Well, mid grade for me I think...

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy


You folks who say your dogs can't tolerate "premium" foods should keep in mind that many of the "not so premium" foods add special ingredients to their foods to "cover up" problems. I suspect most dogs would have constant diarrhea on a lot of these foods if the "stool hardeners" were taken out.

 
Isn't Chicken soup a "premium"  food?  It also seems to have everything in it but the kitchen sink that my dog tolerates just fine and never does it soften his stool, so I'm not sure if that was directed at me but I think I'm dealing with one or two items or lack thereof as was suggested...

ORIGINAL: papillon806

mudpuppy--- they aren't "stool hardeners".....you are referring to sources of fiber which help regulate the GI tract....fiber sources such as beet pulp help fill the small intestines...this bulk helps contractions become more regular resulting in the food moving slower through the system.   When the food moves slower, more nutrients can be absorbed so it is NOT a bad thing...

 
Actually, there are 2 types of fiber, soluble and insoluble.  Insoluble fibers include certain whole grains such as  whole wheat and corn and are difficult to digest.  soluble fiber, like the beet pulp you are mentioning, slows the food moving through the system to counteract the contractions caused by the insoluble fiber.  When you see beet pulp in dog food it pretty much means that there is a lot of insoluble fiber in the ingredients and the dog would probably have loose stools without the beet pulp.  A food with less insoluble fiber wouldn't need "bulking agents" like beet pulp.

please ignore - double post

Pro Plan Selects is the competitive product to Ultra.  You could check that out should Ultra not work out for you in that "mid grade range".  It has no whole ground corn in it.  It does have some gluten meal and some barley though.  Sounds like your listening to your pet and your pet will let you know when you hit pay dirt!  I am in favor of testing, expensive as that may be.  It will give you a definative answer to your situation rather than trying a dozen foods within a year which isn't a good thing for your pet.  I like using a vet specialist for that testing and getting all you need to know- then you find the food that your dog shows the least sensitivities to.  Sometimes it isn't food but enviromental allergies and then you deal with it from that end.  In the end, it can be cheaper to find out what the problem is then solve it that way.  Otherwise your playing a guessing game and your dogs digestive system pays the price! 

ORIGINAL: tia2
UB, are you feeding the uppy food to your adult dogs too? 

 
No ... the adult dogs get an adult maintenance diet supplemented w/ raw. I'm currently using the same brand adult food as the afformentioned puppy food (Eukanuba L&R) and its adult food has omega levels slightly lower than the pup food, but MUCH higher than the "holistic" pup food. At the moment I have a litter of almost 4 week old pups, a 7 month old up, and a lactating bitch on the Euk puppy food ... 

I'm greatful that he handles all these changes digestively speaking just fine...he doesn't itch or chew feet or really do anything different with food changes. The rash (like a hot spot) will appear on his lip and then I know, otherwise thankfully he isn't "suffering" through my trials or I wouldn't do it...I'm sure it's bothering me more than it is him. 
 
 

ORIGINAL: Edie

DHA, which is essential in puppy foods

Says who?Isnt this a marketing gimmick by one of the manufactures?Cant remember which one started it,was it I[:'(]ms? "Eat our food with dha and your pup will be smart". I'm not saying DHA is a bad thing,but essential??

 
     Its a proven fact that DHA is essential for optimal brain development, and most of the research in regards to this are based on human studies. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is a long chain fatty acid found in foods such as egg yolks & fish. It has long been known to improve brain function and pregnant/lactating women are encouraged to eat foods high in DHA due to the benefits it can have for the unborn baby. Over the past few years, DHA has been added to commercial infant formulas.
     A few yeras ago, the Iams company conducted a study to ascertain exactly what benefits pregnant/lactating bitches & their pups would derive from diets which contained higher than normal levels of DHA. Results showed that pups raised on the higher levels of the fatty acid outperformed pups that were not fed this nutrient. They displayed a greater capacity for learning and tractability. The full study can be found here: [linkti=IN&ai=1594]http://www.iamsco.com/en_US/jhtmls/iamsco/news/sw_in_News_page.jhtml?li=en_US&bc=C&ti=IN&ai=1594[/link]>http://www.iamsco.com/en_US/jhtmls/iamsco/news/sw_in_News_page.jhtml?li=en_US&bc=C&ti=IN&ai=1594]http://www.iamsco.com/en_US/jhtmls/iamsco/news/sw_in_News_page.jhtml?li=en_US&bc=C&ti=IN&ai=1594[/link]
     It is not a publicity stunt to boost sales. We already have credible information on the benefits of DHA, and the Iams company study reaffirmed that, and showed us how the nutrient tangibly affects our dogs.
     For more on DHA: [linkhttp://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040900.asp]http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040900.asp[/link]
 
 

You folks who say your dogs can't tolerate "premium" foods should keep in mind that many of the "not so premium" foods add special ingredients to their foods to "cover up" problems. I suspect most dogs would have constant diarrhea on a lot of these foods if the "stool hardeners" were taken out.

     LOL! LOL! I have fed foods without beet pulp, which is one of the best stool hardeners, and gotten firm stools. Purina One being one of them. I have also fed holistic foods that did contain "stool hardeners" and gotten mixed results. I would rather have my dogs on these so called stool hardeners, which, in the case of beet pulp, is a perfectly "natural" - just beets w/ sugar removed pulped up. I'll take my chances with those foods rather than use a holistic diet that my dog cannot have a firm movement on.

who say your dogs can't tolerate "premium" foods

 
So, we can't possibly know what we're talking about. To us, it's not heresay, but fact. Which is nothing against the "premium" foods.
 
It's a big wide world out there and it is just not possible that every dog is going to do well on one food, or even foods of a similar type. Just as there are dogs that won't do well on Purina. And that's a fact, whether anyone happens to like it or not.
 

You folks who say your dogs can't tolerate "premium" foods should keep in mind that many of the "not so premium" foods add special ingredients to their foods to "cover up" problems. I suspect most dogs would have constant diarrhea on a lot of these foods if the "stool hardeners" were taken out.

 
I just hate the constant implication that I must be some sort of idiot because I don't feed a certain food.  And, the undertone of that's what I "say".  You judgemental people really have your minds slammed shut.  I truly hope one day you don't end up with a dog who cannot eat a premium food and has a poor immune system so can't eat raw.  What would you do then?? 

ORIGINAL: UrbanBeagles

 You get the picture [] Ingredients have very little to do with the success of a food.
   

 
WOW!  I want whatever your smoking.  I do believe I've heard it all now.

You folks who say your dogs can't tolerate "premium" foods should keep in mind that many of the "not so premium" foods add special ingredients to their foods to "cover up" problems. I suspect most dogs would have constant diarrhea on a lot of these foods if the "stool hardeners" were taken out.

Trust me i know what i mean when my dog cant tollerate a food,premium or not! Loose stools would be welcome compared to what does happen.If you know of a non premium food that has some magic ingredient to cover this up you let me know! I will feed it! This is Emmie after trying natural balance and then trying Innova.She got worse with the Innova.

ORIGINAL: nyiceprincess

You folks who say your dogs can't tolerate "premium" foods should keep in mind that many of the "not so premium" foods add special ingredients to their foods to "cover up" problems. I suspect most dogs would have constant diarrhea on a lot of these foods if the "stool hardeners" were taken out.

Trust me i know what i mean when my dog cant tollerate a food,premium or not! Loose stools would be welcome compared to what does happen.If you know of a non premium food that has some magic ingredient to cover this up you let me know! I will feed it! This is Emmie after trying natural balance and then trying Innova.She got worse with the Innova.

 
You said she was doing fine on Chicken Soup in your earlier post, no?

She was doing fine on it before and i wanted to try something else because of the availability issues with the CS.We just switched her back a few days ago,hopefully this will clear up and we will have to get the CS shipped direct from the distributor.I will not buy it again from the store in town that sells it.That pic was taken tonight,we have to keep an apron tied around her to keep her away from herself.Trust me i have learned my lesson about switching a dogs food when they are doing well on one already.Even it it had been a non premium food she was eating before.

"She was doing fine on it before and i wanted to try something else because of the availability issues with the CS.We just switched her back a few days ago,hopefully this will clear up and we will have to get the CS shipped direct from the distributor"
 
  I hope the food change clears up the problem, but to me,(and I have a dog with serious allergies), this looks like it could be something else; perhaps scabies or another type of mange. I think you need to take her to the vet ASAP. This looks like something that needs steroids and an antibiotic. I think you should also post these pics in the allergy threads so Calile and others can have a look at them; Callie is super at knowing what to do for skin problems.

ORIGINAL: ron2

.

It's a big wide world out there and it is just not possible that every dog is going to do well on one food, or even foods of a similar type.

 
There is no similar type amongst "premium foods". In fact they all have very little in common with one another.  They all have different protein sources, different grains, some have no grains, some have probiotics, or vegatables and fruits, some don't.  Some use whole meats, some use meat meal.  Some have single protein, some have multiple.  Unless your dog has a need for by products, artifical preservatives, or can't tolerate animal protein in general, then it doesn't make any sense to say they can't tolerate premium foods as a whole.  And since you say you've only tried Innova, that's really saying nothing about the many, many other brands of premium foods out there.  You can't make a big generalization based on an attempt with one brand.  Besides, no one is saying that every dog will do well on one food.  What you can control is the selection of foods that you will try.