# Dog Food Recommendations



## butmanj2000 (Oct 20, 2011)

I am looking for recommendations on a good dog food for my Sheppard Abbey. We had her in Iams Puppy Food for large breeds until recently. She is 1 1/2 yrs old. We didnt think she liked it anymore and switched her to Beneful Adult Dog Food. She has not had very solid stools since the switch which was about 4 weeks ago. She also had a major accident in our Living Room overnite a week ago. I am wondering if I need to look at a more natural product. We were feeding her 2-3 cups twice a day but am now concerned about feeding her in the evening since she went in the living room again last night (although this time it was at least solid.
Any opinions would be appreciated.


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## GsdLoverr729 (Jun 20, 2010)

I use a mixture of Innova, Blue Buffalo and raw.

Other members use:
Kirkland
Oriejen
Taste of the Wild
Wellness

And I have heard mixed opinions of Nutro: Natural Choice.


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## Moxy (Aug 3, 2012)

When you switched, did you do it gradually or just go straight from the puppy to the Beneful? Sometimes, dogs can be sensitive to dietary changes. So, all changes should be made gradually. Like a quarter cup at a time.

Moxy had some food allergies, so we switched from River Run NRG to Nature's Recipe Grain Free kibble. Haven't had any problems, and her stools are looking less yellow and loose. According to things I have read in the past year, grains aren't part of a wild dog's diet, and fillers like corn and wheat are common sources of allergies. 

If you decide to switch, make the change gradually. Like a quarter cup a week until you are fully on the new food. 

Good luck!


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## Jazmeena (Feb 9, 2012)

I know some people dont like the Diamond products, but we were feeding Blue Buffalo and the poop was just not as firm as I like it and sometimes more pudding like. We switched to NutriSource Lamb grain free - we think she is allergic to chicken and the only grain free food that was not chicken based that they stocked for large breed was the nutrisource. Since this shop has only been in town for about 1 year, and they specialize in stocking the "better" foods, we want to support them as much as we can. She is doing great on it - nice solid firm poops.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

What our dog does not do well on:
Fish based foods - sweet potatoes for carbs - too much beef

What has worked OK:

Raw based foods - Nature's Variety and The Honest Kitchen

Hope you find something that works out soon, I know how frustrating finding the right food for your dog can be. Once you find a brand, try checking out their website. You can often get coupons sent by e-mail.

Kibble - Royal Canin GSD food, Nutro Large Breed Grain Free, Innova Large Breed


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## butmanj2000 (Oct 20, 2011)

Thanks for the advice. We did in fact gradually change her to the new food. I am wondering based on the other posts if thw whole grain formula in her Beneful food is the problem. Looking at some of the grain free lamb products they are 65 bucks for a 25 lb bag. That seems a bit pricey to me.


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## Moxy (Aug 3, 2012)

Grain free is super expensive, but its the most natural diet. If you want to try a diet that is wheat free, check our Bil-Jac or Purina One Beyond. I would try to avoid wheat and corn as they are most likely to create more poop. The one I use is only at $45 a bag at Petsmart.


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## Jazmeena (Feb 9, 2012)

We pay $52 for a 30 lbs back of nutrosource lamb grain free - expensive but I have seen much worse!


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## Jazmeena (Feb 9, 2012)

something else you might consider - instead of going totally grain free, check out some of the "limited ingredient" foods - blue Buffalo makes one and I know there are several other brands as well - sometimes its just one type of grain or protein that they have problems with


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Something to take into consideration is that if she is fed a higher quality food, you will feed her LESS of it. So while a bag might cost MORE, it will last LONGER. So over time, you are spending LESS. My 75lb female only eats 2 2/3 cups total per DAY. So she eats half as much as your girl.


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## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

BlackGSD- what do you feed? We feed ours 2 cups of Acana...


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

Although it was originally geared more towards feeding large breed puppies, the spreadsheet that I made and have posted in the Feeding Our Puppy subforum contains mostly All Life Stages foods. You can check it out here if you are interested in a quick reference as to what is available: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AsBcSQ8_xK_ndDRkYWo3NmRSWEl4T1NuX290bG5ULVE&output=html

I also would like to add that I agree that though the per bag cost of some of the more expensive foods seems like a big difference, you end up feeding less as they are generally higher in calories and more nutrient dense. Our 9 month old only eats about 2 and 1/2 cups a day (plus a couple spoonfuls of canned food with each meal) so the ~30 lb. bag we buy lasts a little more than a month.


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

RAW...not sure of prices wher you are, but I am in Canada and everything is more expensive...although US is catching up. For example before switching to raw I tried various, but just before switch for 1 year - Natural Balance Potato & Duck - sucked, diarrhea, barely ate and gained 20lbs (starch - potato - not good for dogs), although may have been the final vaccination he ever got (2008) - screwed up his thyroid...however ...In 2008 I was paying $90 before tax for a 30lb. bag per month plus add-ons to get him to eat it.

Now a dog who digests well (that can metabolize fats - not mine) could cost about $60-90 if you feed chicken backs ($0.50/lb.), necks ($1.00lb.), ground beef, chicken frames (I get 3lbs. for a $1 but my guy gets chicken breast too and some veg - which costs me guessestimate $170/mnth before treats, which I save on as I make my own at fraction of the cost - so balances out).

Now if you continue to feed Beneful, a dog food that year after year after year has made it as the Rock bottom very worst food on all lists, you _will_ be spending thousands per year at the vet. Not to mention how unfair is to your dog to eat a food that made up from euthinized cats, dogs and/or the 4-D's. These are animals that HAD to be put death because of cancer and/or other disease. This isn't farmer Johns pasture cow who was selected prime for that bag of food.

So toss the beneful - oh should I mention the multi colours aren't carrots and peas - just food colouring...and then it goes downhill from there...

Mix your dogs food up w/some meats (cheap) and bones, throw in some green leafy veg here and there and you will have a healthy happy dog and you will barely incur a vet bill.

Oh and there is no such thing as "natural kibble" if there was it would say "refridgerate after opening"...a bag of kibble w/oils sprayed on after, you know all those healthy omega's, well they start the degrade once exposed to air, by the time you reach the bottom the food is carcinogenic...and I won't even get into the "synthetics" of the added on vitamins and minerals...kibble is devoid of natural living enzymes and amino acids and real bioavailable protein (rice is protein too - not animal protein). These are the fundamentals of a dogs diet, w/o the may live, but they won't thrive...Iams is over priced grocery store kibble too, just really good commercials...think about it...your dogs needs likely 1.5 to 2lbs a day at 2-3 bucks/day


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

Orijen, Acana, Horizon Legacy, Go, Endurance Only. Fromm, Merrick, Precise Holistic, Wellness Core, Castor and Pollux Natural . Ultramix G.F. Earthborn Holistic. Primitive Natural, Evo, Go! Fit and Free, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Pinnacle. Peak Protein Formula, Solid Gold, Timberwolf, Canidea, Pure Elements, Darford Zero/G Dog Food


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I switched one dog to Nature's Logic and once I run out of my bags of Acana "old formula" the second dog will go the same way. I have been very impressed with the food.


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

3ToesTonyismydog said:


> Orijen, Acana, Horizon Legacy, Go, Endurance Only. Fromm, Merrick, *Precise Holistic*, Wellness Core, Castor and *Pollux Natural* . Ultramix G.F. *Earthborn Holistic*. *Primitive Natural*, Evo, Go! Fit and Free, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Pinnacle. Peak Protein Formula, Solid Gold, Timberwolf, Canidea, Pure Elements, Darford Zero/G Dog Food


Which one says "refridgerate after opening"?

And what about the "grain fed" "naturally raised" "antibotic free" "Organic" animals/grains/vegetables? You know the sick animals that have to be destroyed becasue of disease the ones that didn't make the cut for human consumption...you don't think these animals were incinerated do you. The rotting veg? not on the stands of your organic market...land-fill?

No.

Heat treating destroys the "natural" vitamins and minerals, enzymes, amino acids that were in the food. This has to be added back in in synthetic form.

There is nothing "natural" about "synthetic"...and as mentioned air degrades oils...they become carcinogenic, what do carcinogens cause?......Cancer:shocked:


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Hmmm Get that you like Raw. Not everyone is so inclined and I have known too many dogs who actually lived long heatlhy lives on beneful and pedigree. Not what I would feed but genetics seems to play a HUGE role.

Maybe the OP wants to explore a raw diet but for many of us kibble is the option we have chosen and want to look for the best options among the kibbles. 

And I don't think they have found evidence of phenobarbital in dog foodsfor years. (yes, it used to be an issue with cheap dog foods using euthanized pets) Is out of date meat used in dog foods? CERTAINLY but not all. FWIW

When I fed raw I would go to the grocers and dig through for nearly or just out of date meats as well  . [it was an option in NC but sadly not in SC where the grocers had to pull the meat and discard] The chicken plants were "on to" raw feeders and there was no real discount for buying 40lb boxes of anything compared to loss leader sales at the grocer. And, of course, most are not antibiotic free (all poultry must be hormone free anyway)


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## Knave (Apr 29, 2012)

I'd love to feed my dog strictly raw but, a) I'm a bit too nervous about messing it up b) it's expensive and c) considering our schedules and lifestyle, we require something more convenient. 

We feed Honest Kitchen Embark, supplemented with vitamins and human food. It's a nice mix between a truly raw diet and a commercially manufactured one. Our mix-ins include Vitamin C, E, fish oil, spirulina, a joint supplement, gelatin, yogurt, raw egg, chicken or kangaroo meat, and pumpkin.

Personally, I'm a big fan of this method. We're sure Fenris is getting all the nutrition he needs from a commercial diet as well as adding extras that will benefit him.

Admittedly, Honest Kitchen isn't cheap but, we've found that ordering a case at a time online is the cheapest way to manage it. Plus, the extras are things we already have in our household as human food so that's a small extra charge.

/2cents


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

Knave said:


> I'd love to feed my dog strictly raw but, a) I'm a bit too nervous about messing it up b) it's expensive and c) considering our schedules and lifestyle, we require something more convenient.
> 
> We feed Honest Kitchen Embark, supplemented with vitamins and human food. It's a nice mix between a truly raw diet and a commercially manufactured one. Our mix-ins include Vitamin C, E, fish oil, spirulina, a joint supplement, gelatin, yogurt, raw egg, chicken or kangaroo meat, and pumpkin.
> 
> ...


That in of itself if you must go kibble, then add human er, correction "real" food, some is better than none....good for you for taking your dogs health a few steps further


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

jocoyn said:


> Hmmm Get that you like Raw. Not everyone is so inclined and *I have known too many dogs who actually lived long heatlhy lives on beneful and pedigree. Not what I would feed but genetics seems to play a HUGE role.*
> 
> Maybe the OP wants to explore a raw diet but for many of us kibble is the option we have chosen and want to look for the best options among the kibbles.
> 
> ...


 
OMG...pleasssse, please don't advocate for beneful...justifiying choice in how/what you are feeding your dog is one thing, but embelishing it with comments like _many_ and _long_ and _healthy_ is another...this reaches thousands and thousands of people looking for assurance that they are doing enough and inexpensively...

People, It's your dog, you OWN it, it's your choice what you feed, unfortunatly the poor dog doesn't get a choice. He has to take it or starve.

At least do a better kibble w/Nutritious table scraps...non toxic ones i.e. onions, macadamia, artificial sweeteners, junk food...feed your dog for excellent health the way you would your kids...not just to "fill the hole" (belly)

And don't fall into the mode of inexpensive...it will cost you one way or another...unfortunately it will cost the dog


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

GatorBytes said:


> OMG...pleasssse, please don't advocate for beneful...justifiying choice in how/what you are feeding your dog is one thing, but embelishing it with comments like _many_ and _long_ and _healthy_ is another...this reaches thousands and thousands of people looking for assurance that they are doing enough and inexpensively...
> 
> People, It's your dog, you OWN it, it's your choice what you feed, unfortunatly the poor dog doesn't get a choice. He has to take it or starve.
> 
> ...


Oh my the food nazi's are out today.  I fed Old Blue a knock off of Old Roy for years because I was young and poor and didn't know any better. That dog lived longer than any other dog I've had. When I was able to afford a better food I switched to Science Diet and recently after hearing that that is not the best stuff around anymore switched to Natures Recipe. When I ran out of that last time I grabbed a bag of Diamond but my dogs didn't seem to like that, so I went and got another bag of Natures Recipe and they are much happier. Get what your dog likes and you can afford.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

If you read my post you would see I was NOT advocating for beneful (which I stated was not my choice), but I have, in fact, known a enough dogs who have thrived on said cheap foods to think that it is not the whole picture. I mainly wanted to point out the fearmongering on euthanized pets and 4D animals and rotten produce. I think the dead pets thing is past history. 

I think a lot of kibbles are more ad-hype and image selling than actual quality content, even those that sell for lots of money-but do believe there are some good ones out there and don't think that supplementing a kibble diet is necessarily better than just feeding the kibble.

I just wanted to state a counterpoint that many folks actually consider quality kibbles to be better products than poorly thought out raw diets. By poorly thought out I mean the many dogs who subsist on antibiotic and laden chicken leg quarters from factory grown chickens fed GMO corn from WalMart, with some green beans, and ocassional pork or hamburger. There is a lot of that out there too.

I agree that a carefully prepared homemade diet would be the best choice for a dog. That diet would contain a good variety of natural meat (grass fed, pastured) and bone with some offal, perhaps some small amount of fruits and greens.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Oh to the OP. Some grains can be problematic but grain free may not be necessary if your dog is not allergic to them. 

It is no more natural for dogs to eat potatos or peas than it is to eat wheat or corn. I don't like corn because it is all genetically modified. Some grains like wheat are also high in gluten and can be implicated in allergy problems. There are some more issues with grains and nutrient absorbtion than with potatos but white potatoes are very high glycemic index and may have solanine if picked green so pick your poison.

It will set you back more to get a better quality food but you will also feed much less of it as typically calories per cup are higher AND it is better digested. If it were my dog I would be figuring out what is different between the IAMS and the Beneful and suspect that as a cause of her problems.

An example my 75 pound senior eats 2 cups a day of his dog food. My very active young 80lb male eats 4 cups a day of his food. The old guy actually eats a dog food containing small amounts of millet and the pup is on a grain free but I am planning on switching him over to the feed with the millet.


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## Monster'sDad (Jul 29, 2012)

butmanj2000 said:


> I am looking for recommendations on a good dog food for my Sheppard Abbey. We had her in Iams Puppy Food for large breeds until recently. She is 1 1/2 yrs old. We didnt think she liked it anymore and switched her to Beneful Adult Dog Food. She has not had very solid stools since the switch which was about 4 weeks ago. She also had a major accident in our Living Room overnite a week ago. I am wondering if I need to look at a more natural product. We were feeding her 2-3 cups twice a day but am now concerned about feeding her in the evening since she went in the living room again last night (although this time it was at least solid.
> Any opinions would be appreciated.


Look for a simple chicken and mix grain food with protein between 25-30% and fat between 15-20%. Nutrisource Adult would be a good choice since you are from Wisconsin, as would Dr. Tim's Kinesis and Red Paw 26. Fromm Classic in the silver bag and Eagle Pack Original are also very good, which you can get in 50lb value bags.

On the super value-side, Pro Pac Adult Chunk is also a good choice. The 44lb bag is about $30. That is a better food than Earthborn which is made by the same company.


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## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

Monster'sDad said:


> Look for a simple chicken and mix grain food with protein between 25-30% and fat between 15-20%. Nutrisource Adult would be a good choice since you are from Wisconsin, as would Dr. Tim's Kinesis and Red Paw 26. Fromm Classic in the silver bag and Eagle Pack Original are also very good, which you can get in 50lb value bags.
> 
> On the super value-side, Pro Pac Adult Chunk is also a good choice. The 44lb bag is about $30. That is a better food than Earthborn which is made by the same company.


 
He's back! Hello sable123.


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

GSDAlphaMom said:


> He's back! Hello sable123.


Because someone recommends certain foods, that automatically means they're Sable? Guess I'm Sable too because I feed Sportmix which is made by the same company as Pro Pac and Earthborn.  I'd recommend pretty much the same foods to someone. You won't hear Orijen or Acana come out of my mouth since I'm against guilting people into overpaying for dog food.


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## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

No, it has nothing to do with the food recommendations. Sable123 has been here by many names, all of which have been banned. Anyone familiar with him knows his writing style should recognize him immediately.


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

I know who Sable is. I'm just saying, who's to say it can't be someone else? Until the poster is causing a problem or mods feel the need to look into it, you can't just point fingers.


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## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

Actually I can and the mods are aware.


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

Pointing fingers is a great way to start problems. If the mods are aware of a situation then why cause trouble? Maybe allow them to do their job?


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## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

Obviously you are a fan/friend of his. He is breaking the rules everytime he comes back with a new ip address. You can rest assured I will point it out EVERY SINGLE TIME. 

I'm through taking this thread off topic. I have done my civic forum duty by turning in a rule breaker.


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

I'm no fan or friend, just someone who agrees with his knowledge rather than being a zombie follower of oh idk...The human dentist over at Dog Food Analysis? At least Sable works his dogs and trials the foods he recommends and understands the reasoning behind the ingredients and GA of the foods recommend.

With that said, I too recommend Nutrisource Adult, Dr. Tims Kinesis, Red Paw 26, Fromm Classic, Eagle Pack Original or Pro Pac Chunk. I also would recommend Sportmix 24/20 in the black bag.  Great food that feeds out well and won't break the bank.


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

At the rendering plant, slaughterhouse material, restaurant and supermarket refuse, dead stock, road kill, and euthanized companion animals are dumped into huge containers. A machine slowly grinds the entire mess. After it is chipped or shredded, it is cooked at temperatures of between 220 degrees F. and 270 degrees F. (104.4 to 132.2 degrees C.) for twenty minutes to one hour. The grease or tallow rises to the top, where it is removed from the mixture. This is the source of animal fat in most pet foods. The remaining material, the raw, is then put into a press where the moisture is squeezed out. We now have meat and bone meal.

If the bag doesn't say fit for human consumption this is what you can expect.

An Excerpt From The Book "Food Pets Die For"


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

GSDAlphaMom said:


> Obviously you are a fan/friend of his. He is breaking the rules everytime he comes back with a new ip address. You can rest assured I will point it out EVERY SINGLE TIME.
> 
> I'm through taking this thread off topic. I have done my civic forum duty by turning in a rule breaker.


Wow, what the heck did this guy do? Promote a product, swear? get too political....can't see anything wrong unless poster owns Pro Pac


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

GatorBytes said:


> If the bag doesn't say fit for human consumption this is what you can expect.
> 
> An Excerpt From The Book "Food Pets Die For"


and if it does this is what you can expect. 

Here is a very brief sampling of the FDA's Food Defect Action Level list. They begin investigation when foods reach the action level they've set. According to the FDA, typical foods contain about 10 percent of the action level, but others say they contain more like 40 percent. 

*CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE LIQUOR *

*Insect filth:* Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined OR any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments
*Rodent filth:* Average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams in 6 100-gram subsamples examined OR any 1 subsample contains 3 or more rodent hairs
*CITRUS FRUIT JUICES, CANNED *

*Insects and insect eggs:* 5 or more Drosophila and other fly eggs per 250 ml or 1 or more maggots per 250 ml
*RED FISH AND OCEAN PERCH *

*Parasites:* 3% of the fillets examined contain 1 or more parasites accompanied by pus pockets
*MACARONI AND NOODLE PRODUCTS *

*Insect filth:* Average of 225 insect fragments or more per 225 grams in 6 or more subsamples
*Rodent filth:* Average of 4.5 rodent hairs or more per 225 grams in 6 or more subsamples
How Many Insect Parts and Rodent Hairs are Allowed in Your Food?


Just sayin...


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

GSDAlphaMom said:


> I'm through taking this thread off topic. I have done my civic forum duty by turning in a rule breaker.


I think the civic duty would have been to quietly report your "finding" to a mod, specifically the mod of the dog food section......we really don't need to be publicly calling out folks whom we "suspect" of being a repeat intruder --


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

ya know, shepherdmom, I really did not need to know there was rat hairs in my Milky Way!


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Jax08 said:


> ya know, shepherdmom, I really did not need to know there was rat hairs in my Milky Way!


 :rofl: I'm sorry Michelle. I just wanted to share the love with Gaytor Bytes who grossed me out with his/her post.


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

Jax08 said:


> ya know, shepherdmom, I really did not need to know there was rat hairs in my Milky Way!





shepherdmom said:


> :rofl: I'm sorry Michelle. I just wanted to share the love with Gaytor Bytes who grossed me out with his/her post.


 
Ahh flippen heck...ya both made me chuckle!!!

Don't feed Beneful...reasons noted. 

Now I'm curious what the heck is in my beer


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## rooandtree (May 13, 2012)

ok now i never want me or my dog to eat anything every again!!


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

GatorBytes said:


> Ahh flippen heck...ya both made me chuckle!!!
> 
> Don't feed Beneful...reasons noted.
> 
> Now I'm curious what the heck is in my beer


hehehe.. You asked... 
*7. Fish Bladders In Your Beer*



Here’s some news that will drain the “happy” out of your happy hour: Widely used in the beer-brewing process is a form of collagen called isinglass, which is made from the swim bladders of fish. Isinglass clumps with the beer’s yeast and sinks to the bottom, allowing for a much clearer brew. 
*How to avoid it:* Because isinglass combines with the dregs of the barrel, it usually can’t be detected in the final product. But if you’re still queasy at the thought, grab a case of vegan beer instead. 



Read more: 7 Gross Things In Your Food - Prevention.com


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

shepherdmom said:


> hehehe.. You asked...
> *7. Fish Bladders In Your Beer*
> 
> 
> ...


LMAO!!!
...I think it's vodka from now on

Thanks


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

shepherdmom said:


> hehehe.. You asked...
> *7. Fish Bladders In Your Beer*
> 
> 
> ...


First ..I feed both my dogs Precise--Foundation for the GSD and Adult for the Chi..They are both doing great !! I do add some Carrots and green beans and some cooked chicken to spice it up a little but that's just me.. Secondly..DON'T MESS WITH MY BEER DUDE! SOME THINGS ARE SACRED! :wild:


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