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Old 03-17-2015, 12:24 PM
 
685 posts, read 714,988 times
Reputation: 1009

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Folks:
I'm an animal (person ). My rats have a rat mansion and are fed as correctly as I can afford. We've had three corgis and the two girls were fine but our last dog (male) has problems with throwing up (it's not as bad these days) and loose stool (this is nasty and corgis don't have tails so when this happens, it's obvious). Throughout the years, we watched the dog food industry prices climb to the sky. The quality sucks. The last major brand we used was Nutro Max and the kibble for small dogs crumbled. Crumbled kibble gets tossed and the company makes more money. I went to a larger kibble and that stopped the crumbling. One problem resolved.

We tried Innova (Innovo?) and he (Marcus) was better on it but they recalled their dry food. The new vet suggested a better brand but didn't give us any pointers as to what to use (and we've been through many).
I finally bought a 24 lb. bag of Canidae for $65. It lasted a month. Marcus has been fine with it but
I'm not paying $65/month.

Our preference would be grain free and non-GMO but I'm not sure I can buy it. A fellow I like at a small pet store suggested Merrick or Whole Earth that will be in competition with Nutro. I found out that Merrick uses MSG (so ditch that brand) and there was something quirky about Whole Earth Farms food.

We've been through Wellness, Solid Gold, a brand that's likely not made anymore - Triumph, and probably others.

Any suggestions? Marcus will be 7 years old later this year. I obviously take this stuff seriously.
Thanks, folks.
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Old 03-17-2015, 12:47 PM
 
3,339 posts, read 9,296,874 times
Reputation: 4299
GMO IS FINE.

Let me repeat that: GMO IS FINE!!!!!!!!!!!!

The hysteria over GMO is based on so much misinformation and hysteria that it only rivals climate-change-denial in its craziness. I grow things. I've studied growing things in college. I have kept up with my reading since leaving hort school eight years ago.

There is nothing freaky, dangerous or lacking in nutrition in any GMO organism. And believe it or not, we have all been eating GMO produce all our lives, It was first developed after the Civil War.

Have a look at Natural Balance Limited Ingredients Diets. Taste of the Wild is good, and so is Blue Buffalo. None of them will offer non-GMO formulas, and even if they could, you'd be paying a lot more than $65 a month and seeing no benefit whatsoever.
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Old 03-17-2015, 12:54 PM
 
Location: Houston
811 posts, read 1,545,132 times
Reputation: 1149
There is quite a lengthy thread on selecting a dog food on page 2 of this forum. Just page down and it is about 1/3 way down (as I write this) . It might help you. I, along with MarkfromSea got burned out from looking at all the different dog foods and trying to pick the perfect food that doesn't cost an arm and a leg! Good luck!!!
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Old 03-17-2015, 01:27 PM
 
Location: North Idaho
32,480 posts, read 47,405,393 times
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If you refuse to pay $65 a month to feed your dog, I am out of suggestions.

Costco sells a good premium dog food, Nature's Domain, I think it is called. But it certainly is not going to be GMO-free and I don't think it is even grain-free.

If your dog finishes a 25 pound bag in a month, then you can save a little bit of money by purchasing 40-50 pound bags.

There are very few products that are genetically modified organisms, so you can make a list of those and read labels. That won't stop the meat from having been fed those products, not that a genetically modified sugar beet seed is going to genetically modify your dog to make your dog Round-up ready.
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Old 03-17-2015, 01:40 PM
 
3,339 posts, read 9,296,874 times
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Quote:
There are very few products that are genetically modified organisms, so you can make a list of those and read labels. That won't stop the meat from having been fed those products, not that a genetically modified sugar beet seed is going to genetically modify your dog to make your dog Round-up ready.
<snork!>

Still, the idea of making a dog pest-and-disease resistant is pretty interesting...
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Old 03-17-2015, 02:33 PM
 
685 posts, read 714,988 times
Reputation: 1009
Guys:
Thanks for your responses. Right - fixed income + decrease in the amount of dog food = less dog food. That's how we went from a 30 lb bag of Nutro to a 24 lb bag of Canidae. oregon: It's a business and what many of dog food companies are doing is making 25 lbs. their biggest bag. I saw very few larger bags roaming around pet supply stores. Your idea is a good one and the industry put a crimp in it already . It didn't surprise me and this, too, will likely be coming to your supermarket shelves soon (wait, a 5 lb bag of sugar is now 4 lbs, it's already happening).

It's my belief that genetically modified food is not fine because you can't tell me you know what's in the food. Corn, for example, is likely no longer corn it just looks like it (I can't prove or disprove this). You can believe GMO is fine but it isn't for me inconsistently but I have to change what I eat. I have been reading many labels and, as usual, not all ingredients are listed (they legally don't have to be and I don't know why other than it could decrease sales). I know "organic" products may also be contaminated with GMO and that wipes out the organic ... That includes the products cows eat. I'm pretty sure I'm Round-up ready, too, so Monsanto is looking into another highly toxic way to create even more toxic pesticides and "food."

Tina: I don't take the GMO garbage lightly. I've read about it for years. I'm also selective about the sources, so I don't land in a world of untruths - as best I can. It's okay. We just disagree about this stuff.

Take care.

Cabot: I'll go check out the thread and I'm burned out already.
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Old 03-17-2015, 03:28 PM
 
Location: Montana
1,829 posts, read 2,220,049 times
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I have used several premium dog foods because I ahave a Shar Pei mix with allergies and sensitivities to everything from grass to fleas to grains - it's a bit of a PITA, but he is a great dog!

Any food grade, non grain kibble is going to run $60-$75 per 25-35 pound bag, that's just what they cost, so I think your stuck with paying that cost, or buying cheaper food with grains or other fillers and a lower meat content (maybe not protien, but certainly less meat as the protien source).

I have had the best luck (health wise) with Blue Wilderness Large breed Adult Salmon, but have used Wellness Core, and Solid Gold. All of those products are in the $60-$75 price range for ~30 pounds of food.

An option you may want to consider is feed RAW - a lot of Shar Pei owners do this. Costs can be more or significantly less than a premium dog kibble - you control it. Here's a link that gives a general overveiw of RAW feeding.

DogAware.com: Sample Raw Diet How-To's
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Old 03-17-2015, 03:47 PM
 
3,339 posts, read 9,296,874 times
Reputation: 4299
Quote:
Originally Posted by PeaceOut001 View Post
Guys:
Thanks for your responses. Right - fixed income + decrease in the amount of dog food = less dog food. That's how we went from a 30 lb bag of Nutro to a 24 lb bag of Canidae. oregon: It's a business and what many of dog food companies are doing is making 25 lbs. their biggest bag. I saw very few larger bags roaming around pet supply stores. Your idea is a good one and the industry put a crimp in it already . It didn't surprise me and this, too, will likely be coming to your supermarket shelves soon (wait, a 5 lb bag of sugar is now 4 lbs, it's already happening).

It's my belief that genetically modified food is not fine because you can't tell me you know what's in the food. Corn, for example, is likely no longer corn it just looks like it (I can't prove or disprove this). You can believe GMO is fine but it isn't for me inconsistently but I have to change what I eat. I have been reading many labels and, as usual, not all ingredients are listed (they legally don't have to be and I don't know why other than it could decrease sales). I know "organic" products may also be contaminated with GMO and that wipes out the organic ... That includes the products cows eat. I'm pretty sure I'm Round-up ready, too, so Monsanto is looking into another highly toxic way to create even more toxic pesticides and "food."

Tina: I don't take the GMO garbage lightly. I've read about it for years. I'm also selective about the sources, so I don't land in a world of untruths - as best I can. It's okay. We just disagree about this stuff.

Take care.

Cabot: I'll go check out the thread and I'm burned out already.
The science of GMO is not a matter of opinion. What you've been reading for years is total hogwash, and the "research" that's been published has had holes shot clean through it. GMO corn is CORN. We do know what's in it: CORN. If you were to eat the native corn the settlers ate in the 17th century, you wold gag. You wouldn't recognize it. Plants are hybridized, and they are also bred for disease resistance and resistance to pests that cut farm yield in half.

We don't just disagree. It isn't that simple. You are wrong on this. If you read newer research on The Genetic Literacy pages, you might think differently. Or not. Old beliefs are hard to turn around.

There is also a good page of references from the University of Georgia.
GMO links

And from the nYT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/us...bout-gmos.html

Science is not a matter of opinion. GMOs are here to stay, and if you won't eat them, you will probably starve. What I CAN tell you is that without GMO crops, the whole world will starve within 100 years.
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Old 03-17-2015, 04:20 PM
 
Location: North Idaho
32,480 posts, read 47,405,393 times
Reputation: 77671
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tuck's Dad View Post
.......An option you may want to consider is feed RAW - .......
I home cook for my dogs so that I know what is in their food, But if OP has a dog big enough to eat 25 pounds of premium kibble in a month, OP is not going to be able to home cook for the dog for less than $65 a month and OP can't afford that. OP certainly can't feed certified GMO free food that is home cooked for $65 a month. That would cost perhaps twice as much as using food from a regular grocery store.

I know a few (very few) people who can feed a raw diet economically, but they all live near poultry processing plants where they can buy bulk amounts of backs and wings for cheap. Most of us can't. I haven't seen chicken backs in the store for 20 years and wings are over $2 a pound. I can buy boneless pork shoulder for less that the cost of chicken wings.

The local chickens that are raised GMO free and organic cost over $25 for one chicken. That's not cheap dog food. The bulk boxes of cheap chicken backs are not certified GMO free.

I might be able to buy boneless pork for under $2 a pound, but that is not guaranteed GMO-free, and I am going to assume that those pigs were fed GMO corn as a big part of their diet-- which bothers me not in the least. I'm happy to get good clean protein for the dogs and the dogs are happy, because they love getting real meat in their dinner. But it is not cheaper than feeding premium kibble.
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Old 03-17-2015, 04:22 PM
 
Location: North Idaho
32,480 posts, read 47,405,393 times
Reputation: 77671
Quote:
Originally Posted by TinaMcG View Post
<snork!>

Still, the idea of making a dog pest-and-disease resistant is pretty interesting...
I know. Think how wonderful to make the dog genetically flea-free.
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