vid - feeding kibble (ron2)

dyan

Geez Ron....don't scare me! I would hate to think they would sell out.   But you know...a few months back I believe they lost the fellow that founded EP company.    Yikes...never thought about them changing.............

Eagle Pack was first sold in 2004 to Swander Pace Capital.

http://www.spcap.com/private-equity-case-studies/index.php?case-study=Eagle+Pack+Pet+Foods

No one appears to have noticed any change then, or since then...

sarah_b

Appears they have handed themselves over to someone... not too sure it has changed the quality at Eagle? http://www.berwind.com/EAGLE.htm

Berwind also acquired Wellness in August 2008.

http://www.petproductnews.com/headlines/2008/08/15/catterton-sells-wellness-pet-food-in-400-million-deal.aspx

sooner

Eagle Pack was first sold in 2004 to Swander Pace Capital.

http://www.spcap.com/private-equity-case-studies/index.php?case-study=Eagle+Pack+Pet+Foods

No one appears to have noticed any change then, or since then...

Your right...but there sure has been change in the past year or so.

Very interesting.

 I buy their new cookies, and the girls LOVE them. They're over 90% meat. They're oily and easy to break, and wonderfully smelly. YUM!

And the video would definitely be both of them, together. They eat on little rugs in the kitchen. They sit and stare at me til I give them the "ok". It's very cute.... 

dyan

Sheesh.....Gibson is eating 3 cups twice a day.   Thats more than full grown Bubby   ate.

Don't worry Dyan at about 10-12 mos they start to eat a less and in my case we dropped again at about 2 and now a little less at 3.  At one point B ate 8 cups a day - nightmare!  We are down to 4 now

dyan

believe you said in a previous post that you emailed Linda Arndt...did she answer you?

Yes, she answered back and included a link to the area of her site with the feeding protocols for large and giant breeds. She was very helpful. Her info helped me also in deciding which formulas to try.

I'm sure she gets busy from time to time.

kpwlee

Don't worry Dyan at about 10-12 mos they start to eat a less and in my case we dropped again at about 2 and now a little less at 3.  At one point B ate 8 cups a day - nightmare!  We are down to 4 now

Yeah...Gibby was up to 7.... eating 3 times a day with the last about 1 cup...just because it was habit. You see, he looked up at the wall clock and saw what time it was...and started watching my every move until he got fed. So in my quest for cutting him back to feeding twice a day...I started feeding him most of his food in his two earlier meals...and then just 1 cup at night. For some reason.... he started not watching the clock the last two weeks.....so he cut himself out of the third meal.  But he is 70 # and his dad is 190...so he might still have a lot to grow. I will watch him to make sure he doesn't thin out too much...he was really really think for several months when I first got him.    Six cups might not be enough quite yet.

I have read too that as the dog ages, you can feed them less times a day and you can feed them more at a meal, depending on their appetite, metabolism, etc. It's like I've mentioned about working dogs, specifically sled dogs, more specifically, Siberians. The dog can only eat so much and have so many meals. Then the challenge is the proper nutrition in the meals that they do get.

I'm guessing it's easier to guage with kibble because you are dealing with known quantities. For most owners, it's mostly an eyeball sort of thing. This amount seems to work and the dog looks healthy. As opposed to competition mushers with sponsors and backing who's dogs are monitored by vets, regardless of what diet they are eating.

Interesting topic, as I changed my cairn over to Eagle Pack Naural Formula after he had diarrhea from Solid Gold which I had fed for years.  I went completely home cooked for two weeks and switched to Eagle Pack and he has had no problems.  I contacted Solid Gold by e-mail and wrote a letter and received no response; I called and was told  another person would call me back and received no call even though I mentioned it in my e-mail and my letter.  I would have had no idea what to try if I hadn't read kibble ideas on this forum.  EP seemed to be the kibble for many of your dogs and now it's working well for mine.  I won't go back to using Solid Gold.

Eagle Pack has the benefit of having been proven as a viable food, especially for large and giant breeds with pretty much the longest feeding trial  with Great Danes. Of the "regular" dog foods on the market it is just about the only one proven to have been used in a major sled dog race, when they usually use special brands, homecooked, or raw. Power is the working dog formula. But for most of us, with housepets, it's a good food that does what we need.

Indy05

I contacted Solid Gold by e-mail and wrote a letter and received no response; I called and was told  another person would call me back and received no call even though I mentioned it in my e-mail and my letter.

That is another PLUS about Eagle Pack company.  If you have questions or concerns...and you contact them...they WILL answer. If not right away....they will answer. John Marsman has answered every question that I have asked over the years.

dyan

That is another PLUS about Eagle Pack company.  If you have questions or concerns...and you contact them...they WILL answer. If not right away....they will answer. John Marsman has answered every question that I have asked over the years.

An excellent point. He may not answer right away, as I am sure he is busy, too. But he will answer. And he used to visit this forum and he remembered me from my posts, as well as my description of Shadow and what I fed him and what my thoughts are on feeding dogs. So, he too, was helpful. Between him and Linda Arndt, one should be able to get any Eagle Pack question answered.

ron2

He may not answer right away, as I am sure he is busy, too. But he will answer.

Geez,,,I swear I posted this last week and I don't see it........but here it goes.

I was concerned about the change of ownership at Eagle...gee with the fact that a few others sold out and the food went on the the "food to not feed" list.....    And having not heard that they were sold before I wrote to Eagle. This is the reply from John.

 Hi,

We were bought by a family owned capital investment company that specializes in buying good companies, then investing to make them better still. They have kept the companies they have bought for an average of 24 years so they have a long term vested interest in making them better...better ingredients and better equipment=better food. It allows us to lock in contracts for quality ingredients. Keep in mind that some family owned companies do not make their own foods and some are made in plants that have had 3 recalls. Again you are welcome to post this. In fact it would be nice if you would.

dyan

I was concerned about the change of ownership at Eagle...gee with the fact that a few others sold out and the food went on the the "food to not feed" list.....    And having not heard that they were sold before I wrote to Eagle. This is the reply from John.

  Keep in mind that some family owned companies do not make their own foods and some are made in plants that have had 3 recalls. Again you are welcome to post this. In fact it would be nice if you would.

 

Take care,

 

John

He raises a good point. Some of the foods that can't afford their own food plant time-share, for lack of a better word, at Solid Gold facilities and have had QC issues. Such as TOTW and Solid Gold, to think of a few. And all the food companies had a scare with Menu Foods, regardless of their ownership, thanks to Menu Foods having tainted shipments from China. I understand all too well that business must earn a profit to remain viable and sometimes, that means finding a good price on ingredients. I also understand, as both a consumer as well as someone who has to work with gc mgmt and clients in the construction industry that you also have to maintain a good relationship with the public that buys your product or uses your service. And you want them to be happy and trusting in what you do. So, as long as the product stays what you need it to be and the QC remains high, then it may not matter so much who signs the checks, as long as they cash.

As for price, for example, we were not the lowest electrical bidder on this project. But we got the job because we have a reputation of building this kind of school well and on time and knowing what we're doing. So, hiring us is an assurance that the job will be done right the first time and on time, even if another company had a lower price. We often have a saying that a company that drastically underbids us, and we are competitive in pricing, has drastically missed something that would place that other company in financial jeopardy later. So, part of the assurance of hiring us is the knowledge that our office and owner have the business savvy to operate our business correctly and at a profit, something that the owner has to prove to the insurance and completion bond companies. Our boss has a boss, even though it is a privately owned company, owned solely by the one owner.

In that same vein, so to speak, a food company has to operate effectively and at a profit, while not losing QC and providing the products that we, the consumers, need and want. And, to meet EP's needs, I will pay what price they charge because I need the food to be what it is for my dog, and not necessarily the cheapest food per pound. It's more important to me that EP maintain what they are doing than to save a dime. Another old saying. Sometimess, you get what you pay for. As my employer would say, also, make sure you get what you pay for.

I'm fine with EP's price. I'm fairly certain I couldn't beat that price with homecooking. Though I may still do the latter, as well. But I think, as long as EP doesn't change the formulas to drastically, that I can feed him this food a long time, as well.