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Dog food Research

MnGuy

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Sending me down the dog food rabbit hole again, can someone link me some of the studies on grain free food? I've fed grain free food for a very long time and dont really have any intentions to change, but am curious as I've never read one of these studies.
There is some studies that dogs evolved alongside humans to digest grains. I'm not a grain-free nut myself when it comes to my dogs.

I'll try to find something to link here later.
 

Toy

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The problem with grain free dog food was it lacked Taurine. I spoke to my vet about this, as my dog has an allergy to grains. We tried several brands of food before we found one that helped. He has itchy skin syndrome & was scratching non-stop ripping his hair out & causes rashes on his skin. Tried the meds & they turned him into a zombie. So we tried diet changes. I feed him Taste of the Wild grain free & it does contain Taurine. No more scratching his hair out or rashes.

Here's a vet point of view on grain free diet: Grain Free Diets, Taurine Deficiency, and Dilated Cardiomyopathy
 

Phocyn

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What was wrong with it that made them offer a refund? What is wrong with Purina brand?
My dogs developed breathing problems and issues with their dietary tract, my mom's dogs had similar response, but one had a seizure. An aunt's dog in florida is very ill looking and their vet can't find a cause, so they're gonna try a different food. One of my cousins from a different side claimed their dog had similiar issues. We're still getting some response from it, so we'll see.

The bird food for parrots is Mazuri, which is what led me down the rabbit hole of kibble and pellet research again. We've had a lot of problems with Purina and I just don't want to risk my birds.

Some dogs, can have issues with Purina Beneful. I'd advise strongly, anyone involved with this thread or just reading it to please do their own research. My opinion is that beneful is something we'll avoid due to health concerns. Since the switch to the other brand, we've had no issues but we're baiting out breaths and watching. There is a lot more history here and some of it is painful but I won't go into details. There hasn't been a recall on beneful, nor do they think there was any change in formula. But again, please, research your own foods. Only the pet owners know what's best for their pets.
 

Mizzely

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Mazuri is a Land of Lakes brand, which is produced by Purina Mills. Nestle Purina and Purina Mills went separate ways in I believe 1986.

The company that produces Beneful is not the same brand that makes Mazuri.
 

AussieBird

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Thank you every who linked me stuff, I will read it all when I get the chance. I am not 100% against grains in dog food, I just prefer meats etc. be higher up in the ingredients list. And I don't believe all grain free foods are made equal, hence the diet change for my dogs.
 

Mizzely

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Watch out for ingredient splitting, at least in US labels...since it has to be listed in order of weight, some companies will list peas, pea flour, etc all separately to make them appear lower on the list, while it ends up being a higher portion overall if you lump then together.

Some too also like to proudly say whole chicken or deboned chicken, but whole chicken is actually a lot of water weight (and bones if included), so a food that has chicken meal as a first ingredient may actually have more chicken in it than a food with whole/deboned chicken as a first ingredient.

It's all pretty shady lol

I love Tufts University for information on pet foods and labels.

 

Sparkles99

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I'd be careful about blanket statements about any food unless it's been found to kill pets, like with the pet food/baby formula scandal a few years back which contained, if I recall correctly, melamine & was causing kidney failure.

Purina saved my late cat's life. She was due to be euthanized. The needle was ready. Nothing would help her gain weight. She weighed around 5 pounds & was at risk of a heart attack due to anorexia. She had even been on a hydrolyzed soy diet for a few years.

Then a receptionist suggested we do something unconventional instead & try a 'basic brand', because if the alternative was death, what could it hurt?! That alternative was Purina. Their sensitive skin & stomach formula gave me 4.5 more years with my 'one and only'. I still love cats. I still have a cat. But she was exceptional & Purina saved her life.
 

iamwhoiam

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I've fed my birds Mazuri bird food for several years and have had no issues (knock on wood).
I've used the Small and Large Bird Maintenance. I also used the Insectivore for my sparrow.
 

Mizzely

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Taurine has been added to most dog food these days because of the DCM scare.

Here's some interesting history and information
 

Phocyn

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I really like the flowing this thread. I’ve learned a lot I hadn’t even known or considered. Thank you all. Some of my posts did have that emotional keel to it, so please forgive that. I hope we can continue this conversation with more information and new thoughts on brands and discuss how they work for our pets.
 

birdfloof

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I am going to soon change mine over to 'Taste of the Wild', because I've read some good things about it. I can't speak from personal experience about it yet.
taste of the wild is a very nutritious brand, a little too much so for my dog when she was little, she started vomiting under her bed (ew) to ´save it for later´ (which sometimes happens when food is TOO nutritious for a particular dog). all dogs are different though and it may work well for you and your pup! just sharing my experience. :lol:
 

Sparkles99

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Interesting. I’ll have to read up on this brand. It seems to come up a lot. You also have a lot more options when your dog is small. Some of the big dogs must absolutely devour food by the cartload.
 

Mizzely

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Interesting. I’ll have to read up on this brand. It seems to come up a lot. You also have a lot more options when your dog is small. Some of the big dogs must absolutely devour food by the cartload.
I go through about 30 lbs a month with Luke, which is on the lower side! But still adds up quickly!

Taste of the Wild is made by Diamond Pet Foods. For some reason their foods don't agree with Luke for some reason! I've tried several and he ends up with soft poops on all of them :/
 

Mizzely

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75 lb dog has to eat :lol: He eats 3 cups a day on foods that are about 360 calories a cup. I've found he gets hungry enough to steal food off the counter and out of the kid's hands if he gets less than 3 cups a day, so that also further limits my food options for him. So many foods these days are in the high 300s to 400s range!
 

taxidermynerd

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Roxie gets Solid Gold Holistique Blendz. She was put on it by the vet, we used to have her on Taste of the Wild but she kept eating miscellaneous stuff that would give her pancreatitis. So the vet suggested this as a lower fat food, so if she gets ahold of something again it will lower the chances of her getting pancreatitis.
 

zoo mom

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I have an 80+ pound outside Siberian Husky. During the summer he eats about 2-2.5 cups of kibble plus a tub of wet food a day.

During the winter he eats 4-6 cups plus a tub of wet food, depending on the temperature.
 

Mizzely

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Roxie gets Solid Gold Holistique Blendz. She was put on it by the vet, we used to have her on Taste of the Wild but she kept eating miscellaneous stuff that would give her pancreatitis. So the vet suggested this as a lower fat food, so if she gets ahold of something again it will lower the chances of her getting pancreatitis.
Looks like a great food! I've heard good things about Solid Gold.
 
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