A general forum for the discussion of hunting with beagles, guns, clothing and other equipment and just talking dawgs! (Tall tales on hunting allowed, but remember, first liar doesn't stand a chance)
great post touchstone
i made the switch today to beef and rice pro plan. gonna use it til the end of march and see if i can tell the difference. i cut the amount by about 20% of what i normally feed and will see how that works. is their a "breeders club" or something where you save points to get coupons??? or is that another feed?
guys im with hilltop,,,,,,,i have been feeding the ultra 24/20 for about 6 months now, 7 hounds =100 pounds of feed every 2 weeks,but i run 3-4 days aweek, 3-4 hours a day,,,,my dogs never were fat but not boney,., but they always had soft stool,,,,,i switch 2 weeks ago to purina dog chow thinking what can it hurt,,,,now 7 hounds and 40 pounds every 2 weeks,,dogs have gained weight,still running 3-4 days a week,,,stool has hardened up and coats look alot slicker and shiner,,,im sold,,,,,i feel if you keep a dog properly wormed and conditioned you shouldent need all the fat they will just muscel up good ,but just my opinion,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,jeff
OUR SPORT IS MADE UP OF NEW HUNTERS,,,SO PLEASE TAKE A CHILD HUNTING!
Brian,
Sportmix has a black bag, that has a higher protein/fat than the blue bag. The guys down south use it during the hunting months. I have an extra bag if you want to try it.
I may be senile, but it seems just a few years ago Purina had trouble when it changed hands(heard the jap's bought it).
The quality may be back to the top, but I remember DG Texas saying he changed and wouldn't be back.
I've used their puppy food, and though they poop like a goose, they get butter fat and make a good start.
I like to stay with American own Co.'s and American made products(though it getting very hard to do now-n-days).
Seems we are being sold out from within the Country, no need for a foreign Country to wage war to take us over, the CO's & BOD are so willing to sell it all off to foreign investors for self-gain.
I am not without sin and live in a glass house also, our Co. pumps $200 mil out a blink, to foreign owners also.
I just worry for our children, what road we're headed down...
A country based on a World Bank and a World Economy brings in a lot more "Dog Traders", which translates into bigger government and more control over everyone...
Why even at our little bank, I used to have a name with a face. Now, all dealings are done by computer, dispatched to the "Big House" somewhere, and I am nomore than an faceless account "Number"...
Ah, the price we pay for so-called progress, but I can't help but wonder, who's progress I'm paying for
Off my soapbox now!...lol... Patch
i hear you SR. im fairly young (32) and often find myself saying... "too bad such and such wasnt like when i was a kid". its a shame the way a lot of things seem to be headed. as far as dog food is concerned, im just trying to find something of high quality that i can locate easily and has a reputation of quality ingredients. im tired of switching brands and want to stay with something, and hopefully i found it.
Being a USDA Meat and Poultry inspector for 25 years I'm wondering why I haven't seen that much meat and or poultry products inspected and passed for pet food. If anyone believes that the packing houses throw out anything that they can sell as edible to humans you surely have not spent much time in one. The only products that go to the rendering companies that produce meat and bone meal is the stuff that is unfit for human consumption. Chicken and turkey carcasses that are totally unfit to used as human food due to a systemic disease are the only ones that get condemned as the poultry industry has the opportunity to trim ALL the other STUFF and salvage a wing tip if thats all that's left. All the other infected, brusied, contaminated or otherwise unfit for human consumption parts go into the inedible for the renderer to pick up. Does anyone think that a rendering company will sort through all that nasty stuff to remove the best of the worst? NUFF SAID
I havent used any of the Purina products enough to have a firm opinion either way.The guy who has been competing our Sandman dog for us is switching back from Purina pro plan performance to Science Diet Active.I dont know what all his reasons are.
In a side note to the folks that use the 30/20 Purina high performce.Purina has greatly changed the bag for god knows what reason.It is a lot more difficult to find even if you are looking right at it.I bought a bag the other nite at Petco for our handler and found this out.Before you could look at the end of the bag that was toward you when its on a shelf and see the protein/fat content Ie 30/20.It also said something about chicken and rice formula too I think.They have changed the colors on the bag.To find the protein/fat content you have to take it off the shelf and turn it over and find out that info.It is also much more difficult to see where it says anything about rice.I looked at the bag several different times and thought it was something else entirely.The store clerk did the same thing but finally realized what it was because of the SKU code.Just thought I would let you folks know who mentioned using that particular feed.
Warddog,
Just out of curiousity, what dog food do you feed? Since you worked for USDA, I am sure you have seen alot of stuff that most have no clue about. Nice to have such a good source on this board!
Renee'
Education, Preservation, and Conservation ensures a "WILD" future for our children!
hunter101,
how much does your dog weigh, how old is s/he, and how many kcals are in the food?
There is a formula for calculating the amount of "your" food to feed based on your dogs BMR/EF/GF (basal metabolic rate/energy factor/growth factor). You can go by the "recommended" quantities on the bag, but you may be either way underfeeding or way overfeeding depending on YOUR dogs individual needs.
I guess to answer your question: There is no way anyone can tell you how much YOUR dog needs because they are all individual. I would be glad to help you out by sending you the formula's if you would like.
Education, Preservation, and Conservation ensures a "WILD" future for our children!
Brian, Remember to change foods gradually by using a high % of your current food and a small % of the new. Change the ratio gradually over a 7-10 day period. I recomend joining Pro-club due to the many benefits. I highly recomend the puppy packs available through pro-club. This information is ideal for All puppy owners no matter how long they have been involved in breeding. I have heard that other companies like Black Gold also offer puppy packs. Those who do not feed purina can contact their supplier and see what is available. I buy my food at a large pet supply shop and the manager makes sure to supply my food. The Pro-Plan performance is not available at grocery stores, etc. It is only ordered a few bags at a time by my supplier so corresponding with the store manager guaranties availability to meet my demand. Dan M
Bunny Runner,
I've tried numerous brands of dog food but have settled on one I like really well and that is "The Pride". I've been feeding the chicken and rice formula in the 21/17 and our dogs have been doing well through out the year on it. I've got my own opinions on certian things I've witnessed by being right in the middle of the blood and guts of the slaughter industry when it comes to cattle, hogs, sheep and turkeys being mass produced for human consumption. To get poultry ready to go to market in just 5 1/2 weeks the industry has it figured right down to a fine science of how much actual feed it takes to put on a pound of flesh. I've seen a lot of vital organs being sacrificed for the weight per pound of feed but of course they industry don't care wheteher these creatures live past the market date or not. By the way I don't claim to be any kind of expert on dog feed and I'm certainly not a professional nutritionalist! I'll save ALL the professional stuff for ole Red tick.
Unless some things have changed in the last few years Purina (HiPro) didn't do very well with my dogs. On my vets advice I switched them off Purina to Iams and noticed a HUGE difference in thier coats, stools, and stamina. Since then I've gone to diamond without any noticable difference, and now I feed Pride and they seem to be doing very well on it. Stools are much firmer and MUCH LESS SMELL than diamond. I also had to start feeding less as they started putting on weight. Purina is near the bottom of the list of things I'd feed my dogs.
