meghf

We'll be bringing home our new standard poodle next week, he'll be almost 9 weeks old. His breeder cooks for her dogs and as much as I'd love to continue to do that I don't think it's possible. The breeder said that was fine, a high quality kibble would do. She recommended Taste of the Wild or Bil Jac. I've looked into Bil Jac and it doesn't seem that high quality to me unless I'm missing something.

We fed Buddy (our 11 year old spoo we had to put to sleep last week) ProPlan for most of his life. I started really researching food and switched him to Taste of the Wild when he was 9. He liked it a lot but developed Bladder Stones about 3-4 months after the switch and I've always wondered if that was related. After his bladder stone surgery he was on a prescription diet.

I've researched Orijen, Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Nature's Variety and of course Taste of the Wild. I have issues with all of them base on the reviews I've read. Orijen had some issues with cat paralysis and death and then didn't even own up to these issues (I think in Australia), some Wellness reviews said they changed their formula and people found bits of plastic in the food, Nature's Variety also changed their formula, TOTW had recalls, Blue Buffalo had bugs. I'm just not sure what to think about all of this?

Any guidance and experience would be much appreciated.


Also, while you're reading. Our breeder said they never get their dogs' teeth cleaned by the vet but instead give their dogs raw rib bones to clean their teeth. Where does one get these bones? Do you feed with the meat on or off?

Thanks!

ArreauStandardPoodle

I would go with Taste of the Wild...one of the fish based kibbles with no grain. And you can get raw bones from a butcher shop or slaughter house, and the ones we use are meaty.

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peppersb

I don't like eating meat that has been fed hormones and antibiotics and I won't feed that stuff to my dogs either. So, as Arreau has suggested, a fish based kibble it a good choice.

My dogs get vegan kibble and real meat that I buy directly from farmers who raise their animals humanely and without added hormones and antibiotics.

My source of vegan kibble is www.v-dogfood.com. They are now coming out with a new formula that is wheat, corn, soy and gluten-free and 24% protein. My dogs like the old formula. We haven't tried the new one, but I'm guessing it will be good.

The meat that my dogs get is all the cheaper cuts -- beef heart is a favorite, as well as beef liver and kidney. One farmer that comes to a Saturday farm stand near me sells chicken backs that are ground up with the bone. It is basically what is leftover after he removes the breast meat to sell as boneless breast. All of the meat that I get directly from farmers comes frozen, so I fill up the freezer and pull it out as needed. I feed it raw when it has just been defrosted. But if I have a beef heart, I will sometimes give one or two night's supper raw, and cook the rest for the following few nights. I'm a little nervous about feeding raw meat that has been defrosted for more than a day or two. To find a farmer near you, go to eatwild.com or localharvest.org. Real meat is much better than anything you will find in a can! My standard poodles each get about 1/4 pound of meat per day, plus unlimited kibble.

schnauzerpoodle

For kibbles, I like TOTW, Orijen and Acana. Nickel is a raw-fed mini but I also give him Acana Pacifica kibbles in his treat dispensers.

I understand raw and/or home cooked diet might not fit into your lifestyle. Have you considered air dried or dehydrated raw? You can look into Ziwipeak and Honest Kitchen.

I feed RMB (raw meaty bones) to my mini twice a week. Turkey necks, turkey wings, beef and lamb ribs, etc. Depending on where you live, you might be able to find a farmer or butcher store near you. We live in a city-city so I just go to the grocery store. But Nickel eats better than we do. The meat and eggs I feed him are always grass-fed/hormone-free/cage-free.

p.s. My old schnauzer boy had a few surgeries removing bladder stones. I fed prescription diet after the first surgery and then I did some research and I started to feed home cooked diet which contains a lot more moisture in it than kibbles. I wish I had switched earlier. But after switching to a home cooked diet and offering beef broth (homemade; just water and a meat ball with no oil, no salt), the bladder stones didn't come back. More liquid consumption helps flushing out crystals before they even get the chance to sit and form stones.

outwest

I may be in the minority here, but all of those are good foods. Some dogs do better on one than the other. Don't buy the grocery store garbage and stick to any of these higher quality foods. Your poodle will thrive. I like to add a little high quality canned in different flavors for variety. I also switch the flavor of the kibble every bag so they don't get bored.

People who are unhappy are ones who put reviews in at a greater rate than those that are happy. I always read negative reviews with a grain of salt.

I have been happy with blue buffalo and my dog has done well on it. I am getting ready to switch her to adult food and am up in the air about what to choose. I like the Cost Co foods and they now have a grain free salmon based food I am looking at, but my dog has done well with high quality grains. My sister in laws poodle had loose stools on BB and she switched to Natural Balance Limited Ingredients. Her poodle has good stools now.

My puppy was a raw fed puppy when I got her (it sounds like your might be too?). It was hard on her when I switched because she had too much bacteria in her intestines at first (needed to process the raw foods well). Once she adjusted (it took a few weeks), all was well.

Choose the one you like the most whether based on ingredients, price, availability or whatever. You won't go wrong with any of these.

Carley's Mom

I have two 15 year old Shih tuz's that have done well with Blue for years. I now have a spoo that was on Chicken Soup for years... I mix the two and all are doing well .

CT Girl

I feed commercial raw, Aunt Jeni, but I have a toy so it is affordable. If I had a standard and wanted to feed raw I would do it myself and not buy commerical. I agree with Outwest. Take the negative reviews with a grain of salt. Judge by ingedients, price, availability ect. I do hope you continue with the feeding of raw meaty bones. It is in my opinion one of the best ways to keep your dog's teeth sparkling white. I have had a dog that needed a professional cleaning transform into perfectly white teeth after a couple months of feeding him raw meaty bones. Swizzle has been on raw since he was a puppy and his teeth are good enough to star in a toothpaste ad. You could try chicken backs to start. Any non-load bearing bone that is big enough that your dog need to chew it will work fine. The reason you do not want a weight bearing bone is because it is very hard and your dog could chip a tooth. You can get bones at the supermarket or from a high end pet store. I buy bags of chicken necks from a good pet store. They are the perfect size for a toy. Congratulations on your new puppy. I look forward to hearing all about him and seeing pictures.

TTUSpoo

I have my 5 month old puppy on natures variety large breed puppy and have since the start. I will feed him this until 6 months, then I am switching to TOTW puppy for change. I wanted a large Breed formula for the majority of his growing. I think change is good.

I have my 1.5 year old spoo on TOTW and I buy a different bag everytime.

I plan to integrate raw later as I have more time to figure out a raw/ kibble diet. Totally raw is not practical for me.

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CharismaticMillie

I feed a homemade raw diet, but if I fed kibble I would feed Acana or Orijen. TOTW is a decent food, too.

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Happy tailwags from Peckerwood's Thoroughly Modern Millie, CGC and Ch. Safari's Specter, CGC!

jfo

I feed Canine Caviar NOT the puppy formula as it's too high in Cal and Ph for large breed puppies. Raven likes the Lamb formula. Brand new this year are "alternate" proteins like buffalo, venison, etc. We went through a bunch of trials as well trying to find what Raven liked and what agreed with her tummy. Canine Caviar is where we landed.