I NEED A FEED THAT PRODUCES LESS MESS TO CLEAN UP!!

[Gunslinger Beagles]

i want to thank everyone for their insight on the subject. i have learned for several things to look for and it has been helpful. thanks-mac

[Ed Brown]

Since hydration was mentioned on here a few times, I thought I'd mention that, in the winter, and it gets COLD here in Vt, I always feed wet food. I put warm water on it, just to insure that the dogs are getting some moisture in the winter.

[weaver240000]

I feed Purina One Lamb over Rice and I can pick up their stool right after they drop it with out it breaking up. I like everybody else tried about everything. For me and I quote for me. That seem to do the best. So Far

[mybeagles]

I think an "X" factor that never really gets proven on these boards is how hard guys are actually running their hounds.........

Very few guys run all their hounds 20+ hours a week where the good foods really starts paying for itself. Running 1-2 hours a couple times a week doesnt even get a dog in good condition.

Talk to guys you KNOW run their hounds 20, 30, 40 hours a week and see what they are feeding......

With a couple hours of exercise a week, just about any food will keep a dog up. Like 2500 HD said, the biggest problem is guys over feeding. Ive watched guys I know feed their dogs 4-5 cups a food everyday and only run them a couple times a month. Maybe they feel guilty for not running them so they fill their food dish.

If anyone is feeding a beagle 3+ cups a food a day, either the food is so poor it cant keep a dog up or your grossly overfeeding and the amount of stool is going to be rediculous.....better get some above ground kennels, because you wont be able to keep up with it.

We have all run across guys in the woods with beagles so fat they cant run straight.........I will never understand that....never!


Mybeagles

[2500 HD]

I have a freid in KY that absolutely pounds a dog on the ground, 40 plus hrs. a week during heavy trial season. He made the comment the other day, "if I could get a food that was a 20/24 (yes 20% protien and 24% fat) that my dogs would really be in top notch shape" Keep in mind this is his passion and knows what it takes to compete Nationally. Protien takes a back seat to the fat content when running hard.

It is hard for a working man/ family man to get 15- 20 hrs a week on his hounds, if you really keep track. I did it last spring thru fall while ruing for HOY and my dogs have never looked better, but my kids weren't getting the time they needed with dad.

[Ky. Hunter]

"if I could get a food that was a 20/24 (yes 20% protien and 24% fat) that my dogs would really be in top notch shape"

I feed Pride 24/20 in the black bag and if I am not running my hounds much I have to cut back on their food pretty good because it will put the weight on them.

[Bunnyblaster]

Pride 24/20, warmed up table scraps every chance I can and either beef fat scraps and/or raw chicken leg quarters in the really cold months and/or when I am running them hard. Realistically my dogs get no more than 10-20 hours of running time per week during hunting season. The rest of the year it varies but the average is probably around 6-10 hours a week depending on the weather, my work schedule and my kids sports schedules.........sometimes a little more and other times a little less.

I keep an eye on how they look both in their physical appearance and their behavior. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out your hound(s) are feeling a little dumpy by looking at them..........just a caring, observant person. If they aren't looking and acting up to par then we start figuring out why.......parasites......food.......sick......whatever.

I'm no expert but through advice I've gotten on here I use what I mentioned above and it works for me both financially and with my available time. The dogs like the added "treat" of the table scraps and even though sometimes it may not be nutritionally the best thing for them I enjoy the fact that they enjoy it..........just don't go overboard and get them too fat........or too spoiled for that matter. I personally can't see wasting good food if I have a use for it and I also can't see eating tofu burgers everyday for the rest of my life just because it may be the healthiest/most nutritionally balanced option for me........I like variety and I can't see treating my dogs any differently. JMO

[Bev]

Good post, Bunnyblaster. I agree with a lot of that, too. I can't imagine never tasting anything different from one day to the next. Seems like an unnecessary restriction.

[chipper]

Some of the feed companies have different feeds that are based on different meat sources.One might be chicken and the other one might be fish.We use to alternate every few weeks so our dogs got a variety.Our leftovers use to set in the fridge until we threw them out.We then started adding some to the dog food and they loved it all.Beef,chicken,fish,
yogurt,cottage cheese,veggies,along with most anything else.
I think today,even with the premixed rations available,it still takes a good dose of common sense when it comes to feeding our hounds, just as it did back before premixed rations were ever available to us.

[TC]

Good post, Bunnyblaster. I agree with a lot of that, too. I can't imagine never tasting anything different from one day to the next. Seems like an unnecessary restriction.

I Agree very Good post Bunnyblaster...mine get Treats fairly regularly An Egg ever so often a few table scrapes here an there doesn't seem hurt em any...
We feed Exceeds Chicken and Rice 30/16 mixed 50/50 with the maintenance if Running them hard they get straight chicken and rice a cup 1/2 a day.

[danny vansickle]

when i was runnin hard i fed pro plan,kinda high dollar though,but very lil waste cause the dog absorbes it all

[mybeagles]

It is hard for a working man/ family man to get 15- 20 hrs a week on his hounds, if you really keep track. I did it last spring thru fall while ruing for HOY and my dogs have never looked better, but my kids weren't getting the time they needed with dad.2500 HD

Nothing wrong with just running a couple hours a week, and keeping the priorities in order. It just has to be considered when someone says "I feed generic brand dog food and my dogs look great".

Fortunately, 3 of my kids like to run so I can kill two birds with one stone. I try to be creative, and make sure the kids are entertained while running so they don't burn out on it. We look for things in the creek bottoms, discuss the different plants, trees, nuts, etc that can be found in the woods. Sort of a Science exploration. We home school our children, so running dogs can be turned into a Science field trip..........

Mybeagles

[Bunnyblaster]

Mybeagles, that is something I learned in just the last year or so.........keeping the kids entertained. All 3 of mine like to go but I had to remind myself that all of the things I take for granted are the things that intrigue them. I've seen them a thousand times over but it's a whole new world of things out there for them every time we take the dogs, go pick berries or just go for a walk. I used to get a little irritated because I think I wanted the trip out to be all about the dogs and the reality is I was looking right past why I should have been taking my kids with me in the first place..........to teach them about why I enjoy the outdoors......not just to get my dogs out and let my kids "tag along". They will watch and listen to the dogs but they also want to climb the trees, poke at things, run through the woods and anything else a kid could want to do. Once I re-realized that the trips with my kids got to be a whole lot more fun.

It's amazing how hard it can sometimes be to remember not to be selfish isn't it??? And I'm supposed to be the adult!

[hogbody]

This is directed to Bev. After reading your post referring to fiber content, I checked my PMI and it is 3% fiber. However, I often use Pride 26/18 and it is 2% fiber. I seem to get more excrement with the Pride than I do PMI although the contents are virtually the same. I have not paid particular attention to fiber before so this interests me. What say you? My dogs also drink a lot more water with the Pride. Why would this be?

I had the same problem when I used Sportdog as far as the water went. Why would one food cause a dog to drink a lot of water and another cause it not to?

I couldn't tell you why your dogs poop so much on the Pride but I would wager it's not related to fiber. I looked up PMI food labels and I couldn't find a 26/18 formula, only a 23/16, so that along with the disparity in fiber levels tell me you aren't using comparable feeds; the ingredients aren't virtually the same. I also noticed that Pride's meat source is porcine (pig). First time I've seen that. We don't know what the ash content is on either of those feeds because it isn't listed. It could be 4%; it could be 8 or 9%. I think both Diamond and Black Gold list the ash percentage on their bags.

My first instinct as to why your lower fiber food causes more stool? There's no telling how fine or rough the corn is ground in the feed. It just says "ground." Rough ground corn will pass through mostly undigested. This is why I also recommend avoiding dog food that says ground corn. Opt for corn meal whenever possible. Meal is meal - we know the texture of meal, it's almost a powder and the dog will be able to digest more of it. Lastly, I'm confused as to why both of those feeds use rice, in fact, list rice before the corn. Rice is inferior to corn as a source of carbohydrates (but is an excellent "filler").

HD2500 is absolutely correct on the salt of dog foods. Purina is generally lower in salt than many of the commercial feeds, and dogs don't seem to go through as much water while on it.

I recently tried a bag of Pride 26/18 (green bag) Seem to be getting a lot of stool. But I am feeding more due to the cold weather and I mix with warm water in winter to ensure they stay hydrated. I think this contributes to loose stools also. I can actually see bits of rough ground corn in their stools. Never saw this with any other feed. So Bev, I think you are on to something with the ground corn / corn meal thing. Wish I could get Black Gold. Closest dealer is an hour away. How long will feed keep? If I made the drive I could pick up several bags at a time.

[Bunnyblaster]

This is directed to Bev. After reading your post referring to fiber content, I checked my PMI and it is 3% fiber. However, I often use Pride 26/18 and it is 2% fiber. I seem to get more excrement with the Pride than I do PMI although the contents are virtually the same. I have not paid particular attention to fiber before so this interests me. What say you? My dogs also drink a lot more water with the Pride. Why would this be?

I had the same problem when I used Sportdog as far as the water went. Why would one food cause a dog to drink a lot of water and another cause it not to?

I couldn't tell you why your dogs poop so much on the Pride but I would wager it's not related to fiber. I looked up PMI food labels and I couldn't find a 26/18 formula, only a 23/16, so that along with the disparity in fiber levels tell me you aren't using comparable feeds; the ingredients aren't virtually the same. I also noticed that Pride's meat source is porcine (pig). First time I've seen that. We don't know what the ash content is on either of those feeds because it isn't listed. It could be 4%; it could be 8 or 9%. I think both Diamond and Black Gold list the ash percentage on their bags.

My first instinct as to why your lower fiber food causes more stool? There's no telling how fine or rough the corn is ground in the feed. It just says "ground." Rough ground corn will pass through mostly undigested. This is why I also recommend avoiding dog food that says ground corn. Opt for corn meal whenever possible. Meal is meal - we know the texture of meal, it's almost a powder and the dog will be able to digest more of it. Lastly, I'm confused as to why both of those feeds use rice, in fact, list rice before the corn. Rice is inferior to corn as a source of carbohydrates (but is an excellent "filler").

HD2500 is absolutely correct on the salt of dog foods. Purina is generally lower in salt than many of the commercial feeds, and dogs don't seem to go through as much water while on it.

I recently tried a bag of Pride 26/18 (green bag) Seem to be getting a lot of stool. But I am feeding more due to the cold weather and I mix with warm water in winter to ensure they stay hydrated. I think this contributes to loose stools also. I can actually see bits of rough ground corn in their stools. Never saw this with any other feed. So Bev, I think you are on to something with the ground corn / corn meal thing. Wish I could get Black Gold. Closest dealer is an hour away. How long will feed keep? If I made the drive I could pick up several bags at a time.

Try the 24/20. I had extra stool with the 26/18 and haven't had an issue since I switched over to the 24/20 about a year ago.