What feed to give your Dog?

[DeVuono311]

So I used to work at a farm store and part of our job as to go through product training, heres a tid-bit of what I learned. For those who are concerned about what they feed their dogs.

Look at the first 2 or 3 ingredients in the dog food, you dont want corn, wheat germ ( which can cause terrible skin allergies in your dog as well as digestive problems in both wheat and corn) and you also dont want chicken bi-product ( feet, bu**holes,etc.)
For instance here in Michigan we have a certain farm/ agri. store that sells a house brand dog food. The first 3 ingredients in their large breed formula?

Chicken (not to be confused with chicken bi-product)
Cracked Barley ( Not Wheat germ)
Whole Grain Rice
Oatmeal

These are all great ingredients for your dog to digest and great for overall health. Doesnt hurt to throw in a raw egg every now and then.

Now I'm not going to name any Brands I consider "under par" as I dont want to upset Buddy or break any rules but here are the first few ingredients in a lot of those types of feeds ( take a look next time you are at the store)

Whole Grain Corn ( What!?)
Meat and Bone Meal ( seriously , take a look if you dont believe me)
Chicken Bi-products ( there it is!!!)
Corn Gluten Meal ( MORE corn!?)
Rice (finally SOMETHING right)

Now its up to you what you feed your dog but here are the facts
Its called E.S.P.N.
Though it may cost more for the better feeds it is well worth it.
E= Eats less ( your dog will eat less as its getting the proper nutrition and less junk, its like cutting out potato chips )
S= Sheds Less ( proper nutrition means healthier coat which overall WILL SHED LESS!!)
P= Poops less, (believe it or not the proper dog food nutrition will cause your dog to poop less, yes its a fact.)
N= Overall more NUTRITIOUS!!!
Again its up to you what you feed your dog, but it matters to me what I feed my dog, she does a damn good job for me, too good of a job for me to throw some cheap off brand dog food at her because it costs less. If "I" do a good job I think I deserve a hearty good meal, not boxed food "EVERY DAY."

My facts since I switched Maybell:
I pay $35 for a 33 lb. bag of dog food, fact is though, with this better feed it lasts me just as long as a 50 lb bag of the cheap sh*t
Maybell Poops a dramatic amount less,
sheds noticibly less,
LOVES the food, and believe me she knows if I give her ANY different,
And Shes healthy as could be!!! So please post any input you have....
I'm sure nnot all will agree with me, but its YOUR decision after all.

[kb]

feed mine chicken necks and rice except during deer season then they get deer scraps and rice

[BlacktailStalker]

Feed mine Orijen, 44% protein. ITs not cheap.
Feed them elk/deer trim when I have it (had 60lbs of scrap off my elk, just finished that today) and for the next 4-5 days they'll be eating cougar.
Beef bones from time to time.

[kenny]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to be checking the ingredients on the dog food bag. Thanks kenny

[FullCryHounds]

Here is a great website that everyone should check to see how their feed rates.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

[Caincando1]

Here is a great website that everyone should check to see how their feed rates.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

That's a good site for any easy and quick reference. For instance I feed Diamond Natural which is a 4 star compared to the regular Diamond which is only a 2 star.

[DeVuono311]

Im hearing through the grape vine that more and more houndsmen are paying attention to whats in the feeds they give their dogs. I knew it was just a matter of time before it became important to more guys. Thanks for the input guys!

[dogemdownsouth]

I feed Diamond Naturals Extreme Athelete, chicken and rice formula. 33 dollars a bag and my dogs look gread and perform even better. Smells like cooked chicken when you open the bag.

[nait hadya]

wow what an eye opener, after reading the reviews we switched from nutra high enegry to blue.