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Is this good dog food?


Hector
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Someone posted a question in this thread - "How long do 'dogs in the wild' live? Don't know specifically about dogs, but in wolf populations, 1 in 4 cubs survives to a year, and of those that survive that long, another 1 in 2 makes it to 2 years, which I believe is considered adolescence/young adulthood.

 

So, not really too long.

 

Ruth n the Border Trio

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I don't think my dogs would like to be East Asian wolves again. Food is too scarce, and it sucks being hungry and cold all the time, having to survive on huge fat stores from the last meal.

 

My dogs prefer warmth and an easy, balanced meal, at least once a day thank you, with snacks...

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Here is the question I am trying to answer. Is the Beaverdam (BD) dog food that I am now using okay, or should I go to a higher cost "premium" dog food? The BD is costing me $ 0.38/lb.

 

On the Internet I found Pinnacle Dog Food (PDF). There is a dealer nearby from whom I can buy the PDF for $40 for a 30 pound bag. That is $1.33/lb. So the PDF costs 3.5 times as much as the BD. Is it worth that amount extra?

 

The only higher priced dog food I ever tried with Bailey is IAMS Lamb and Rice formula. That gave him diarrhea and I had to discontinue feeding it. The IAMS people were good and gave me a full replacement coupon and I used it to buy a Chicken formula which was okay.

 

Following are the ingredients in the BD and PDF.

---------------------------------------------

BEAVERDAM PREMIUM PET FOODS (302) 349-4155

HI-PROTEIN $0.37/LB.

 

Crude Protein 27%

Crude Fat 12%

Crude Fiber 4.5%

Moisture 10%

 

Pork Meal

Ground Yellow Corn

Chicken Meal

Chicken Fat (preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Citric Acid and Rosemary Extract)

Dried Beet Pulp

Corn Gluten Meal

Fish Meal

Brewers Dried Yeast

Salt

Potassium Chloride

Chicory Extract/Inulln

Yucca Schldlgera Extract

Vitamin A Acetate d-Activated

Animal Sterol (source of Vitamin D-3)

Vitamin E Supplement

Vitamin B-12 Supplement

RiboflavIn Supplement

Niacin Supplement

Choline Chloride

Folic Acid

Biotin

Pyridoxine Hydrochlorlde

Thiamine Mononitrate

Sodium Selenite

Manganese Sulfate

Zinc Oxide

Iron Sulfate

Copper Sulfate

Ethylene Diamine

 

 

PINNACLE CHICKEN AND OATS DRY FORMULA

$1.33/lb.

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein not less than 25.0%

Crude Fat not less than 15.0%

Crude Fiber not more than 5.0%

Moisture not more than 10.0%

Ash not more than 5.18%

Caloric Content

Calorie Content kcal/kg 3645

Calorie Content kcal/cup 400

 

 

Nutrient Analysis

Vitamins Function As Is Units

Vitamin A Eyes / Coat / Bones / Skin 5,760 IU/KG

Vitamin A, True Retinol Eyes / Coat / Bones / Skin 4.660 IU/KG

Vitamin D3 Vigor / Bones / Teeth 1,726 IU/KG

Vitamin E Reproduction / Fetal Growth 178.00 IU/KG

Thiamine (B1) Nerves / Digestion 10.00 MG/KG

Riboflavin (B2) Eyes / Skin / Enzymes 12.10 MG/KG

Pantothenic Acid Growth / Nerves 69.70 MG/KG

Niacin Nerves / Coat 113.00 MG/KG

Pyridoxine (B6) Blood / Growrh 11.20 MG/KG

Folic Acid Growth / Maint / Blood 1.55 MG/KG

Biotin Metabolism / Skin / Coat 0.469 MG/KG

Vitamin B12 Blood 0.086 MG/KG

Choline Liver / Kidney / Nerves 2,620 MG/KG

Minerals Function As Is Units

Calcium Bones / Teeth / Muscle 1.12 %

Phosphorus Bones / Teeth / Muscle 0.93 %

Potassium Body Fluids / Metabolism 0.93 %

Sodium Regulate Body Fluids 0.25 %

Chloride Regulate Body Fluids 0.20 %

Magnesium Bones / Teeth / Muscles 0.11 %

Iron Blood 170.00 MG/KG

Copper Blood 19.80 MG/KG

Manganese Bones / Teeth / Muscle 40.00 MG/KG

Zinc Reproduction / Skin 98.00 MG/KG

Iodine Thyroid 5.68 MG/KG

Selenium Bones / Muscle 0.72 MG/KG

Amino Acid/

Fatty Acids As Is Units

Arginine 1.65 %

Lysine 1.43 %

Methionine 0.51 %

Tryptophan 0.25 %

Histidine 0.54 %

Leucine 1.78 %

Isoleucine 0.87 %

Phenylalanine 1.03 %

Threonine 1.04 %

Valine 1.09 %

Omega 6 3.84 %

Omega 3 0.34 %

Aspartic Acid 2.31 %

Serine 1.21 %

Glutamic Acid 3.29 %

Proline 1.66 %

Glycine 2.06 %

Alanine 1.55 %

Cystine 0.34 %

Tyrosine 0.58 %

 

Available in 7.5 lb. bags and 30 lb. bags.

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I personally would not feed my dogs Beaverdam food.

 

The first ingredient being pork meal isn't bad per se, but it strikes me as weird. I have never seen a pork dog food. It makes me wonder if they have some gross, super-cheap source of sub-par pork meat.

 

I'm not crazy about corn as an ingredient because other grains are digested better (particularly rice). This food also contains glutens which many dogs have problems with. Rice is gluten-free.

 

Beet pulp is a filler with little nutritional value.

 

Don't see a need for brewer's yeast. Lots of dogs are allergic to this too.

 

It's not the worst food out there (I have a temporary dog now who came to me on Pedigree -- ick -- the first ingredient is corn, the second is "meat and bone meal") but there are so many better foods and yeah, they cost more but if you're only feeding a few dogs the difference is really negligible. I mean, is it really worth it feeding crap food to save a few bucks a month?

 

Pinnacle is a really great food and I do feed it to my dogs when I can get it. None of the stores near me sell it, but one near my mother's house in VA does.

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Hi Hector,

The protein/fat ratio of the Pinnacle is better than that of the Beaverdam. Other than that it's difficult to compare since the list for Pinnacle doesn't actually contain ingredients per se, just a nutrient list, which isn't the same thing.

 

That said, as you can see from this thread, there are lots of different opinions on what constitutes good dog food. I have seven dogs and do feed a premium food and I have been known to spend a lot of time at the store looking at ingredient lists and fat/protein ratios, etc., but like Becca was saying, all we can do is tell you what works for us, but that doesn't mean it will work for you. (Case in point: my housemate's dog is on a premium dog food and has been on it for some time, but he kept scratching no matter what. they went through all the stuff about fleas, flea allergy, etc., and the housemate eventually had the dog allergy tested. Turns out the dog is allergic to certain food ingredients and so even though he was on a well-regarded premium food--Nutro--it wasn't a good food for his dog. So premium doesn't always = best food for an indivudual dog. I did some research for my housemate to try and find a food that would be allergen-free, at least as much as possible, and so now he is trying Wellness Super 5, the fish and sweet potato blend.) But I should add that I think my family's dogs were fed Purina products when I was growing up--heck, I doubt there were many premium foods available in the 70s or if there were, people sure weren't educated about them like they are now--and the dogs--various breeds--didn't have lots of skin or other issues and were healthy. This isn't to say that one should go for the lowest common denominator when it comes to feeding your dogs, but I personally see nothing wrong with sticking with a food that's working for your dog and fits your pocketbook. Others may certainly disagree, but I really don't think not feeding a premium food or not feeding raw or whatever someone else may advocate makes a person a bad owner. The best anyone can do is educate themself about ingredients and dogs' needs and then make informed decisions from there.

 

J.

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