Eagle Pack vs. Canidae - Page 2

I switched her to the eagle pack just for that reason this is the first food that not only is she doing well but she is filling out and thriving on it and she has not been on it long.

40% protein for a kibble food is too much for a shepherd. 22-26% is a good range. The Eagle Power Pack is too rich for a shepherd IMO. Most kibble food is too low in fat. You can safely add 1-3 teaspoons a day. No soy oil! Do not mix processed and raw, feed it as a separate feeding. I.e. raw in the am, kibble in the pm. Hi Kari, Some dogs just do not digest any food well. You can try adding digestive enzyme. See if that brings any improvement. Then try adding some carbs to the food. Cooked pasta or boiled potatoes, and add some oil 1-3 teaspoons a day. See which works better, the pasta or the potatoes. The pasta just bulks up if digestion is normal. The potatoes will slow down the digestion and a dog that usually has food moving through digestive tract quickly can thus utilize the food better.

Thanks again to all who were kind enough to respond,especially D.H. - VERY INFORMATIVE!!! I appreciate the feedback from all of you and I intend to give this food a try. Kind Regards to all!

D.H. - Thanks for your reply. I did not feel good about the 40% protein. That seemed VERY high. I think I will try the Eagle Pack and Holistic-Fish to keep the balance more in the 24-26% range. There were a few posts that were doing this with good results.-

DH, I know you speak highly of Eagle Pack but I have some issues with their ingredients. First of all, it looks like most of their foods are based on Pork for protein. Being an old farmer and also a degree in animal nutrition, I know that pork is a animal that requires a lot of antibiotics to make it in this world to the age of slaughter. Especially corporate farmers who crowd the hogs in to small areas to grow out and fatten up for slaughter. Also, they seem to use a lot of corn in their foods too and beet pulp along with some other questionable ingredients. I guess if the dog is doing well on the food, then all is okay...but those ingredients wouldn't be any choice I would make for a food for my dog. Birdy... ps, I'm not arguing here so don't anyone take what I say personal and attack me. Just my opinion. Thanks.

should you feed a 5 month old the adult formula of Eagle Pack?

I agree with Birdy. I avoid any food that has corn or beet pulp in it - that is not what dogs need! Usually when they say "beet pulp", they mean SUGAR beet pulp - VERY unsuitable for dogs. I feed raw, and if out of ingredients or traveling - Canidae - with excellent results. I'm in Canidae breeder program - buy 5 get one free.

Ohhh Birdy your post came through same time as mine..thanks for that info on Eagle pack. I'm glad I checked back.

Unless you feed a food that is certified organic, or states otherwise, you will run into meat content that is grown commercially with the help of hormones, antibiotics and the like, regardless of the meat source. With most dog food that is. Same goes for meat for human consumption. Try to find meats for your family that is free of that stuff. Eagle lists on their site that they use only hormone and antibiotic free meats. http://www.eaglepack.com/pages/Digestible_meat.html Ever had a chance to take your dogs to the barn? If they find the bucket with soaking beet pulp, their noses are in it. Dogs love it. Beat pulp is what is left AFTER the sugar has been extracted. It contains a highly digestible fibre, minerals and protein. The sugar content is only about 14%. About the same you find in grass that your dog will munch on occasionally. Seems the benefit of beet pulp are certainly misunderstood. http://www.eaglepack.com/pages/Fiber.html I do agree that sugars, simple sugars, have no place in dog food. Beet pulp is not a simple sugar. Sources of sugar are things that end in ...ose, are a syrup of a carb source, etc. When you are feeding a food that has about 22-26% protein, the carbs have to come from somewhere. You could argue that all carbs are sugars, but then you cannot have any carb source. Some dogs cannot digest corn or other sources of carbs well, this is why there are different recipies for different ways of feeding. I have never really had a dog who had a problem with the three types of Eagle that I feed. I also test other brands all the time, but that is what I have found to be very good and brings consistent results. Yes you can feed a 5 months old pup an adult formula. It depends on how it is put together. The Eagle Original Adult for example is suitable for growing youngsters. They mature slower, but with good bone density (prescreen x-rays show that), tight joints and very few growing pains. They grow longer, well past one year. Many vets are recommending NOT to feed puppy food for too long. The pet food companies have followed suit by bringing out foods for growth phases etc. I have been introduced to the Eagle well over 10 years ago and stick to what works for me, and what I have seen work for many of my friends, some of who have dogs that have to work and grow up under far more extreme conditions than most people can imagine here. Mushers are some of them. These dogs start training as early as 6 months... I have seen it work well, again and again. What else can I say.