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Old February 26th, 2008, 12:18 PM
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Better Dry Food for a German Shorthaired Pointer?

I have a German shorthaired pointer, he is almost 5 months. Currently I am feeding him Science diet, is there a better alternative? The breed is know for their digestive problems.
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Old February 26th, 2008, 01:53 PM
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I just answered in your other thread and gave you two websites to check out. I think you should read them both and click on the links as they are full of excellent information.....especially "Ingredients to Avoid" and "Label Information 101" and "Identifying Better Products" on the dog food project site.

The reason I say this is because there a lots of brands that are good but not all dogs do well on the same food. You will not find a good dog food at the supermarket or places like Walmart or even large pet store chains and most veterinarians. You will only find them at small independent pet stores. You may have to try several brands before you find the one that your dog does best on but when you switch make sure you do it gradually.

Also, when you switch from a food like Science Diet to a premium/holistic brand there may be a transition period where your dog has loose stools while his system adjusts to a better quality food. Adding probiotics or plain organic yogurt to their food usually helps.

I prefer the grain free kibbles like Orijen, Innova EVO and Wellness CORE as they are easier for dogs to digest.

Good luck and if you have any questions there's always someone here to help.
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Old February 26th, 2008, 02:56 PM
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What do you think about Nutro?
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Old February 26th, 2008, 03:17 PM
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I am not impressed with Nutro's ingredients unless it's Nutro Ultra. Both my dogs did poorly on it. The senior had difficulty digesting it the other actually refused to eat it (smart girl). www.dogfoodanalysis.com and www.dogaware.com are great sites to start researching different foods. Good luck. Keep asking questions this is a great site and you'll receive some educated replies.
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Old February 26th, 2008, 03:32 PM
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My biggest concern is that he is a hunting dog, very high energy, I wanna make sure that he is getting everything he needs from his food. I also have to be careful as the breed has issues with digestion. My vet said Science diet or Hills prescription diet ( I'm sure he is getting some sort of kick back from the food), I don't min the price as I think that good food leads to good health-less vet bills I end up spending less in the long run. Anyone with a hunting breed-what do u feed your dog?
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Old February 26th, 2008, 03:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Anna_C View Post
My biggest concern is that he is a hunting dog, very high energy, I wanna make sure that he is getting everything he needs from his food.
are you just concerned because of his breed or is this dog actively USED for hunting?

personally I think Nutro and SD aren't very good. I agree w/ Rainbow's post. excellent info there. reading the ingredient list is KEY.

My dog is on Solid Gold hundenflocken (lamb). it suits my budget and his needs. although I add in Merrick canned or homecooked foods to his daily kibble. (I'd say my dog has average energy - not high)
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Old February 26th, 2008, 03:52 PM
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I don't use him for hunting but considering how much time we spend on exercising him we might as well be hunting The nutrition labels are very confusing to me...I have never heard of any of the foods that you guys mentioned, where would I buy them?
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Old February 26th, 2008, 04:06 PM
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I feed my guys Orijen 6 Fish .. they love it and are doing really well on it. One of my dogs also has a sensitive system and he's doing excellent on it.

You will find the holisitc foods in smaller pet stores - where I live I shop at Pet Wise but I've never heard of that until I moved here! Usually Global Ryan's Pet Foods, sometimes Pet Value will carry the odd holistic brand.

I think I saw you're in Thornhill (sorry if I'm dreaming!) if so, Global Pet Foods and JJ's Pet Plus carry the Orijen (so I assume they carry other holistic brands as well)

Good luck =)
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Old February 26th, 2008, 04:19 PM
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yes I am in thornhill, I will check out JJ"S pets...I've heard of it before. THANKS!
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Old February 27th, 2008, 07:41 AM
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There is a Global Pet Foods on Doncaster. They have a great selection of dry foods and very helpful staff.
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  #11  
Old February 27th, 2008, 09:17 AM
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If you are looking for a "high energy" food GO! Natural chicken and veggie has 617 calories per cup. I haven't found anything higher out there

http://petcurean.com/index.php?page_id=41
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  #12  
Old February 27th, 2008, 09:19 AM
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I have two GSD's, very high energy, and the breed is also known for digestive issues. My younger GSD is a working dog, so high high energy and long hours sometimes. And he fits the breed issue of digestive problems. He seems to be quite sensitive to some ingredient(s). I've been through a number of kibbles trying to find one that works. He did well on Solid Gold Barking at the Moon (grain free), but he's done even better now on Orijen (regular formula....also grain free). I plan to keep him on Orijen for a long time, as he's doing so well.

The only downside to Orijen can be the price. It is quite spendy. The nice thing though is that you'll feed less than a food like Science Diet. Basically, there's more packed into the Orijen kibble and the calories are higher, so it will last longer even though it costs more.

I'd definitely give a grain free kibble a try. Here's a good list of the grain-free ones with a breakdown of calories, protein, etc.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=grain_free

Forgot to add that a probiotic has helped my younger boy out a lot also. Here's the one I use:

http://www.nowfoods.com/?action=item...&item_id=11151

Last edited by mika140; February 27th, 2008 at 09:22 AM.
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  #13  
Old February 27th, 2008, 11:28 AM
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Orijen, do stores carry it or do I buy it online?
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  #14  
Old February 27th, 2008, 12:24 PM
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Both of the aforementioned stores carry it. They have a very informative website, Orijen, including a store locater.
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