Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog food forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old February 5th, 2014, 02:17 PM
Winston's Avatar
Winston Winston is offline
Mom of 3 precious Angels
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Hamilton Ontario
Posts: 7,300
What is a dense dog food?

Hi All

I need a little bit of education on dog food. I had Sophie in for her annual check up with the vet. Everything looks great with her health so far and the only issue is an ear infection which we are looking after.
I discussed Sophie's insatiable appetite with our vet. She had a good laugh because Sophie is a typical Lab with food. She is extremely food motivated and always seems to be looking for something and always eating everything she comes across. She loves her food and when she eats she is done in seconds which bothers us. Anyway the vet seem to think she is getting enough to eat but suggested that I look for a denser food for her. She then mentioned the brand they sell Medical which is horrible for ingredients.

So my question is "what am I looking for"? higher protein, no grains? I am not sure. We tried awhile ago to switch her over to Orijen but I think it was too rich for her?? I could try that again as it has been awhile.

She currently is eating Nutro Lamb and Brown Rice which isn't the best food at all but it seems to work for her.

Cindy
__________________
Tabitha April 10, 1995 - August 23, 2013
Bomber April 10, 1995 - July 12, 2010
Winston Nov 15, 1999 - September 15, 2011
Sophie Aug 30, 2011

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old February 5th, 2014, 07:47 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 4,371
You could call your vet back and ask what they mean . I would think it meant something more filling . I use to feed Marty Evanger's canned dog food ,they have some that all meat and very filling but it's has to be mixed with other dog food as it's not a balance diet .
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old February 5th, 2014, 11:42 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
How is her weight, Winston? If her weight is good, she has good energy and tolerates her food well, I'm not sure I'd change anything. Labbies are notorious food hounds...no matter how much you give her, she's going to want more.

What about the ear infection? Is that an ongoing problem that might be due to food intolerance? If so, I might want to experiment with other foods, then, but otherwise, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" might apply.

If you want her to eat a little slower, maybe put a Kong or a piece of large-link chain (too big to be swallowed ) in her bowl when you feed her. That should slow her down a bit. But as long as she's been keeping it down (not throwing it up from eating too fast), that's probably unnecessary, too.
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old February 6th, 2014, 09:16 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,528
Dense just means a lot of something crammed into a certain space. Food could be more or less calorie dense, protein dense, fat dense, nutrient dense. That would mean simply it has more of those per measure than some other foods. You could ask your Vet which of several possible ingredients she was specifically thinking of but unless the Vet stores all food ingredient percentages in her head how does she know the amounts of each in the food you are using anyway? Most of us would have to sit down and look them up and I bet the Vet does too. If the food Sophie is on is working well for her I wouldn't be looking for a change either.

For education on dog food ingredients I like The Dog Food Project for it's explanation of what ingredients really are and how necessary or good or bad they are. I caution against sites that rate foods, I've found them to be biased and often out of date. Go right to the manufacturer's site for ingredients, there's just no beating learning and doing your own research.

LOL, I will somewhat contradict myself. I do rotate foods. So even though my food from the breeder is fine I decided to rotate in two others and vary the main protein and filler sources. I used the protein, fat and kcal/cup measures of my first food as a measure to find others with very close numbers.

Good luck, the food investigations nearly drove me whacky. Not something I ever thought I'd need to know about. I still have lots to learn, but I feel more condident about making my own decsions now.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old February 6th, 2014, 12:10 PM
Winston's Avatar
Winston Winston is offline
Mom of 3 precious Angels
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Hamilton Ontario
Posts: 7,300
Thanks everyone! The vet said she felt Sophie should be eating approx 650 kcal per day. I checked her current food and it shows 339 kcal per cup so I figure I am okay with the amount of calories.

The reason I brought this up to the vet is not only Sophie being so food motivated but the bag of food says that I should be feeding her based on her weight of 52 pds 3/12 - 4 cups per day and I currently only feed her 2 cups per day....???
__________________
Tabitha April 10, 1995 - August 23, 2013
Bomber April 10, 1995 - July 12, 2010
Winston Nov 15, 1999 - September 15, 2011
Sophie Aug 30, 2011

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old February 6th, 2014, 12:24 PM
Longblades Longblades is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,528
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winston View Post
Thanks everyone! The vet said she felt Sophie should be eating approx 650 kcal per day. I checked her current food and it shows 339 kcal per cup so I figure I am okay with the amount of calories.

The reason I brought this up to the vet is not only Sophie being so food motivated but the bag of food says that I should be feeding her based on her weight of 52 pds 3/12 - 4 cups per day and I currently only feed her 2 cups per day....???
If she is a healthy weight then the amount you are feeding is correct.

My first Lab girl was 56 pounds and she got about 800 calories a day and was a lean, healthy weight. My current Lab boy is 75 pounds and is getting about 1200 calories a day and is also a lean, healthy weight.

I did the math and my boy weighs about 34% more than my girl did but he needs 50% more in calories each day, same food. LOL, I have no idea what the bag says they should get.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old February 6th, 2014, 01:29 PM
Winston's Avatar
Winston Winston is offline
Mom of 3 precious Angels
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Hamilton Ontario
Posts: 7,300
heres the feeding guidelines:

Suggested Amounts to Feed Per Day (Cups)†
15 lbs. 1 1 1/4 1 1/2
25 lbs. 1 2/3 1 3/4 2
35 lbs. 2 2 1/3 2 3/4
45 lbs. 2 1/2 3 3 1/3
55 lbs. 3 3 1/3 3 3/4
65 lbs. 3 1/3 3 3/4 4 1/3

† Use a standard 8-oz. measuring cup, which holds 3.42 oz. of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® Limited Ingredient Diet Adult Lamb & Whole Brown Rice Formula Dog Food.
NUTRO® Dog Food Body Chart

Underweight Ideal Weight Overweight
Increase the feeding amount by one activity level to achieve an ideal weight. Maintain feeding at the current activity level. Decrease feeding by one activity level or feed NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® Lite Dog Food to achieve an ideal weight.

Calorie Content
Metabolizable energy 3754 kcal/kg, 364 kcal/cup (calculated


and the ingrediants:

Deboned Lamb, Lamb Meal, Whole Brown Rice, Brewers Rice, Rice Bran, Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Pea Protein, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Natural Flavor, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Soybean Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Selenium Yeast, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Decaffeinated Green Tea Extract, Spearmint Extract
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (Min.) 22.00%
Crude Fat (Min.) 14.00%
Crude Fiber (Max.) 3.50%
Moisture (Max.) 10.00%
Linoleic Acid (Min.) 3.50%
Zinc (Min.) 250 mg/kg
Vitamin E (Min.) 250 IU/kg
Niacin (Min.) 250 mg/kg
Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C) (Min.)* 50 mg/kg
Biotin (Min.)* 2.5 mg/kg
__________________
Tabitha April 10, 1995 - August 23, 2013
Bomber April 10, 1995 - July 12, 2010
Winston Nov 15, 1999 - September 15, 2011
Sophie Aug 30, 2011

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old February 6th, 2014, 06:56 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
The bags always seem to make the estimate for high-performance, super-active dogs at that weight--our dogs get a fair amount of exercise each day running around the yard and chasing turkeys, but if we fed them the bag-recommended amount of food, they'd end up way overweight.

So if she's at a good weight, I wouldn't mess with the amount she's getting.
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old February 7th, 2014, 02:45 PM
momoftwofuzzies momoftwofuzzies is offline
Fuzz Lover
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 39
If you want her to slow down eating, why not try one of those bowls that are like a puzzle? Also, you could give her some carrots or something as a snack, they have lots of fibre and might keep her feeling full longer plus they are good to chew!
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old February 7th, 2014, 11:03 PM
Winston's Avatar
Winston Winston is offline
Mom of 3 precious Angels
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Hamilton Ontario
Posts: 7,300
Sorry I had to laugh because we have tried everything and she just doesn't slow down. I have hand fed her for awhile piece by piece and besides driving her crazy her motivation for food never changes! I have accepted the fact that any of Sophies meals are under 2 minutes ..even treats she just swallows have the time! Thank you for the ideas though! I am going to try some higher quality foods and see how she does with them but for now I will stick to the 2 cups and her MANY treats!
__________________
Tabitha April 10, 1995 - August 23, 2013
Bomber April 10, 1995 - July 12, 2010
Winston Nov 15, 1999 - September 15, 2011
Sophie Aug 30, 2011

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old February 19th, 2014, 11:23 AM
Dog Dancer's Avatar
Dog Dancer Dog Dancer is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 6,667
Cindy, just reading this now. Halo used to be the same way with food as Sophie is. The puppies are nuts about food too, mostly Nikki actually. I used to feed him on a cookie sheet so he at least had to move his head - lol. We now feed raw entirely and honestly, if they have to sit down and actually chew on the food/muscle/bone it does make them slow down. Last night the Mals got lamb necks for dinner - one each as they were large. That took them about an hour to sit down and eat. After that they got a bit of beef heart just to balance out the amount of bone in the necks to the meat ratio. It's just a notion for you to "chew on".
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old February 19th, 2014, 02:09 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 4,371
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winston View Post
heres the feeding guidelines:

Suggested Amounts to Feed Per Day (Cups)†
15 lbs. 1 1 1/4 1 1/2
25 lbs. 1 2/3 1 3/4 2
35 lbs. 2 2 1/3 2 3/4
45 lbs. 2 1/2 3 3 1/3
55 lbs. 3 3 1/3 3 3/4
65 lbs. 3 1/3 3 3/4 4 1/3

† Use a standard 8-oz. measuring cup, which holds 3.42 oz. of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® Limited Ingredient Diet Adult Lamb & Whole Brown Rice Formula Dog Food.
NUTRO® Dog Food Body Chart

Underweight Ideal Weight Overweight
Increase the feeding amount by one activity level to achieve an ideal weight. Maintain feeding at the current activity level. Decrease feeding by one activity level or feed NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® Lite Dog Food to achieve an ideal weight.

Calorie Content
Metabolizable energy 3754 kcal/kg, 364 kcal/cup (calculated


and the ingrediants:

Deboned Lamb, Lamb Meal, Whole Brown Rice, Brewers Rice, Rice Bran, Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Pea Protein, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Natural Flavor, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Soybean Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Selenium Yeast, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Decaffeinated Green Tea Extract, Spearmint Extract
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (Min.) 22.00%
Crude Fat (Min.) 14.00%
Crude Fiber (Max.) 3.50%
Moisture (Max.) 10.00%
Linoleic Acid (Min.) 3.50%
Zinc (Min.) 250 mg/kg
Vitamin E (Min.) 250 IU/kg
Niacin (Min.) 250 mg/kg
Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C) (Min.)* 50 mg/kg
Biotin (Min.)* 2.5 mg/kg
My vet told me never to goes by how much the company say to feed your dog as they want you use more so you will have to buy more. I was told to feed my dog less than feeding guidelines.
I was buying NUTRO at a farmer coop and they stopped carrying it because
NUTRO started to buy some of their ingredients from China . So I stopped buying NUTRO for my last dog.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old August 9th, 2014, 03:11 PM
Snowflakes Snowflakes is offline
Dog Buddy For Life
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Philippines
Posts: 42
[QUOTE=Winston;1064499]Hi All

I need a little bit of education on dog food. I had Sophie in for her annual check up with the vet. Everything looks great with her health so far and the only issue is an ear infection which we are looking after.
I discussed Sophie's insatiable appetite with our vet. She had a good laugh because Sophie is a typical Lab with food. She is extremely food motivated and always seems to be looking for something and always eating everything she comes across. She loves her food and when she eats she is done in seconds which bothers us. Anyway the vet seem to think she is getting enough to eat but suggested that I look for a denser food for her. She then mentioned the brand they sell Medical which is horrible for ingredients.

So my question is "what am I looking for"? higher protein, no grains? I am not sure. We tried awhile ago to switch her over to Orijen but I think it was too rich for her?? I could try that again as it has been awhile.

She currently is eating Nutro Lamb and Brown Rice which isn't the best food at all but it seems to work for her.Consider these features on the label of the product:
o Loaded with protein
o Low fat, Low calorie
o No preservatives
o No artificial colors
o No artificial flavors
o No binding agents
o Soy free
o Gluten free
o Grain free
o All natural,
o long lasting

Hope your kiddo gets more of the benefits.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old August 9th, 2014, 03:33 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 4,371
A farmer Co op I was going to stopped selling Nutro b/c they started to add
ingredients from China to their pets foods . When I heard this I stopped feeding it to my last dog.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old August 10th, 2014, 10:50 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,528
ETA: Oops. Didn't notice that most of Snowflakes post was a quote from Winston, already answered I think.

Actually, now that I look back I can't tell what part is from Snowflake and what part is from Winston.
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old August 10th, 2014, 03:51 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 4,371
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winston View Post
Thanks everyone! The vet said she felt Sophie should be eating approx 650 kcal per day. I checked her current food and it shows 339 kcal per cup so I figure I am okay with the amount of calories.

The reason I brought this up to the vet is not only Sophie being so food motivated but the bag of food says that I should be feeding her based on her weight of 52 pds 3/12 - 4 cups per day and I currently only feed her 2 cups per day....???
I was told by my vet not to feed my dog the amount of food that suggested on the bag of food b/c the company want you buy more food and will tell you to feed more food than your dog need.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:37 AM.