food.

The biggest difference I see if NO Grain with the Origen and Grain with the CHicken Soup brand.

What are the bigest pro's and con's to a grain free diet. I have read that no grains leads to more peeing which could possibly lead to liver or kidneys issues down the road. Also dogs don't eat grain out i the wild, my dog is atleast 5 or 6 generations or more removed from the wild.

Help

Water

[Chaser]

The fact that Orijen offers a Large Breed choice (which is low in ash) is very important for your rotti's healthy growth and joint development.

Despite being domesticated, he is still a dog, and his anatomy is designed to favour meat. The low carbs in Orijen also help keep your dog at a healthy weight, as dogs burn off protein quickly, but high-carb foods are prone to turning to fat. Protein is just simply better as a dog's primary energy source.

Have you read Orijen's White Paper? They have done a lot of research in the area of going grain-free....and to be honest, it just makes sense.

http://www.championpetfoods.com/orij...hite_paper.pdf

Hope that helps - all in all Chicken Soup isn't an awful food, but I think Orijen is much better. One thing I don't know much about is Chicken Soup's manufacturing practices, but you should research that and make sure you feel good about them. I know I trust Orijen, but am not sure where Chicken Soup foods are produced.

[Amanda00]

Basically, Chase Mom said it all. I am currently asking about changing foods and once I feel I have done enough research, question asking, etc. I will make my choice.
I think if YOU feel good about the food you feed, that is what counts IMO. Some feed raw, some feed kibble, some feed canned and some feed in combonations. The choice you make has to be best for your situation. For example, I would feed raw, but it is pricey and my 11 month old daughter tends to eat the dog food and I would prefer if she did not eat raw meat.
Check out a bunch of websites, ask at a reputible pet food store and try smaples if you want. I know Global Pet Foods have free samples, or at least mine does. That is how we found out that Juno, our pup, does not care for Orijen or the Evo dry food. Well I was glad that I did not go out and spend $60+ on food that she did not like.
Anyway, enough of my going off on a tangent. Good luck to you and my dog has never had a problem with moderate grain content food, if that opinion helps you.

[luckypenny]

Although our dogs are fed raw, we feed all foster puppies Orijen Puppy (both large breed and regular depending on the type of pup that comes into our care). We're extremely satisfied with it and not a single one of the puppies have ever had an issue with adjusting, as long as the switchover takes place over 10-14 days.

[water101]

Originally Posted by Chase_Mom

The fact that Orijen offers a Large Breed choice (which is low in ash) is very important for your rotti's healthy growth and joint development.

Despite being domesticated, he is still a dog, and his anatomy is designed to favour meat. The low carbs in Orijen also help keep your dog at a healthy weight, as dogs burn off protein quickly, but high-carb foods are prone to turning to fat. Protein is just simply better as a dog's primary energy source.

Have you read Orijen's White Paper? They have done a lot of research in the area of going grain-free....and to be honest, it just makes sense.

http://www.championpetfoods.com/orij...hite_paper.pdf

Hope that helps - all in all Chicken Soup isn't an awful food, but I think Orijen is much better. One thing I don't know much about is Chicken Soup's manufacturing practices, but you should research that and make sure you feel good about them. I know I trust Orijen, but am not sure where Chicken Soup foods are produced.

Thnaks for the info I read the report. I was leaning towards the orijen and will go that way. Is canned food better then dry or will dry work. Later on I may look at making my own food for him and our other dog but right now time is tough with 3 kids still in sports.

Our other Dog is on Merrick food, I know it is not grain free but seems to be a pretty good food, any concerns with that food.

Water

[Chaser]

Merrick is pretty good I think. The ingredients are generally quite good, but I think there may have been some issues with their manufacturing a while back. I'm sorry but I don't really remember I would think it's fine for now, and keep using it to do a slow transition to Orijen like luckypenny suggested.

As for wet vs. dry, I personally use a mix. Wet food helps add moisture to your dogs diet, and they often don't drink enough (especially pups - too busy playing!). The wet food also has more meat in it than kibble, since more than 50% meat gums up kibble extruding machines. BUT, feedling wet food can get very expensive, especially for a large breed pup! Most cans you find usually indicate something like "feed one can per 10 lbs of body weight" NO THANKS! So just go with what is comfortable for you, it doesn't really matter

[rainbow]

I am another big Orijen fan.....both my dogs do well on it. Kibble is better for dogs than canned imo. It is fine to supplement with a premium quality canned although not necessary. I prefer to add a small amount of cooked chicken, fish or whatever other leftover meat we have from our own meals. Also give them a smaller amount of steamed mashed veggies as we have them as well. And a spoonful of yogurt every day with a fish oil supplement and a vitamin e supplement every few days.

As far as Merrick (it's not available here) the ingredients look good but I am just not comfortable with the fact the Garth Merrick owns a rendering plant close to the manufacturing plant for their pet food.

Have you read all the information (including all the links) on both these websites?

www.dogfoodproject.com

www.dogaware.com (click on Dog Feeding Info)

[Chaser]

Originally Posted by rainbow

As far as Merrick (it's not available here) the ingredients look good but I am just not comfortable with the fact the Garth Merrick owns a rendering plant close to the manufacturing plant for their pet food.

Thanks rainbow - I thought there was some manufacturing controversy but couldn't remember what!

[water101]

As of right now I have been adding either water to his food or home made chicken stock with no salt added. I boil chicken bones and and carrots to make a stock which I add to his food to mositen it.

Our other dog loves the Merrick because you add water to it to get a gravy and she doesn't like food unless it has gravy or is moistened.

[water101]

Originally Posted by rainbow

I am another big Orijen fan.....both my dogs do well on it. Kibble is better for dogs than canned imo. It is fine to supplement with a premium quality canned although not necessary. I prefer to add a small amount of cooked chicken, fish or whatever other leftover meat we have from our own meals. Also give them a smaller amount of steamed mashed veggies as we have them as well. And a spoonful of yogurt every day with a fish oil supplement and a vitamin e supplement every few days.

As far as Merrick (it's not available here) the ingredients look good but I am just not comfortable with the fact the Garth Merrick owns a rendering plant close to the manufacturing plant for their pet food.

Have you read all the information (including all the links) on both these websites?

www.dogfoodproject.com

www.dogaware.com (click on Dog Feeding Info)

Would you then suggest that Orijen is best for my Boarder collie Austrialian sheppard as well. I know they probably will not be able to eat the same food because of their size difference.

[Winston]

I'm going to have to weigh in on the Orijen too! My boy does really well on the Fish Formula for adults. I dont think youll be disappointed its a good quality food!

[Chaser]

Originally Posted by water101

Would you then suggest that Orijen is best for my Boarder collie Austrialian sheppard as well. I know they probably will not be able to eat the same food because of their size difference.

It certainly couldn't hurt to switch, and before you know it they'll be able to eat the same formula. Your Aussie may not necessarily need to have a large breed food, but it wouldn't hurt him either and would save you the hassle of feeding two foods.

I have to admit though, despite the fact that I think it's great, I don't actually feed it right now b/c I can't afford to :sad: I feed Wellness Complete Health, which I am quite happy with, but I just got a new job so I am excited to be able to switch to Orijen soon as I think it is even better. I am impressed with basically everything about it!

Good luck making the switch....just do it really slow, and a spoonful of plain yogurt in the food each day can be really helpful in minimizing stomach upset.

[water101]

We are going with the Orijen. Have started the process with the puppy with good results so far. We will make the move with the older dog soon.

Thanks for the input.
Water