3 week transformation and also, what is the difference?
i was wondering what the difference is between grain or grain free dog food. Baden was on kirkland dog food from costco, it was their equivalent to Blue Buffalo but i just felt he never cared for this food and it made his fur very dull. so about 3weeks ago i took baden to see his vet for a check up because he was shedding, licking his paws, and just needed some shots. she suggested grain free for a start so without thinking much about it i went to VIP pets for a bath. while he has in the tub i looked at all the grain free food that are i could see. the price for grain free is very expensive. even for the small bags.
i settled for taste of the wild. for a 5pound bag it was $11.99 VS $20. i know a lot of people feed their corgis that so i figured i would give it a shot. that food along with fish oil pills worked like flipping magic. he absolutely LOVES it and his fur is super soft now.
but now the question resurfaced when i went to get another bag today. what is the difference between grain free and just regular dog food?
lalalala just soaking in the tub
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
-
There are many types of grain...many times the cheaper dog food has corn(not always the cheap Science Diet has many kinds of food with corn as the 1st ingredient. You can check out Dog Food Advisor to see different foods and their ingredients and ratings. The 1st ingredient on the list is also the main ingredient. Many grains may cause weight gain and more poop too:(
I love TOTW and so do my dogs...there is a big difference in the protein levels and a bit in the star ratings you might want to check out. Also check around and a bigger bag will cost you less! Also I feed mine so much less with this food!
-
Permalink Reply by Bogart the Cardigan on
-
It is worth feeding more expensive, better quality food to avoid possible health problems which will end up costing $$ vet visits and perhaps not provide as long and happy life as you would wish for your four legged family member. If it was a child you would not select the least expensive food -right? www.dogfoodadvisor.com has great info about most brands. Sometimes ordering online will also save you a little money.
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
The problem with that analogy is that filet mignon is not necessarily a "better" food than chicken thighs, when you are talking about human food. Some of the boutique expensive foods contain supplements like flax that are of questionable value to a dog. And some proteins like salmon will be more expensive than chicken. It doesn't necessarily make them "better."
I also don't see the point of feeding a nutrient-dense food and then adding green beans or something because my dog's portion is so small that it is starving all the time, which is something many people do. Horses for courses and not saying other people's choices are wrong for them, but many of the mid-priced kibbles are perfectly good.
-
-
We also get our TOTW at a Fleet Farm supply store...many farm type stores carry good food at a reasonable price...just a place to try:) I save over $10 a bag getting it there instead of my vet or at pet stores!
-
Permalink Reply by Rebecca Marie O'Bryan on
-
good info, theres lots of tractor supplies stores around me and i know they are very good at keeping pet cost down. i noticed that going to VIP pets is about $10 cheaper than petsmart
-
-
It might or might not be the "grain free" that makes the difference. He may have simply had an allergy or intolerance to one of the ingredients in the old food. So in much the same way dairy is a good food for many people but is bad for those who are lactose intolerance, or peanuts are a healthy food for most but not for those with peanut allergies, so can a grain-free food help a dog who has an allergy or intolerance to one of the grains in the old food.
-
-
from past visits he is, from what i know for sure, allergic to chicken and corn. i actually just got back from the vets office for another round of shots (she liked to them all separate) she did notice a difference in his fur and his paws are no longer inflamed. the food he was on before was made with lamb and rice so im not sure what could of set all this off before
-
Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
-
Siri, our first, developed nasty itching gnawing open sores on her skin. Always gnawing. Lori's research suggested food allergy, and that's when she tried the raw meat thing. No more sores or itching. Gone.
We still do the raw meat thing (Darwin's) supplemented with Wellness kibble -- whitefish and sweet potato -- this does have grain in it -- barley -- not a problem, apparently.
I recently tried Wellness lamb kibble 'cause the local boutique pet place discontinued the whitefish stuff. There's a possibility that Gwynnie has developed a bit of dandruff since, but this is unconfirmed. I can special order the whitefish stuff if necessary.
-
-
Wellness has always been my #1 choice for dog food. Teddy did fantastic on it and so did my cat. unfortunately they have risen the prices too high for me to afford now which stinks but it is what it its. i did try the wellness white fish and sweet potato awhile back for him but in all honestly he hates fish flavored dog food lol he will not touch it but thats ok theres some food i wont touch :P
-
Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on
-
Possibly of interest: http://costco.pissedconsumer.com/costco-kirkland-dog-food-killed-my... and, possibly more credible, http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/07/fda-inspection-likely-to-furt... . The first post and all the comments on it are anecdotal, of course, and so don't really prove anything. Dogs, like people, get sick, and just because the dog or the person ate X and got sick at about the same time doesn't mean X caused the sickness. Still...hm. Looks like there have been a number of recalls of dog foods made by Diamond (which manufactures the Kirkland brand).
Back in the day, my GerShep and Greyhound did OK on Kirkland's lamb & rice, but they did better when I switched them over to Trader Joe's premium dog food. When the great melamine horror story struck, I started feeding my dogs real food: 1/2 meat, 1/4 dog-friendly vegetables, and 1/4 starch (such as sweet potato, rice, even bread -- as long as it wasn't corn, which caused an allergic reaction in the grey), plus a pet vitamin each day. My experience was similar to yours: the dogs were simply transformed!
I'm no expert and can't be said to know a thing...but from my own anecdotal experience, I concluded that dog foods in general and kibble in specific are not very good for dogs. Cassie eats real food, and now that Ruby is over the UTI (i hope) she is transitioning from the Royal Canin S/O prescription diet to real food, too. So far, no problems.
-
Permalink Reply by Jen Giammona on
-
a decent amount of research suggests that dogs weren't meant to eat grain. that in the wild their diet would consist mainly of meat. therefore, they don't require a food with grain in it. however, not all grains are bad. some of them, like corn, are pretty unhealthy for dogs. but some other grains like barley, rice or oatmeal, seem to be what we turn to when they are having digestive issues. our dog linus has quite a few grain allergies, so he eats a food where the only grain is barley (orijen). our puppy lucy had many digestive issues so she eats a single protein, single grain food (acana lamb/apple with oatmeal).
-
-
im glad theres so many choices out there for our pets. some peoples dogs may do well on the kirkland brand dog food and may have been feeding it all their dogs lives but for Baden, he just did terrible. i am thankful i found taste of the wild. he LOVES it and actually acts like a corgi during feeding time instead of just trying to bury it under blankets lol
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
