Best Dog Food

[Calkins]

Is Ol' Roy in second place only because it's the cheapest? I'd love to hear some reasons why with the votes. I planned on starting to feed pro plan but I'm disheartened now with the way the voting is going. I know Black Gold is the best but can't figure out why Ol' Roy would be second.

[Sparkles]

I hated ol Roy I fed twice as much to keep weight on and they shit liquid it was cheaper in the long run to buy a more expensive dog food

[Liz ODell]

If money was no object I would be feeding everyone Taste of the Wild or Evo. If money and time were no object I'd be making my own food (mainly raw) added to some of the dehydrated raw foods that are out there now.
But as it is I feed Diamond Extreme Athlete mixed with Kirkland Chicken and Rice and some Taste of the Wild as well. I would try Victor if there was a dealer around.
Over the years I have fed the regular Diamond, ol' Roy, Atta Boy, Black Gold, Loyall, Nutrena River Run, Kelley's, Purina, Nutro and who knows what else.
I am pretty happy with what I'm feeding but every now and then they will have soft stools...but then sometimes I wonder how normal it is for a dog to always have a hard firm stoll...I mean really is there a proper poop or is it always going to have some variance? As long as they are not crapping out as much as they eat or having consistent liquid stool - the kind they almost can't control then I'm not sure they should always crap the same? although I do hate cleaning up soft crap - hard turds are much easier to clean up.
I do think in the long run the better foods cost you less in the end - but compare ingredients some expensive feed is the exact same thing as inexpensive feed...Nutro (regular formulas) and Loyall are good examples of this.
I do now stay away from corn and soy based feeds.
Also interesting to look up which foods have tested dirty for the barbituates used in euthanasia...the only way they get in pet food is from euthanized dogs/cats/horses.

[Redwood Coonhounds]

I feed a food called Precise Foundation, it is made by it's own company out of Texas. No corn/wheat/soy, and no recalls. I get it for $39.99 for 44 lbs.

I was an avid feeder of Diamond and Diamond Naturals for many years, but a few months ago almost my entire yard of dogs came down ill, vomiting, diarrhea, not eating, some had Salmonella. The only place it could have come from was feed (they were not housed or hunted together) So I will not use anything coming from a Diamond mill. Diamond Naturals, Chicken Soup, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, or Premium Edge.

If you want cheap, but not so cheap it's just bagged up cereal (corn, sugar and food dye) then feed Purina One, or Iams.

[Calkins]

I hated ol Roy I fed twice as much to keep weight on and they shit liquid it was cheaper in the long run to buy a more expensive dog food

I agree 100%. Ol' Roy is a filler in itself. I used to feed Ol' Roy but the dogs were always going #2 and couldn't keep weight on them even in the off season.

I would love to hear some feed back on Pro Plan though, I haven't heard anything thus far.

[Plowdog]

I wouldnt feed an enemies dog Ol Roy. They dont get what they need out of the food especially if you are working your dogs hard. My opinion only.

[catsup]

I feed pro plan performance (purple bag) and like it fine. I mix it with kirkland lamb and rice in the winter for more calories. the summer I mix kirkland lamb and rice with the kirkland healthy weight because they aren't working, it is warm, and they aren't burning many calories.
someone mentioned that the way their dogs were housed made a difference. I agree completely. I feed my dogs good, but they also stay in a heated kennel so they can warm up and sleep soundly. I know when I am hunting, if I can't get good rest, then I feel out of sorts.

[Rowdy]

If Money was no object I would feed NATIVE. I fed it for a while and I really was impressed.

For the money and no regrets I feed PROUD PAWS (i hate the name) it is made by ADM (super market to the world). They are a huge feed company that has plenty of science to back them up. There is no corn and I get it for $26 for forty pounds at the feed mill one mile from the house.

[Calkins]

Here's something I found online. I know there's a ton of these lists out there buy I think this one is fairly accurate. DO NOT feed Ol' Roy!!!!


http://www.holisticandorganixpetshoppe. ... rands.html

[driftwood blue]

LOL!
the best dog food in the world is not worth a hoot if you cannot afford it.
ask yourself -- who pays for those great studies?

bet they are paid for by those rated at the top

[Calkins]

I ordered my first bag of Black Gold on Monday and it arrived about a half hour ago. I still have a newly opened bag of Pro Plan Sport Performance 30/20 so I will continue to feed that until there is a sufficient amour left to make a one week transition to the Black Gold. I am making the switch because I have been hunting my 9 month old Bluetick 2 times a week for the last month or so along with his daily walk and he doesn't seem to have any sort of muscle gain and walks stiff legged and even limps after a couple hour hunt. I received the Black Gold premium Super Blend in the purple bag. Have any of you fed that before? How does it compare to other Black Gold products as far as muscle mass, stamina, and amount of energy?

[outlaw13]

I also feed diamond extreme athlete during hunting season when i am running the dogs hard day after day. When i am not hunting the dogs hard or during the off season ATTA BOY keeps them going fine. I also mix the two bags depending on how much work i plan on giving the dogs. The more work the less ATTA BOY. Dogs have been doing great on this mixture and i can't complain.

[Melanie Hampton]

Back when I started hunting I fed Atta Boy I've fed Nutro, Black Gold, Purina, Loyall, Diamond, Kirkland and Diamond Naturals. I keep coming back to the Diamond Naturals line. I've got one dog that the Extreme Athlete seems to be a bit much for him (and super high protein/fat seems to upset him) but the Diamond Naturals Chicken & Rice he does good on. I also like Kirkland but when you break down the price vs size of bag- the Naturals is the same if not a bit cheaper. Made by the same company so I go with the Naturals.

The current pup at the house I'm feeding Taste of the Wild puppy blend. It doesn't have as much protein or fat as Diamond EA, but he's a bad eater and he really likes this, so we will keep on it for a while.

[mike martell]

None of the above.

Do your homework and compare analysis and who knows how accurate it is? I suspect if you owned one dog you wouldn't mind paying fifty dollars for a bag of feed, but like most hound hunters, I suspect this is not the case.

The best diet consist of raw butcher scraps, bone, fat, combined along with a prober blend of dry dog food. A little scraps go a long ways, many butcher shops will give away the scraps if you ask and if you are deficient in calcium, you can adjust by grinding up egg shells that are free. Bake them in the oven to kill any bacteria and grind them into powder form and go sparingly. I feed all my carcasses harvested to my dogs. I boil and feed, Both coon and bobcats. I had more teeth and gum issues earlier on than I do now as well since adding the real diet.

Pay attention to what meat by products/scraps straight can do to your dogs diet! You can pick up a dedicated freezer that looks bad but works fine cheap and keep it in your feed area and package rations and thaw out before feeding, You will figure out over time what works! .....Good Luck!

[Dads dogboy]

We get along fine with PMI's Canine Advantage. It is a "Constant Formulation" product, meaning they do not change the formulation as commodity prices change.

It is a 24/20 with Chicken by-product meal (Feathers, offal, etc.) on the third line of ingredients.

Our price in AR $26/50# in FL 27.50/50#.

Like Tim we want a solid Top line/loin and to see the third rib in running condition. In the Winter the Hounds get 1 & 1/2 cans (1lb coffee can) daily....in Summer 1 can daily.

Those who have been here have seen how we Hunt and what the Hounds look like. Stool will be a little soft, our Vet says he likes that better than super hard Stools. He says that the softer Stool is a sign of Fat being on the high side, but that is extra Calories that could get burned up with a 3rd long race in a night.