Dog Food Question

[Sardo]

Catching and killing an animal does not make it any more aggressive neither. There are plenty of huntings dogs out there that will catch and hold prey while the handler finishes the job and this does not make them any more aggressive than your average pet.

For me personally, grains don't belong in a dog's diet, it is unecessary and only benefits the dog food companies to keep costs down.

These are the ingredients in Nutro Ultra

http://www.ultraholistic.com/adult.shtml

Three of the top five ingredients are rice in different forms and the reason for this is to keep the chicken meal at the top of the list making you think that chicken is the main ingredient which is not, rice is. Rice is rice, some are better than others but it's still rice and that is the main ingredient in the Ultra line and many other foods out there.

[Miriam]

Thanks for the information
I have a small business that is hoping to get big...training/boarding resort.
I would love to be able to do the right thing for all considered...how could I feed a raw diet while they are with me and then they go back home to their old diet?:-P
I sincerely want to look at this issue as I am passionate about the health of my girl
Rotties get cancer easily and so I did research and believed what I read about the Ultra. When her coat got so beautiful and she was the correct weight,and all..I thought we were doing the right thing.
Anymore info would be desired...I can feed my dog anything I deem fit, and feed the boards something else...but for now, the boards are in my home and we all eat together.

[Sardo]

I'm not saying there is anything worng with Nutro but it's just not for me. I just wanted to point out what exactly you are feeding. You have to look at the ingredients alot closer and question certain ingredients and if it's there multiple times in different forms than ask yourself why.

[Miriam]

I did question...a lot, before I chose what to feed her. I wanted to 'do the right thing' from the very start
According to those I questioned, a brand new vet that just got out of school and hopefully had the newest research in her brain and on her shelves, the food merchants,and reading all of the labels on every bag and container in PetsMart.
So, it seems that this is a very complex issue and that maybe there are others out there, like myself, who thought they were doing the best for their companion that they could.
The research I read about cooked diets for the canines cautioned against adding the wrong supplements so I decided that was not the road for me.
I am so willing to try a RMD for my girl.
What do you feed every day and how much does it cost? How hard is it to get what you need without driving all over the place?
Thanks a lot for your challenge...it will make me a better dog owner

I know that not everybody lives in a location that gives them multiple options for stores that carry dog food, but I know here in the bay area that Petsmart has by far the smallest selection of high quality dog foods. Pet food express seems to have quite a few choices. Since I feed Evo (which by the way is grain free), I go to the local feed store to purchase it. We also have a few smaller pet food stores in the area that seem to carry a lot of high quality foods. So, if you have other options than petsmart you may want to check them out.

Also, I bet if you contacted a food supplier such as nature's variety that has the "raw" option to their kibble that they'd be willing to work with you to find a store in your area that would stock it or order it for you. Actually, my vet carries/sells Nature's Variety (and is nice enough to sell it to me at cost for my non-athletic dogs) so you could even talk to your vet about becoming a supplier.

[SplishSplashCrash]

Originally Posted by Sardo

Catching and killing an animal does not make it any more aggressive neither. There are plenty of huntings dogs out there that will catch and hold prey while the handler finishes the job and this does not make them any more aggressive than your average pet.

I meant catching and killing for the purpose of eating.

Ever seen a jack russel around rabbits?

[Sardo]

I also feed Evo and whole prey model raw. I still feed Evo because going to competitions with raw is not feasible right now, so I might start feeding premade raw at competitions and just keep it on ice. For me, it's really not that expensive because we have alot of mexican meat markets that carry all sorts of goodies at a good price.

[SplishSplashCrash]

Oriental markets always have great raw meaty items for a god price. That is where I get Crash's pig hearts.

99 Ranch Market is a local chain, but just google an oriental or ethinic market in your area

[Sardo]

Originally Posted by SplishSplashCrash

I meant catching and killing for the purpose of eating.

Ever seen a jack russel around rabbits?

your talking about a jacks natural tendency to kill varmin because that was what they were bred for.