advice needed again...

[frznFinn]

I've been thinking that when I switch my lab's puppy food over to adult that I would like to only have to buy one kind of food (I also have a 7 year old cocker spaniel). Do you have any recommendations? I had tried Diamond a year or so ago on the older dog and he didn't do well on it. It gave him horrible gas. I was leaning toward nutro or Sam's club exceed. Any ideas?

[Merimac]

How old is the pup? Nice shots by the way that pup looks really sweet.
Mac

[1wildchild]

I have a wide range of ages/activity levels at the house and they all seem to do really well on Purina One.

[frznFinn]

Mer-pup will be 4 months old April 7. Right now she's on Professional.large breed puppy. Older dog eats healthy morsels. I just would like to only have to buy one bag.

[Shotgun Kennel]

I've been thinking that when I switch my lab's puppy food over to adult that I would like to only have to buy one kind of food (I also have a 7 year old cocker spaniel). Do you have any recommendations? I had tried Diamond a year or so ago on the older dog and he didn't do well on it. It gave him horrible gas. I was leaning toward nutro or Sam's club exceed. Any ideas?

Purina pro plan, Eukunanuba, Science Diet are some of the premium foods that these dog/athletes need. Don't cut corners here. You will have coat problems, or general staminina issues. You definetly do not want coat issues for a dog going into cold water. I tried one of the more cut rate foods on my labs because the ingredients were comparable (I thought). After her coat started thinning real bad I took her to the vet to see what was wrong. Simply, the quality of food was not good enough for a hard working dog.

[browndog49735]

I have a 7 year old choc,a 9 month old black and a shih tzu all on purina one during off season and pro plan performance right before and during season.

[Merimac]

1 dog is 4 months one is 7 years... There is a reason for adult and puppy dog food. You have to deal with the two bags. Look at your situation. At 7 the seven year old should start on senior. Most likely your 2 dogs will never eat the same food. Puppy food is important. Every one has an Idea of what is important for their own dogs but the standard says that a pup should eat pup food at least for the first 8 months.. the growth period. Some start seniors later.. that is your call.. like every decision you make... but more than the senior... give your pup a solid base... feed it pup food.

I use BilJac.... Once your dogs get a taste of it they will never want to change.... check it out... good stuff...

Also your two dogs are very different breeds. One is a large breed and one is a small breed ... Very different needs.

Mac

[Rudi's Dad]

I got my two GSP's on Purina One or Pro Plan but same formula, Large Breed Rice and Chicken. I buy from Tractor supply, and get the one thats the best deal. The dogs switch back and forth with no issues, and the label says they are almost identical in formula.

[frznFinn]

Mer- I wasn't going to change right now-just planning ahead. You know I never thought of switching the older dog to senior food. Thanks for all the replys.

[FieldWalker]

Well... some folks do feed adult food from day one with zero issues...

Also, never heard of Science Diet as a premium food...

I feed Nutro- used to feed Diamond. I like both.

[Shotgun Kennel]

When in doubt, ask you vet. They will steer you right.

[MerlinsMom]

MWF and I feed our pack Nutro.....with that said, we give all of them, including the pup, the High Energy formula during trial season and they get Evangers 100% pheasant or duck mixed in. During off-season they get Nutro Sensitive Stomach (Chicken and Oatmeal), but that's only for 1 year old and above. They also get supplemented with fresh cooked eggs in the summer when I have an overabundance.
Puppy time is when all their bones, joints, ligaments,muscles, inner organs and brain are becoming strongest. You take away one set of nutrients, and one of those systems will be lacking in later years.
We feed Nutro (not NutroMax) because it's made with meat meal....which is chicken or lamb, cooked down, taking away the fat and liquid. THEN the meat is weighed and that's where the weight percentage per volume on the package is listed. Some manufacturers get away with putting more by-products then actual meat in a product by not cooking it down, then you end up with more by-product (that's usually listed 3rd or 4th) when they've listed the meat first.
Plus, we have dogs with allergies. We started them back on ProPlan in the fall and poor Merlin ended up looking like he had mange. Got a skin infection, with secondary ear infections, all due to the corn in that food.
Cows, chickens and pigs are supposed to eat corn, not dog athletes IMO.
As for senior food, lots of them include chondroitin & glucosamine as well as chelated minerals that are easier for an older dog to metabolize. Might keep the hips and joints better longer.

[Shotgun Kennel]

MWF and I feed our pack Nutro.....with that said, we give all of them, including the pup, the High Energy formula during trial season and they get Evangers 100% pheasant or duck mixed in. During off-season they get Nutro Sensitive Stomach (Chicken and Oatmeal), but that's only for 1 year old and above. They also get supplemented with fresh cooked eggs in the summer when I have an overabundance.
Puppy time is when all their bones, joints, ligaments,muscles, inner organs and brain are becoming strongest. You take away one set of nutrients, and one of those systems will be lacking in later years.
We feed Nutro (not NutroMax) because it's made with meat meal....which is chicken or lamb, cooked down, taking away the fat and liquid. THEN the meat is weighed and that's where the weight percentage per volume on the package is listed. Some manufacturers get away with putting more by-products then actual meat in a product by not cooking it down, then you end up with more by-product (that's usually listed 3rd or 4th) when they've listed the meat first.
Plus, we have dogs with allergies. We started them back on ProPlan in the fall and poor Merlin ended up looking like he had mange. Got a skin infection, with secondary ear infections, all due to the corn in that food.
Cows, chickens and pigs are supposed to eat corn, not dog athletes IMO.
As for senior food, lots of them include chondroitin & glucosamine as well as chelated minerals that are easier for an older dog to metabolize. Might keep the hips and joints better longer.

Most of my dogs have done well on pro-plan. I switched one off of it to Ukanuba and his skin dryness cleared up.