# Crappy Food VS. Good Food



## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I just wanted to post this as an example:

Someone that feeds their dog 6 cups of Beneful a day

VS.

Someone that feeds their dog 4 cups of Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness a day

If you feed 6 cups a day for 1 week that is
6 x 7= *42 cups* 
If you feed 42 cups a day for 4 weeks it is
42 x 4= *168 cups* 

If you switched to a better brand like Blue Buffalo you would feed 4 cups a day

If you feed 4 cups a day for 1 week that is
4 x 7= *28 cups* 
If you feed 28 cups a day for 4 weeks it is
28 x 4= *112 cups* 

*168 - 112= 56 cups of food saved a month

56 / 4 = 14 extra days of food you would be saving*

*Which means you'll be saving money and your dog will be getting a better quality kibble*


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

LaRen616 said:


> I just wanted to post this as an example:
> 
> Someone that feeds their dog 6 cups of Beneful a day
> 
> ...


 Before this forum I really knew nothing about kibble. Fritz is our 6th dog and 5th GSD. All our dogs were fed Alpo/Pedigree etc. for about $19.99 a 30lb bag ($30 a month). We never had any issues with any of our dogs-none. Now we have Fritz on Orijen and Shaeffer (10+) transitioning to TOTW and it's been a diarrhea nightmare so far. I wonder if anyone else has had no problems with low quality food and why would you change if everything is good?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

You had a problem with one of the better quality foods, maybe your dog couldn't take to it, it's a process, did you switch over slowly? Or did you just give him the new kibble right away?

When I switched Sinister from Purina to Solid Gold we had some bad poops for about a week, after that his poop was good.

When Sinister turned 1 year old I switched him from Solid Gold to Blue Buffalo because I wanted him to be on grainless food, his coat is absolutely amazing, he looks great.

Instead of feeding him 5 cups pf Solid Gold, he now gets 4 cups of Blue Buffalo

I feel better knowing that he is eating real meat and veggies and that there is no corn or grain.


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## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

I did have a problem with my dog,Chief, on the dog chow and alpo cans mixed with it. I switched to Pedigree and he did fine for the rest of his life. Wolfie, I had on Fromms, he had not what I would call diarrhea, but really mushy poops. I switched to Purina Pro Plan. No more runs. Good normal poops and he is going less. I do add to his kibble a teaspoon each of flax seed and wheat germ. I am going to start adding a little pumpkin too. I want to try the dog food rolls that you slice like meat, just to add something to the kibble. Has anyone ever tried this?


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

LaRen616 said:


> You had a problem with one of the better quality foods, maybe your dog couldn't take to it, it's a process, did you switch over slowly? Or did you just give him the new kibble right away?
> 
> When I switched Sinister from Purina to Solid Gold we had some bad poops for about a week, after that his poop was good.
> 
> ...


I probably went too fast with the adult but I am left wondering what's the point if for 10 years he's been very healthy without the best food.


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## dianefbarfield (Apr 12, 2010)

We sometimes add low sodium, no fat, chicken broth...just a splash. I'll bet some of you will be horrified at that but that is the one way I spoil our dogs. Some one also suggested adding vegetable oil but I don't do that. I am going to look into changing to the food all of you are talking about.


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

Wolfiesmom said:


> I did have a problem with my dog,Chief, on the dog chow and alpo cans mixed with it. I switched to Pedigree and he did fine for the rest of his life. Wolfie, I had on Fromms, he had not what I would call diarrhea, but really mushy poops. I switched to Purina Pro Plan. No more runs. Good normal poops and he is going less. I do add to his kibble a teaspoon each of flax seed and wheat germ. I am going to start adding a little pumpkin too. I want to try the dog food rolls that you slice like meat, just to add something to the kibble. Has anyone ever tried this?


I'm thinking I should leave well enough alone with the adult and continue with the Orijen/TOTW with the youngster.


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

dianefbarfield said:


> We sometimes add low sodium, no fat, chicken broth...just a splash. I'll bet some of you will be horrified at that but that is the one way I spoil our dogs. Some one also suggested adding vegetable oil but I don't do that. I am going to look into changing to the food all of you are talking about.


Why?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I'm not trying to be rude to you, just so you know

But you should seriously read the ingredients that are in Beneful, it's like feeding your dog garbage, sure he can live off of it but it could cause more visits to the Vet or an early death, also more poop 

If you were a dog would you rather live on garbage or real meat and real veggies?


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

LaRen616 said:


> I'm not trying to be rude to you, just so you know
> 
> But you should seriously read the ingredients that are in Beneful, it's like feeding your dog garbage, sure he can live off of it but it could cause more visits to the Vet or an early death, also more poop
> 
> If you were a dog would you rather live on garbage or real meat and real veggies?


I don't know who was talking about Beneful but if you're referring to me,the adult is 10+ and has only seen the vet outside of routine vac/wellness for Lyme. No issues whatsoever related to food ever and he's doing at least 3 hours a day of exercise still. This was the same thing we've experienced with all our dogs eating low quality food. If I put Pedigree and Orijen in bowls side by side,the pup goes for the Pedigree,because it's different.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

lrodptl said:


> I'm thinking I should leave well enough alone with the adult and continue with the Orijen/TOTW with the youngster.


 
I agree with you


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

PEDIGREE WITH CHICKEN, RICE & VEGETABLES

*Ground Whole Corn*, *Meat And Bone Meal*, *Corn Gluten Meal*, *Chicken By-product Meal*, *Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT)*, Wheat Flour, Chicken, Rice, Dried Whole Peas, Dried Beet Pulp, Wheat Mill Run, Natural Flavor, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Carrot Powder, Caramel Color, Vegetable Oil (source of Linoleic Acid), Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Dl-alpha Tocopherol Acetate [source of Vitamin E], L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate [source of Vitamin C*], Vitamin B12 Supplement, D-calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement [Vitamin B2], Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Salt, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Potassium Iodide), *Added FD&C and Lake Colors (Yellow 6, Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5).* 


Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness Duck Recipe

Deboned Duck, Chicken Meal, Potato Starch, Turkey Meal, Peas, Chicken Fat (preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Potatoes, Tomato Pomace (natural source of Lycopene), Natural Chicken Flavor, Flaxseed (natural source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Alfalfa Meal, Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Cranberries, Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Dried Kelp, Taurine, Yucca Shidigera Extract, L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Turmeric, Oil of Rosemary, Beta Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Salt, Caramel, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium.


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

LaRen616 said:


> PEDIGREE WITH CHICKEN, RICE & VEGETABLES
> 
> *Ground Whole Corn*, *Meat And Bone Meal*, *Corn Gluten Meal*, *Chicken By-product Meal*, *Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT)*, Wheat Flour, Chicken, Rice, Dried Whole Peas, Dried Beet Pulp, Wheat Mill Run, Natural Flavor, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Carrot Powder, Caramel Color, Vegetable Oil (source of Linoleic Acid), Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Dl-alpha Tocopherol Acetate [source of Vitamin E], L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate [source of Vitamin C*], Vitamin B12 Supplement, D-calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement [Vitamin B2], Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Salt, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Potassium Iodide), *Added FD&C and Lake Colors (Yellow 6, Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5).*
> 
> ...


I'm very aware of the ingredients but wonder why people change when the dog is completely healthy,happy and energetic.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

lrodptl said:


> I'm very aware of the ingredients but wonder why people change when the dog is completely healthy,happy and energetic.


 
Because they can be even more healthier, happier and more energetic if they were on a better quality food.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

> I'm very aware of the ingredients but wonder why people change when the dog is completely healthy,happy and energetic.


I can't speak for "people" as a whole, but here are some reasons I give people if they ask me about switching foods -

--> The better quality foods, especially the grain-free foods, make more sense in terms of what a dog's digestive system is set up to handle. Dogs are set up to primarily digest meats and secondarily digest small amounts of vegetables and fruits. Their diet should primarily consist of meats. Most low-quality dog foods primarily consist of grains, particularly corn.

--> When you feed a higher-quality food, you don't need to feed as much for your dog to get a proper amount of nutrition. The feeding guidelines on the side of the bag are what your dog would need to eat to get the nutrition needed. In many of the low-quality foods, that's a lot more cups for the same nutritional value they would get from a lot less of the better foods. Not only does that save you money in most cases, you will also be picking up less poop because more of the food is actually digested, and what is properly digested doesn't come out the other end.

--> When you feed a high-quality food, you will usually notice that your dog is better able to concentrate and overall show better behavior. I guess that's a bit like kids who eat a lot of junk food, stuff full of sugars and such - they often have a hard time concentrating and sitting still, too.

I guess I have a hard time understanding why you wouldn't want to take the best care of your best friend. I love junk food, but I know that I won't be healthy long-term if I'm eating a diet of steak, burgers, french fries. I know I will be healthier eating foods that are low in fat, contain fiber, lots of fruits, and vegetables. It's the same with dog food. Dogs can live long lives on cheap foods, but the difference you see in dogs that were switched from a junk food to a good food is often absolutely amazing - glossier coats, more energy, more focus, less poop, and just an overall happier, healthier dog.

Nobody is saying you must switch your dog to a better food, or that you need to buy $60 bags of food, but even switching to Kirkland Signature food is a big step up from Purina, Eukanuba, Beneful, Iams, etc., not to mention that the Kirkland food is actually cheaper than many of those.



> If I put Pedigree and Orijen in bowls side by side,the pup goes for the Pedigree,because it's different.


The pup goes for the Pedigree for the same reason people are drawn to McDonald's - flavor. Even if that flavor is artificial and/or caused by the combination of salts, sugars, and fats. Not because the food is better.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

AbbyK9

Thank you


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## angelas (Aug 23, 2003)

Also poops may be better on the lower quality food because they often add ingredients specifically to firm up stools where as the premium brands don't.


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## HeidiW (Apr 9, 2009)

I want to have healthy dogs and feed them better I just made the switch from Iams proactive to 4Health Performance, less than a week, musy poops so far, I hope this is due to the transition, will wait and see.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Yes, when you switch to a different brand of food the poop will be mushy for a little while.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

When switching foods, it is VERY important that the change is made slowly - over the course of AT LEAST two weeks, if not longer, by slowly adding in new food and phasing out the old food.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Switching pet foods - how to switch pet foods - pet tips by Pets.ca

*"Day 1 –* Feed 75% of your pet's daily ration with your current brand and feed the remaining 25% with the brand that you wish to switch to. In our example this would mean feeding the puppy one and a half cups of puppy food and half a cup of adult food.​ 
*Day 2 – *Same as Day 1.​ 
*Day 3 –* Feed 50% of the daily ration with your current brand and fill the remaining 50% with the new brand that you are switching to. In our example, the puppy would be fed one cup of puppy food and one cup of adult food on this day.​ 
*Day 4 –* Same as Day 3.​ 
*Day 5 –* Only feed 25% of the daily ration with your current brand and fill the remaining 75% with the new food. On this day the puppy would get half a cup of puppy food and one and a half cups of adult food.​ 
*Day 6 –* Same as Day 5.​ 
*Day 7 –* Feed 100% of the daily ration with the new food."


*What happens if you don't do it gradually?
*Stomach Cramps
Heartburn
Indigestion
Diarrhea
Vomitting
Refusal to Eat
​


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

Personally, I would not switch my dogs over just one week. I've also found that adding this - Eagle Pack (Supplement) - helps.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

When I switched Sinisters food over I think it took me 2 and 1/2 weeks because I still had alot of his old kibble left.

When I looked it up on the internet now to give an example of how to do it, everything I saw kept saying a week, I thought that was kinda fast

I will modify it

*I would say to do it this way instead*

*Day 1 –* Feed 75% of your pet's daily ration with your current brand and feed the remaining 25% with the brand that you wish to switch to. In our example this would mean feeding the puppy one and a half cups of puppy food and half a cup of adult food.​ 
*Day 2 – *Same as Day 1.

*Day 3* - Same as Day 1.

*Day 4 –* Feed 50% of the daily ration with your current brand and fill the remaining 50% with the new brand that you are switching to. In our example, the puppy would be fed one cup of puppy food and one cup of adult food on this day.​ 
*Day 5 –* Same as Day 4.

*Day 6* - Same as Day 4​ 
*Day 7 –* Only feed 25% of the daily ration with your current brand and fill the remaining 75% with the new food. On this day the puppy would get half a cup of puppy food and one and a half cups of adult food.

*Day 8 –* Same as Day 7.

*Day 9*- Same as Day 7

*Day 10 –* Feed 100% of the daily ration with the new food.​


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Don't remember who said that they were having smushy poops when switched to 4Health and just want to remind/throw it out there as a reminder when switching foods, it also important to keep in mind that more than likely you will feed less of the higher quality foods, and a result of overfeeding is soft BMs. 

LaRen: When you are switching foods a better plan would be more changes but smaller changes. This is pretty important for GSDs because they tend to have very sensitive stomachs. 

It's also pretty tough to determine the correct amounts to feed when there is a large jump/drop in the amount you feed.

Food 1 (8 cups per day) Food 2 (4 cups per day)

Go in 1/8 increments.

Day 1-2
7 c. food 1 + 1/2 c. Food 2 (6.7% new)

Day 3-4
6 c. food 1 + 1 c. food 2 (14% new)

Day 5-6
5 c. food 1 + 1 1/2 c food 2 (23% new)

Day 7-8
4 c. food 1 + 2 c. food 2 (33% new)

Day 9-10
3 c. food 1 + 2 1/2c. food 2 (45% new)

Optional (add 2 days, slows percent increase of new food)
2 1/2 c. food 1 + 2 3/4 c. food 2 (52% new)

Day 11-12
2 c. food 1 + 3 c. food 2 (60% new)

Optional (add 2 days... slows the percent gain of new food)
1 1/2 c. food 1 + 3 1/4 c. food 2 (68% new)

Day 13-14
1 c. food 1 + 3 1/2 c. food 2 (78% new)

Optional (add 2 more days... same reason)
1/2 c. food 1 + 3 3/4 c. food 2 (88% new)

Day 17
4 c. Food 2 only (100% new)


Sorry it's so lengthy, but you get the point....


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

AbbyK9 said:


> I can't speak for "people" as a whole, but here are some reasons I give people if they ask me about switching foods -
> 
> --> The better quality foods, especially the grain-free foods, make more sense in terms of what a dog's digestive system is set up to handle. Dogs are set up to primarily digest meats and secondarily digest small amounts of vegetables and fruits. Their diet should primarily consist of meats. Most low-quality dog foods primarily consist of grains, particularly corn.
> 
> ...


It all sounds great but my dogs could not have been healthier,happier,more energetic,well behaved.... Not advocating bad food but my dogs have all lived at least 10.5 years to 14 years without issues. If I see any change in the 10 year old (hope not) I'll write it.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

28 or 42 cups a day might be a bit much. 



LaRen616 said:


> I just wanted to post this as an example:
> 
> Someone that feeds their dog 6 cups of Beneful a day
> 
> ...


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

hahahaha oops!!!!!!!! I wrote that wrong! :blush:


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

lrodptl said:


> It all sounds great but my dogs could not have been healthier,happier,more energetic,well behaved.... Not advocating bad food but my dogs have all lived at least 10.5 years to 14 years without issues. If I see any change in the 10 year old (hope not) I'll write it.


You are for sure one of the lucky ones! Would I feed my two Pedigree or Alpo? Not on your life, I think raw is the way to go. But if you are having success with it, and your dogs truly have the quality of life you are describing, why would you want to change? If it ain't broke don't fix it sort of thing.....there are just tougher individuals out there (though not many I would guess, and they've never come my way LOL)) with incredible immune systems which would probably be able to subsist on cardboard if they had to. 
______________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge

Anja


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## R3C0NWARR10R (Mar 26, 2010)

doggiedad said:


> 28 or 42 cups a day might be a bit much.


I wonder if anyone else had seen that. :laugh:

I am currently mixing my pups Kirkland Puppy food with Orijjen Large Breed Puppy. I will see how they do when I fully transistion them over. I am taking my time doing this. I am switching my older dogs over to Eagle Pack Performance. My older dogs do not need the amount of protein and such that is in the Orijjen foods. When my pups get older I may transition them over to the Eagle pack as well as that is what my breeder/trainers use and are very succesful with it.

So far with the pups they have already had WAY more energy!


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## R3C0NWARR10R (Mar 26, 2010)

Anja1Blue said:


> You are for sure one of the lucky ones! Would I feed my two Pedigree or Alpo? Not on your life, I think raw is the way to go. But if you are having success with it, and your dogs truly have the quality of life you are describing, why would you want to change? If it ain't broke don't fix it sort of thing.....there are just tougher individuals out there (though not many I would guess, and they've never come my way LOL)) with incredible immune systems which would probably be able to subsist on cardboard if they had to.
> 
> Anja


My older mix breed (guessing shepherd but not sure) could eat anything and everything and never have an issue. I call her the garbage disposal:laugh:. The only thing she has ever been to the vet for is Lyme and I believe she got that when she came wondering onto the property 5 years ago.


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

Yes I know these guys with their cast iron stomachs are out there  -they just haven't come wandering my way yet!!!
___________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge


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## EmilyK0429 (Dec 6, 2009)

You know my parents have always been one to say that our dogs can do great on anything and always fed them stuff from a store or iams or just whatever. Meega, my GSD is the first dog they had seen with food problems. Because of this they decided much to my surprise to switch their dogs to better food so if Meega stole a bit of it (parents free feed) she wouldn't have god awful stools. Well their shih tzu's are 14 and 13 and have a 1yr old border collie mix. They have noticed that she shih tzu's are moving around more, and the border collie has lost the little bit of fat he had on him and is now ALL muscle. They also switched their cat to grain free food after they saw how mine slimmed down and it's working for them. They actually said that they couldn't believe the difference and just thought I was crazy until they saw it for themselves. 

Therefore, if the dog can handle it I think someone should very much switch to a better quality food if they can.


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

Anja1Blue said:


> You are for sure one of the lucky ones! Would I feed my two Pedigree or Alpo? Not on your life, I think raw is the way to go. But if you are having success with it, and your dogs truly have the quality of life you are describing, why would you want to change? If it ain't broke don't fix it sort of thing.....there are just tougher individuals out there (though not many I would guess, and they've never come my way LOL)) with incredible immune systems which would probably be able to subsist on cardboard if they had to.
> ______________________________________
> Susan
> 
> ...


That's what I was thinking,"if it ain't broke",and my dogs have never been broke. I'm only changing because of what I've read here. I never ever considered calcium levels,protein levels,preservatives...and never had issues 6 times over. I'm gonna give it a shot and see if I see any difference in the adult but what I don't know.


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## MAKSIM (Apr 9, 2010)

I've been feeding Maksim Beniful @ $.93/lb. After reading about 4Health I decided to change over to that. 4Health is $.94/lb. & I can feed less, up to 25%-30% less according to the bags (3.5c-4.5c/Beniful & 3c/4Health). So I'm feeding him better food & saving around $100/year. Even "if its not broke" I can't see turning $100/year into dog dirt as a good thing.


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

Well, I guess the problem is that most people don't realize it might be broken until it gets fixed. 

Your dog can look plenty healthy in your eyes, but until you make the switch you don't realize how much better the breath is, how much softer the coat is, how much less they poop, how much trimmer they can look, how much less they can shed, how much less they have that "dog" smell. Either that or until you compare them to a dog that is on that food don't realize it. It's kind of funny because 90% of the people who tell me their dogs do great on "bad" foods have dogs that look pretty icky to me. Coarse coat. Smell nasty. Ick.

With that said, not all foods agree with all dogs. Some dogs might just not have systems that handle richer foods well. And sometimes it takes a good month or two until a dog's system is completely adjusted to the change.

I kind of equate dog food to humans. There are plenty of people who claim they are healthy as a horse eating McDonalds, pizza, and over-processed food 6 days a week. Then when, for whatever reason, they start eating better and healthier they are shocked when they loose the extra bit of gut and the oily skin and hair suddenly looks 10 times better.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

> With that said, not all foods agree with all dogs. Some dogs might just not have systems that handle richer foods well. And sometimes it takes a good month or two until a dog's system is completely adjusted to the change.


^ This bears repeating.

Dogs are all different, and some dogs have a hard time with some foods, just like some people have a hard time with some foods. Many people, for example, very much enjoy bananas and consider them good, healthy snacks. Are they? Certainly. However, when I eat bananas, they contribute to me getting migraines, so while I like them and they're certainly good for me, I can't and don't eat them.

Some dogs have a difficult time with some foods and not all brands work for all dogs.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

There is another thing you might not be considering. 

Some cups do not equal the same percentage of a pound than other dog foods. Some kibbles are large and light, and do literally do not equal cups of a more dense kibble. 

So, it is not really feeding six cups as opposed to four cups in all instances. 

But it is true that feeding a higher quality food usually means buying less bags of food and paying more for them, feeding less food and the dog making less poop. 

Not all dogs do well on the higher concentrated foods. Not sure why though. Probably that the mushy poops from over-feeding means they are not digesting and utilizing the whole food. They remain thin with crappy poo. Owner becomes disgusted. But it is so difficult to back down on your dog's food when they seem thin.


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## Gib Laut (Feb 21, 2010)

GSDElsa said:


> Well, I guess the problem is that most people don't realize it might be broken until it gets fixed.
> 
> Your dog can look plenty healthy in your eyes, but until you make the switch you don't realize how much better the breath is, how much softer the coat is, how much less they poop, how much trimmer they can look, how much less they can shed, how much less they have that "dog" smell. Either that or until you compare them to a dog that is on that food don't realize it. It's kind of funny because 90% of the people who tell me their dogs do great on "bad" foods have dogs that look pretty icky to me. Coarse coat. Smell nasty. Ick.
> 
> I kind of equate dog food to humans. There are plenty of people who claim they are healthy as a horse eating McDonalds, pizza, and over-processed food 6 days a week. Then when, for whatever reason, they start eating better and healthier they are shocked when they loose the extra bit of gut and the oily skin and hair suddenly looks 10 times better.


This is EXACTLY what I was thinking reading through all of these posts....GSDElsa has hit the nail on the head. I didn't know how "unhealthy" my last boy was until he died, because to me, he was the picture of health. I now feed raw, which may be an extreme for some to do, but I can say this....the picture of health I thought I knew, is NOTHING like the one I see now....a biologically appropriate diet just makes sense....there are many people who think our society as a whole is wonderfully healthy...until you look at obesity, heart disease and diabetes rates...then, not so much....it's a matter of perspective perhaps....just my opinion.


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## carlysmom (Mar 26, 2010)

I like feeding raw to my girl, or maybe a roast or salmon with veggies that I've made for her in the crock pot, but sometimes she gets kibble, in which case I give her Orijen, which is the only kibble she'll eat. I had to wean her off the Hills Science she was getting from the shelter. I like giving her kibble because it has the vitamins and minerals she needs.
I should add, the only kibble she gets is the 6 Fish one.


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## harlanr3 (Sep 10, 2008)

The dog food BUSINESS is just that $$ It is for the most part unregulated and they don't give a Sh** about our dogs.some one said they were paying 93 cents for beniful you can buy real chicken for that.i bet if you saw what went in it you would not feed it.i bet the bag cost 2x what the food cost and probably better for them.


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## Sharbel (Apr 30, 2010)

But who defines "Crappy" and "Good Food" anyway? "*Good food" is the one that your dog likes to eat* *and "bad food" is the one he does not.* Simple as that. 

WE ARE FEEDING ROYAL CANIN GERMAN SHEPHERD 24 PLUS PEDIGREE MOIST AS A TOPPING TWICE A DAY WITH FRESH COWS MILK (1/2 LITER) EVERY DAY AND WITH ONCE A WEEK COOKED GRILLED MEAT AND BONES FOR 6 1/2 YEARS AND WE HAD SO FAR VISITED THE VET ONLY FOR VACCINATIONS AND DEWARMING TABLETS 6 TIMES (ONCE A YEAR).

We do not wish to change to a "better food" as long as we have no problems.

GOOD DOG FOOD IS THE ONE THAT THE DOG HAPPILY EATS AND CAUSES HIM NO HEALTH PROBLEMS.


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## Powell (Oct 13, 2006)

*Good food is not what someone or someone's dog likes.*



Good food is quality ingredients, not what they like. Crummy food is made to taste tasty to cover up deficiencies. Dogs, cats, and little children ( and ahemmm! some aduilts ) have no idea what good food is! 
Corn, and it's by products, wheat, and soybeans are not quality foods for canines. Gluten is very bad as it is implicated in allergy problems and ceasing eating products with gluten takes 7 weeks to get out of the animal or HUMAN'S system. Soybeans should never EVER be in any food animal or human. It has estrogen in it, and canines, especially northern breeds ( and this includes the GSD) can NOT tolerate soybeans. Wheat is also bad and implicated as an allergy producing product. Now, you don't see dogs growing corn, wheat or soybean do you. Neither did wolves. 
My sister's friend Sylvia has this 18 year old Chihuahua mix. I railed on good food, and they ended up with Innova Evo Small Bits. DUHHH.... Cricket gained weight, and her coat is fuller and better than it's been in 5+++ years. And she also gets fed boiled chicken, but she loves that kibble, where as before she couldn't tolerate it. It didn't stop her from being mean or deaf though....:laugh:

A friend of mine as a truck driver used to deliver to some of the super large companies that made dog food that, well, we rail against. He was shocked that a many of the places were filthy and he said, that some of these companies made human products and he immediately quit using those from those companies. 

And Goats milk is FAR better than Cow's milk, especially for humans. The molecules and make up are closer to mother's milk than cows milk. I use it for cooking, it lasts longer than cows milk. It's a lot sweeter and a bit saltier tasting though. 

Powell


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

Reading this whole post cracks me up!!! You mean to tell me that better ingredients do not make better food. You mean to tell me because you can eat McDonald's every day for lunch and smoke 2 packs of smokes a day and still do your job and maybe even play on your works softball team and maybe even retire at 55 years old. You are telling me if it ain't broke don't fix it ??? So you drop dead at 56 oop's maybe you should have listened to other people and eat the right foods and take care of yourself. 
Use your head we are talking what is best for the life of your pet not lets just hope he makes it 10 years old thats good enough.


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## Minnieski (Jan 27, 2009)

I just have to say that I like foods with premium (no by-products, soy, corn, etc) ingredients, but that they may not always work for every dog. I had so many vomiting issues with Minnie, and she was on a high quality, grain free food (Wellness CORE). I tried her on a high quality bland food (California Naturals), and she wouldn't touch it. So eventually I had her try Purina ProPlan, sensitive skin and stomach. For the first time since we've had her she hasn't thrown up in over a month. Would I have kept her on the Wellness, a 6-star rated food, if she had never been sick? You bet. But the Purina is what works for her, she has more energy and she's finally putting on some weight. I am very happy with this food and what it has done for my dog. So I think that quality needs to be measured holistically.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Did anybody mention, less itching, less shedding and less hyperactivity?

And as far as the cheap food tasting better, an analogy would be a human child who prefers Captain Crunch to Fresh Veggies. 

Somebody here had a dog that totally calmed down when they switched to a raw diet.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

BlackPuppy said:


> Did anybody mention, less itching, less shedding and less hyperactivity?
> 
> And as far as the cheap food tasting better, an analogy would be a human child who prefers Captain Crunch to Fresh Veggies.


 
I had Sinister on Solid Gold Wolf King and I loved the food and he loved the food and I thought he looked great on it

but

When I switched him off of Solid Gold and over to Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness he stopped shedding as much and his fur got really skiney and all of his flakes went away and he looks absolutely fantastic. 

Is that because he is on grainless food now?

Also I'd prefer Taco Bell over steamed veggies, is that healthy? I dont think so


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

Sharbel said:


> But who defines "Crappy" and "Good Food" anyway? "*Good food" is the one that your dog likes to eat* *and "bad food" is the one he does not.* Simple as that.
> 
> 
> GOOD DOG FOOD IS THE ONE THAT THE DOG HAPPILY EATS AND CAUSES HIM NO HEALTH PROBLEMS.


 
by these definitions, the pizza, mc donalds, ho ho's, etc..that i ate through high school and college were "good food".

after all, i liked to eat them, and 8 years of eating that stuff caused me no health problems. heck, i even played college basketball eating all that good food. i was lean and strong and had lots of energy.

was that really "good" food? of course not...its the LONG TERM RAMIFICATIONS that count. i could not have kept eating all that crap and remained healthy over the long run.

i believe quality ingredients do count over the long run. can a dog live on foods like iams and RC? sure they can, but i dont believe one optimizes long term health by feeding low grade ingredients over the long haul.


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

When I first switched to a quality dog food I saw within 2 weeks whiter eyes the colors of my dogs changed especially around their faces which was crazy to see. Now I have switched them over to 50% raw along with salmon oil and I can see a difference in their coats and even their energy level so bottom line you are what you eat so why not feed your dogs the best foods you can afford they don't live long enough so we should do our part..


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

ZAYDA said:


> When I first switched to a quality dog food I saw within 2 weeks whiter eyes the colors of my dogs changed especially around their faces which was crazy to see. Now I have switched them over to 50% raw along with salmon oil and I can see a difference in their coats and even their energy level *so bottom line you are what you eat so why not feed your dogs the best foods you can afford they don't live long enough so we should do our part*..


Well said


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## GSD MOM (Apr 21, 2010)

My goodness I would hate to see what some of you feed (or fed) your human kids. Better Food Better Life.


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## Daisy (Jan 4, 2009)

I know I feel better feeding good food. We just transitioned back to Chicken Soup from EVO b/c of the possible buy out of EVO by P&G. I'd have preferred to go to something like Blue Buffalo or Fromm, but due to my budget, went back to CS since we were leaving EVO, and it is more economical for me. I have 3 dogs, so it gets expensive! My 2 older dogs were raised on Pedigree and no problems except for lots of poop, but I'm glad to be feeding them better now in their old age, and giving my younger dog a good start. I learned about nutrition here....


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i'm in. i fed my children well and i feed my dog well. 


GSD MOM said:


> My goodness I would hate to see what some of you feed (or fed) your human kids. Better Food Better Life.


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## GSD MOM (Apr 21, 2010)

doggiedad said:


> i'm in. i fed my children well and i feed my dog well.


That's awesome. I was replying to the number of posts on here that say they feed their dogs what they like to eat. As much as we would all love to spend less money on our dogs food, I think most of us are aware that they need the best food our money can buy. I don't think it's okay to go the the grocery store and buy the cheapest food we can find and expect our dogs to be healthy or to live a healthy life. Just as I don't think it's okay to feed our children "Happy Meals" and expect them to be healthy and live a healthy life. I think this thread has blown up and is completely out of control. It was started to simply show that while cheap food may have a cheaper price tag it maybe just as cost affective to feed less of a better quality food.


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## harlanr3 (Sep 10, 2008)

BlackPuppy said:


> Did anybody mention, less itching, less shedding and less hyperactivity?
> 
> And as far as the cheap food tasting better, an analogy would be a human child who prefers Captain Crunch to Fresh Veggies.
> 
> Somebody here had a dog that totally calmed down when they switched to a raw diet.


I don't think it was me that you were talking about But one of my dogs that was the biggest change he claimed down ALOT when I switched to RAW.I think it is insane when people try to justify feeding crappy food.crappy food is crappy food.why try and kid yourself and even worse anyone else.


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