best dog foods for working gsd or raw diet - Page 2

HighDesert - interesting point.  I can say this:  The only time I have a dog that poohs out undigested bone is when the first start eating raw.  Otherwise, I've fed dogs whole chickens (from the grocery store not whole prey) and have not had an issue with too much bone.

Bone provides nutrition, but it also solidifies the pooh.  Eating only meat and organ the dog will likely have runny pooh, which us humans construe as diarrhea, which is incorrect.  It's likely the alpha wolves have runny stool after eating their kill, but there's no human to care that it's loose. 

Dogs/wolves are opportunistic eaters.  I'm sure they eat the best parts of their kill, but at the same time I'm sure they eat the remains of smaller animals, including bones, when they come across them.

Bone is a very small portion - 10% - of the overall diet.  For my dogs bones digest just fine.

I have been feeding K-9 Kraving frozen raw dog for for  7 to 8 years.  My dogs are 11 and 9.  My 9 yr old has been on a raw diet all of his life.  I started him on Fargo, but later switched to K-9 Kraving, when it first started being made.  K-9 Kraving is located in Baltimore MD, so it is closer to where I live.   I supplement with welactin salmon oil, and Finish line fluid action for horses(dog dosage) with glucosime, msm and other joint stuff.  My 9 yr old male has severe hip dysplasia, found out at 18 months.  He has been on this product since then.  He shows no outward signs of a hip problem, and goes like gang busters.  You would never know he is 9.  My 11 yr old female has arthritis in her right elbow.  She limps some, and I give her previcox for pain, sometimes when she is really limping. But the only reason you can tell shes 11 is by her grayness.  I also have a 12 month old male.  He has been on k-9 kraving since he was 4 months old (when I got him). He weighs 76.8 lbs, and he eats 2lbs per day.  I figure at 5 1lbs per day for all 3 dogs @$2.00 a pound, $10.00 a day.  I figure if I don't get my nails done, and don't eat out for lunch everyday(brown bag it)  I can afford it.

I should be ashamed.

My dog food is $23-$26 a 40-lb bag. First ingredient chicken-by-product meal. No soy, little  corn. No other grains but rice.  Rather high protein and fat. Chicken fat. Ruminant (cattle) free.

3-4 ounces on chicken meat or liver comes to $0.25 to $0.4 per day.  Fish oil $0.10 for 2-3 capsules. My older dogs had added chrondrotin and glucosamine $0.25 a day.

My female eats 12 oz of dry food plus the added meat to maintain a day.

She also has shiny coat and lots of energy.

 My 7 dogs are on R.C. 24 and get meaty cow leg bones and hip joints once a week and are Helthy happy and well feed. 

Bottom line is do what you think is best for your dogs, and you. FYI

Here are the ingredients for the

K-9 Kraving

 CHICKEN, BEEF & VEGETABLE

INGREDIENTS: CHICKEN, BEEF, BEEF LIVER, BEEF HEART, SWEET POTATO, BROCCOLI, LINSEED (FLAX) MEAL, SUNFLOWER MEAL, TOMATO PUMICE (DRY), CARROTS (DRY), KELP (DRY), CHOLINE CHLORIDE, VITAMIN E NATURAL, MANGANESE SULFATE, ZINC SULFATE, VITAMIN A, NIACIN, d CAL PAN, VITAMIN D3, COPPER SULFATE, RIBOFLAVIN, SELENIUM, BIOTIN, VITAMIN B12, PRYIDOXINE HCL, THIA B1 MONONITRATE, COBALT CARBONATE, FOLIC ACID, EDDI.

Guaranteed Analysis, As Fed
Crude Protein (Min.) 16% Crude Fiber (Max.) 2%
Crude Fat (Min.) 12% Moisture (Max.) 65%
 

There are no by-products or meal in this food.  I was not scambling around making sure the food I was feeding during that nasty recall was not on the list.  I can go right to the source, see it being made, and know it is fresh.

Since it is 65% water, a comparable protein content for 10% moisture dry food is (16/35) x 0.9 or 41% protein.

and about 31% fat.

This is obviously a dry food for those who don't care much about the cost. Of course, it better be an excellent food.

Is it necessary?

Paying a lot for the water as well, not just a high cost per pound of the food. If this food is $1 a pound, the price of comparable 10% moisture food is about $3. What kind of quality dry kibble can one buy for $120 a 40lb bag?

I have been feeding all my dogs the Kirkland (Costco) chicken and rice for a while. They all have great coats and very good energy levels. The bags cost me about $23 for 40 pounds. I also give them each 2 fish oil tablets a day and some canned pumpkin.

Here are the ingredience....

Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, white rice, rice bran, egg product, cracked pearled barley, chicken fat( preserved with mixed tocopherols and vitamin E), beet pulp, potatoes, fish meal, flaxseed, natural flavor, millet, brewers dried yeast, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, carrots, peas, kelp, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, taurine, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, chondroitin sulfate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride(vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid

 GUARANTEED ANALYSIS

Crude Protein------------------------ 26% minimum

Crude Fat---------------------------- 16% minimum

Crude Fiber-------------------------- 4% maximum

Moisture------------------------------10% maximum

Zinc---------------------------------- 200mg/kg minimum

Selenium------------------------------ 0.4mg/kg minimum

Vitamin E----------------------------- 150 IU/kg minimum

Omega- 6 Fatty acid------------------ 2.2% minimum

Omega-3 Fatty acid------------------- 0.4% minimum

Glucosamine hydrochloride------------ 300 mg/kg minimum

Chondroitin sulfate--------------------- 100 mg/kg minimum

Jyl I don't know about that food it looks like the major ingridiant is rice :).

I have a good friend in Nevada with performance dogs.  He feeds the Kirkland.  He swears by it, and his dogs literally glow.  I have always wanted to try it, but I am never near a Costco.  Below is a method of grading your dog food.  The Kirkland scores very well.

http://www.hemibulldogs.com/GradingDogFood.html

Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, white rice, rice bran, egg product, cracked pearled barley, chicken fat( preserved with mixed tocopherols and vitamin E), beet pulp, potatoes, fish meal, flaxseed, natural flavor, millet, brewers dried yeast, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, carrots, peas, kelp, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, taurine, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, chondroitin sulfate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride(vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid

This is a very good ingredient list. and the crude analysis back them up as a very good food. The key is whether the manufacturer handles the food well.

This food is not mostly rice, compared to most other preimum dry dog food.

"Chicken" is number one, but the trick if that, as I believe, "chicken" is a fresh and moist ingredient. The water in it DOES count in the weight of this ingredient. If this "chicken" were dried up to 10% moisture, it may not be number one, or even number 4 or 5 in the ingredient list.

"Chicken meal", the second ingredient here,  is different. It is defined as a dry product. There must be a rather high amount of "chicken meal" in this product. How high? Look for protein-rich grains, such as soy or even corn. . I see none. Look at the crude protein. rather high 26%. If there is not much protein from a combination of "chicken" and "chicken meal", where is the protein coming from. The answer is no other source, so most of the protein must be of chicken origin.

"crude protein" is really just the weight of nitrogen times an arbitrary constant, 6.25 (may be 6.75). On average, meaning a typical mix of amino acids in a typical protein mass, 100 g of protein contents 6.25 grams of nitrogen.  

This food also has good omega 6 and 3, and also both chrondrotin and glucosamine.

I may be motivation to try this food if I know who actually makes it.