What food has given you the best results?

[Zoom]

Oh, I have no qualms paying more money for a good food...I'm paying $35 for a 16lb bag of EVO, LOL! But I also know that I'm paying for great quality and the best ingredients, instead of shelling out extra for someone's marketing campaigns.

Like I said, if it's working for you, great, but don't discount better foods just out of habit.

 

[2Mastiffsowner]

i am not. i have a good paying job.

 

[SisMorphine]

I feed raw. I have tried to feed kibble in the past but the sewer stench that eminates from Blue's butthole makes it COMPLETELY not worth it.

That being said: I don't think every kibble is made for every dog. I had problems with Evo in the past with my Grey with bad bad nasty gas. I had problems with Orijen upping his yeasty smell (and I love both of those kibble). He did wonderfully with Nature's Logic or Nature's Variety. The only reason I like the Logic over the Variety is simply for sourcing purposes as some of NV's sourcing is still from China, and the Logic is not.

For people wanting to feed a lower-protein (ie: not so rich) grain free food look for Petcurean. I *think* the prices are comparable to Orijen, if my memory serves me.

As far as Timberwolf goes: you will be paying high prices for lower quality ingredients. It used to be a fantastic food, but then they did some ingredient changes that lowered the quality of the food in hopes of encouraging Iams/Euk to buy them out, and raises their prices at the same time. The ingredients still are better than most of the foods out there, but you're paying way too much for what those ingredients are. Solid Gold is the same way, not a bad food at all, but the prices are very jacked up for the ingredients that are in there.

2MastiffOwner: I have a wonderful PetCo and Petsmart right around the corner from me, as well. They're always very nice when I go in with my dogs, very welcoming. They have great prices on some of the toys that I can't get through my own distributor at work. BUT that doesn't mean you will ever catch me purchasing food from them. I'm glad that Nutro is working for your dogs, but truthfully it is going to work better than Iams/Euk would anyway because it is a couple steps up. If you ever take the plunge to take the next step up you'll notice even more differences in your dogs.


But personally, I feed raw and will only feed raw.

 

[lorenzo]

Only raw meat.Sometimes we give raw chicken, eggs and salmon heads.

 

[lorenzo]

 

[spiderbitten]

Thanks SisMorphine for the great info!

And thanks Lorenzo. lol


_______________

 

[Fixer]

I have only had Djouli (4 yr old, 100# female Tibetan Mastiff) for a couple months, and she was on kibble only at her previous home. I tried a few samples from the local dog boutique, Taste of the Wild & Canidae, along with some Merrick and Evanger canned foods. Borrowed a couple cups of Trader Joes Lamb & Rice kibble from my neighbor which she seemed to like the best, and settled on a couple flavors of Merricks canned food. Last week, I tried some Natures Variety raw/frozen food, and wow, what a difference! Her energy is up, she is letting us walk further from home each day, she's overall more happy.

Not sure how much of this is just due to a normal transition period coming into a new home and changing from country/free roaming life to city/fenced yard & house life, but it's working.

If I were to start making my own mix of food instead of buying the Natures Variety at $7/pound, what would you recommend? One note, she doesn't chew bones much at all (but she loves the marrow!).

 

[Renee]

Here's a good link with some guidelines to start you out with a balanced raw diet

http://www.eastwooddanes.com/SampleMenu.html

Every dog is different, so you have to tweak and adjust, and even your own dog will have different needs according to what time of year it is, condition at the time, etc.

 

[Zoom]

I switched to Nature's Variety duck variety, because I was getting free bags of it. I love this food, it's cleared up some issues that had cropped up on the original EVO formula (excess shedding and urine burns in the grass). This week though, we've been doing RAW and I've never seen Sawyer so excited about meal times! His coat is already looking a bit better and given that I haven't brushed him in...awhile...that's saying something.

 

[roytheboy]

I also feed raw, chicken carcasses, wings and necks , lamb necks and ribs, pet mince and tripe from my local butcher , this forms the basis of their diet.
To this I add, eggs, cheese, offal and finely minced raw veg and fruit. Fish like mackerel, trout or salmon heads when I can get them. Also supplement with tinned tuna or pilchards. Powdered kelp, glucosamine, salmon oil added as well
Any left over steamed veg is also mixed.
If you have a freezer and a local supplier it can work out pretty cheap as well
Go chat up your butchers and try it out , you won't be disappointed

 

[monkeys23]

I would love to do raw at some point... just don't have the freezer space right now.

I rotate all three kinds of Evo and sometimes add a spoonfull of on of the Evo 95% canned, Instinct rabbit or lamb, or Merrick buffalo BG canned as a treat. She gets raw bones and stuff on a regular basis as well. The entire foreleg of a deer went over great.
Usually somewhere between a 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup at each kibble mealtime, depending on activity and snacks that day. So between 1 to 1 1/3 cup of kibble a day. She does so well on Evo I've never even tried any other grain free dog food. I shudder to think how much she would shed on lower quality food.

 

[Jessica]

Becareful of dog food which is high in protien. English mastiffs should be at about 23% protein. I believe EVO is about 43%...way too high! The regular Innova is about 26% which is ok. I had my Mastiff on that for a while, and he did better but still very gassy. I'm trying a new food right now, and will report anything new. Higher protein foods are really for smaller high energy dogs. Higher protein foods also cause excess (i say excess because they will always have gas) gas, and the big D.

 

[Jessica]

Becareful of dog food which is high in protien. English mastiffs should be at about 23% protein. I believe EVO is about 43%...way too high! The regular Innova is about 26% which is ok. I had my Mastiff on that for a while, and he did better but still very gassy. I'm trying a new food right now, and will report anything new. Higher protein foods are really for smaller high energy dogs. Higher protein foods also cause excess (i say excess because they will always have gas) gas, and the big D.

Update: Still doing great on the 4Health! Less Gas!!!

 

[Tailcreek]

Becareful of dog food which is high in protien. English mastiffs should be at about 23% protein. I believe EVO is about 43%...way too high! The regular Innova is about 26% which is ok. I had my Mastiff on that for a while, and he did better but still very gassy. I'm trying a new food right now, and will report anything new. Higher protein foods are really for smaller high energy dogs. Higher protein foods also cause excess (i say excess because they will always have gas) gas, and the big D.

It is a common misconception that feeding a large/giant breed dog a high protein diet will cause growth issues.

What will cause growth problems is a diet with an unbalanced ratio of calcium to phosphorus. The ideal ratio is 1.2 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorus. Low calcium diets can result in skeletal deformaties often diagnosed as ricketts. Excess calcium in the diet is known to contribute to bone problems in young rapidly growing dogs including hip and elbow dysplasia, OCD and HOD.

Protien provides our dogs with the basic building blocks of a health body, supplying amino acids, energy and supporting the immune system. Protien deficiencies will result in a rough dull coat, weakened immune system, skin disease, allergies and reduced appetite.


Jennifer
www.tailcreekmastifs.com

 

[moose]

bump, I was going to start a what we feed thread but we already have one, so lets add to this one

I would LOVE to feed my dogs raw, and I might be able to switch here soon but for now moose is on TOTW pacific stream

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

Thanks this post has been a great one to re-read! We currently feed Acana Pacifica and Wild Prairie and are having great success with it.

 

[Enzos Dad]

We have finally settled on TOTW pacific stream and My EM is doing great on it.

 

[ElJayBee]

I've fed different things over the years. When I first started paying attention to what was in dog food, I started out with Nutro and then decided that it wasn't good enough quality for what I was paying for it. Not soon after, the big recall happened and then it seemed they went up on the price. Thankfully I had switched by then. I had acquired another dog by that time who I discovered to have food allergies. So I began buying Purina Pro Plan Selects Salmon formula. Then my pet store began carrying Natural Balance, so I switched to it - the Sweet Potato and Salmon. I used it for quite some time with pretty good results. Then the local pet store close to me began to sell TOTW. I was excited and immediately switched all my dogs to the Pacific Stream formula of TOTW. I noticed a big improvement in their coats, energy, and stool. I've been very satisfied with TOTW. Last year tho, when I began working my dogs, I wanted a higher calorie food, so I decided to try EVO Herring and Salmon. There was a very slight increase in coat quality, stool quality, and energy, but nothing major. After feeding this to them for almost a year now, I've decided that the extra $20 a bag for EVO versus TOTW is not worth it. EVO is over $65 for a 28.6 pound bag and TOTW is about $45 for a 30 pound bag. Plus the store that i used to buy the EVO from quit carrying it, so now I have to special-order it and they can't always get it for me in time. SO I'm going back to TOTW.

 

[Takoda]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum glad i found it I just go a couple of weeks ago a French/ Bull Mastiff and he was on Pedagree food dry.... I dont like that food a I changed his food to Acana Lamb & Apple Canadian made I see others are using the same line of food i feed him now around 5 cups a day and he weighs 109 ibs any input on the amounts or if i should give some meat? he is quite active we live near a forest so he runs a couple times a day and then a walk any advise would be great thanks

One more question any info on ears i think he might have ear mites have read up on it and tried homeopathic stuff not working any advise he is going to the vet wed but would is this common for this breed?

 

[sunbear]

We use Loyall brand adult maintenance for our EM pups. I get it at Murdoch's or other feed stores. It is by far the best we have found so far. Nike has a sensitive stomach and this does not give her runs or tummy aches. Moose can eat just about anything and not be fazed (Nutro however made him sick). We did have them on the puppy for the first 6 months and they transitioned easily.
Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 21% MIN Vitamin E: 50 IU/kg MIN Crude Fat: 14% MIN *Omega-3 Fatty Acids: 0.3% MIN Crude Fiber: 3% MAX *Omega-6 Fatty Acids: 2.2% MIN Moisture: 9% MAX *Glucosamine: 400 mg/kg MIN Calcium 0.9 % MIN Calorie: 3521 kcal/kg (345 kcal/cup) Phosphorus: 0.7% MIN Calculated Metabolizable Energy

We also like the Lamb & Rice formula for them...