Survey of Dry Dog Foods

[JWU1684]

Hi Everyone - i thought it would be interesting to see what kind of dry dog food (if you feed your dog dry food) you feed your basenjis. I'm thinking about upgrading my dog's food to a no-grain formula and would also love to know if people have a preference for a specific brand/product(e.g. orijen, innovo, timberwolf, others?).

[renaultf1]

I usually feed 2 different foods quarterly and always grain free. My winter rotation is usually Orijen 6 fresh fish and solid gold barking at the moon. Presently they are on Canidae grain free chicken and orijen adult. I'm rotating them off the Canidae as it isn't available locally consistently and replacing with the Solid Gold. The only grain-free foods I've tried that didn't work for my kids are Wellness Core and Timberwolf.

[AndrewnShango]

@JWU1684:

Hi Everyone - i thought it would be interesting to see what kind of dry dog food (if you feed your dog dry food) you feed your basenjis. I'm thinking about upgrading my dog's food to a no-grain formula and would also love to know if people have a preference for a specific brand/product(e.g. orijen, innovo, timberwolf, others?).

Seeing as it's my line of work, I consider myself sort of the resident "Expert" on the topic of dry dog food.

My Shango is on Innvo's EVO line, the white meat, small bites. EVO is one of the better foods on the market and the kibble I recommend to new customers interested in switching their pups to better, more health-conscious food.

What brands are you looking into?

[MacPack]

Regular Innova and Oriien (blue bag) mixed 50:50 right now and they love it. I fed Evo/Innova combo for several years, every time we got to 100% Evo (VERY gradually), all 3 had very loose poops. They also seemed to not like their food lately ( was a bin with about 1/3 Innova, 1/3 Evo beef, and 1/3 Orijen) so I bought new and decided to use Orijen as half my mix and they act like they have never had food before! I love the Innova line, and Evo too. We don't seem to have digestive systems that are happy completely grain-free, hence the mix.

[renaultf1]

Hey MacPack, Ruby had the same problem with the red meat Evo, no matter how slowly it was mixed in. Once we got to 100% evo, she had loose poo that never firmed up. I've used the Evo chicken successfully since but haven't gone back to the red meat version.

And I'll also echo what you said about Orijen (both blue bag and fish) - the kids act like they have never been fed before when that is in the mix. They have a new red meat version of Orijen but no one locally carries it yet - can't wait to try it.

[lvoss]

For grain free kibble I rotate Orijen, Instinct, and Evo.

[renaultf1]

@lvoss:

For grain free kibble I rotate Orijen, Instinct, and Evo.

Is Instinct the one that has a rabbit version - have you tried it?

[CrazyBasenjiMom]

I always get confused when it comes to B's food, The new boys were so under feed, I started them on Wellness puppy, since Belle did well on it. They inhale their food. I've never heard of either of the brands mentioned above. I educated myself on grain free, and my vet and boarder reccommended Wellness, but Shango does have looser stools than his brother…..a balance can be expensive and I never heard of mixing two brands!

[snorky998]

@AndrewnShango:

Seeing as it's my line of work, I consider myself sort of the resident "Expert" on the topic of dry dog food.

My Shango is on Innvo's EVO line, the white meat, small bites. EVO is one of the better foods on the market and the kibble I recommend to new customers interested in switching their pups to better, more health-conscious food.

What brands are you looking into?

Andrew, any suggestions for an older boy (soon to be 12) in good health, and a 'younger' female (soon to be that is prone to put on weight? Neither have food allergies, although Tyler pukes if given egg yolk.

Katie really needs a low fat diet, or she chubbies up in no time at all. Currently they are on Nutro, Natures Choice Lite. I just looked at the feeding recommendations. I feed 1/2 of what they recommend for weight loss, and still they are doing great. Other than the dry kibble, they get their Omega 3 in their food on a daily basis.

I was not looking to change, but this thread piqued my interest in many ways. I have pets, not show dogs. Yes, I want them in top condition so if there is something better out there, within my price range, I'm willing to change.

Thanks for any suggestions. Dawn

[nobarkus]

I use Castor & Pollux Organix dry mixed with Primal frozen raw and canned organic pumpkin. I rotate each week the type of frozen raw (duck, chicken, lamb and beef). Oh jezzz I spend more on Buddy's food than my own.

[tanza]

@snorky998:

Andrew, any suggestions for an older boy (soon to be 12) in good health, and a 'younger' female (soon to be that is prone to put on weight? Neither have food allergies, although Tyler pukes if given egg yolk.

Katie really needs a low fat diet, or she chubbies up in no time at all. Currently they are on Nutro, Natures Choice Lite. I just looked at the feeding recommendations. I feed 1/2 of what they recommend for weight loss, and still they are doing great. Other than the dry kibble, they get their Omega 3 in their food on a daily basis.

I was not looking to change, but this thread piqued my interest in many ways. I have pets, not show dogs. Yes, I want them in top condition so if there is something better out there, within my price range, I'm willing to change.

Thanks for any suggestions. Dawn

Feeding quality food to your pets should have nothing to do with if they are pets or show.. (and for 90% of us, they are show dogs/performance dogs, but pets first). Food is a pretty personal choice… and only by reading and learning about nutrition can you make an educated decision on what is best for your dog/dogs. They are not all the same and what works for one, may not work for another. I prefer less grains.. and more meat/veggies... but not all dogs do well on that... And again IMO... you need talk to a nutritionist. Not that there is anything wrong with looking at what others are feeding, but only a nutritionist is an "expert"... There are many lists out there with nutritionists and as I understand it... most times the diet is built to each dog separate, not as a group.

That said, sounds to me like what you are doing is working....

[Kananga]

@renaultf1:

Is Instinct the one that has a rabbit version - have you tried it?

Kananga has been having Instinct- Rabbit Formula for awhile now. No issues to date and the price is somewhat reasonable.

[lvoss]

Dawn, I have a nearly 12 year old boy and a nearly 9 year old girl. My girl tends to put on weight easier than my boy. I have been feeding a rotation of grain free foods now for several years now. I currently use Orijen, Evo, and Instinct. In addition to the kibble I used to use canned food in the evening but have recently switched to homemade using recipes for the Halo pet food website or using Honest Kitchen or Happy Dog when I want something quick. Nicky gets about a cup to a cup and half of food a day. Half a cup of kibble in the morning and then half a cup to a cup of "wet" meal in the evening. Rally gets about 3/4 of cup, I adjust based on her weight. She gets about a quarter cup in the morning and then half a cup "wet" at night. I add water to the "wet" meal to add volume without calories when she needs to lose a little weight.

[lvoss]

@renaultf1:

Is Instinct the one that has a rabbit version - have you tried it?

Instinct does have a rabbit version. I have used it and the dogs have done fine on it. I do supplement with homecooked food also. Mine love fruits and veggies.

[Basenjimamma]

My dogs are not on kibble, but when I have BRAT fosters I keep them on kibble, to make for easier transitions when their forever homes are finally found. The one I really like is Blue Buffalo's Wilderness, it is their grainfree variety, easily found at the big namebrand pets stores.
Our foster a few months ago, Bana, came to us with a very dry, coarse, almost prickly fur and within 10 days her fur got softer and richer in the color, you could see her coat loosing the dry coarse, lighter colored fur/hairs and at two weeks on it she looked like a different dog. I was amazed at her quick transition. It did take her a while to get used to the idea of eating at set times, as she had been free feed at her previous foster and Kibbles&Bits at that.
I have also used Honest Kitchen dehydrated foods with great success in the past, with two highly allergic dogs. Currently my dogs are on RAW food, with SOJOs grainfree veggie mix or Honest Kitchens Preference mix as a supplement. They are thriving..

[Duke]

I usually mix 50/50 Canidae All Life Stages kibble with Merricks (Cowboy Cookout or Grammy's Pot Pie) kibble. They lose interest when served dry - so I mix with about a TBS of hot water to bring out gravy. Duke is 25 lbs and Daisy is 34 lbs - both get the same portions - a bit less than 2/3 cup morning same for evening. Occasionally if there is leftover meat from our evening meal - I sprinkle in lean pieces. What a treat!

They both LOVE Blue Buffalo Wilderness - but - it gives Daisy gas…I don't buy that anymore.

[renaultf1]

@tanza:

Feeding quality food to your pets should have nothing to do with if they are pets or show.. (and for 90% of us, they are show dogs/performance dogs, but pets first). Food is a pretty personal choice… and only by reading and learning about nutrition can you make an educated decision on what is best for your dog/dogs. They are not all the same and what works for one, may not work for another. I prefer less grains.. and more meat/veggies... but not all dogs do well on that...

+1
My basenjis are pets first and Liyah is a show dog second. Ruby and Brando have been on grain-free since I adopted them so it stands to reason that Liyah will be fed that when she is switched to adult food. I feed what I think is best for them and what I can afford. It is definitely a personal decision.

[snorky998]

So you're saying that a show dogs diet plays no part in the choices you make for a ring ready dog? I really find that hard to believe.

[lvoss]

I agree with tanza and renaultf1, my dogs don't eat any different for show than they would as companions. IMO, all dogs should be fed a high quality food that will help them maintain a correct weight, healthy skin and coat, and good muscle condition.

[renaultf1]

Snorky…Well that's your choice to not believe it. In my case my adults are on Orijen & Canidae grain free, and my 9mo. is on puppy food that isn't grain free - so in essence, IMHO, she's on lesser quality food. She turns 1 in December and then she will be switched to grain-free. It isn't about her being a show dog, it is about the quality of the food and what works best for the individual dog food wise. She is no different than my other 2 except she gets puppy food and goes away to a show on an occasional weekend.