| charlieboo |
| Posted 2/8/2008 8:42:14 AM |
 |
|
|
Active: 02-08-2008
Posts: 5
|
in your opinion what is the best dry food out there? i feed my Dog solid gold wee bit but this week i noticed his stool was a little soft. He is a 4 pound chihuahua, a little over a year old and he just had his vet visit about two weeks ago. Also, he is a very picky eater. |
|
|
| suebgone |
| Posted 2/8/2008 2:05:38 PM |
|
|
|
 
Active: 01-10-2006
Posts: 3359
|
there is no one food that is the "best" food out there. what works well for one may not for another.
the common things to stay completely away from are corn, wheat & soy, by-products, anythihg rendered, artificial preservatives or colors, brewers dried yeast or brewers rice
at least the first ingredient should be a meat meal meaning lamb meal or chicken meal instead of just lamb or chicken.
some dogs are even allergic to lamb & chicken
owners have to educate themselves on ingredients & what they do & cause
was your Dog given a wormer at the vets?
|
|
|
| ducktape |
| Posted 2/8/2008 3:05:07 PM |
|
|
|
Active: 12-06-2007
Posts: 45
|
Are you feeding him the same food as you have been? If so, I doubt that is the problem if this just started. If you switched food, did you do it gradually? |
|
|
| charlieboo |
| Posted 2/9/2008 12:57:35 PM |
|
|
|
Active: 02-08-2008
Posts: 5
|
yeah he had blood work and a fecal exam done my vet said he is perfectly healthy but from mine and other people s opinion his a little thin. my friend said she was feeding her french bulldog the same thing and she had the same problem after awhile she now feeds her Dog innova evo. he kinda have a strong stomach my old dogs usually have the runs if fed something new but not him he can actually never before had a loose stool. did anyone else had problem with the wee bit by solid gold? |
|
|
| PerfectPom |
| Posted 2/9/2008 6:38:51 PM |
|
|
|
Active: 04-04-2007
Posts: 956
|
I know I didn't choose Solid Gold after I read the ingrediants, but don't remember why. Go to DogFoodAnalysis.com, they rate the foods. Also do a google search for organic/holistic food and you will get a lot of info. I feed Merrick mixed with some Fromms right now for variety. |
|
|
| suebgone |
| Posted 2/9/2008 9:48:53 PM |
|
|
|
Active: 01-10-2006
Posts: 3359
|
Innova EVO is raw diet in kibble form & many dogs don't tolerate it well.
whenever you are changing foods it should be done gradually - by mixing new with the old over at least a week.
as for the solid gold - here are the first 10 ingredients. since the bison doesn't say bison meal - it is 70% water, when that is removed it moves pretty far down the line.
this means that there is more salmon meal than anything in this food. any fish meal is required by law to be preserved with ethoxyquin
Bison
Salmon Meal
Millet
Brown Rice
Cracked Pearled Barley
Rice Bran
Canola Oil
Flaxseed Oil
Garlic
Amaranth
this is also high in protien, pets don't need 28% - it will only make them hyper |
|
|
| charlieboo |
| Posted 2/10/2008 3:21:37 AM |
|
|
|
Active: 02-08-2008
Posts: 5
|
Oh i forgot to mention he has been eating solid gold for more than two months now. Thanks for the input, i just want the best food for my baby. I have a question about the high protein i looked at the Dog food analysis website and all the rated six dry food has a really high protein percentage is that ok for such a tiny dog? |
|
|
| emlee3 |
| Posted 2/10/2008 8:56:18 AM |
|
|
|
Active: 02-11-2006
Posts: 2084
|
| Quote charlieboo: Oh i forgot to mention he has been eating solid gold for more than two months now. Thanks for the input, i just want the best food for my baby. I have a question about the high protein i looked at the... |
There are two types of protein that are in Dog food. One, meat protein, which is protein from meat. Two, plant/grain protein, which is protein from plants/grains. You can tell by what type of protein is in the food by looking at the actual ingredients.
Gluten, corn, wheat, or rice concentrate are all protein that come from vegetables/grains.
i would not recommend anything that uses plant/grain protein. Dogs/cats are carnivours and should be eating a diet based on meat protein. Make sure to check the ingredients before buying a Dog food.
|
|
|
| suebgone |
| Posted 2/10/2008 1:05:54 PM |
|
|
|
Active: 01-10-2006
Posts: 3359
|
Puppies need a little higher protien but IMO for your dog's age, 23% or lower should be just fine |
|
|
| PerfectPom |
| Posted 2/10/2008 3:00:20 PM |
|
|
|
Active: 04-04-2007
Posts: 956
|
| Quote charlieboo: Oh i forgot to mention he has been eating solid gold for more than two months now. Thanks for the input, i just want the best food for my baby. I have a question about the high protein i looked at the... |
Do some more reading on the subject, I think it will become clearer. |
|
|
| charlieboo |
| Posted 2/10/2008 7:56:45 PM |
|
|
|
Active: 02-08-2008
Posts: 5
|
look at the Dog analysis website and all the best food has a 35% protein or more. I have done a lot of research thats why im so concern. thanx for the help |
|
|
| suebgone |
| Posted 2/10/2008 8:57:05 PM |
|
|
|
Active: 01-10-2006
Posts: 3359
|
I looked at several on there & saw 21% 23% & 24% but didnt see any 35%. now I didn't look at every one you understand, but there is very good info on there if you take the time to read it.
the 35% was probably for working dogs, look at the Canidae ALS |
|
|
| charlieboo |
| Posted 2/11/2008 2:53:54 AM |
|
|
|
Active: 02-08-2008
Posts: 5
|
i looked at most of them but the rated 6 ones are the ones that stuck out. Im very lucky to live about ten min away from a holistic petstore and they gave me a lot of free sample from artemis to wysong but my Dog didn't eat any except for the natures variety instinct. He actually did a little spin after i gave him one but i didn't want to upset his stomach so i only gave him two more. I actually feed him canidae wet food in the morning but he never had the dry food maybe i should look into that. I research instinct and i found that 90% of the protein is from chicken meal and menhaden fish meal, so does it matter that the protein is 42%? He actually tried the duck one too he ate it but not as happily as the chicken and the duck is only 35% protein. |
|
|
Pet Lovers Discussion Forum 
