What Kind Of Food Do You Feed Your Dog

[Tombo]

What brand of food do you feed your dobberman?

I feed my dobberman Royal canin Natural Blend..:)

[Alicia S]

We have Magnum on the same food. We just switched him to it. So far so good, he's been eating his daily requirement on this food.

[magtie]

yep i have my guy on Royal Canine too

[aden]

There are several great foods you can choose from and they don't contain byproducts. Look for an all natural food that has meat as the first ingredient and does not contain animal byproducts or ground corn, which is hard to digest and nothing more than a filler. Some great brands are Nutria Max, Natural Choice, Ultra, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack, Solid Gold and that's just a few that are out there.

[aden]

I suggest you that 'Beneful' is awful food....but.. not good for your puppy.So i would suggest people to go in for natural ,home made foods like meat.. so here we will no the quality of food instead of buying in some shops.....

[Rich S]

I think if you go by the rule, "you pay for what you get", you will find the better dog foods are the ones that cost more. I have never seen a cheaper food that is good quality. If someone can prove me wrong on that one, please do.

[Asad]

I don't have a Dog coz I have no time to spend with it. But.. my cousin has one and I like his dog.

However.. Coming to the topic, Her Doberman eats whatever he finds in the kitchen.. lolzz.. :D

[Kenny R]

Maggie is on the BARF diet. Yummmmy!!

[magtie]

Maggie is on the BARF diet. Yummmmy!!

How much time are you spending on preparation each day/week?

[aden]

Diet will play a key role in the health of the Doberman as it does in all breeds. A premium quality food is essential for optimum health. It should be pointed out that the sub-standard foods such as those which are available in the grocery stores should not be fed. The main ingredient in those foods is a grain such as wheat, soybean or corn.

[roses]

I have fed canidae primarily for years to my Doberman and they have done well on it. The brand of food really does not matter. Feed your doberman with food which has a proper balance of protein, carbohydrates, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals that match the breed specific nutritional requirements.

[Rich S]

I'm curious to know if anyone here just feeds their Doberman table scraps? People use to do this quite often.

[roses]

Exactly aden Diet plays a key role in the health of a doberman or any dog. I feed my doberman puppies with a good dog brand food "Go! Natural". Go natural grain free is very good because it is an excellent dog food for dogs of all life stages. My puppy is already looking amazing after only a month of this food.

[Rich S]

Maggie is on the BARF diet. Yummmmy!!

I've done some research on the BARF diet. How do you find it for Maggie?

[Tombo]

Maggie is on the BARF diet. Yummmmy!!

Yes i would like to know as well how much you pay for prep.. :D

[DobieDober]

Sorry, what's the BARF diet? Sounds kinda yucky :D

[Rich S]

BARF is an acronym for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food and also for Bones And Raw Food. It is a diet that contains no fillers, chemicals, colouring, preservatives, heat processing or grains. Instead, it consists of raw bones, meat, and veggies. Some people also add vitamins and other supplements to the diet.

[BlueDobeGroup]

I'm wondering what kind of cost it would be to feed our Dobes the BARF diet. I do like the sounds of it though.

[abrahamk]

Consistency is important. Changing a Doberman’s food suddenly will cause an upset tummy and likely some diarrhea. Buying whatever is on sale at the supermarket is a harmful habit.When choosing a commercial food, it should be specific for your Doberman’s age. Dogs in different age groups (puppy, adult, and senior) have very different needs.

[abrahamk]

The subject of dog vitamin and mineral supplements is fraught with confusing and unsupported information, more so even than the subject of dog food; this will not likely change anytime soon. Look at the countless theories and philosophies surrounding vitamin and mineral supplements for people!

[abrahamk]

Your options are a raw diet, which is one of the greatest diets for dogs. Raw really means nothing cooked; meat, bones and organs. This is not to be confused with allowing your dog to eat
cooked bones, cooked bones are harmful, raw bones are not. This is the dog’s ancestral diet. If you think a dog
should not be eating raw meat, go back and study wolves. Ask yourself what year was dog food made and then how long have dogs been around without our help of over processed dog food and gravy.

[tomc]

My dog 'Murphy' is a good boy and eats whatever is on offer in the supermarket (e.g. buy 1 get 1 free), plus leftovers from what ever we are having for dinner - he isn't fussy, but my cat 'Princess' is fussy and will only eat Tesco own make chunks in gravy pouches, anything else and he will not eat it, just leaves it in his bowl and meows at you until you get him what he wants!! We even tried Tesco own make chunks in gravy from a tin, but he knew the difference and wouldn't eat it! At least it is cheap I suppose! Lol!

[luvmydobie]

I was feeding mine Blue Buffalo, but since he has been diagnosed with a low thyroid, I switched him to a "grain-free" diet. He now gets Taste of the Wild and LOVES it. It is made from Bison & Venison and is doing wonders for getting the shine back in his coat!!;)

[dOzerSon06]

we feed our 2 year old doberman eukanuba, what are your guys thoughts on that? ive heard mixed reviews on eukanuba. if i do end up switching, any suggestions?

[jelly8bean]

I feed eukanuba.. have been for decades of dogs. And they have all done wonderfully on it. I know that dogs need a healthy diet, but raw is not on my menu and I'm not going to home cook meals either. Eukanuba fits my budget and as I said my dogs thrive, shinny coats, good tone, long lives etc.

[lab1dobie]

We feed our pups Pedigree Large Breed and assorted treats including Natural Blend Lamb and Rice. We have used Iams and Professional in the past.

[1der_girl]

I feed both of my dogs Eagle Pack Holistic Select- Large Breed Puppy for Deja, and Senior Care for Willow. We get the E.P. Holistic treats, too- both dogs LOVE the duck one.
I had previously tried many different brands, and always incountered a problem- Nutro (wouldn't eat it), Royal Canin (itchy skin), Bil-jac (soft stools) and Best Breed (was eating 8 cups a day!) just to name a few. E.P. is the first one that hasn't caused any problems for us, and after all of the pet food recalls, knowing that they use all human grade stuff makes me feel better :)

[dtalsma]

I have fed BARF for years. It does take a little time once a month to bag up each days meal. I keep them in the freezer and let them thaw for a day before feeding.I won't go into the supplements now, but on this diet my dogs have smaller les smelly stools no allergies shiny coats ( I used to breed collies) and never have to clean their teeth. In the past I have fed the different types of Solid Gold. I have spoken personally with Sissy many times over the years and she really has your dogs best health in mind. She even has a dry food you supplement with raw meat making it a little easier.

[Rich S]

I have fed BARF for years. It does take a little time once a month to bag up each days meal. I keep them in the freezer and let them thaw for a day before feeding.I won't go into the supplements now, but on this diet my dogs have smaller les smelly stools no allergies shiny coats ( I used to breed collies) and never have to clean their teeth. In the past I have fed the different types of Solid Gold. I have spoken personally with Sissy many times over the years and she really has your dogs best health in mind. She even has a dry food you supplement with raw meat making it a little easier.

I'm curious what the BARF costs you a month. I've noticed our dog food keeps going up in price and we're starting to lean more towards the BARF diet.

[dtalsma]

I spend 3 to 4 dollars a day including supplements

[Big Red Machine]

I spend 3 to 4 dollars a day including supplements

That is about the going rate for a top quality bag of dog food.

[hugosmommy]

Innova health weight managment lamb and rice both my hugo and blondie<a yellow labbie> enjoy this food and it makes their coats look great

[RedDobeLuvr]

My Dobe has been eating Beneful from day one. That's what the breeder fed her litter, so I kept on with that. Recently, however, I wanted to switch to something better. I tried "Wellness." My Dobe has a rather sensitive stomach, so I switched her over very slowly. But after a week, she refused to eat any of the "Wellness" food. She has always been a good eater. So, I knew something was wrong when she started spitting out her food and picking the Beneful out to eat only. I ended up throwing the rest of the new food away. She loves her Beneful. My only minor concern is that she now has regular gas. This was never an issue prior to me attempting to switch her food. Not sure what happened. I would like to get her on a more natural, healthy dry food.... any suggestions of a food that she may find more tasty?

[jelly8bean]

Hey .. we had another thread on this before. All three of my dogs have silent but deadly emissions if they eat incorrectly. I don't do any kind of leftover or treat except liver and jerky (meats) and I add a tablespoon of yogurt to breakfast a couple of times a week. I started doing it because of the comericals on regularity for people, I figured it might work for dogs too. Mine love the yogurt and it has seemed to improve the atmosphere. Others feel that any dairy is not going to help.

[Jeff]

I have been feeding Sita California Natural for about a year andshe does very well with it. It is more expensive than a lot of brands but it takes less to feed per meal. Highly recommended.

[EdwardVonZero]

I started Zero on Blue Buffalo Large Breed Puppy, he did HORRIBLE on it... Then I switched to Nature's Recipe, and he did well on it, but he didn't like it, he would only eat a little at a time...

Then I switched him to the Costco brand dog food... Kirkland Signature.. He LOVES it!! Eats his whole bowl in one sitting, and sniffs for more =)

[Dizzy0427]

I feed my girl Purina's Pro Plan, sensitive skin and stomach. She also gets 2 spoonfulls of pro plan canned in the morning (for taste) along with vitamin c, e, calcium and fish oil...only in the mornings.

I was previously feeding Beneful Healthy Radiance. She had such terrible gas that I took her to the vet!! LOL. Turns out she just has a sensitive stomach. She also had some flaking issues, until I switched, and added the fish oil. Now she looks good, and is putting on some weight, too. I dont have to feed her as much on the Pro Plan as I did Beneful.

I looked into the Wellness and Innova diets, and I have to admit I was impressed. But that is waaaay out of my price range! 60 dollars a bag!! yikes!

[Dizzy0427]

I started Zero on Blue Buffalo Large Breed Puppy, he did HORRIBLE on it... Then I switched to Nature's Recipe, and he did well on it, but he didn't like it, he would only eat a little at a time...

Then I switched him to the Costco brand dog food... Kirkland Signature.. He LOVES it!! Eats his whole bowl in one sitting, and sniffs for more =)

did you know that Diamond Dog food makes Kirkland? That is Diamond's top of the line kibble!!

[DynamicDuo]

Okay, this is going to sound weird but, I was advised by my breeder to not feed my dog a high end, high protein diet. So I listened, then I tried some high end stuff. My dog flat out would not eat it. And no matter what I tried, even over time, she always had horrible gas and loose stools. So I was telling my friend who has labs and she had the same problem, then she switched to Purina Dog Chow and the dogs were good to go. Sooooooooo, I switched to plain ole' Dog Chow and canned Pedigree Chicken and Rice and have not had problems since.

I equate it to : ya know how sometimes you go out to a nice, high end restaurant??? - then you get stomach pains, etc... because the food was so rich? Maybe my dogs have the same issue!!??

Anyways along with their Chow, I add an egg once a week, some cottage cheese, and sometimes plain ol yogurt.

They seem happy, look great, and their poop is easy to scoop up.

[MLR]

I've got a question about the barf diet and it being all raw meat. Most slaughter houses aren't the cleanest places and a lot of cows, in particular, have parasites (can't think of the name for this parasite right now) so how do you do you avoid passing this on to dogs when feeding this raw meat to them??

[Rich S]

I've got a question about the barf diet and it being all raw meat. Most slaughter houses aren't the cleanest places and a lot of cows, in particular, have parasites (can't think of the name for this parasite right now) so how do you do you avoid passing this on to dogs when feeding this raw meat to them??

I think the parasite you may be thinking of is toxoplasmosis, the most dangerous parasite in raw meat.

[MLR]

Rich S or Anyone,

That's the same parasite women who are pregnant are advised against cleaning cat litter pans or they could contract it which can harm their unborn fetus isn't it? So how would this raw meat formula not do the same thing to a dog, expecially a pregnant one?

There is another parasite in raw meat besides ecoli and the one you mentioned. I believe it's called a fluke(?). These are almost invisible thready white things which can grow in the body of any other animal which ingests this infected meat.

My other concern with raw meat would be all the hormones they pump into domestic farm bred produce. I've had breast cancer and it was directly caused by taking replacement female hormones; i.e. progesterone and estragen. I've been on hormone surpression drugs for several years now and my OBGYN recently pointed out to me that I was still getting hormones if I was eating any kind of meat, even cooked.

I truly don't have all the answers to this question of what is best to feed dogs but I don't think I would feed raw or cooked meat in any large quanity to my dogs knowing what I know about what's in it. In theory what everyone in favor of this is saying is right but not with using mass produced meat. It would have from free range animals to be safe as far as I'm concerned.

Mary Lou

[triplecminis]

I feed only science diet large breed puppy.. both my pups are 7 months old and they are also given pet tabs and Lean treats large breed.

[Kzoo]

I feed my 5 1\2 month old Nutro Max large breed puppy kibble...

[MLR]

Hi Kazoo,

I live in Battle Creek. Are you anywhere near that area? If so, where did you find the Nutro Max dog food? I'm sure I've never seen it anywhere around BC. How much is it for the big, 37.5 lb, bag??

Mary Lou

[Kzoo]

Hi Mary Lou

Kalamazoo is about 15min. East of BC. Not far at all. We go to Vet Clinic in BC. I got the food from Discount Pet Supplies in Kzoo, but might be one in your area. I paid 30.00$ for a 35# bag.

P.S.
You wouldn't happen to be a member of the DPCA?

[MLR]

What is DPCA? No I'm not a member of whatever that is. I'm a retired maintenance worker/now a landlord.

You can send me a private message if you want to. I'm trying to figure out this site and think I added you as a friend but I'm also new to computers so I'm not sure I got it right.

We used to have a Discount Pet in Battle Creek but it closed. I loved that store because I could take my dobes in and walk them around for socializing. Plus they always gave them free samples to try before I ended up buying some treat they really didnt like and finding that out after we got home.

Where in Kalamazoo is the Discount Pet Store. I'm not good with I94 but I can manage if the directions aren't too complicated.

Mary Lou

[Kzoo]

DPCA= Doberman Pinscher Club of America, I was looking to become a member but I have to find two other members to fill out a survey...

(The pet store) http://www.petsuppliesplus.com/index.html

[MLR]

Hi Kzoo,

Sorry, I figured out what the initials DPCA stood for after I responded.

No, I'm not a member but would be interested in joining also.

I'm still having trouble adding you as a friend; sent an email to the admisistrator's last night. Hope to get this straightened out soon.

I use Dickman Vet Clinic. Is that the one you use? Maybe I'm wrong but I thought the ear crop looked familiar. I love their work.

Thanks for the link to the pet supplies.

Mary Lou

[Kzoo]

Yup that's our vet... they were the only people in the area that does ear cropping so I didn't have much of a choice, plus I was refered to them by my breeder. Did Philip VanVranken do your dobes eras too? he did mine, he's a good guy and did a good job on my dogs ears. It's about a 20 min drive from my house, I have vets all around me but I choose to go to Dickman road cause my dog is so use to them, so I don't mind the drive...

[MLR]

Hi Kzoo,

Yes, Pete VanVranken did both my dobes ears. He's the main owner of this clinic and established it. He's the only one in this area who will touch ear cropping but he's really quite amazing and artistic at what he does. Your breeder didn't steer you wrong. I've been using Dickman as my vet for about 30 years; about as long as they've been open. I've tried a few others a couple of times but always come back to them. They have so many good doctors on staff and if one doesn't know what the problem is another one will. Except for the ears, though, I usually try to request Jim Baren. The one thing they do that I don't care for is rotate who you see if you don't specify. Jim won't take same day emergency call-ins but if it's just routine and you want to set it up for a day or week away like for shots and he's scheduled for that day that's who you see. It's not that I don't like each and every one of them, it's just that I feel that my animals get better care by seeing the same vet each trip.

Just out of curiosity, who was your breeder? Your dobe looks amazingly like my male, Hercules. I thought I was seeing twins when I looked at your pictures. (Maybe it's just the ear crop.) I don't have a scanner that will work on this old Windows 98 computer or I'd post pics of mine. But, I'm working on that.

Mary Lou

[Kzoo]

I got my dobe from Colon, Michigan... the breeders were Raymond and Barbra Yoder

[MLR]

It must be the cropping then because I got mine from a breeder here in Battle Creek. But they sure do look a lot alike.

Mary Lou

[nayfaz]

I am a new doberman owner, have a 16 week old girl - I have continued her on Solid Gold - Wolf Cub, which is what the breeder had her on. My issue is that she has not had a solid stool for the last 3 weeks. She has been to the vet twice, no issues - parvo test negative, blood tests ok, up to date on all shots.....suggestions??

[Rich S]

I am a new doberman owner, have a 16 week old girl - I have continued her on Solid Gold - Wolf Cub, which is what the breeder had her on. My issue is that she has not had a solid stool for the last 3 weeks. She has been to the vet twice, no issues - parvo test negative, blood tests ok, up to date on all shots.....suggestions??

I would try switching her to a different high quality food. I bet you a million dollars that will fix the issue.

By the way I don't have a million dollars.

[ScreamNdemon]

I feed Purina Hi pro.

[triplecminis]

If youre still seeing loose stools take your pup in and have a Giardia test done... it can cause bad diarrhea and bad gas and is very hard to treat...

[ScreamNdemon]

Also have it checked for coccidiosis.

[triplecminis]

good call Screamndeamon if you know something is not quite right don't give up till you get an answer.... I could have lost my boy if I had not paid attention to his loose stools
actually explosive diarreah that was a little hard to over look....

[ScreamNdemon]

Thanks. When my dobe and chiwawa both had parvo we thought it was a severe case of Coccidiosis. It mimics parvo very close. After a day or two of being sick they started having a high metallic smell in their stool and that's how we knew it was parvo.

[triplecminis]

loved the spelling I looked at it and went what kind of dog is that..... LOL did you pull both your dogs thru the parvo???

[ScreamNdemon]

Yea it was hard, very hard work but they made it fine. If you can beat the dehydration their chances are very good. The people @ wolf creek ranch through their website helped a lot. When we first got Levi (Chiwawa) I didn't know how to spell it so I googled it. There was a terrible way to spell it and an easy way lol!

[triplecminis]

Well I am very happy to hear they both made it... I heard some dogs who had all three series on their parvo shots were coming up positive anyway so I was so scared when I first got mine...but they did real good

[Slaboflab]

my labs eat royal canin labrador 30.

[Kane08]

Hey, I was reading thru the threads and I read a post about someone putting fish oil in the food for flaky skin??? Does that really work? Kane does seem to have a mild case of dandruff...I didnt know there was anything I could do for it. Is the fish oil in pill form? Is is very expensive? Also, in another post I think Jellybean said Nutro Bug Dog wasnt that good of a dog food.I thought it was..I would be afraid to change it though because of Kanes sesitive stomach..:confused:

[DynamicDuo]

I recently switched to this food and it has helped with their gas and dry skin. It has salmon in it. My younger dog gets dandruff in the dry winter time, like now. I mentioned before I just fed Dog Chow but again they developed horrible gas from it. So far, so good on the Pro Plan, not that costly either.

[jelly8bean]

Lots of times the dog food can cause dandruff thru either the lack of proper ingredients, or allergies. You need to kind of decide how you are going to approach the whole dog food discussion. The biggest thing under fire is the amount of meat vs other in the dog food. The primary thought is that the corn is a filler and it is not easily digested by dogs, so it should not be in good food. There is a whole bunch of foods that are sweet potato bases and rice bases to offset that corn issue. I kind of feel that you have to go with what works for your dog. If they have a bad reaction, something will crop up that will let you know - shedding, poop, gas, eye goobers, dandruff - whatever. Then you try something else till you find one that is good for you and your dog. I do supplement though with a good multivitamin from the vet.

Here is a listing of foods not to feed your dog...
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1659&aid=1030

Fish oil is recommended as a source of Omega 3 fatty acids and you can do either vet stuff (3V Skin Formula, 3V HP (high-potency) and Welactin) or you can go to Walmart and get fish oil in the vitamin section(cod liver oil is not the same) . Just be sure it is from a reputable source.

[ScreamNdemon]

Apollo had a bout with dandruff and I changed his food to purina hi pro and it went away.

[DynamicDuo]

If they have a bad reaction, something will crop up that will let you know - shedding, poop, gas, eye goobers, dandruff - whatever.

I never realized eye goobers could come from allergies, makes sense though!

[triplecminis]

interesting note..... I just switched from sciene diet large breed puppy... it had alot of fish oil in it and I know that is good for mental growth in pups but I put them on Iams large breed puppy because of one of my dogs have some flakey skin and it seems to have inproved and they are less gassy and it is less offensive... my vet said to feed it out for about a couple of months then switch them back to science diet and see what happens... anyone have any suggestions on the reasons why.... actually the gassy smell was pretty bad with the science diet...so I really like the Iams...

[tinat2004]

My 8 week old male has been on Beneful puppy food for a week and he loves it, but the vet suggests we switch him to high quality adult food, like Science. Does anyone also recommend science?

[jelly8bean]

Science Diet is not a generally highly thought of food due to the indigestible fillers, but alot depends on what you are looking for. Ask the vet specifically what he thinks Rocky needs .. calcium/protein etc. and then start looking at labels. The first 5 ingredients will help you decide, many of the analysis charts include what is in the food, but not all of what is in the food is in a usable form for dogs. So a high protein in the analysis table may be driven by some ingredient that is not digestible by the dog. There is alot of controversy about dog foods and due to Rocky's special needs you want to be sure while he is young that you give him the right stuff.

[MECHANIC]

Nikki Lee gets IAMS Proactive Smart Puppy large breed and a big can of Petigree ground dinner.....

[apollo]

Apollo eats Blue Buffalo he loves it.

[tnsteelerfan]

we had brody on evo but it was way to rich and caused major diarrea switched to nutro for sensitive stomach and he is doing great and no gas!!!

[Lauregen]

I have had my dogs on a raw food diet for a decade and a half. I know this is a healthy diet because in this time I've only had one dog die at 16 years old. All others are healthy and have no problems.

Laura

[Lauregen]

In selecting a food I've always many articles about food suggest that the first two ingredients I need food list (ingredient list) should be real meat sources such as beef, venison, lamb, etc. There should be no meat byproducts because byproducts are things such antlers with little or no nutritional value.
For those feeding Iams and I strongly suggest you look at the list of ingredients on the bag. These foods are not considered who would ones. No foods should be chemical names. All should be easily understandable such as: alfalfa, or avocado.

[Courtney]

The thing about low quality foods is that they're full of fillers. A dog eating a food such as Beneful or Eukanuba will go through a 60lb bag faster than a dog working on a 40lb bag of Wellness or Orijen. The reason being: A high quality food has less fillers and more ingredients that the dog's body can actually use. As a result, they have to eat less to feel full and in turn, they make less doggy piles in the yard.

Food with fish oil (salmon especially) will create smellier gas and feces. If you're using fish oil to create shine in the coat, try flaxseed oil. Empty a capsule over the kibble once or twice a week and watch. It will do the same thing for the coat, without the rank bodily functions.

For dogs with sensitive stomachs, try a limited ingredient food with duck and oatmeal. Both ingredients are proven gentle on the stomach. One of my favorite foods for my animals (hedgehogs who eat cat food) is Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet Duck and Green Pea kibble. One of my animals had such a sensitive stomach that she would have constantly runny poop, mucous, vomit and blood in her stool. After a few days of feeding this, all her health issues stopped. Granted, it may not be the same for a dog as it is for a teeny-tiny hedgehog... but it's worth a shot.

If the facts weren't enough, remember that pet food recall last year? Take a look at the foods that were on the list - all grocery store brands. There's a reason that the high-quality, holistic foods are rarely on such lists. Companies that manufacture foods like Iams cut corners and allow bad things to happen. Melamine in the kibble was an easily avoided mistake that cost thousands, if not millions, of pets their lives.

[bulletman]

Been using royal canin, but switching to Orijen at 9 weeks old. Everything i read says foods containing grains are not as good as grain free foods. Corn is for cows not dogs. Orijen has 7 kinds of meat and also potatoes and other veggies. good food is essential when they are puppies. Has anyone heard bad things about Orijen?

[Rich S]

Been using royal canin, but switching to Orijen at 9 weeks old. Everything i read says foods containing grains are not as good as grain free foods. Corn is for cows not dogs. Orijen has 7 kinds of meat and also potatoes and other veggies. good food is essential when they are puppies. Has anyone heard bad things about Orijen?

That's what we have Magnum on now. We, and more importantly he, love it!

We've had a lot issues getting him to eat. This the only food that he seems to enjoy. His coat looks great and good Bowel movements as well.

[Big Dogs]

Asking what kind of dog food people use and there preference is like asking what brand of vehicle they like. I would look for a low protein good quality food. There is a nutrition study that was done by Penn State University School of Veterinary Medicine that is pretty informative.

[Cinammo]

I feed Fromm Classic Gold for Large Breed Puppies. I feed Fromm Surf and Turf to my 2 minature doxies. This food has greatly improved my blue doxies genetic disease, Color Dilution Alopecia. She had a lot of hair loss and once started on this she re-grew a lot of hair. I haven't decided what I will feed my dobie once he gets out of the puppy food.

[violator]

wainright for large breed dogs, dino been outta puppy food for a good while now.

[tnsteelerfan]

Brody is on nutro large puppy food. doing great.

[Dobs4ever]

After all the dog food recalls the past couple years I now feed Life Abundance. All human grade ingredients and all American ingredients. You may PM me if you would like more info.

[tidibole]

I think if you go by the rule, "you pay for what you get", you will find the better dog foods are the ones that cost more. I have never seen a cheaper food that is good quality. If someone can prove me wrong on that one, please do.I not only have had dobermans for the past 30 years but also Weimaraners for the past 10..About 3 years ago I started feeding Sportmix 26% Protein and 18% Fat (containing the 3 Omegas and a natural preservative) ..I switched to this food largely due to the Weims not maintaining proper weight. Of course the Dobes are on it as well and am extremely pleased with the results for both breeds. I have one very picky (Dobe) eater who I was trying ANYTHING with and I mean anything, Satin Ball,s begging, etc. I do at this point also ad NuPro to his diet as it is harked at stimulating the diet. I have seen satisfactory results from both the food and the additive on my dogs. They have beautiful coats, are shown in the conformation ring, minimal stool and basically I am very pleased with the results. The best of all is simply that I am able to purchase 50% for $21.00. i do on occassion add fish oil tablets, etc

[Dobs4ever]

I have always feed a quality dog food but after the past two years of dog food recalls and scares I now feed a dog food called Life Abundance. All ingredients are human grade, no by-products, corn, fillers or perservatives. All ingredients come from AMERICA. It is a kibble so easy to feed and one of the side benefits is no loose stools. You will find a link on my web site if anyone wants to check it out.

[fritz'mom]

.About 3 years ago I started feeding Sportmix 26% Protein and 18% Fat (containing the 3 Omegas and a natural preservative) .., etc

This is the same brand we feed to our Dobe. The only difference is we use the 24% protein and 20% fat. It's the black bag. We have had great results! Our boy also has had a hard time holding weight and he has really picked up since switching to this brand. Good firm stools also.

[Rhiannon]

We have currently switched to Native Dog food. You can google them. We have tried several dog foods over the years and our show dogs are doing absolutely great on it. No corn, no wheat, no soy. So by products or chemical preservatives. It is specifically formulated for the working breed. They have four levels including puppy formula. Made by the Kent Company.

[tidibole]

Anyone had an expereince with the PMI brand of dog foods?

[Dobs4ever]

Tidibole - if you mean Exclusive chicken and rice I fed it for two years. The thing I alsways struggle with is good firm stools. I try to stay within certain guidelines and look for quality not necessarily price but I also think that some foods are way overpriced for what you get. While at Natls in Topeka -Shrock was off food and I got samples everyday of Purina Shreded mix which has been taken off the market becasue he would eat it. The stink. At that point with showing I was desperate for him to eat and for some reason that appealed to him. See Dogs have no cue. He can't read the darn label so to him it tasted good. Dogs are all about smell not nutrition.

[tidibole]

Don't forget the importance of SportsMix in your STOOL regime..I can't begin to tell you how happy I am with the product. However, I just found out that the it has gone up $4.00 per 50# which does not make me a HAppy Camper...But still well worth it!!!

[DRLittlechickbigdiesel]

my doberman was losing weight and looked so terrible! i switched to Bil-Jac foods, they loved it! he hates dry food but i had to slow him down so he wouldnt bloat on this stuff! he scarfed it! he's also on a can of eukanuba wet food chicken and rice a day. his weight is going back up and his coat looks amazing. i just recently put him on "missing link" and derma coat supplements as well as a vitamin C supplement and a joint supplement for both him and my 8 month old pup. after switching, the pup grew 2 inches and her coat is so shiny! they have more contained energy, meaning they arent bouncing off the walls and learn better but they still are more peppy than usual. i've tried every food on the market . bil-jac works. i hated purina foods (which i swear by for my horses) and i hated pedigree foods. they are the reason he looked so terrible. i will never feed those again.

[tidibole]

my doberman was losing weight and looked so terrible! i switched to Bil-Jac foods, they loved it! he hates dry food but i had to slow him down so he wouldnt bloat on this stuff! he scarfed it! he's also on a can of eukanuba wet food chicken and rice a day. his weight is going back up and his coat looks amazing. i just recently put him on "missing link" and derma coat supplements as well as a vitamin C supplement and a joint supplement for both him and my 8 month old pup. after switching, the pup grew 2 inches and her coat is so shiny! they have more contained energy, meaning they arent bouncing off the walls and learn better but they still are more peppy than usual. i've tried every food on the market . bil-jac works. i hated purina foods (which i swear by for my horses) and i hated pedigree foods. they are the reason he looked so terrible. i will never feed those again.I have fed SportMix High Energy for the past 3 years. It is 26% protein and 18% fat. The kernels are the size of peas and I feel are better for ultimate digestion. My primary reason for switching to this was simply as you stated, my Weims lost weight. I put the dobes and the Weims on it and had fantastic results. The Weims maintained weight, coat and excellent stool. I have several older dogs inc a 13 year old dobe who also benefitted dreamitically from the swith. since I exhibit both breeds occassionally coat and condition are of the utmost. I currently include NuPro (NuPro.com) supplement with one of the boys (he is just not food driven) and have seen wonderful results with that as well. It is a liver based powder additive, when mixed with hot water makes a gravy that is full of vitamins, minerals. My friends have used ShowStopper with less results than I have obtained on my product. But like everything, one must do what works for them.

[maryralph]

ralph eats homemade food with a bit of kibble mixed in, every week I cook up rice (natural) meat ( beef, pork, chicken or turkey) with carrots and peas, she gets this evryday supplemented with liver treats, (liver & egg bit of flour) , she is 12 1/2 her coat is great nice and shiney and her weight is good, we were worried that she was diabetic and cut out all store doggie treats except denti bones once a week. b She has been eating her rice mixture for about 5 years now, kibble is only about 1/2 a cup.
Works for me !

[Dobs4ever]

I used to feed half and half also - I cooked much like you did but added apples, pears, pineapple, green beans, sweet potatos, pumpkin, yogurt, cottage cheese etc. But when on the road for a show I always had a problem having good food convenient without all the sodium. Now I feed Life abundance and my life is so much eaiser.

here is a link to their web site http://4healthypets.com

With all the dog food recalls from commercial mfg and the changes in formulas companies do without telling you I switched and love it.

[maryralph]

funny while I was reading your list of food, I laughed as there is nothing Ralph wont eat with the exception of raw mushrooms and lettuce, she absolutely thinks all other food is for her, and loves tomatoes, she evn scarfs down her liver treats with a pill in them with no worries! I do think sometimes that what keeps her healthy and fit for an old dog a good proper balance of nutricious food and of course the occasional item she scarfs down in the back yard. I love cooking for her, I cook enough to last about 4 days and thn we cook again.

TTFN

[Dobs4ever]

Mary that is awesome and I do think that dogs should be exposed to different safe food when very young so they do no think it strange. My puppies get veggies just for the taste because fact is regardless of what you feed sometimes you might need to feed something else and I know Shrock looks at all food other than his kibble as STRANGE. I attritute this to the fact he must have only had kibble before coming here.

It is like little children who say I DON"T LIKE THAT - and if they never try it they will develop taste buds later that think it is yukky. My kids at anything and everything. I told them if I fixed it it was because I loved them and it was good for them. They had to eat a teaspoon of everything prepared. They love all veggies, meats etc now as adults.

[RKCM]

Here is a site to evaluate dog foods.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/search.php?cat=5


I've found it helpful. Expensive is not always the best. So many additives etc.

My dogs have always been food driven and will eat anything. I currently feed Diamond Natural and add meat & veggies sometimes.

[kfrosland]

My wife bought me a doberman for my birthday last april, we named her KC. I'm thinking that she doesn't come from the best of breeders, my wife thinks the same thing. My wife has been in the dog show world since she was a kid and she is also an animal control officer in our county, she knows about animals and foods so we aren't a novice at caring for animals by any means.
KC's mother is a fawn and her father is a red. I don't think those two colors should have been bred but I could be wrong. She is such a nice dog. (I had a doberman when I was growing up and have been wanting to get another one for years)
KC is 8 months old, I got her spayed about a month ago, and since then, we had to change her food. We had her on Red Paw dogfood, its a very good food and is wonderful for their coats as well. I don't know if the spaying had anything to do with her intolerance tot he red paw food but we changed her food to Diamond.
I know that some dogs can have sensitive stomachs but I wondered if anyone else has ever had this same problem and if so, what did you do about it and what type of food are you feeding.

Keith

[Dravens]

I doubt the spay had anything to do with it... at least directly, stress can affect a dog and sometimes it shows in their digestion. Dogs can develop sensitivity to an ingredient in a food they have been eating and doing fine on. Some companies also may change either the ingredients or the ratio of ingredients that can affect a dog.

If she is doing well on the diamond (not all diamond foods are descent foods, I would not feed any of them other than the 'naturals' line) you could try putting her back on the old food if you prefer it slowly. If she doesn't do well weaning back to the other food you may want to compare the ingredients on the label with the archive on the site above of that food. They may have change the ingredients or the ratio (look for where an ingredient is listed on the label, they are listed by weight). Another thing you could do is look to see what ingredient(s) are in the old food that now bothers her that isn't in the new food.

Also think back to that time and ask yourself if you added anything new to her diet like a new type of treat that could be at the root of the problem. Treats also change ingredients and ratios.

It can be a long complicated process of trying to determine what ingredient is the problem. Sometimes it turns out it wasn't the food but a treat or a bit of human food that caused the problem, or even stress over something else that was going on at the time (like the spay or moving, changing water supply etc.).

I feed taste of the wild.

[janterra]

Well, I will just jump in here... :) We feed raw at our house. There are so many benefits to a raw diet that kibble just cannot compete with. Just to begin with there is the significantly lesser quantity of stools produced (about a third of kibble from my experience), and the gas thing is virtually non-existent, clean, strong, healthy teeth with no need for dentals, less trip to the vet, softer, shinier coats and less shedding and no dandruff, decrease in doggie smell... I can go on.

I have never had an issue with feeding the diet, I only use common sense and typical proper food handling and storage techniques (just like you do when you handle food for yourself). We have been fortunate enough to have a supplier near us that we can purchase from for less than it would cost us to feed a premium kibble for a month. This provider uses only human grade federally inspected meats and veggies from local sources, so no worries about substandard product here.

It is well worth doing your research on the benefits of feeding a raw diet. That said, not all diets are suitable for all dogs and the dogs health and well being should be considered first and foremost when considering diet (thought I would go as far to say raw would be the closest without significant system complications in the dog).

[lovemyboybeckham]

We were feeding Beckham Science diet lamb and rice large breed puppy food while I was looking into other types of food and he has had very flaky skin and he seems to be very itchy. I am not sure if it has to do with the food, but after reading into things a bit more, I decided to switch his food. We now have him on Orijen Large Breed puppy food and he loves it. It is a bit more expensive but the ingredients in it are much better than science diet. His skin also seems to be clearing up so hopefully the new food is helping!! :)

[JiDia Dobermans]

did you know that Diamond Dog food makes Kirkland? That is Diamond's top of the line kibble!!

Kirkland is good meat #1 and no corn i feed it to my adults and Wellness to my puppies they have went through 160 lbs of Wellness in 9 weeks add that up :rolleyes:

[ScreamNdemon]

I'm on a tight budget, what is a good dog food that wont break the bank?

[jack]

I feed my dobermann a mixture of eukanuba biscuits and vegetables, raw meat and bones.

[Dobs4ever]

When looking for a good dog food there are a few things that can help. I know people who have fed purina and their dogs have done very well. But not for me. If you don't want to break the bank so to speak then here are some guidelines that might help. Learn to read ingredients.

1. First ingredient should be a specific meat meal ex: lamb, chicken, veal, bison, salmon etc not "meat meal" which could be anything.

2. The second ingrdient should be brown rice - no corn and somtimes even soy can cause skin problems.

3. protein content under 24% - Usually what commercial dog food companies do is add things to up the protein content but it is not good - ex: The melamine China was adding to their rice. But other things like chicken feet, feathers, beaks etc. it ups the protein content but is not digestible hence lots of stool.


You can go with these guideline and find a food that works for you. Not every dog food is right for every dog.

I am just not a raw fan. I do know people who havd had major problems with it so it is not for everyone either. But for me traveling with dogs and worrying about keeping raw food fresh and safe is too scarey, too complicated, just too much for me to want to deal with or have to touch.

[ScreamNdemon]

Showtime 27/20.

[Dobs4ever]

If a diet is good and what they are suppose to eat then they should not need a ton of supplements. That just says to me the diet is lacking.

I believe dogs should be healthy naturally - I give very few supplements if any.

Dobermans are far from wolves and I know everyone who buys into the theory that all dogs decended from wolves think that they should eat like wolves. I don't buy that - God created different species for different reasons not all dogs came from wolves.

[dobegirl]

I feed both of my dogs RAW, and have seen great improvements in our rescue from doing this. However, before RAW I fed both TOTW and Orijen Adult (I did not like the 6Fresh Fish).

I'm on a tight budget, what is a good dog food that wont break the bank?

I save between $25-$30 a month feeding RAW. It's a lot easier and more affordable than you would think.

[My Mateese]

What brand of food do you feed your dobberman?

I feed my dobberman Royal canin Natural Blend..:)

I fed Hunter Solid Gold.

[My Mateese]

We have Magnum on the same food. We just switched him to it. So far so good, he's been eating his daily requirement on this food.
This is off the topic of food, but I love the name Magnum,
a freind of mine had two males and she named them Smith
and Wesson

[niko]

When we got Niko he was getting a local food that we couldn't get in our area so we started feeding him blue buffalo which was pretty good but he was shedding horribly and flaking constantly. After doing research we discovered that the Blues tend to have skin and coat issues and need a lot of fish oils. We switched him over to the Taste of the Wild salmon variety and his coat improved and he only flakes when he is super stressed now.

[DLS]

Purina Pro Plan Salmon and Rice.

[trekman]

Just picked up our new family member, 8 week Meka on Saturday. The breeders fed her Blue Buffalo large puppy food. She gobbles it down. Bought a 15 lb bag so that should last a while at a cup a day.
Trekman

[DRLittlechickbigdiesel]

i fed my blue buffalo they hated it, so i switched to natures recipe and wasnt happy.
i now feed Diamond naturals we are trying it so far i love it but i think we are going to eukanubas taste of the wild salmon as we used to feed eukanuba and adored it and i have a ton of coupons :)

Tator and diamond get the dry in the morning and one can of blue buffalo salmon canned food plus a slice or two of pet botanics dog food "log" to keep the fat on tator and bring the shine to diamonds coat. i have heard excellent things from by nature and castor and pollux's Organix as well. im picky about my doggy food

[jonarde]

I have found the articles in the Dog Food section of Consumersearch.com on the internet particularly helpful. Mystery Ingredients are defined and differences between, e.g., "chicken", "chicken meal", "chicken byproducts", "meat byproducts", etc, are discussed, as well as grains and fillers. If one pokes around the internet for dog food reviews, there are several ratings of particular brands, but once you know the general terminology and what to look for and avoid, you can pick a food without worrying about ratings, although you will inevitably end up with one of the higher rated foods. Super Premium (as the good food is called) is expensive, of course, but there are surprising price differences between the Super Premium foods. The labels tell it all and I have found that I can pick a food that meets suggested criteria that isn't the most expensive product in its class. The comments and brands mentioned in this forum are generally consistent with the information provided by the articles on the net.

[kfrosland]

My doberman came from bad breeding. We paid to get her but in my mind it was more like a rescue. One of her parents was fawn, the other one was blue. What a combination and in my mind not a smart pair to breed. Anyway, She is about a year old and gets the diarreha very easily. We have 14 dogs, my wife used to show her miniature long haired dachshunds, she also used to be animal control so we often rescue a lot and TRY to find good homes for them but it never seems to work that way. I just can't believe the price of dog food these days, its ridiculous. The only food that I found that really agrees with her is eukanuba naturally wild salmon and rice (I think thats what its called). Its around 50.00 a bag! We currently have her on NATIVE but I don't think its working out and I may have to switch her back. We are not beginning dog owners by any means so its not an issue of properly switching dog foods, its an issue with her breeding. Anyone have any suggestions for other foods?
Keith

[RKCM]

We feed Diamond Natural, but my dogs don't have problems with coat or eating etc. We put meat and veggies from the garden weekly. If anything, they are too fat on it. We have considered changing but haven't at this point.

You might try adding kelp to her diet, as I suspect you will be having some coat problems.

[kfrosland]

She doesn't really have a soft coat like I would like her to have and she gets the oils she needs for it in her food. I've had dobermans before and although her temperament is like them, her health definitely isn't. We have tried diamond before (although I'm not sure if we tried the natural version) and got very stinky stools from it, but, I may try her on it just to see what it does. Thanks for your input.

[RKCM]

The natural is a better food, but have used original in the past too. Never had problems with it either. Lamb and rice is good too.

We have also fed Science Diet, but my dogs much preferred the Diamond.

Since you work in rescue and have quite a few dogs, you should considering buying in bulk. I've never had that many dogs, so we just buy from the feed store.

[Hall's Dobes]

I fed mine on Eukanuba till just recently when i met one of there reps who told me what was in it ugh! So i have changed them on to a mix that is supplied to the polce K9 division here,which is a gluten free Lamb and rice mix.
It seems to be working perfectly but its still only on trial at the minute with my crew.
But they have rawhide chews and oh they are very partial to a buscuit.
Chris
Vier,Iggy&Jazz

[Shadowlands]

I feed my guys Blue Buffalo Basics.
Excellent for sensitive stomachs and skin and fur is fantastic!

[Paul]

I feed Shiloh Eukanuba since she was a puppy, she looks great, her teeth are healthy and her Coat is perfect, cant complain. At present we are using Chicken and Rice.

[RKCM]

We feed Diamond Natural and we cook for them weekly using beef and fresh veggies. Works for us.

[freeze3kgt]

We fed our Nyx Eukanuba for around 20 months now and her energy and BM's have been great I recently switched her to blue buffalo wildnerness salmon and WOW the difference in her coat was almost instantly noticeable with in the first week of just straight Blue buffalo wildnerness her coat was shining more than if ever did.

I decided to change dog foods because of the recent recalls with salmonella in the eukanuba dog foods and after seeing another doberman on ORIJEN food who's coat was amazing. I felt like i've been feeding my dog muck for the last year now after doing some research on dog food. But i dont have the time to feed her a BARF diet nor the knowledge at the moment.

just my 2 cents but I think for the price of Blue buffalo wilderness salmon compaired to eukanuba its almost the same really, You get less of the Blue but our dog seems to fill up on it faster and eat a lot less than before so the bags are lasting almost the same amount of time. And again her coat is 200% better than it was on the previous dog food.

[Shadowlands]

I do want to let you know that Blue Buffalo has had recent recalls for too high Vitamin D content. Doesn't sound like a big deal but it creates extreme water retention, extreme muscle loss and lethargy. My guys have been on it for years until Zeus got sick to the point we thought we would have to put him down and found it was just his food killing him. Approximately 4 months later, he is off his meds and back to his normal self...after spending $3000.00 to find it was his food.
I used to be a huge advocate for Blue Buffalo, almost losing Zeus was not something I ever want to risk again. This is not to bash Blue Buffalo, this is just to stress the warning signs to look for when using this product.

[nupe]

I feed Buddy...Canadae ALL LIFE STAGES GRAIN FREE...LOVE IT!! ,,,I also give him a little of that NATURAL bALANCE DOG FOOD ROLL ON TOP OF IT...when he gets a little picky eating.(sorry for caps guys)


http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/DFRolls.html

[freeze3kgt]

I do want to let you know that Blue Buffalo has had recent recalls for too high Vitamin D content. Doesn't sound like a big deal but it creates extreme water retention, extreme muscle loss and lethargy. My guys have been on it for years until Zeus got sick to the point we thought we would have to put him down and found it was just his food killing him. Approximately 4 months later, he is off his meds and back to his normal self...after spending $3000.00 to find it was his food.
I used to be a huge advocate for Blue Buffalo, almost losing Zeus was not something I ever want to risk again. This is not to bash Blue Buffalo, this is just to stress the warning signs to look for when using this product.


thanks for the heads up. I did see that they had a recent recall but I think it was mainly for the wilderness duck and chicken brands. the salmon wasnt on the list, but i have been keeping an eye out for signs of anything off with her.

Again THANK YOU VERY much for looking out for fellow pet owners very nice and responsible thing to do.

I was looking at some Wellness dog foods but they don't have the Wellness core ocean at any of the local pet stores and the closest specialty stores are around an hour away.

[BiggESmalz1]

This forum was very helpful. I think I'm gonna try a mix of raw food and high quality kibble.

Thanks so much for everyone's input!!!

[Dobie2]

Thoughts on Taste of the Wild?
I switched from Pro Plan Beef and my female is like a different dog! She lost excess weight she had on and has WAY more energy! I feed them Bison formula and recently bought a bag that smelled a little funny I took it back to the store I buy from and the owner called the rep for Taste of the Wild and she reassured me it was something they were aware of and the food was over flavoured and had a burnt smell but stated there was nothing wrong with it, I was uneasy about using it so she told me to choose another variety so I took a bag of the Lamb formula and my female wont eat it!
I do also give them raw meat and veggies

[grayghost]

After reading all of the posts I will contribute my 2 cents worth. My Doberman, Anne, was raised on Orijen Large Puppy formula from 12 weeks of age to about 13 months, then she ate Acana for about another year. I was pleased with the foods, but I have switched to Nature's Logic because only natural vitamins/minerals are used; no chemical vitamins/minerals.

All problems with vitamin/mineral content in dog food have come from the added chemical supplements.

Everyone should be reading the labels on their dog food to be certain there are no 'meat' by-products, no corn, soy, wheat, beet pulp, or other waste products.

[robynm07]

Anybody feed their dog/puppy the Kirland Signature food from Costco?? When we first got Bosco he was on pedigree puppy but we switched him to Kirkland becuase the ingredients proved it to be a much better quality food, and he LOVES it versus the pedigree which we could hardly get him to eat. He's still on the puppy food, and we plan on feeding him the Kirland Lamb and rice formula when he's old enough..anybody find out anything else about this food? I heard it's made by Diamond, which is apparently a good food company? Thoughts?

[Shadowlands]

Anybody feed their dog/puppy the Kirland Signature food from Costco?? When we first got Bosco he was on pedigree puppy but we switched him to Kirkland becuase the ingredients proved it to be a much better quality food, and he LOVES it versus the pedigree which we could hardly get him to eat. He's still on the puppy food, and we plan on feeding him the Kirland Lamb and rice formula when he's old enough..anybody find out anything else about this food? I heard it's made by Diamond, which is apparently a good food company? Thoughts?

I won't buy it for the simple fact it is manufactured in China. After the melamine found in the foods and yes, Kirkland was part of that, a few years ago, I refuse to buy anything that has "imported by" on it or clearly states it was made anywhere but here in Canada or the U.S.
That is just my opinion and everyone is different, I just don't feel comfortable taking that chance.
I feed mine Taste of the Wild Salmon and my old guy eats ProPlan Shredded for what it's worth. :)

[robynm07]

I've read that TOTW is a super good food, now thinking about putting Bosco on their High Prairie formula. Ahhh decisions...LOL! What's the best age to switch over to regular food from the puppy kibble? I was thinking about 9 months?

[scottishdobe]

we feed royal canin maxi junior.

[Dobieone]

We went from TOTW to PPP. Good transition, no loose stools. That was at about 7 months.

[von Cosack Dobermann]

This is pretty funny I honestly wish the farm lands were Purina originally bought there products were as clean as they used to be!!!!! I fed Chow with meats for 15 yrs. then when Hi Pro came out I fed that for 20 yrs with NO probelems at all. Now with Pudg I fed PPP Selects with Salmon but its time for a change plus his chin and lips are showing that staphy looking puppy look so I'll see if the change effects him in a positive way. The new dry is TotW in the Lamb variety. I'll try this with a lamb can food (cut out all fresh meats) for 40 days and see how it goes. He's had it very tuff this passed year because of my inability to be active hes contacted Lick Granuloma and this is an obsession you never want to go through with your dogs. He's doing a little better and I think in a few days he'll be able to get to the field if the wounds heal up. Let ya know how the change works! Von

[TrinityDobes]

Those of you that feed a strictly Lamb based diet please click on the link below and read the report. I used to feed a lot of Lamb and rice thinking it a better meat protein source than chicken and beef - but now I will only feed it a couple times of year

Long term use of a Lamb & Rice Diet and copper toxicity

http://forum1.aimoo.com/greatdanefun/Feeding-Your-Dane/Long-Term-Use-Of-Lamb-and-Rice-Diet-1-1323778.html

[von Cosack Dobermann]

Yeah I know Gail but 30 to 40 days isn't gonna hurt he needs a source hes never had so this trial I'm doin is legit. Will be adding different oils after 30 days. Von

[TrinityDobes]

OH Von - I absolutely agree - occasionally is fine - I however was feeding it PP Lamb & Rice almost exclusively - and the article is about LONG TERM Use.

my guys were backing off the PP Beef shred and I picked up a bag of the Salmon for sensitive stomachs,and their appetites are in over drive - love the change in flavor - though I am not so very fond of that fishy smell.

I agree that a short term feeding of the Lamb will be fine.

[gtjblloyd]

I feed TOTW Salmon or Wetlands (duck) fromula - the Bison had a very - uhm - unappreciated side effect. Worst Dober-gas EVER!!! :eek:

I've been told that TOTW is also made by Diamond, but I don't know if it's true...

[Shadowlands]

I have just started feeding her Now. A Canadian product with turkey, salmon and duck, no grains. So far its the only food she has stopped to eat the entire bowl without walking away from. I'd say that was a good sign. :)

[amber]

Has anyone fed members mark from sam's club? My puppys breeder used it for years, but after reading the label it seems to be one step above hay and gravel.

[BreesMom]

I have just started feeding her Now. A Canadian product with turkey, salmon and duck, no grains. So far its the only food she has stopped to eat the entire bowl without walking away from. I'd say that was a good sign. :)

Canadian product you say.....what is the name of it??? And is it very pricey??

[Shadowlands]

Canadian product you say.....what is the name of it??? And is it very pricey??

Lol! It is called "Now" and is $70 for a 25lb bag. <sigh> so yes, pricey. However, turkey, salmon and duck are the sources of protein, no by-prducts or grains (brown rice). It is made right her in Ontario.

The other Canadian product I am trying out is for my other two is called CaninePlus Lifetime fish and oatmeal. This is grain free also, however, the price is about $40 for a 33lb bag.

[BreesMom]

Lol! It is called "Now" and is $70 for a 25lb bag. <sigh> so yes, pricey. However, turkey, salmon and duck are the sources of protein, no by-prducts or grains (brown rice). It is made right her in Ontario.

The other Canadian product I am trying out is for my other two is called CaninePlus Lifetime fish and oatmeal. This is grain free also, however, the price is about $40 for a 33lb bag.

The Now is a little pricey but the CaninePlus Lifetime sounds very reasonable!!! Thanks!!

[Hall's Dobes]

I use Eukanuba Dobermann breed specific over here in the UK,but i also supplement with raw as well.I also supplement with fresh tuna every other day,followed by goats milk and evening primrose capsules.:D

[Sasha]

So I'm guessing Purina Puppy Chow is not great? I say this as I'm holding my breath looking at the 36 pound bag I just bought....lol.....

[von Cosack Dobermann]

NO Sasha its not even fair hahahaha!!!! Sorry hon. Chow at one time was a good food but our farmlands weren't filled with chemicals and the ingredients then were superior to any other dog food company. If the bags not opened you can return it, for that matter most stores will accept it back even if it is opened. Von

[von Cosack Dobermann]

Sasha the Purina Shredded Pro Plan is used by a lot of folks also the Pro Plan Selects. I used the Pro Plan Selects (Salmon & Br. Rice) on my current dog for 20 months and I think its the best salmon offering on the market now. I changed to totw bison just to give him something different. The Selects is usually more pricy than shredded but can be the same price at times.
I would not fed the Chow at all, its as bad as science diet and pedigree. Von

[Sasha]

Thanks VCD...You are really good at this! I'm looking for something that is healthy, but will give a solid stool. Does the Purina Pro Plan offer that? Cleaning up mushy stool = no fun. :-)

[Aesa]

Thanks VCD...You are really good at this! I'm looking for something that is healthy, but will give a solid stool. Does the Purina Pro Plan offer that? Cleaning up mushy stool = no fun. :-)

Sasha it does, I feed PP shredded brand and i don't have no problem with soft mushy poop anymore and believe me i had my share of that "sigh" and i was tired of trying to pick those up LOL. I feed the chicken and rice and all 3 of my dogs do very well on it.

[freeze3kgt]

According to the link below the pro plan foods are a little bit on the cheaper side of dog foods ingredients wise. There are a few lower quality items and wheat in the food also which could cause allergic reactions to some dogs. Just to give some alternative feed back.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/purina-pro-plan-dog-food-dry/



I am not a dog food nutritionalist and I am not sure if this site is reliable, so please just take what I posted as an opinion or alternative perspective.

I am fond of easy to find dog foods and easy on the wallet so I went with the brands I could get at most any petco or petsmart and found blue buffalo wilderness salmon for my older dobe works awesome and wellness super 5 mix for large breed puppies has been a great kibble for our puppy ( I wanted Blue buffalo longevity puppy mix but they don't carry that around my house that I can find). He is super energetic and poop is solid. It's a little Expensive for my taste but the coats on both my dogs has dramatically changed for the better with higher quality foods and to be honest they are both around the same price as pro plan products just a little more

And I realize a lot of people don't care for blue buffalo for recent recall reasons and I can understand this because I was feeding eukanuba to my oldest until the recall for salomella in the foods turned me away from it. Then After researching it seems like eukanubas ingredients are horrible and I could have bought similar dog foods for half the price. So make sure to read labels and stay away from grains if you can especially if they are one of the first few ingredients listed from what I understand

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall/blue-buffalo-dog-food-recall/

Another reason I like blue buffalo products was in his article blue supposedly claims they will reinburse any vet visits due to the problem caused by their food from the excessive vitamin d. Which is a great way to stand by your product

[von Cosack Dobermann]

Dogs are discusting animals that will eat just about anything!!!! A lot of the hollistic brand name foods simply don't agree with alot of Dobermanns. If your inclined to feed Salmon the best I found is PPP Selects, the Selects is an upgrade from Pro Plan Shredded. Try a food for atleast 35 days then decide if its good. Von

[freeze3kgt]

Dogs are discusting animals that will eat just about anything!!!! A lot of the hollistic brand name foods simply don't agree with alot of Dobermanns. If your inclined to feed Salmon the best I found is PPP Selects, the Selects is an upgrade from Pro Plan Shredded. Try a food for atleast 35 days then decide if its good. Von

Again not a dog food expert by any means and if that's what you like to feed your dogs that's awesome! But I dont like the ingredients in the purina and have no issues with the blue buffalo wilderness salmon and love the way it makes our dogs coats shine and doesn't have any down sides except makes our dobes breath smell like fish food a little lol.

Finding what's best for your dog is a matter of educating yourself about foods, and finding something that works well for them and for you( price/ availability/ effort if you do a raw or barf diet). All dogs are different, and what works best for mine may not be the best for yours, but as long as you feed them and give them attention and exercise and stable home I don't think any dog will care what it eats. But I think it is our responsibility as owners to provide the best we can for our pets.

[GingerGunlock]

Elka is on the Taste of the Wild wetlands formula. I also occasionally add yogurt or olive oil (not at the same time). These additions have helped with her coat and her gas.

[raja]

Raj eats taste of the wild too. I like the salmon which seems to give a nice shine to his coat.

[laura2000mi]

I thought I was doing good feeding my 12 wk old pup Iams Large Breed Puppy (Vet recommended it as that is what she feeds her dogs?). Looks like we may need to change (Thor has some skin problems that antibiotics did not fully clear up). Thanks for all of the information...I feel like such a bad puppy parent.

I found that the Taste of the Wild brand is sold in a small shop near me...it is exceptionally more expensive than Iams (I think I pay $38 for 40# bag). Is there a better quality brand that can be purchased at a regular big box retailer (Meijer/Target)?

[nupe]

Kirkland at costco

[Aesa]

I thought I was doing good feeding my 12 wk old pup Iams Large Breed Puppy (Vet recommended it as that is what she feeds her dogs?). Looks like we may need to change (Thor has some skin problems that antibiotics did not fully clear up). Thanks for all of the information...I feel like such a bad puppy parent.

I found that the Taste of the Wild brand is sold in a small shop near me...it is exceptionally more expensive than Iams (I think I pay $38 for 40# bag). Is there a better quality brand that can be purchased at a regular big box retailer (Meijer/Target)?

TOTW wasn't working for us, my blue got the runs and they all were very gassy. I tried so many diffrent kind of foods and ended up feeding PP shredded chicken and rice, works for all 3 of my dogs, then i suppliement Apollo with fishoil one for each 20lbs of bodyweight, makes for him 4 caps. a day, Vit E and Zink and he gets twice a day Natural kelp http://www.jefferspet.com/kelp-help/p/0031154/


here is the shampoo http://www.entirelypets.com/douxo3.html

the fishoil and vit. i get at walmart its the humankind gel caps.

[gtjblloyd]

I had some problems with dober-gas on TOTW wetlands and prairie, but the pacific stream doesn't do that to him.

He also gets one teaspoon of pumpkin and some kelp supplement.

I think when it comes to food you'll just have to see what works best for your dog. We tried several brands and the worst gas and loose stool actually came from Blue...:eek:

[freeze3kgt]

Diamonds isn't a horrible brand and can be found at a lot of farm and home / tractor supply stores. Or try pet smart / petco they may have some foods

[laura2000mi]

Thanks for everyone's advice. I went to a small pet shop near me and purchased a bag of TOTW (the blue bag), and began mixing it 1/2 and 1/2 with Thor's Iams until that is gone. We'll see what happens. I'll look for the shampoo as well.

[Aesa]

Diamonds isn't a horrible brand and can be found at a lot of farm and home / tractor supply stores. Or try pet smart / petco they may have some foods

Diamonds natural brands are very good and i know a lot of people who feed that as well and have good results with it.


Laura, you need to give it time minimum 2 month, before you kow if he does good on it or not, that how long it take for thm to adjust to the new food.
And like i said before, what works for one dog, might not work for another.
TOTW wasn't working for us, i tried a few complete grainfree ones and they always were very gassy and had soft mushy poop, til i switched to PP, now its perfect :) No more gas and no more soft poop.

[Chad]

I recently made the switch to Tractor Supply's exclusive 4Health brand, my Pup is loving it and the price is reasonable at $35 for a 35lb bag! For those of you raving about Purina Pro Plan perhaps you should check out : http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/purina-pro-plan-dog-food-dry/ you're getting ripped off paying top dollar for that food.

[freeze3kgt]

While I don't disagree with your statement, you also have to look at it from another perspective. They like the food because it works for their dogs. While I have never had issues with blue buffalo wilderness foods a lot of people have. So I think that if your dog does well on a food and you have no issues and it is what you want to buy that's great! To each their own :)

[nupe]

...and this is why there are so many dog foods on the market today...because what works for one dog might not work for another dog.....

[Chad]

I understand what works for one dog possibly could not work for another. I just can't stand Purina, they used to be a good company with a great rep, but those days are long gone, it's hard to trust anyone who markets a terrible product like Beneful which causes so many health issues. I don't understand why anyone would pay $45 for a bag of pro plan when the majority of the primary ingredients are fillers. You could buy plenty of quality foods with quality ingredients in that price range. The bag of food I'm paying $35 for has tons of high quality ingredients. Compare the ingredients of http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/4health-dog-food-dry/ to the PPP I linked above.

[RRDobe]

We feed our Dobes Innova large breed.

[soniya]

i give him pedgree but he most like to eat that thing what i am eating always. this is the reason why i buy two one for me and one for him otherwise i will hungry. ha ha just kidding he just my sweet baby

[SASK9]

My Doberman's get Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon recipe. They also get an egg, 5 different vitamins, salmon and olive oil daily.

My Pit Bull's get the same dog food as well, only the chicken recipe.

My Chihuahua eats Holistic Select Small and mini breed recipe.

One rescue Dobie has to eat Pro Plan Skin and Allergy or whatever. I hate that food, but it's the best one she's reacted to. (She has a meat allergy) I've tried different methods of Blue Buffalo, Wellness, Holistic, diamond, and then finally tried this one and her fur started growing back. Don't ask me how or why but I just stick to it if it works.

[crazy4dobes]

We are feeding my old girl a raw diet but the puppy is eating Nature's Domain Salmon formula. They also make a Turkey formula.

Puppy has some really smooshy poop though. Not sure it is just her getting used to be in our home or what.

[Michael327]

I feed raw mostly but will also feed Orijen and TOTW as backup.
Do not feed bone but supplement with human grade calcium or ground eggshel which is my first choice.
The holistic vet I use also has a line of frozen raw he has made and keeps at his office for those who want to feed raw but do not have the time or experience to do so. He has also switched to calcium instead of bone.

I do give them meaty and marrow bones as chews to keep their teeth clean, only when I can be with them while they chew.

Fish oil, vitamin e, sea greens, kelp but not every day.

If anyone here speaks poop, I love the small poops on raw and the less offensive odor!
When I fall behind on raw prep and go to kibble I grab the gas mask.

[SASK9]

We are feeding my old girl a raw diet but the puppy is eating Nature's Domain Salmon formula. They also make a Turkey formula.

Puppy has some really smooshy poop though. Not sure it is just her getting used to be in our home or what.

That Nature's Domain is amazing, I feed my dogs that when I am around Costco because essentially it's the same thing as Blue Buffalo but a fraction of the cost. (My nearest costco is 1 hour away and I don't get there often)

I love the raw diets, I am just too lazy for it with so many dogs however, I wont lie to that.


If you're having problems with poop, try feeding your dog some sweet potato or pumpkin every day. (It can be canned but make sure it's PURE sweet potato or PURE pumpkin, not pie fillings)

[crazy4dobes]

I love the raw diets, I am just too lazy for it with so many dogs however, I wont lie to that.


LOL! I told my husband when we brought this puppy home that she would eat kibble as long as she was doing fine one it!

We switched to raw for Sierra years ago. She had a ton of skin issues, etc. I was feeding 3 dobes raw at one point. Very time consuming. Then I had my son and switched back to kibble. My poor Sierra got pnemonia 3 times, started losing weight etc so back on raw we went about a year ago. My god what a turn around she has made. She is probably overweight again but her issues have disappeared.

Thanks for the pumpkin suggestion. How could I forget that! Never had poop issues with raw.. Oh and the poop on raw is awesome... forgot what kibble poo was like! ICK!

[SASK9]

I'm not having too many problems with my food, but I know A LOT of dogs who do! As I said, I am a fan of raw diet! (I have 8 dogs however....) And once again, I'm too lazy for that! :D

All of my dogs are crapping liquid right now , it's so exciting for me. Even though all my dogs get monthly Heartworm prevention, once every 6 months I deworm them all as a precaution (I have dogs coming and going all the time, rescues, training etc) and we travel a lot. So it's awesome, at least the rain is keeping up with it this time unlike the last time!

way too much information on my dogs crap. :D

[RedDog]

My dog is fed salmon 'Taste of the Wild' she likes it and it reduces the dry skin she gets in our dry climate. They have other meat based types,but in my opinion the salmon is the best.

[Big Dogs]

SAS Worming is kind of hard on digestive tracks we have ours tested usually in the first part of the summer. We rotate training areas and use lime in the areas that are not in use. Cement areas in the runs are treated daily and walking areas are crushed lime stone which doesn't support worms just helps with daily maintenance activates. We usually have 6 customer dogs here most of the time or dogs that are being boarded and several customers who come for training through out the day so we have quite a few coming through here.

[tylerjones553]

I don't have doberman but to my Lab I also Give Royal Canin Labrador Retriever 30

[lab1dobie]

Professional Chicken and Rice. Sold only at our local pet food supply store and is high quality and low price. Chicken is the first ingredient. Our pups love it!