[AkitaBeauceGSDtm]

a regular on several other dog forums, recently found this one. Debating on several different foods, trying to find the best one to put my guys on...Have been feeding Natural balance ultra premium formula (tried potato and duck formula before and all had itchy skin)...just recently began trying Great life Buffalo formula..its very hard to find any information on this food though?

I have 3 dogs and one on the way- all of which are involved in AKC events- conformation, obedience, agility, and/or rally...

6 year old neutered male Akita
3 year old female Beauceron
1 year old female German Shepherd
3 week old male Tibetan Mastiff (will be coming home after 8 weeks)

and also 2 kitties

Being all large breed dogs, and 2 being puppies, i know i have to be careful on what they eat and trying ot learn all i can about different foods out there.

Raw is out of the question for now, for various reasons.

 

[Todd]

Welcome to the forum! Glad to have you! Since raw is out of the question, have you consider a home cooked diet?

 

[AkitaBeauceGSDtm]

No, same thing with the home cooked, id love to learn more about all of that (as wella s raw) but honestly i dont know enough right now to feel confident to do it, nor do i have the time/space to do it...so no, Im really looking for just a good kibble right now.

 

[Todd]

If you're open minded and wish to learn about a raw diet, than that's exactly the way to go! It is the absolute, most biologically appropriate diet possible for a dog! I HIGHLY recommend you do some research and at least give this raw diet a try. Trust me, you won't turn back! The benefits are endless. I encourage you to search past threads here on this forum in the raw feeding section. I also HIGHLY recommend you check out this website. It was created by a member of the forum here and is a very knowledgeable raw feeder. It gives you all the information you could ever need on why a raw diet's the best diet for a dog and how to start and maintain a raw diet;

http//:Dedicated to proper carnivore nutrition - Prey Model Raw Feeding for Dogs & Cats

Also in the meantime, try switching to a high quality, grain-free natural food with high meat content. Check out the following link for information on various brands of kibble and how they rank;

http//:Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

Here are some of the best kibble brands;

Origin
EVO
Taste Of The Wild
Timberwolf Organics
Wellness CORE
Canidae Grain-Free Formula
Among Others

Good Luck:smile:

 

[ruckusluvr]

welcome to the board!
there are lots of great dog foods to choose from these days!

great group of dogs you have! we love pictures and stories about the dogs here too

 

[CorgiPaws]

Welcome to the forum!
So glad you came to join us, and can't wait to see pictures of your pack!
Raw is definately something you have to read about and feel comfortable with before jumping into, but it's not as complicated as most people think. MUCH less complicated than label reading. lol. And we have plenty of experienced feeders who have been around this lovely place for a long time, eager and willing to help.

Of course, some people want to stick wtih kibble, and if that's the case, you'll be doing a lot of label reading and comparing, and tiral and error. Kibbles are not all created equal, and no kibble is perfect. There are a lot of protein myths and misconceptions as well.

I hope you find EXACTLY what you're looking for here, and that we can help you go about whichever route you decide in the best possible way.:biggrin: I look forward to you being a part of our little community!

 

[wags]

Hi and Welcome to the forum!
You will find lots of info here!
Probably your looking for a high protien low carb formula lots of them out there!
Grain free is what I think you may be wanting! But just check like ~
Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

This and you will start to get an idea of what your looking for!
Have fun here!:smile:

 

[AkitaBeauceGSDtm]

thanks for the suggestions guys...i am slowly learning about raw etc, but in no rush and have ALOT to learn, so need to find something until then.. Ive really been leaning towards the core, is that ok for large breed adult dogs?? ( a 3 year old 80 lb and a 6 year old 130 lb) both in good health that im aware of and good weight. am i correct that grain free is not appropriate for LB puppies? What would be good to put them on? (a 10 month old GSD and 8 week old Tibetan Mastiff?) is Wellness Largebreed one of the best out there?

These are the foods ive found we have locally -

Solid Gold
Natural Balance
Wellness (and core)
Blue (and wilderness)
Innova Evo
TOTW

TOTW and Innova/evo are just listed on the website as being carried locally, im not for certain that we have them.

Will post pictures of the gang ASAP!

 

[Todd]

thanks for the suggestions guys...i am slowly learning about raw etc, but in no rush and have ALOT to learn, so need to find something until then.. Ive really been leaning towards the core, is that ok for large breed adult dogs?? ( a 3 year old 80 lb and a 6 year old 130 lb) both in good health that im aware of and good weight. am i correct that grain free is not appropriate for LB puppies? What would be good to put them on? (a 10 month old GSD and 8 week old Tibetan Mastiff?) is Wellness Largebreed one of the best out there?

These are the foods ive found we have locally -

Solid Gold
Natural Balance
Wellness (and core)
Blue (and wilderness)
Innova Evo
TOTW

TOTW and Innova/evo are just listed on the website as being carried locally, im not for certain that we have them.

Will post pictures of the gang ASAP!

In the meantime, I'd stick with a high quality, grain-free kibble. I gave you some information about these types of foods in my post in the beginning of this thread. As for the brands you listed, all are good choices, but you may want to eliminate Solid Gold and Natural Balance because these are not grain-free foods and gave significantly lower amounts of meat protein. Again, a GREAT resource is;

http//:Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

Check out the 6 star dog foods, most of which are grain free foods with high meat protein content. Good Luck!:smile:

 

[AkitaBeauceGSDtm]

Todd..i have been to the Dog Food Analysis website before....

again, my one concern is after reading alot about LB puppies and high protein grain free foods?? being that i have a 10 month old whos mature weight will be 8-90 lbs, and soon to be 8 week old whos adult weight will be 140+ is this still a safe food for them as well as my adults?

 

[whiteleo]

This issue has been discussed many times, search through the old threads of dry and canned dog food and I think you'll find your answer there, but it really should be fine if you feed a good quality kibble.