# Need Cost-Effective Reccomendations: Great Dane currently on Nature's Domain



## Keliko (May 8, 2012)

My 2 year old Great Dane Seyka has been on Nature's Domain for the past 3 months and Kirkland Lamb and Rice the 3 months before that. We switched her off the Kirkland Lamb and Rice since she was maintaining healthy lean weight at 115/120 lbs eating 7 cups a day, but her poops were giant and she got pretty gassy on the food. Before that, both her and my other dog were on raw and did great, but suppliers raised prices a lot and the quality of the meat declined so it no longer became a option. So we've had her on Nature's Domain Turkey and Sweet Potato, 7 cups a day for the past 3 months, she's now 107 lbs, looking a bit too skinny, still with giant poops, and still always hungry.

I'm a bit confused at what to do, I have friends' extra large breeds (Great Danes, Mastiffs) who eat about the same quality to poorer quality food, are younger and larger than her but eat less than she does. I've read the Canidae website and Diamond website just browsing, and Canidae recommended feeding her 4 1/2 C while Diamond is around 4 3/4 C for a 115 lb dog. I should add in I've read about dogs gaining weight on grain free, not losing it... She's just had her yearly check up with no problems, and is pretty active.
Are there any decent brands I can switch her off on to that won't cost an arm and a leg? Should I look for stuff in higher calories while still within 24% in protein and 14% fat? 

Thanks


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

That seems like an awful lot of food. But I'm not that familiar with the brand or Danes. Hopefully some of our Dane owners will chime in.


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## monster'sdad (Jul 29, 2012)

The Costco-Diamond foods are a good value for some but not all people. There are plenty of foods about that price that I feel are better and safer to feed:

Pro Pac Adult Chunk 
Precise Foundation 
Canidae ALS 
Eagle Original Blue Bag
PMI Exclusive Red Bag
Pro Plan Sport 26/16
Eukanuba Maint.

Some of these come in 44lb bonus bags, and Eagle comes in 50lb bags. My first choice of these would be PMI Exclusive Red Bag. This food is an amazing value and frankly with a dog that young you could even use the Purple Bag, which is 30% protein and 20% fat. This would be the best way to keep the number of cups down.

If you can't find those, then any of the others would work and you should feed less. Don't get sucked in to IngredientaPhobia and worry about every little thing. As you mentioned, your friends are having better luck on other foods.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

monster'sdad said:


> The Costco-Diamond foods are a good value for some but not all people. There are plenty of foods about that price that I feel are better and safer to feed:
> 
> Pro Pac Adult Chunk
> Precise Foundation
> ...



you confuse me some days, Monster. Are you talking about this food? I don't think you are... But I'm confused why they would even put this out....

PMI Nutrition Dog Food | Review and Rating


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

just checked,.... this is the one you are recommending.... you're right. Looks good.
I think their "red flannel" line is the really cheap stuff. 

Exclusive® Pet Food - Dogs


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## Keliko (May 8, 2012)

monster'sdad said:


> The Costco-Diamond foods are a good value for some but not all people. There are plenty of foods about that price that I feel are better and safer to feed:
> 
> Pro Pac Adult Chunk
> Canidae ALS
> ...


Thanks so much, I will look into these. The Precise Foundation is highly recommended but I can't find any around here. I have had some experience with Canidae in the past which caused a lot of soft stool issues with my old boxer.
The Pro Pac, Eagle Original, and PMI Exclusive look very promising, and all say to feed around 4 C to 5 C daily. One thing though, should I be concerned with the higher %s in protein and fat? Or is that only a concern if the extra large breed is likely to gain a lot of weight on it? 

Both my Great Dane (2 years old) and Bullmastiff (1 years old) are highly active (daycare half of the day, 2-3 mile jogs/walks at night) with 5-6 mile hikes every Sat and Sun if we are not doing 20+ mile loops in the mountains..


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## monster'sdad (Jul 29, 2012)

Keliko said:


> Thanks so much, I will look into these. The Precise Foundation is highly recommended but I can't find any around here. I have had some experience with Canidae in the past which caused a lot of soft stool issues with my old boxer.
> The Pro Pac, Eagle Original, and PMI Exclusive look very promising, and all say to feed around 4 C to 5 C daily. One thing though, should I be concerned with the higher %s in protein and fat? Or is that only a concern if the extra large breed is likely to gain a lot of weight on it?
> 
> Both my Great Dane (2 years old) and Bullmastiff (1 years old) are highly active (daycare half of the day, 2-3 mile jogs/walks at night) with 5-6 mile hikes every Sat and Sun if we are not doing 20+ mile loops in the mountains..


Compared to what you are feeding now, the difference in terms of the GA (what is says on the bag) is really not much, but those three, Pro Pac, Eagle Blue Bag & PMI, are really good, well made foods so you might see weight gain if you overfeed them. The Purple PMI, Pro Pac Performance and Eagle Power are much higher than what you are feeding and probably overkill.

It sounds like they are active and getting plenty of exercise so those three sound good. Pick whichever is easiest to get. I know PMI and Pro Pac have good frequent buyer programs and anyone that carries PMI will deliver because its sold in feed stores only. If you go with Eagle Pack Original Blue Bag order the food in 50lb "breeder bags".


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## Elliehanna (Jan 16, 2012)

you might end up having to go back to raw, but hopefully there is a kibble she does well on. I know Orijen is EXPENSIVE but it is worth the price, though my boy can't eat kibble (found out over the corse of about a year and a half of him losing weight on it no matter what brand and how much he ate) I would see if you can get some craigslist scores to fill a freezer and go from there, maybe only feeding raw 2 days a week might help, or just adding a raw salmon (not Pacific coat due to parasites) a week would help?


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## Elliehanna (Jan 16, 2012)

oh and just for an example so you can see why I suggest maybe going back to raw

on the left is Goren when he was close to at his worst, I think this is about a month after being on raw so he was starting to gain weight (still didn't have the % right he is at 4-6 % and I think he was on 3-4% at that time, but still gaining weight) and a photo from oh maybe a month or two ago on the right, I would just watch the weight loss closely because yea Goren was eating 2 times as much kibble as recommended (he is about 70 lbs, he was 58 in the photo on the left there) and was LOSING weight, on Orijen his coat looked like a mirror but he still didn't gain weight. He is now over 4 and for his 1st 2 years he did just fine on kibble, but then his body changed and he couldn't digest it, and that lasted like I said about a year, year and a half, and now he is on raw and thriving.








[/url] comparison by cowrunning, on Flickr[/IMG]


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## brindle (Mar 14, 2013)

Elliehanna said:


> oh and just for an example so you can see why I suggest maybe going back to raw
> 
> on the left is Goren when he was close to at his worst, I think this is about a month after being on raw so he was starting to gain weight (still didn't have the % right he is at 4-6 % and I think he was on 3-4% at that time, but still gaining weight) and a photo from oh maybe a month or two ago on the right, I would just watch the weight loss closely because yea Goren was eating 2 times as much kibble as recommended (he is about 70 lbs, he was 58 in the photo on the left there) and was LOSING weight, on Orijen his coat looked like a mirror but he still didn't gain weight. He is now over 4 and for his 1st 2 years he did just fine on kibble, but then his body changed and he couldn't digest it, and that lasted like I said about a year, year and a half, and now he is on raw and thriving.


It is very rare when I hear someone's dog actually doing well on the Orijen formulas. All of my fosters plus my own dog have done very poorly on Acana and Orijen formulas. If there is enough people stating their dogs were outrageously itchy or pooping to no end, you have to wonder what is wrong with the product. That being said: every dog is an individual. 
If your dog did very well on raw, why not go back. It would be plenty cheaper then Orijen (which I feel you are NOT getting what you pay for) and you KNOW it's effective. 
If not. Healthwise makes a very good food- Lamb and Oatmeal it is a 27/16 formula with 2% calcium level. Fairly close to what you're looking for!
Edit: I was assuming you had your dog on raw at one point but I'm not sure where it states that you did. Sorry if there was a mix up :S


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## Keliko (May 8, 2012)

Elliehanna said:


> you might end up having to go back to raw, but hopefully there is a kibble she does well on. I know Orijen is EXPENSIVE but it is worth the price, though my boy can't eat kibble (found out over the corse of about a year and a half of him losing weight on it no matter what brand and how much he ate) I would see if you can get some craigslist scores to fill a freezer and go from there, maybe only feeding raw 2 days a week might help, or just adding a raw salmon (not Pacific coat due to parasites) a week would help?


I really liked them on raw and was getting decent deals from suppliers who sell to the Mexican restaurants around here but just for the price of chicken backs (a lot of fat/skin) alone went up to $.69/lb, whole chickens at $1.09/lb, chicken quarters/legs $.99/lb and that was the cheapest supplier I could find. The beef supplier's dog scraps went from nice red thick chunks to giving me brown grounded meat with mashed up bone inside for $.90/lb. Organs are fresh but a lot more expensive now also. There aren't any co-ops either. 
There aren't many ethnic places around here, most pricing are on par with the local supermarket with the cheapest piece of chicken being at least $.99/lb or beef $2.99/lb. I've called every butcher and supermarket here and they are either not allowed to give/sell the expired meat or want $1.29/lb for it. I've also called private farmers and they are required by law, not able to sell or give away scrap bones. 

Just for my GD alone, that would be at least $100 a month in raw. 
I know for sure when I graduate in 2 years, they will be going back on raw, but right now it's just not possible, especially at those prices.


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## Elliehanna (Jan 16, 2012)

if those are bad prices I wonder what good prices were! I have no suppliers around me, I have no co-ops either, I mean my boy eats a lot less than your dogs (around 3 pounds a day) but yea I don't buy backs, but leg quarters are .79/lb when they are on sale, pork is 1.99/lb when its on sale and beef is 2.99/lb when its on sale and my butcher will sell me beef fat scraps for 1.34/lb and I can get organs for around .99/lb there are no butchers around that deals in poultry so the majority of my boys diet is actually pork, I get free scores often enough that I typically buy about 1 month out of 3 in total though. That is why I say you have to try to get the craigslist scores.

I know how hard it is, we are a family of 3 plus the dog and fish and we are on 1 income. The vast majority of our money goes to our dog or our child and like right now I am heating up a can of beans for dinner for myself, its what I do for my babies you know.


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## Keliko (May 8, 2012)

Elliehanna said:


> if those are bad prices I wonder what good prices were! I have no suppliers around me, I have no co-ops either, I mean my boy eats a lot less than your dogs (around 3 pounds a day) but yea I don't buy backs, but leg quarters are .79/lb when they are on sale, pork is 1.99/lb when its on sale and beef is 2.99/lb when its on sale and my butcher will sell me beef fat scraps for 1.34/lb and I can get organs for around .99/lb there are no butchers around that deals in poultry so the majority of my boys diet is actually pork, I get free scores often enough that I typically buy about 1 month out of 3 in total though. That is why I say you have to try to get the craigslist scores.
> 
> I know how hard it is, we are a family of 3 plus the dog and fish and we are on 1 income. The vast majority of our money goes to our dog or our child and like right now I am heating up a can of beans for dinner for myself, its what I do for my babies you know.


Out of the 6 months I fed raw, I got about 7 lbs of ground beef, so perhaps the disparity is how free stuff you get. I had an ad up on Craigslist every week, signed up for 3-4 free yahoo groups, joined 2 hunter's forum, and on 2 of the local newspaper online classifieds. 
The chicken backs, turkey necks used to be $.40/lb, I can not get leg quarters for under $.99 here unless it's the Walmart bag with the crazy amount of sodium. It's just a big limit on what I am actually allowed to feed.

I'm a full time college student who pay my own tuition, I do what I can for my dogs, I just can't afford the best.


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## brindle (Mar 14, 2013)

Elliehanna said:


> if those are bad prices I wonder what good prices were! I have no suppliers around me, I have no co-ops either, I mean my boy eats a lot less than your dogs (around 3 pounds a day) but yea I don't buy backs, but leg quarters are .79/lb when they are on sale, pork is 1.99/lb when its on sale and beef is 2.99/lb when its on sale and my butcher will sell me beef fat scraps for 1.34/lb and I can get organs for around .99/lb there are no butchers around that deals in poultry so the majority of my boys diet is actually pork, I get free scores often enough that I typically buy about 1 month out of 3 in total though. That is why I say you have to try to get the craigslist scores.
> 
> I know how hard it is, we are a family of 3 plus the dog and fish and we are on 1 income. The vast majority of our money goes to our dog or our child and like right now I am heating up a can of beans for dinner for myself, its what I do for my babies you know.


I was wondering that too... when I was sourcing chicken was around 99/pound but beef was minimum 3-4/pound. Chicken organs were 2-3/pound and beef organs were 5/pound. I had a REALLY tough time. Which is why I resent when people say "raw is soooo much cheaper then kibble"... no, it's not for everyone. 
I understand though that you have Danes which is obviously more expensive in the long haul.


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## Keliko (May 8, 2012)

brindle said:


> I was wondering that too... when I was sourcing chicken was around 99/pound but beef was minimum 3-4/pound. Chicken organs were 2-3/pound and beef organs were 5/pound. I had a REALLY tough time. Which is why I resent when people say "raw is soooo much cheaper then kibble"... no, it's not for everyone.
> I understand though that you have Danes which is obviously more expensive in the long haul.


That's what suckered me into raw in the first place, seeing people who said they were paying $.40-$.65/lb on meat on raw group sites. With my two, I went through 7 lbs a day at about $225 a month.


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## Elliehanna (Jan 16, 2012)

see I get the walmart bag, well the gold whatever, its not enhanced

what was the add you put up and what part of craigslist, I found I get a lot more hits putting in wanted/free and then in sports during hunting season. the title has a lot to do with it to (Want Unwanted Meat) is one I use a lot and seems to get a lot of replies. I know I go months without a hit then like last month I got 80 pounds, just got a text from a guy in MO, not ganna reply because its just to far away. You have to make it clear that you want anything they have, and even if you can't use all of it, take it and ask them to network for you lol if the word gets out then you should get something sometime, I have an in with a dairy farmer if he has a calf with a broken leg its mine for free.


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## brindle (Mar 14, 2013)

Keliko said:


> That's what suckered me into raw in the first place, seeing people who said they were paying $.40-$.65/lb on meat on raw group sites. With my two, I went through 7 lbs a day at about $225 a month.


Yeah that's crazy. I honestly believe that kibble can be just as effective and healthy as raw (sorry raw feeders). I've never experienced anything to the contrary... although some have.
I think you just need to go to some local stores around you. List dog foods that are in your price range and have the calcium/phos ratios that you prefer, post them here and we can help you sift through them! 
Sometimes it's all about finding THAT food. Sometimes THAT food is a very unlikely one


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## brindle (Mar 14, 2013)

Elliehanna said:


> see I get the walmart bag, well the gold whatever, its not enhanced
> 
> what was the add you put up and what part of craigslist, I found I get a lot more hits putting in wanted/free and then in sports during hunting season. the title has a lot to do with it to (Want Unwanted Meat) is one I use a lot and seems to get a lot of replies. I know I go months without a hit then like last month I got 80 pounds, just got a text from a guy in MO, not ganna reply because its just to far away. You have to make it clear that you want anything they have, and even if you can't use all of it, take it and ask them to network for you lol if the word gets out then you should get something sometime, I have an in with a dairy farmer if he has a calf with a broken leg its mine for free.


I honestly don't think that is a very safe thing to do... have you ever gone to a website like doghatersunite.com? If you went there and read up some, you probably wouldn't take meat from strangers...


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## Keliko (May 8, 2012)

Elliehanna said:


> see I get the walmart bag, well the gold whatever, its not enhanced
> 
> what was the add you put up and what part of craigslist, I found I get a lot more hits putting in wanted/free and then in sports during hunting season. the title has a lot to do with it to (Want Unwanted Meat) is one I use a lot and seems to get a lot of replies. I know I go months without a hit then like last month I got 80 pounds, just got a text from a guy in MO, not ganna reply because its just to far away. You have to make it clear that you want anything they have, and even if you can't use all of it, take it and ask them to network for you lol if the word gets out then you should get something sometime, I have an in with a dairy farmer if he has a calf with a broken leg its mine for free.


That was my exact post in the Craigslist,newspaper sites in the wanted/free sections. Wanted:Unwanted/Freezer Burnt/Any Meat. I basically listed my GD/Mastiff needed it for health issues. Was willing to take anything, and willing to drive up to 2 hrs to get it. And that if they knew of any hunrters/ farmers, anyone, to let me know.


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## Keliko (May 8, 2012)

brindle said:


> Yeah that's crazy. I honestly believe that kibble can be just as effective and healthy as raw (sorry raw feeders). I've never experienced anything to the contrary... although some have.
> I think you just need to go to some local stores around you. List dog foods that are in your price range and have the calcium/phos ratios that you prefer, post them here and we can help you sift through them!
> Sometimes it's all about finding THAT food. Sometimes THAT food is a very unlikely one


The Kirkland/ND worked very well for my dogs when they were pups, but I thought at some point it would taper off, in fact, I think she's eating more now. 
I think the key would be Kirkland/ND calories for cup is about 320-340 while the other foods are all a lot higher

I honestly thought I was feeding her a good food, 3-4 stars on the adviser and analysis groups...Now I just don't even know.


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## brindle (Mar 14, 2013)

Keliko said:


> That was my exact post in the Craigslist,newspaper sites in the wanted/free sections. Wanted:Unwanted/Freezer Burnt/Any Meat. I basically listed my GD/Mastiff needed it for health issues. Was willing to take anything, and willing to drive up to 2 hrs to get it. And that if they knew of any hunrters/ farmers, anyone, to let me know.


I really wouldn't do this... there are surprisingly large numbers of dog haters out there that wouldn't hesitate to give away poison meat. If websites like the one I mentioned earlier caught wind of this I'm sure they would jump on the bandwagon and give you some truly "enhanced" meat.


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## Keliko (May 8, 2012)

brindle said:


> I really wouldn't do this... there are surprisingly large numbers of dog haters out there that wouldn't hesitate to give away poison meat. If websites like the one I mentioned earlier caught wind of this I'm sure they would jump on the bandwagon and give you some truly "enhanced" meat.


I never thought about it like that, but that is actually a good point. The ground beef I got that time were all vacuum sealed from a local organic butcher.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Keliko said:


> That's what suckered me into raw in the first place, seeing people who said they were paying $.40-$.65/lb on meat on raw group sites. With my two, I went through 7 lbs a day at about $225 a month.



It sounds like you didn't do your research and set up appropriate contacts for meat before going raw. No one can "sucker" you into doing something if you check out the details for yourself. Every area is different. I can get some great deals and pay 1$ or less for my meats but that is not everywhere. Raw feeders I know encourage new people to set up vendors and such for their meats before switching their dogs. Probably the worst reason to feed raw is because "it is cheap". 

Liz


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Liz;23993 Probably the worst reason to feed raw is because "it is cheap".
Liz[/QUOTE said:


> Isn't that the truth. The money doesn't bother me but I hear people say that raw is cheaper and it is, but some of that stuff I wouldn't feed my kids. They are my kids you know LOL


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## Keliko (May 8, 2012)

Liz said:


> It sounds like you didn't do your research and set up appropriate contacts for meat before going raw. No one can "sucker" you into doing something if you check out the details for yourself. Every area is different. I can get some great deals and pay 1$ or less for my meats but that is not everywhere. Raw feeders I know encourage new people to set up vendors and such for their meats before switching their dogs. Probably the worst reason to feed raw is because "it is cheap".
> 
> Liz


Okay, not suckered, but the suppliers I talked to were wholesale distributors, I was in contact with them for months before I even started raw, I got price sheets and numbers of managers, but when prices were raised at their plants, mine were raised too, the chicken backs for example $.40 to $.69, quarters from $.79 to $.99, whole chicken from $.99 to $1.09-1.29 or nice actual steak chunks to a $.10 raise for browned ground beef. When I said it wasn't working and asked if they would work with me, they laughed and said they deal with thousands of lbs of meat on a daily basis, who cares for the person that comes in and orders 250 lbs of meat a month. 

I got all the advice I need, since my research obviously wasn't done well.

Thanks to all those who offered actual advice.


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## Elliehanna (Jan 16, 2012)

oh I wouldn't feed anything that I thought was questionable, everything I have is still packaged from a processing plant with well marked labels, the reason I say take everything is because its not nice to pick and choose if your taking something someone is offering. I think you have to take into account how someone acts when you meet them, the only meat I have taken that wasn't from a processing plant was my deer score last year, it was from a lady that was clearing out a freezer for the season and it was all packaged in ziplock bags (about 100 pounds of ground deer) it was 100 pounds and I took it strait out of her family freezer for her.

the add I use is pretty to the point, and you can use it if you like

I am interested in any old meat! Last years hunt? Old freezer burnt meat? fresh unwanted scraps?

Did you slaughter an animal and have no place for the unwanted stuff?

Game meat (Duck, Goose, Elk, Deer, Pig, Turkey)

Store meat/home grown

Pig
Cow
Fish
Chicken
Turkey
Goat
Sheep
Duck?
Rabbit


Any part of the animal.

Any kind of raw meat or raw fish is wonderful. Game new or old is wonderful also.
We will also take fat scraps organs and bone!

Whole carcasses are awesome!

Willing to pick up within a reasonable distance. Will take ANY quantity.
We can pick up at your convienience 

Free is preferable but will negotiate low price for quality meat.

If you would like to help a girl out, please text or email

Thanks and have a great day!


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Keliko said:


> Okay, not suckered, but the suppliers I talked to were wholesale distributors, I was in contact with them for months before I even started raw, I got price sheets and numbers of managers, but when prices were raised at their plants, mine were raised too, the chicken backs for example $.40 to $.69, quarters from $.79 to $.99, whole chicken from $.99 to $1.09-1.29 or nice actual steak chunks to a $.10 raise for browned ground beef. When I said it wasn't working and asked if they would work with me, they laughed and said they deal with thousands of lbs of meat on a daily basis, who cares for the person that comes in and orders 250 lbs of meat a month.
> 
> I got all the advice I need, since my research obviously wasn't done well.
> 
> Thanks to all those who offered actual advice.


What supplier did you use? I know Linsey had a supplier when she lived close by


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## Keliko (May 8, 2012)

whiteleo said:


> What supplier did you use? I know Linsey had a supplier when she lived close by


MB Meat Packing-Green Tripe
Dale T Smith and Sons-Beef scraps (quality went downhill)
Pilgrim's Pride(TB something now?) and Majestic Meats-Chicken (prices just kept going up and up)


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I think she used the same one that Natalie used when she lived in Denver Home Page -- Harvest Meats


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

I understand it is hard with prices going up on everything. When we switched to raw bags of kibble were getting smaller and prices were going up on that also - price hikes are everywhere. I wish I could suggest a kibble. I hope you find something that works for your dogs. I do know what it is like to feed a lot. We feed 7 to 9 pounds regularly and up to 17 if there is a pregnant girl or litter on the ground. It is always an adjustment.


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

I have fostered a few Danes in the past and one of my roommates had one. She got really sick when fed any "high" quality food like Orijen, Acana, Natures Variety, etc. 

She ended up feeding her regular Iams and Eagle Pack Original. She did awesome on both of them. She was about the same size as yours, super duper active, hard muscled dog. She was a powerhouse and ran as fast as my Greyhounds! After we got her situated on the foods, she ate around 5-6 cups a day. I did supplement with chicken quarters and organs a few times a week. It worked for her. She did try to change her to "better" foods several times and it never worked. Mixing the food slowly, cold turkey, adding probiotics, nothing. She never had firm poop, lost weight and looked like crap.


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## Keliko (May 8, 2012)

riddick4811 said:


> I have fostered a few Danes in the past and one of my roommates had one. She got really sick when fed any "high" quality food like Orijen, Acana, Natures Variety, etc.
> 
> She ended up feeding her regular Iams and Eagle Pack Original. She did awesome on both of them. She was about the same size as yours, super duper active, hard muscled dog. She was a powerhouse and ran as fast as my Greyhounds! After we got her situated on the foods, she ate around 5-6 cups a day. I did supplement with chicken quarters and organs a few times a week. It worked for her. She did try to change her to "better" foods several times and it never worked. Mixing the food slowly, cold turkey, adding probiotics, nothing. She never had firm poop, lost weight and looked like crap.


That sounds like my Dane. Always galloping, running, jumping around, just a constant motor going. Besides training treats, biscuits, peanut butter, and her odd fixation with certain fruits (loves watermelons, will not get meat out of the garbage, but will go after watermelon peels) I do supplement her with some green tripe. Thanks for the advice, Eagle Pack is looking like something I really need to check out. I am hoping to get her situated right away so she doesn't lose any more weight.


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## brindle (Mar 14, 2013)

riddick4811 said:


> I have fostered a few Danes in the past and one of my roommates had one. She got really sick when fed any "high" quality food like Orijen, Acana, Natures Variety, etc.
> 
> She ended up feeding her regular Iams and Eagle Pack Original. She did awesome on both of them. She was about the same size as yours, super duper active, hard muscled dog. She was a powerhouse and ran as fast as my Greyhounds! After we got her situated on the foods, she ate around 5-6 cups a day. I did supplement with chicken quarters and organs a few times a week. It worked for her. She did try to change her to "better" foods several times and it never worked. Mixing the food slowly, cold turkey, adding probiotics, nothing. She never had firm poop, lost weight and looked like crap.


That's kind of how it's going with my dog. She is on a "mid" grade dog food and doing the best I've seen her (not that she's had serious issues).


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## Roo (Oct 17, 2010)

This is an example of the "drama" I was talking about with previous banned members like Brindle, who come back (not once, I think this is her 4th time now?) to the forum under a new name (meaning she has mutiple accounts) and just stirs the pot with snarky comments. I'm sorry, I fail to see the point.


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## brindle (Mar 14, 2013)

Roo said:


> This is an example of the "drama" I was talking about with previous banned members like Brindle, who come back (not once, I think this is her 4th time now?) to the forum under a new name (meaning she has mutiple accounts) and just stirs the pot with snarky comments.


Actually if you read the ENTIRE thread, you will see that I was simply defending another members decision in the kibble section. Again, if you would also like to debate with me Roo (contradicting oneself by pointing out a debate when you are fuelling the fire) then please feel free to pm me. Thanks Roo.


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## Elliehanna (Jan 16, 2012)

feeding raw might not be rocket science but if you don't "keep it simple" you set yourself up to fail and make your dog look bad because you want to "push results" and not transition which for some dogs can take upwards to a year. When feeding raw you have to know your dog and if you don't and can't read small changes and know when to back off a protein or add more and when a % is working and when its to much then you shouldn't be feeding a raw diet. Its simple but complex at the same time.

I think maybe as one person said maybe try a mid range kibble, I know it does work for some dogs and maybe yours is one of them. Regardless I hope you find what works for her!


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## Roo (Oct 17, 2010)

No debate, it's fact you have been banned multiple times, and are here again with yet another user account and it's fact you're contributing to the unessesary drama in this thread.


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

Look who's contributing again to the crappy vibes here. Will it never end from some?


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## Keliko (May 8, 2012)

I actually searched through a bunch of forums and threads before posting here based on the fact people get all offended and rude sometimes on here. It makes it extremely awkward and hard to ask questions or for advice... at the end of the day I am just trying to care for my dogs the best way I can within my means.

Went to the local feed store, Exclusive looks like a good option. Several people there with working dogs couldn't stop recommending the food.


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## brindle (Mar 14, 2013)

Roo said:


> No debate, it's fact you have been banned multiple times, and are here again with yet another user account and it's fact you're contributing to the unessesary drama in this thread.


brindle has not been banned once. I am not contributing to drama I am defending the OP's choice in feeding.
Keliko, I apologize for this. I hope you stay here and have any questions you may have answered  
While some people have a different definition of what is best, I have no doubt in my mind that you ARE doing what is best for your dogs. I certainly hope you've taken some information from this thread! Maybe some of the brands suggested you haven't tried? Healthwise is very good and should be relatively easy to come by, have you ever tried it? It is also very affordable!


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

OP--I hope the brand you found works out for you. I know it goes against the flow but I do believe that some dogs "need" carbs simply because it's "easier" for a dog to "store" which can allow a dog to gain weight. Though I would choose one that still has a good amount of meat protein though.

Totally off topic--umm, it would be kind of nice if brindle and whiteleo not responded to one another. You guys seem to have a "personality clash". I think it would be better for your blood pressure, which could lead to less cursing, if you tried to ignore each other. Just agree to disagree and leave it alone. After all, pots can't be stirred if no one touches the spoon.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Keliko - I just asked a friend who feeds her two young Danes (2 years and 3 years old) kibble and she says they have done their best on Eagle Pac, the only other they get is Diamond Natural I believe she said.  Hope you find one that works for your Dane.


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

Liz said:


> Keliko - I just asked a friend who feeds her two young Danes (2 years and 3 years old) kibble and she says they have done their best on Eagle Pac, the only other they get is Diamond Natural I believe she said.  Hope you find one that works for your Dane.


Eagle Pack is a very good food, I currently feed it. Their Large & Giant breed formula is popular in giant breed circles.
Eagle Pack - Large & Giant Breed Adult
Eagle Pack Food - Natural Pet Food - Large Breed Landing


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Let's keep this on topic please. The OP has said that raw is not an option, so let's just try to keep it to kibble experiences & recommendations.


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