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Dog food? #7594242 08/30/19 09:42 PM
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KWood_TSU Offline OP
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What do you feed your hunting dog?

I'm feeding Victor right now, and don't mind it, but really want a simpler dog food.

I don't understand why there's 50 ingredients in these dog foods; Victor, Eukanuba, Purina pro plan, blue buffalo, etc. With all that processed crap, is it really any different than eating a mcdonalds burger for every meal? I know we can't compare apples to apples necessarily, but I think that makes the point.

How many times have we heard, don't put anything in your body with an ingredient you can't pronounce, yet we do it to our dogs without a second thought.

Anybody got any suggestions or can you educate me on this stuff.


Amat Victoria Curam - Victory Loves Preparation
Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7594265 08/30/19 10:17 PM
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I've always fed blue buffalo with good results.

Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7594299 08/30/19 10:58 PM
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Purina Dog Chow.


Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7594313 08/30/19 11:12 PM
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But why do you feed your dogs that?


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Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7594375 08/31/19 12:36 AM
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I’m no expert, but I’ve raised several dogs into old age that were active, happy, and healthy on Tractor Supply 21% protein at $18-21 per 50 lb bag.

My daughter pays about $50 for a 20 lb bag of the fancy stuff she feeds her dog. That’s $125 per 50 lbs.

I’m sure it has more pure ingredients. I’m sure it’s less processed. I’m not sure it’s any better. I’m certainly not sure it’s 6x better.

They market to the owners, not the dogs.


Originally Posted by Russ79
I learned long ago you can't reason someone out of something they don't reason themselves into.


Re: Dog food? [Re: Nogalus Prairie] #7594441 08/31/19 01:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Nogalus Prairie
They market to the owners, not the dogs.


'Nuff said. It may matter for you what you put in your body, but you also live 5-6 times longer than your dog (hopefully).

Purina Pro 30/20 here. Nutrients he needs and he likes it


Edited to add: Dog food has to go through FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) just like human food does. There isn't a dog food out there that will kill them based on studies, and same would be true for humans eating it (that's why FSMA applies for people destitute enough to eat it)

Last edited by TLew; 08/31/19 01:54 AM.
Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7594535 08/31/19 11:43 AM
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Ive always fed Science Diet from puppy to old adult dog. I know its $50 per bag but ive had no dog diet or health issues. My lab only gets dog food or deer or elk bones. No table scraps or people food.
I save my deer and elk bones cut with bandsaw and freeze as snacks during the year, for the dog not me.😁

Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7594604 08/31/19 02:01 PM
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I have fed Black Gold for many years and my hounds do really well on it. Easy clean ups and the dogs have slick hair coats which I think is an excellent indication of their overall health.
Adios,
Gary

Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7594704 08/31/19 04:29 PM
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50% Nature Select of the Arklatex (custom feed) 50 % Purina Pro.

Black lab with the shiniest coat you'll ever see. Happy and healthy at 9. She's been on this combo for the past 5 years.

Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7594735 08/31/19 05:26 PM
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there was a new report out about ( I think there was twelve on the list) that have caused health problems, it was national news not internet.


hold on Newt, we got a runaway
Re: Dog food? [Re: colt45-90] #7594750 08/31/19 06:02 PM
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Originally Posted by colt45
there was a new report out about ( I think there was twelve on the list) that have caused health problems, it was national news not internet.


If I'm correct, they were grain free recipes.

I'm still finding it interesting that no one knows why they're feeding their dog what they do. Everybody is saying I haven't had problems, but that's it. I just want to be educated on dog food and why the ingredient list is so dang complex.
I'm sure an active person could live on McDouble for every meal and be fine too. Doesn't mean we should do it.


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Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7594754 08/31/19 06:08 PM
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Originally Posted by KWood_TSU
Originally Posted by colt45
there was a new report out about ( I think there was twelve on the list) that have caused health problems, it was national news not internet.


If I'm correct, they were grain free recipes.

I'm still finding it interesting that no one knows why they're feeding their dog what they do. Everybody is saying I haven't had problems, but that's it. I just want to be educated on dog food and why the ingredient list is so dang complex.
I'm sure an active person could live on McDouble for every meal and be fine too. Doesn't mean we should do it.

that was the one, I feed Merrick, one of its recipe was on the list, but not the one I am feeding, Blue Buffalo was, which surprised me.


hold on Newt, we got a runaway
Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7594814 08/31/19 07:42 PM
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Not having problems and having healthy dogs is reason enough to feed them what you feed them. The proof is in the pudding so to speak.


Originally Posted by Russ79
I learned long ago you can't reason someone out of something they don't reason themselves into.


Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7595229 09/01/19 11:46 AM
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I chose Purina Pro Plan for my hound for several reasons. At the time I adopted my hound, I was a volunteer at our local adoption center. Being the only guy, I was in the big dog barn. Given the variety of food donated, you get to see what works and what the dogs refuse to eat. Purina was the only producer that I'm aware of that directly helped our effort. When I took my dog, I asked our vet what to feed him. Knowing how active both my dog and I would be, he immediately said, "Purina Pro Plan."

There are some excellent tools for managing your dog's diet on the Pro Plan website. There is enough variety in the product line to change things up and make mealtime exciting. I use Chewy as a supplier, another outfit that supports adoption centers. Online shopping is a guy's best friend, and their autoship is easy to manage and keeps the supplies flowing.

Speaking of that, with a lot of people starting to focus on the hurricane, don't forget your dog in the planning. I adjust my Chewy autoship to keep about three more weeks of food in stock during the hurricane season. During Harvey, our town saw an unbelievable amount of dogs dumped on our streets. As evacuees passed through from the coast, they realized the shelters were not accepting animals and they hadn't brought food to feed them.

Here is my hurricane dog, Laurel, a happy Pro Planner! He's proof you never know what is stuck in the bowels of an adoption center, big dogs are tough to move. He was a year and a half old when I took him. I noticed he always had his nose to the ground. As it ends up he is a Treeing Walker Coonhound. He will put anything up a tree, but as it turns out it was easy for him to figure out I was only interested in him following deer or hog blood. He is a slow, methodical detective that doesn't need visible blood, just the scent of it and always finds what he starts on. Notice I have painted a non-skid apron on the hood of my Mule. That is where he wants to sit or stand, out were the air is fresh!

[Linked Image] [Linked Image]


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Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7595689 09/02/19 04:42 AM
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I was at a food show and cornered a vp from Purina. I told him it was a hell of a note I sold all this dog and cat food for them but I had to go to a dang um feed store to buy pro plan for my hunting dog. After chewing on his a$$ for a couple minutes about how sorry they were for not making PP available to our supplier he assured me that Purina One is the same formula and the only difference is the smaller variety.


They make ammo specifically for hunting for a reason! nidea
Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7596822 09/03/19 04:35 PM
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we used to feed whatever was on sale, HEB, Tractor Supply, Walmart, etc. that was a higher protein formula. With our current blue heeler, once she hit about a year old and came off puppy chow, she scratched like crazy. The next vet visit, we asked about her scratching, they ran some tests, found out she had some allergies and to use food for sensitive skin and we bought from the vet for a few years until he retired. We found that PetSmart carried, and started buying there. Nutro Natural Choice Sensitive Skin and Stomach Adult Venison meal and whole brown rice ... the scratching virtually stopped when we changed her food. Another big plus is you don't have to feed as much quantity, about a cup and a half, twice a day ... also reduces the quantity and size of the piles she leaves.

edit: she just turned 11 years old in August, so been on Nutro for about 10 years

Last edited by PMK; 09/03/19 04:52 PM.

"everyone that lives dies but not everyone who dies lived..."

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Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7596833 09/03/19 05:04 PM
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Victor and neighborhood cats is all my dogs will eat. They tried frog this weekend but didn't care for it. I wish they would develop a taste for rats, man I hate those things.

Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7596836 09/03/19 05:10 PM
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I don't have a high performance hunting dog, just a beagle that is my lap dog/critter that loves me no matter what even when nobody else does lol.

She is 11 this year and acts like a puppy. I fed her one of HEB's varieties of food because its where I shop, its cost effective, and their brand of stuff is generally what I feed myself. A few years ago she started not eating as much as she had. Switched her to HEB's senior blend and she is back to her old self.


It's hell eatin em live
Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7596902 09/03/19 06:05 PM
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I have more money in retrievers, training them, entering them into trials, than should be allowed. I feed Purina Pro Plan 30/20 exclusively and so do both the pro trainers I use. Primarily because I think Purina sets the standard in pet food. They also give back to the dog games I enjoy and they also support shelters/adoption centers ect…

I don't look to far into the ingredients as long as they are acceptable and my dogs are doing well on them. There are some really good websites that compare dog foods and the ingredients. Purina Pro Plan makes the top part of the list. There are some things that aren't worth recreating the wheel for. I think Purina knows plenty more about dog food and the ingredients than I have time to learn about. I tried Victor once and my dogs didn't do well on it.

Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7596918 09/03/19 06:23 PM
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I have fed (in this order) Pro Plan, Eukanuba, and now a Hill's RX food designed for allergies. ProPlan was first because we got a huge discount on it at the clinic my wife worked at the time, Eukanuba because I think it's better, and now the presciption Hill's food because it is working.

All 3 are just fine in my opinion. The RX food has made a difference in ear issues...maybe a little in skin issues. It's designed more for skin/coat problems, but at the suggestion of the rep we gave it a try.

I trust/have fed these because they all have decades of science behind the formulations. Not to mention decades of knowledge currently employed.

We also feed these foods because my wife and I both have animal science degrees (mine with an emphasis on non-ruminant nutrition) and my wife has been in the vet medical field for going on 9 years now almost. There is sound science in all 3 of the above formulations. On a near daily basis she sees issues with the "grain free" and raw diets vs big name traditional diets. Probably at a 10:1 ratio.

Like people - everyone digests/processes/benefits from things a little differently. So find a food that your dog likes and works for him. That's what matters at the end of the day.

Last edited by Cochise; 09/03/19 06:25 PM.
Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7597654 09/04/19 01:55 PM
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Started feeding 4Health grain free from Tractor Supply @ 8 years ago at the recommendation of a dog food supplier friend of ours. We had previously fed grain based feeds. Immediate observations were no more "cow pies" in the yard within a week of making the change. Longer term observations were more consistent weight patterns, improved energy, shinier coats and seemingly happier dogs. Even the best food is only as good as the dogs accept it. We don't have set feeding times, just fill 3 bowls and they eat when they want to eat...….no scarfing down rations at light speed because they haven't had access to food for an extended period of time, etc. All of their weights are in line with their breed/size/gender expectations. Always keep fresh water readily available. And they all get their Trifexis meds like clockwork. Quality food is only one component. Happy Hunting. BTW, these dogs are Boxer/Pit, Boxer/Shepherd and Corgi/Pit mixes (we think :)) All rescue dogs.

Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7597684 09/04/19 02:24 PM
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After trying Fromm and Taste of the Wild, we just switched our 2 year old Lab over to Purina Pro Plan. So far we're pleased. He's always had a sensitive tummy, and this is working well. Stools are firmer, and he's not licking his paw's near as much.


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Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7597702 09/04/19 02:40 PM
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Purina Pro plan, small breed adult. Two Jack Russell's. Weatherby and Wendy. Nine year's old.

Re: Dog food? [Re: KWood_TSU] #7597769 09/04/19 03:22 PM
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I have always fed Purina One to my dogs. They have all lived long lives with good health. My lab is currently 16 years old and counting........


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Re: Dog food? [Re: Ranch Dog] #7604891 09/12/19 10:00 AM
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Originally Posted by Ranch Dog
I chose Purina Pro Plan for my hound for several reasons. At the time I adopted my hound, I was a volunteer at our local adoption center. Being the only guy, I was in the big dog barn. Given the variety of food donated, you get to see what works and what the dogs refuse to eat. Purina was the only producer that I'm aware of that directly helped our effort. When I took my dog, I asked our vet what to feed him. Knowing how active both my dog and I would be, he immediately said, "Purina Pro Plan."

There are some excellent tools for managing your dog's diet on the Pro Plan website. There is enough variety in the product line to change things up and make mealtime exciting. I use Chewy as a supplier, another outfit that supports adoption centers. Online shopping is a guy's best friend, and their autoship is easy to manage and keeps the supplies flowing.

Speaking of that, with a lot of people starting to focus on the hurricane, don't forget your dog in the planning. I adjust my Chewy autoship to keep about three more weeks of food in stock during the hurricane season. During Harvey, our town saw an unbelievable amount of dogs dumped on our streets. As evacuees passed through from the coast, they realized the shelters were not accepting animals and they hadn't brought food to feed them.

Here is my hurricane dog, Laurel, a happy Pro Planner! He's proof you never know what is stuck in the bowels of an adoption center, big dogs are tough to move. He was a year and a half old when I took him. I noticed he always had his nose to the ground. As it ends up he is a Treeing Walker Coonhound. He will put anything up a tree, but as it turns out it was easy for him to figure out I was only interested in him following deer or hog blood. He is a slow, methodical detective that doesn't need visible blood, just the scent of it and always finds what he starts on. Notice I have painted a non-skid apron on the hood of my Mule. That is where he wants to sit or stand, out were the air is fresh!

[Linked Image] [Linked Image]

sorry to tell you this..but he aint a full blood treeing walker coon hound..definately a mix..but hes a good looking hound..have you tried training him as a deer retrieval fog..i just bought a female treeing walker right off the teat..shes progressing good...coon hunted all my life..raise a female treeing walker out of world champion bloodlines that treed her first coon at 6 months old..

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