# What food do you feed your dog?



## russ010 (Dec 12, 2008)

What food do you guys use, and what type of dog/dogs do you have?

I've got a 1 year old (well, tomorrow he will be 1) German Shepherd AKC and he weighs around 80-85lbs... I'm having a hard time finding food that he can digest well, and I've tried a lot of stuff such as the following:

*Beneficial *- messed his skin up and got little bumps all over him (same thing happened to my parent's Yellow Lab, but he made bare spots on his body by biting and scratching) - changed both of their foods and the labs hair grew back and he lost fat and gained more muscle

*Eagle Pack Hollistic* - Large Breed Puppy Formula - couldn't get his poop right... all loose
*Eagle Pack Hollistic* - Anchovey (fish formula) - worked good for a while, but he wasn't putting on weight
*Nutro* - same as above, worked a little, then spotty stools
*Science Diet, Lamb and Rice* - the lady told me this should work with his diet, but apparently he couldn't handle how rich it was

*Innova Evo Red Meat* - I'm currently feeding him this and it is definitely putting the weight on him and his stools are sometimes good, sometimes bad... but he doesn't poop as much as he used to which I know is good because he's obtaining more of the nutrients... the only bad thing about this is a 30lb bag is $70 and it doesn't take long for him to go through a bag at 4 cups per day.


This is Kodiak at 7 mos... he's a little bigger now, which reminds me I need more pictures


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## Jim (Dec 12, 2008)

Zorba Gets Iams, but I do notice that he scratches allot lately...Might be time to change it up.


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## Bubba (Dec 12, 2008)

Jim said:


> Zorba Gets Iams, but I do notice that he scratches allot lately...Might be time to change it up.




Cool looking dog Jim! I love boxers.


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## russ010 (Dec 12, 2008)

I talked to the vet, and they didn't run any tests, but he told me it sounds like my dog is allergic to any food with grains as well as chicken.... That really takes out a lot of my options

I did all the transitioning right.. actually I did it over 10 days instead of the recommended 10.

Yesterday when I got home I found out he like eating knobs off of grills, as well as the ignitor button and the grill cover. That's what I get for not playing with him while it's raining cats and dogs outside, so I can't be mad!


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## Loggerhead Mike (Dec 12, 2008)

1.5 y/o yellow lab akc. she eats pedagree, rocks, sticks, bugs, rabbits, squirrels, and loves some deer bone


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## russ010 (Dec 12, 2008)

Loggerhead Mike said:


> 1.5 y/o yellow lab akc. she eats pedagree, rocks, sticks, bugs, rabbits, squirrels, and loves some deer bone



I think you've got the long lost brother of my 5 year old lab... he eats everything! and there have been some animals he's brought up in the yard that I have no idea what they are... were!

He weighs a good 120-125lbs, and he's all muscle now. His head is a good bit bigger than a football, so he's a block head.


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## natetrack (Dec 12, 2008)

We feed Iams. My cousin is a vet and she said that for dog food you can get at your local farm supply place, that Iams is the best. After that you have to step up to premium stuff from the vet or specialists.


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## russ010 (Dec 12, 2008)

I haven't tried Iams... only because I haven't found one that didn't have chicken or corn in it... and that's why the vet recommened Eagle Pack first, but when he wasn't gaining weight he told me to try Evo.. Normal bags of dog food have 23% of protein in each serving - 

EVO has :
Crude Protein (min) 42 % 
Crude Fat (min) 22 % 
Crude Fiber (max) 2.5 % 
Moisture (max) 10 % 


Iams Pro Active Health Smart Puppy Large Breed (feed 1-24 months)
Crude Protein, minimum 26.0 
Crude Fat, minimum 14.0 
Crude Fiber, maximum 4.0 
Moisture, maximum 10.0


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## bAcKpAiN (Dec 12, 2008)

I have a five year old Rot+Sheppard mix. He eats anything he can sneak into his mouth. I once found a plastic worm in his stool! Anyway we live in the city in a small apartment with a yard the size of a prison cell, so I know he doesn't get the exercise he really needs. We have always fed him pedigree. As he has gotten older and on the heavy side we have switched to the weight maintanance pedigree. He had a lot of digestion issues when he was young so the vet suggested feeding him less but more often. As he got older it has worked itself out for the most part.


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## Nickk (Dec 12, 2008)

Moxie gets Bil Jac. We tried some highend supposed human grade pet food and it was too rich and had explosive effects, no fun to come home to when your dog is crated :shock:


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## russ010 (Dec 12, 2008)

the breeder I got him from was feeding bil jac when he was a puppy, but I couldn't get him to eat it... I should probably go back to that.

I kept him in the house crated until a few months ago when I finished putting up a fence in my back yard. He goes into the crate at night in the garage when it's cold out


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## Quackrstackr (Dec 12, 2008)

russ010 said:


> I think you've got the long lost brother of my 5 year old lab... he eats everything! and there have been some animals he's brought up in the yard that I have no idea what they are... were!
> 
> He weighs a good 120-125lbs, and he's all muscle now. His head is a good bit bigger than a football, so he's a block head.



Any pics of him? I've never seen a lab that weighed that much that wasn't severely overweight. Not saying that yours is, I've just never seen one.

My 5 yo Chessie weighs in at about 106 (normally) and is all muscle. I can't imagine another 20 lbs on him.

Right now he's having some issues. He's lost nearly 15 lbs and is taking antibiotics and liver enzyme pills. A trip to the vet last weekend said that his gall bladder is inflamed causing the liver issues. He's eating a little better now but not back to normal.


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## Jim (Dec 12, 2008)

Beautiful dogs guys!


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## russ010 (Dec 12, 2008)

I'll get some when I go back home for Christmas.. I thought I had some on photobucket, but apparently I don't. The only real problems he has is his feet... I have to soak his feet in peroxide every time I go home.. I think it's from running in the fields and woods all the time because I'm constantly digging sand spurs out from between his toes


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## Jim (Dec 12, 2008)

Mine has ear issues....I'm always in there with Qtips, a mixture of alcohol/white vinegar (50/50) and some anti fungal med the vet provides which I really do not think is needed.


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## russ010 (Dec 12, 2008)

my bro in law's boxer had the same ear problems when he had her. He just used alcohol/vinegar and forgot about the vet's meds


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## Captain Ahab (Dec 12, 2008)

Russ:

I have an 8 year old pure breed GSD "Gromit" I make my own dog food so that she has a very high protein diet. Additionally, for a large GSD it is actually less expensive then feeding her 4 cans of food a day.

You should be aware that German Shepards can get 'bloat" from eating dry dog food - this is when their intestines twist aroudn a lump of food. it is deadly so always wait at least 30 minutes after eating before exercising the dog.

We buy Chicken Liver, Chicken quarters and sometimes beef in bulk whenever it goes on sale (well the liver never goes on sale but that is cheap, good for the dog and my dog's favorite). I boil and then de-bone whatever product we are using and mix in about 30% dry dog food to 60% meat. Dry dogs foods that the GSD Associations approve include Science Diet Natures Blend, Science Diet Large Breed or Eukenuba. 

Once I make the food I then store it in plastic quart containers (like those used for take out 
soup) in the freezer. We make about 10 days at a time. 

My dog has almost perfect teeth, coat and a good disposition. Feeding an active dog like a GSD lost of grains is like pumping a child full of sugar all those carbs are really no good for the dog. There are some GSD owners who feed their shepherds raw food - i have done this but my dog is a slow eater and having raw chicken sitting aroudn all day is gross 

Let me know if you have any questions


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## russ010 (Dec 12, 2008)

Thanks Capt... I'm actually looking into feeding him a dry/raw diet. How many times per day do you feed him? I give my dog the food, and by the time I turn back around it's gone. He never had a food drive until I started feeding him the EVO Red Meat. I feed him 2cups in the morning, then 2cups when I get home from work


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## Captain Ahab (Dec 12, 2008)

Ru7ss: Best thing is to feed the dog one meal a day. Again - avoid the dry food as much as possible - really bad for the German Shepard. If you have to feed your dog dry food please wet it and wait for it to get soft

My dog is not food driven at all - she is play driven. I can lay a nice steak down on the ground and lay a frisbee down next to it - the dog will sniff the steak and grab the frisbee every time 
She is mental for the frisbee


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## redbug (Dec 12, 2008)

I feed my 2 bassett hounds Merrick grannys pot pie I do wet the food frst they love it. I feed them once a day. they maintainthier weights well an are full of energy good teeth 
https://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/dry_dog_food.php
seat pea is 3 years old and 44lbs 
Sassafrass is 2 years old and 65 lbs


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## Bubba (Dec 12, 2008)

redbug said:


> I feed my 2 bassett hounds Merrick grannys pot pie I do wet the food frst they love it. I feed them once a day. they maintainthier weights well an are full of energy good teeth
> https://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/dry_dog_food.php
> seat pea is 3 years old and 44lbs
> Sassafrass is 2 years old and 65 lbs




:lol: I love Bassett Hounds! Good Lookin' dogs you got there! Are your dogs really "full of energy"? I thought Bassett hounds were naturally a lazy type dog? Or is that just kind of a stereotype?


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## redbug (Dec 12, 2008)

these 2 are non stop playing in the yard we had to drag them in out of the rain last night.
While on vacation they get to run in the fields on our farm 160 acres in so. Ill they are grat dogs


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## Bubba (Dec 12, 2008)

redbug said:


> these 2 are non stop playing in the yard we had to drag them in out of the rain last night.
> While on vacation they get to run in the fields on our farm 160 acres in so. Ill they are grat dogs




You would never tell from that pic that they are little balls of energy. :lol: :LOL2:


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## bassboy1 (Dec 12, 2008)

We did the all meat diet for a couple weeks. Only reason we stopped was because of the hassle. With 4 dogs to feed, and 4 kids to make spare time nonexistant, it was easier to go back to dumping a few kibbles in each bowl twice a day. But, while we did it, they did seem to have a better coat, were a little more active etc. Plus, it is cheaper than kibbles if you look at the price per meal (don't look at the price per pound, as that is different between dry kibbles and raw meat). You can get the scraps from the butchers shop for next to nothing, and get whatever the grocery store has on sale. Dogs didn't have a bit of a problem adjusting to it at all. Usually, they do when changing kibble brands. If you have the time to do it, I would definitely suggest the raw meat diet.


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## slim357 (Dec 12, 2008)

I have a lab/chow, and a runt german sheppard, neither of them will eat the healthy dog food, ive tried giving them all the good stuff, but they wont touch it, the only one they seem to eat is kibbles, Ive recently started adding that Iams liquid stuff that comes in a ketchup looking bottle to it.


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## Specknreds (Dec 12, 2008)

Captain Ahab said:


> Russ:
> 
> 
> We buy Chicken Liver, Chicken quarters and sometimes beef in bulk whenever it goes on sale (well the liver never goes on sale but that is cheap, good for the dog and my dog's favorite). I boil and then de-bone whatever product we are using and mix in about 30% dry dog food to 60% meat. Dry dogs foods that the GSD Associations approve include Science Diet Natures Blend, Science Diet Large Breed or Eukenuba.
> ...


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## sccamper (Dec 13, 2008)

2 nine year old rot/shep mix brothers and a seven year old registered cocker. They have been getting Allpo Prime Cuts lately, nothing fancy.


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## Tompatt (Dec 14, 2008)

My old lab (about 14 yrs old) had skin problems and scratches alot.. we took him to the doctor and he said it was something in the dog food that he was allergic to.. like some dye they put in the dog food.. now we get him Iams Lamb and rice. works. :mrgreen:


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## Waterwings (Dec 14, 2008)

Iams Lamb & Rice for our two Huskies. Sometimes I'll switch-off to another flavor/sized kibble, but still stuck with the Iams. It seems Huskies (or at least mine) are real prone to a good case of the back door trots if their diet is varied. They get very few table scraps, but I do occasionally add chicken or turkey gravy to their dry food in the winter. They're 11 and 10 yrs old now and have had them since they were pups.


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## russ010 (Dec 14, 2008)

finally got an updated pic... this one is about 15 min old


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## BlueWaterLED (Dec 14, 2008)

I have an eight year old yellow lab and he is over 100 pounds. He has eaten Beneful since he ws a pup. Everything else makes him irregular.


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## russ010 (Dec 14, 2008)

BlueWaterLED said:


> I have an eight year old yellow lab and he is over 100 pounds. He has eaten Beneful since he ws a pup. Everything else makes him irregular.



my parents were feeding our yellow lab Beneful - it made him itch and chew raw spots all over his body. I gave him the Nutro that my GSD couldn't eat and his itching stopped and his hair grew back in like 3-4 days. Now he is strictly and outside dog at my parents, so he eats anything that he can get his teeth on. He does an amazing job at catching moles too...


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## BlueWaterLED (Dec 14, 2008)

russ010 said:


> BlueWaterLED said:
> 
> 
> > I have an eight year old yellow lab and he is over 100 pounds. He has eaten Beneful since he ws a pup. Everything else makes him irregular.
> ...




Is that what those raw spots are?!?!

Just kidding, actually, he is prone to horrible allergies certin times of the year so he takes a medication for it. The food doesn't seem to bother him but he has been eating it for so long now that I am sure his system is just very used to it.


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## russ010 (Dec 14, 2008)

Captain Ahab said:


> Ru7ss: Best thing is to feed the dog one meal a day. Again - avoid the dry food as much as possible - really bad for the German Shepard. If you have to feed your dog dry food please wet it and wait for it to get soft



So I tried wetting the EVO... and after 30 min, it never got soft. Only the outer 1/16" soaked up the water, and I filled it to the top of the bowl I had 2cups measured into...


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## Wooly Curltail (Dec 14, 2008)

I spent 15 years of my life as a professional bird dog trainer. We also boarded dogs. After reading all these posts I now realize why we had such a hard time getting our boarders to eat their dinner.

Our most recent dogs have been a Norfolk Terrier male, a Chesapeake female, a Boykin Spaniel male (who died a few months ago), and now another Boykin Spaniel pup. All ate nothing but standard dry dog food moistened with water and mixed with our table scraps. Most were fed Purina Dog Chow. Our new Boykin pup is eating Iams puppy food - dry. All lived in the house with us.


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## SMDave (Dec 15, 2008)

Chloe eats Royal Canin Indoor Adult Mini (21 I think?). She doesn't eat it very well so we have been gradually changing her diet to boiled rice with boiled chicken chunks. She goes nuts when we cook it! She is a maltese btw.


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## russ010 (Dec 15, 2008)

Royal Canine is the only "high-end" food I haven't tried yet. And they make one for German Shepherds... I think the reason I didn't try it was because of some of the contents (chicken and corn). I hate to try something new and then him not be able to handle it... of course, I can always give it to my parents like I have everything else I've tried to give to the Lab.. 

I think I'm going to take Capt Ahab's suggestion and mix 60/30 raw diet with dry food. 

Bubba, I looked at the food you are feeding your dogs and that's even more expensive than what I'm using now! I found the food I'm using now for $40, but shipping is another $40, so I'm still at a loss. I think it will be cheaper to do the raw/dry combo.


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## BassAddict (Dec 15, 2008)

Cute pups all, Heres my dog Pickles and me when i first got her.




and russ, i think i got the same tv as the one in your picture


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## russ010 (Dec 15, 2008)

That tv is a 55" Toshiba.

I had a 57" Mitsubishi, but I sold it when I lived in an apartment... I didn't want to take it apart and walk it down 3 flights of stairs. We lived in Tiffany's parents "apartment" above their detached garage while I was overseas for a while and saving up money to buy this house. This is one of the best TVs I've ever owned. I got it at a "estate" pawn shop for $500.. I've also got a 42" Toshiba that came from the same place. I thought something was wrong with the picture because when watching football, the color of grass on the field was waaaay of. I upgraded to HD and the color came back to life - literally. Now I gotta get a surround sound because the HD channels are like 30db lower than standard def channels volume and I have to turn the volume all the way up to hear it.


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## Captain Ahab (Dec 16, 2008)

BassAddict said:


> Cute pups all, Heres my dog Pickles and me when i first got her.
> 
> 
> 
> and russ, i think i got the same tv as the one in your picture


*
BAD MAN good dog*


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## Captain Ahab (Jan 20, 2010)

russ010 said:


>



Russ - how is the "pup" doing?


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## russ010 (Jan 20, 2010)

Growing like a rag weed.. it's funny though - he still looks skinny, but he weighs (as of last week) 103lbs. The vet said "look at his paws! He's still got a lot of fillling out to do". He said he figures he will be in the 115-120lb range when he's fully mature. He turned 2 years old Dec 13. We brought him back inside about a month or so ago, and I can't believe how much he has calmed down.

He has this plump cushion thing Tiff got him to lay on in the living room with us, but he prefers to be behind us in the upper level of the stairwell coming in the entrance foyer, laying on this silk rug I got while overseas. Anytime someone comes up to the door, he gives out his "i'm going to eat you bark" until I tell him it's ok. Doorbells (at the house or on TV, or someone knocking on a door on the TV) will set him off and I have to open the door, let him investigate outside, then he's ready to come back in when he's sure all is ok.

I'm glad he's like that now with me traveling more and Tiff home alone... I think he would tear someone up when I'm not there... but he's not as much macho dog when I'm there.

The UPS guy came and brought my package from Tacklewarehouse, and instead of where the package usually is (in front of the door), I heard Kodiak going nuts while I was on my seat reading the newest issue of Bass Master yesterday. I got downstairs to let him check everything out, and my package was on the far end of the porch on the rail... I guess he didn't want to ring the doorbell and face Kodiak.


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## russ010 (Jan 20, 2010)

found some pics on my blackberry from Christmas....

this is one with just the flash of my cell camera





and here is one from outside





I've got our Christmas picture on my home computer, and it actually shows just how big he is....


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## poolie (Jan 20, 2010)

We feed our (now four) greyhounds the Kirkland brand Lamb & Rice from Costco. Our vet recommended after we went through the whole array of brands looking for one that didn't cause the big 'D'. Appearently it is a very good quality and doesn't have all the filler stuff.


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## russ010 (Jan 20, 2010)

as far as food goes... I had been feeding him Taste of the Wild dog food... but $50 for 28lbs was expensive for the amount he eats. I feed him 3cups in the morning, and 2 in the evening, but he's not food driven at all. Vet said to keep this up until he fills out.

Well, a month ago I changed brands for the last time. Found a new food called VF https://www.arkat.com/vfc_dog_perf.html (Veterinarian Formulated). $43 for a 40lb bag... and he's actually starting to put on more weight - and he likes eating this food...

Easier on my wallet too when a bag will last me almost a month


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## russ010 (Jan 20, 2010)

poolie said:


> We feed our (now four) greyhounds the Kirkland brand Lamb & Rice from Costco. Our vet recommended after we went through the whole array of brands looking for one that didn't cause the big 'D'. Appearently it is a very good quality and doesn't have all the filler stuff.



I fed Kodiak that same food... for about 3 weeks before I realized it was too rich for him and causing more D than I wanted to pick up in the yard


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## poolie (Jan 20, 2010)

Glad you found something that agrees with Kodiak. It's funny how some dogs can eat absolutely anything and have no issues yet others are more sensitive.


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## Jim (Jan 20, 2010)

I cant win with Zorba. Every food I try makes him itchy, scratchy...and stink. This last food Eukaneba Boxer Blend specially formulated for Boxers is crap.


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## hamar507 (Jan 20, 2010)

14 years as a K9 officer in south Florida I can tell you that Iams Eukanuba was the best. No waste, small bowel movements and no skin issues. I now have a 13 month old GSD which I imported from Germany prior to retirement and she gets Eukanuba once a day (2 cups) with no issues. She is getting the muscle and has a ton of energy.

For you guys with dogs that have ear bacteria try putting plain yogurt in their food twice a month. You can also clean the ear with plain yogurt as long as you wipe out the ear and get the yogurt out. The natural bacteria in the yogurt cleans the ear out very well.


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## Captain Ahab (Jan 20, 2010)

Russ - did you ever try making your own food. My GSD is now 9 years old and has been on a steady diet of fresh meats (liver, ground beef and chicken leg quarts) and fish (she gets lots of shark, False Albacore and such in the summer) since a puppy. No issues and still in really great health.

I mix up 10 quart batches with some quality dry food as filler and freeze them. Much cheaper then any quality commercial food and teh dog does better on it.

I 2nd the yogurt advice. Never had any digestive issues but will give the dog yogurt every once in while - she likes it!


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## Waterwings (Jan 20, 2010)

My huskies have been on Iams (Lamb Meal & Rice) since they were pups, and they're 10 & 11 yrs old now. I'll occasionally give them a different type of dry food, but it'a always Iams. As stated above, their stools are smaller & firmer, and they're healthy. Any other foods I've tried gave them a real mean case of the backdoor trots. This new Shitzu puppy we have is on Iams now.


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## Bugpac (Jan 20, 2010)

I have been having a horid time with my dog, He has bad food allergys, Now he is on Natures recipe, Venison and rice, seems to be doing fair so far, been about 30 days, 50.00 for 30.00...


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## daltonmcgill (Jan 20, 2010)

have you tried showtime best dog or ole roy i have 15 dogs and i usually feed them showtime or best dog but if im in walmart ill get ole roy there cheaper than most dog food and keeps the poop solid lol :roll: i hate it when i go out to clean the pens and there runny poo i took a little while to find what dogfood my dogs needed and i finally found it u cant buy showtime or best dog in places like walmart u gotta go to a feed store to find it what protein are u feeding him u might wanna switch to a higher protein


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## Waterwings (Jan 20, 2010)

15 dogs! :shock: . I take it you don't live in downtown Jax, lol.  .


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## daltonmcgill (Jan 20, 2010)

Waterwings said:


> 15 dogs! :shock: . I take it you don't live in downtown Jax, lol.  .


lol not far from it bout 5 minutes but i dont have neighbors just buisnes around my house


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## dougdad (Jan 22, 2010)

if your dag has a weight maintenance problem it is a real possibility he has a inactive thiriod, have him tested by your vet. I have a Eng. pointer who has a weight problem and I supliment his food with raw tater peels (which he loves) fresh vegies either raw or steamed and raw beef trimmmings when I can get them. Go slow though with small quanities at a time till he ges used too the supliments. Feeding wet is another that will help digestion. Also a dog that eats real fast and gulps his food has a tendency to not digest the food well therefore can have a weight problem because he is loosing it through the stool. This is common when there are others around.


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