# question?



## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

has anyone had any experience with ULTRA holistic foods?


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

O.K. so heres the lowdown, Ultra holistic is made by Nutro, you will not find anyone on this site that will endorse Nutro, Eukanuba, Purina, or anything Hills. These dogfoods are full of fillers and no meat content to speak of, besides the many dogs that Nutro has killed in recalls. 

Please do yourself and your beautiful dog a favor and research the threads here on dry food.
Some top choices are Orijen, Acana, and many more but you will not find these foods at Petco or Petsmart, these are boutique foods and need to be searched out. Good Luck!


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

Yea I've heard and I've read the holistic stuff is pretty good stuff... I'm going to keep him on this for a while and see how he does. If he doesn't react well I'll change it.. But as far as what I was feeding him this is much better.. so.. I don't want a nasty discussion or anything and If that's what I get I will delete my account because I don't want to be called a bad dog owner or under knowledged. So.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Feed your dog what you want to, but the dog doesn't have a voice just remember that!


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

I personally wouldnt feed it because Nutro has a very long history of recalls and a terrible record, its not worth jeopardizing your dogs health over. You can try something like Blue Buffalo, which is also sold at Petsmart but a whole lot better.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Forgot to mention, it also has Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, which you may want to read up on:

The Dog Food Project - Menadione (Vitamin K3)


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

NWhaley220 said:


> Yea I've heard and I've read the holistic stuff is pretty good stuff... I'm going to keep him on this for a while and see how he does. If he doesn't react well I'll change it.. But as far as what I was feeding him this is much better.. so.. I don't want a nasty discussion or anything and If that's what I get I will delete my account because I don't want to be called a bad dog owner or under knowledged. So.


No one is going to call you a bad dog owner. That would just be mean and uncalled for, not to mention against the rules of this forum. What we will do is try and help you make better decisions for your dog. Heck, I was there once...feeding what I thought was a decent food and I learned that there are better choices out there through helpful and experienced people. There is nothing wrong with that, its what most of us spend our time here doing. You might as well take advantage of all the time and effort that we've put into researching foods and pick our brains!

I really do hope you stick around and DO read up on what you are feeding your dog. Look up the ingredients and make a decision for yourself if you think its something worth feeding. No one here can make decisions for you...that is up to you! Good luck with everything :biggrin:


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

I'm going to stick with this holistic stuff for a while I think if need be I'll switch personally I don't like BB neither did he... Like I said I'm going to keep him on this for now and if need be I'll switch.


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

danemama08 said:


> No one is going to call you a bad dog owner. That would just be mean and uncalled for, not to mention against the rules of this forum. What we will do is try and help you make better decisions for your dog. Heck, I was there once...feeding what I thought was a decent food and I learned that there are better choices out there through helpful and experienced people. There is nothing wrong with that, its what most of us spend our time here doing. You might as well take advantage of all the time and effort that we've put into researching foods and pick our brains!
> 
> I really do hope you stick around and DO read up on what you are feeding your dog. Look up the ingredients and make a decision for yourself if you think its something worth feeding. No one here can make decisions for you...that is up to you! Good luck with everything :biggrin:




Thank you you're the first decent person on here to talk to me... Any way like I said I will try this because it's way better then the Eukanuba D seems to like it so far.. If it doesn't work out I'll switch it... I like to switch out about every 6-8 months any way as each good quality food has something different to offer. Personally I tried this dog food just for grins just a nibble and it wasn't too shaby lol.. any way like I said if need be I'll change but thank you I've gotten some pretty nasty responses from people.. 

At least I don't feed purina and stuff...


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

NWhaley220 said:


> Thank you you're the first decent person on here to talk to me... Any way like I said I will try this because it's way better then the Eukanuba D seems to like it so far.. If it doesn't work out I'll switch it... I like to switch out about every 6-8 months any way as each good quality food has something different to offer. Personally I tried this dog food just for grins just a nibble and it wasn't too shaby lol.. any way like I said if need be I'll change but thank you I've gotten some pretty nasty responses from people..
> 
> At least I don't feed purina and stuff...



I would also like to add I' unemployed so the better hard to find stuff I'd love to feed but I can not afford right now unemployment doesn't pay me enough... When I get employed I will probably look into the better brands.. thanx


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Well, I haven't seen any nasty responses as of yet. I would have told anyone off if they truly were offensive. I think what you may see as "nasty" is just a bunch of passionate people who know a lot about dog foods, who have done extensive research into nutrition. Sometimes we can come off the wrong way...but you also have to remember that when a newb joins up and is somewhat close minded to what we all have to say, its hard to stay positive. Don't see this as a put down, that is not my intent. Its hard to convey emotions and inflections through typing....

On another note....what about this Ultra food do you particularly like? I'm just trying to steer the conversation in another direction and talk about what it is that made you decide on this food.

ETA: I just saw your last post about being unemployed....

Do you have a Costco nearby? If so, I would highly recommend the Kirkland signature dog food, or even their grain free formula for someone on a budget. Its a real decent food for a cheap price...best you CAN get at a price that its offered. They have a much better track record than Nutro (sorry, I'm just as jaded with that company as the others here...).


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

not on here on the dog food page that linked me to this forum actually... I don't want to call out names but.. Yea.. But no one on here as of yet.. Like I said just the list of foods that linked me to this site.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Hmmmm...well, I try and keep an eye out for all members here new and old. I cannot control what is said outside of this forum! But as long as you post here it will be made sure that no one calls names or says anything out of line. 

I hope you find all the info you're looking for here.


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

> On another note....what about this Ultra food do you particularly like? I'm just trying to steer the conversation in another direction and talk about what it is that made you decide on this food.
> 
> ETA: I just saw your last post about being unemployed....
> 
> Do you have a Costco nearby? If so, I would highly recommend the Kirkland signature dog food, or even their grain free formula for someone on a budget. Its a real decent food for a cheap price...best you CAN get at a price that its offered. They have a much better track record than Nutro (sorry, I'm just as jaded with that company as the others here...).


Thank you read past post about the negative responses I was getting.. I didn't mean to stereotype you guys I appreciate good responses.. Like I said because I don't want to keep changing the poor guys' food I'll wait and see how this works first  Now it has a lot of "meal" in it not by-product it has glucosamine in it which I want and calcium which I also want, because I don't want to supplement with it. It also doesn't have artifical coloring in it which is nice, and I really like the anti-oxidants in it particularly the blue-berries, and pomegranate... Granted it has a few bad things those are the reasons why I chose it.. 

I am a horse person train, teach, you name it and on those forums I give my passionate responses as you guys to to our canine loves so I appreciate a good opinion or good FACTS just not negatively..

Also I do have a costco but not a member my folks are a member of samsclub? but they feed their dogs BB... Personal preference here I didn't like how Avoderm and BB gave my dog really bad fish breath, and he never put any weight on with it.. That's why I switched to Eukanuba, then the stores were sold out of that and then a "comparable" brand was the CANIN which got awful reviews so he only got 1 feeding of that and I switched to the Holistic Ultra today..


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

you can also try Taste of the Wild, its affordable and usually sold through feed stores (you can find a store locator on their site), if you have a tractor supply nearby, you can print $5 off coupon of their site, I always use it when I buy Totw for my cats and I find it that its cheaper then other stores.


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

btw it's dogfoodchat.com is where I'm getting nasty nasty nasty responses.. hurtful things were said I got defensive and said some not so nice things back but I was tired of being battered.Royal Canin dog food


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I too would urge you to read up on Nutro, it isn't a company with a good track record and from what I've read, has made MANY dogs sick and/or die in the past because of recalls. 

I understand being on a budget, I can totally relate. There are several foods that are reasonable in price and come from more reliable companies, such as Whole Earth Farms, Earthborn Holistic, Canidae, etc. Even though it can be a pain to switch (been there too lol), switching to a higher quality food from a more trust worthy company would be worth the effort (IMO) for your dogs health in the long run. 

I know you keep saying you wanna stick with the food for now and see how he does on it, but several people here have mentioned switching, and not like you have to feed something expensive, we just hope to see owners feed their dogs a food from a company that doesn't harm pets :frown:


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Nutro foods ARE in fact better on paper than a LOT of brands out there. I have opted not to feed them for the following reasons:
Their track record of recalls is alarming, and I feel that a company having darn near annual recalls needs to do a lot of adjusting before earning my business. That's just where my comfort level sits for the time being. 

I also feel that while the ingredient list at a glance doesn't really look too bad, taking a closer look:
Chicken Meal, Whole Brown *Rice,* Ground *Rice*, *Rice* Bran, Chicken, Lamb Meal, Salmon Meal, Chicken Fat
With all the ingredient splicing going on, we can see that it is primarily made up of rice products. It's just lacking in the meat department terribly. 

Nutro has excellent marketing though.. and because it's a very well known name there's comfort in feeling that it's better than it really is. I think that for what you get, it is incredibly overpriced. I've heard a few reasons people give for feeding it, but price point has never been one of them. 
Holey Moley, $50 for a 30lb bag of rice! There are other foods of higher quality for less money. For example, Kirkland... which is $23 for 40lbs i you have a CostCo membership. Or even Canidae ALS formula, which is about $54 for 44lbs... so roughly the same price, but a bigger bag of food! You could even feed the grain free Canidae for the same price as this rice-heavy Nutro Ultra stuff!! TOTW is abou the same price, too, and they have 4 really neat formulas that make for a good rotation. Lately Premium Edge has caught my eye of being a great value, about $35 for 30lbs, and the first three ingredients are named meats and meat meals. Chicken Soup is about the same price as Premium edge, and very widely available through the big box stores. I could go on with a list of more foods that are higher quality, and even less money than you're spending now. 

It's excellent that you plan to rotate foods! I think that all too often people want to find just ONE that works and use it forever and they don't understand how vital variety is for optimum health. I'm so glad you do!

Wow, sorry for the super long response! Just thought I'd share some excellent alternatives for some foods you may want to consider when you rotate off of Ultra in a few months like you said. And, I'd like to personally welcome you to the forum. I am terribly sorry if others have made you feel unwelcome, but we certainly are glad to have new members join us. There is a TON of very useful information on this forum, and excellent people willing to help, so I encourage you to be open to the advice of our educated members, and please share with us your knowledge, too! Can never have too many educated people around here!


I'm curious what has attracted you to Ultra? What made you pick that food? What appealed to you about it over other foods? As a small business owner, I like to get a feel for what people are looking for, so I hope you don't mind me asking!!:tongue::smile:
ETA: just saw your response to thi question you posted while i was typing this! thanks for sharing your thoughts!


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Yes Linsey! More good foods haha. I've used premium edge in the past with great results, it's a great value!!! Chicken Soup as well. 


OP- I urge you to read this. Consumer complaints about Nutro Pet Foods

Nutro just has had too many recalls  It would worry me. I used to feed Nutro to a boxer I had years ago (maybe 8 or so years ago?) but I am glad we switched him.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Its good that you don't want to keep changing different foods, but you will find that quite a few people here will rotate their foods out every couple of months, or even rotate with each bag of food. 

Usually commercially produced foods don't contain nearly enough glucosamine to be effective, so I wouldn't base your liking of the food much on that. By-products are actually not as bad as most people think because it contains offal, which is an important part to your dog's diet. Just make sure that it is a named by product meal. 

Here is the ingredient list from the Ultra:

Chicken meal, whole brown rice, ground rice, rice bran, chicken, lamb meal, salmon meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols a source of vitamin E), natural flavors, flaxseed, oatmeal, dehydrated alfalfa meal, dried plain beet pulp, soybean oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols a source of vitamin E), sunflower oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols a source of vitamin E), fish oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols a source a vitamin E), potassium chloride, egg product, tomato pomace, dried pomegranate, dried blueberry, dried avocado, dried cranberry, dried pumpkin, dried spinach, dried carrot, salt, choline chloride, taurine, vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, l-carnitine, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, copper proteinate, niacin supplement, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2), thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), sodium selenite, beta carotene, manganese proteinate, manganese oxide, pyrodoxine hydrochloride ( source of vitamin B6), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement.

In blue are your named meat meals, 1st, 6th and 7th on the ingredient list.

In red are the "negatives" that I see in this food (I see more but these are at the top). Beet pulp and tomato pumace are two very cheap fillers that are not good at all for dogs. Egg product is a very vague ingredient that doesn't tell you anything about its actual content, it could be just shells or just yokes, etc and you'd never know. Preserved chicken fat is a very low quality ingredient. 

Also, the antioxident ingredients that you like to see are so far down the ingredient list that they don't make up a substantial part of your dogs diet. You'd be better off pureeing some blueberries and spreading it on his food for antioxident benefits. 

I'm not trying to put the food down, just reviewing it from my point of view. Is it the worst food out there? Heavens no. But its not the best either. Overall its not a horrible food at all. BUT I think what gets me the most about it, is that its made by Nutro...the company that has more recalls than any other out there. I don't trust them ONE bit because of all the problems they have caused in the past.


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## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

NWhaley220 said:


> btw it's dogfoodchat.com is where I'm getting nasty nasty nasty responses.. hurtful things were said I got defensive and said some not so nice things back but I was tired of being battered.Royal Canin dog food


Just ignore the *trolls* (_Jess_) on the main site. Most of them couldn't deal with posting here so they started throwing their weight around on the main site since they know we don't post there.... They pretty much have free roam over there with no moderation, no checks & balances.


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

CorgiPaws said:


> I'm curious what has attracted you to Ultra? What made you pick that food? What appealed to you about it over other foods? As a small business owner, I like to get a feel for what people are looking for, so I hope you don't mind me asking!!:tongue::smile:
> ETA: just saw your response to thi question you posted while i was typing this! thanks for sharing your thoughts!


 it has a lot of "meal" in it not by-product it has glucosamine in it which I want and calcium which I also want, because I don't want to supplement with it. It also doesn't have artifical coloring in it which is nice, and I really like the anti-oxidants in it particularly the blue-berries, and pomegranate... Granted it has a few bad things those are the reasons why I chose it..


Like I said because of his breed I really really really want something that is higher in glucoseamine, some calcium but not a whole lot.. Like I've said I've fed Avoderm, and BB and even lamb flavor puts off an awful fish smell on his breath and he never put on any weight infact it's quite hard to keep weight on him with those 2 brands and he's a BIG GSD 100lbs and only 1 yr old lengthy so I want him to keep the meat on his bones.. And I don't think as in a previous post it being to late to change it I think he'll be fine he's young so when I do change his food come spring I'll keep all these brands in mind... 

I would really really like to know some foods though that don't smell like fish and has a higher fat content in it? Also it has to have a wet food of the same brand he only get 1tbs wet food at dinner time mixed with his dry food so he's not getting wet all the time.. Recommendations would be great! Here is my criteria:

NO FISH SMELL! (makes his breath stink and gives him terrible gas)
Glucosamine is an absolute must!
Some Calcium
Higher in fat
Have a wet food
And be at a budget I being unemployed can afford.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

You will not find a food that contains enough glucosamine in it to be effective. If you want an effective dose you MUST supplement with it. Dog food companies use the ingredient as a marketing tool to get people to buy their foods thinking that it does have enough but in reality it doesn't....Just FYI


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

jdatwood said:


> Just ignore the *trolls* (_Jess_) on the main site. Most of them couldn't deal with posting here so they started throwing their weight around on the main site since they know we don't post there.... They pretty much have free roam over there with no moderation, no checks & balances.


good to know thank you.. When I was told I have to experience the death of a dog of bad food or a dog experience a tumor because of bad food really really hurt as I lost my golden retriever who was near and dear to my heart last february of old age and a tumor as some goldens get, I got her when I was in 6th grade and she lived to be 12 I'm now 24 so half my life I spent with her and it hit a bad nerve to be told that.. As I'm sure you all can imagine.. But thank you all for your kind words on here I truly appreciate it Like I said I can appreciate constructive criticism as I am in the horse industry and I am ALWAYS giving criticism in my field too.:biggrin:


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

danemama08 said:


> You will not find a food that contains enough glucosamine in it to be effective. If you want an effective dose you MUST supplement with it. Dog food companies use the ingredient as a marketing tool to get people to buy their foods thinking that it does have enough but in reality it doesn't....Just FYI


Cool I didn't know that that's probably why it's at the bottom of the list.... He'll get supplimented when he's older of course but I kinda just like it to be there in small doses at first. if that makes sense.. I guess you can call it piece of mind?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Well, its at the bottom of the list because its an expensive ingredient so if the manufacturer wants it to be there, they don't want to spend big bucks to make it an effective ingredient...but they can label their food with it there....purely marketing. 

But is it really a peace of mind when in reality the amount that's there is SO low dose that it practically does nothing for the dog? To me that isn't a peace of mind.....that makes me worry about the intent of the manufacturer....


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

Welcome, and I am sorry to hear you have gotten some hurtful replies. All people are passionate about their beloved animals be they dogs, cats, horses, and the food they feed. I have often said, love your dog like crazy and feed it the best food you can afford. In some cases that has meant I have dealt with people who think Beneful looks great, or more locally to me I know farmers who feed a brand called Winner, which has fish and is preserved with Ethoxyquin. I have co-workers who think Iams is the bomb. When they ask me about why their dog has ear issues, skin issues etc., we discuss the food, the ingredients and the consequences. In some cases I have only been able to steer folks to looking at a food called National or some of the eagle Pack formulas, but at the very least they are better than that Beneful and the Winner, and Economelts I have seen in the grocery store. I have long been an advocate for feeding the best you can afford, and when and if the situation improves then try to improve the dogs' diet as well. Also, consider that in most cases what is listed as the recommended amount of food to feed is not usually what the dog needs or you will shortly have an overweight dog. With our sibes I have found they only required about half what was listed as the recommended ration for the day. Even with that I have sometimes had chubby sibes. Consequently, you may be able to feed less than what you think, and perhaps if you compare what you are feeding now you may find that even a slightly better food will require you to feed less, thus costing less per day to feed. Otherwise feed the best you can afford that works for the dog and adjust when your situation changes. Just my two cents.


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

danemama08 said:


> \
> But is it really a peace of mind when in reality the amount that's there is SO low dose that it practically does nothing for the dog? To me that isn't a peace of mind.....that makes me worry about the intent of the manufacturer....


Makes sense.. really.. I had no idea it was a really low dose though.. live and learn i guess.. Okay so glucose and calcium out.. Just the other criteria honestly guys my biggest thing I've said it once I'll say it again.. no fish smells and has to be a bit higher in fat for instance if I have a horse that I can't put weight on i'm not gunna feed it sweet feed as it will make them "hot" creating more energy and thus burning more fat.. Now that doesn't mean I want a dog food that's gunna make him a tubby either he's at a perfect weight now with great meat so I'd like to keep the protein and fat on the top, without making him lazy and stuff.. Just please no fish! lol I'm sorry.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Don't apologize, we all have our issues that we can't deal with. Some people just can't handle fish!

I would talk to your folks and see if they'd get a Costco membership and look into those foods.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

NWhaley220 said:


> Makes sense.. really.. I had no idea it was a really low dose though.. live and learn i guess.. Okay so glucose and calcium out.. Just the other criteria honestly guys my biggest thing I've said it once I'll say it again.. no fish smells and has to be a bit higher in fat for instance if I have a horse that I can't put weight on i'm not gunna feed it sweet feed as it will make them "hot" creating more energy and thus burning more fat.. Now that doesn't mean I want a dog food that's gunna make him a tubby either he's at a perfect weight now with great meat so I'd like to keep the protein and fat on the top, without making him lazy and stuff.. Just please no fish! lol I'm sorry.


I've had NO fishy smells on dogs on TOTW wetlands... AND they have a canned formula, AND it's about the same price as Ultra, AND it's grain free, AND it's better quality. 
AND.... okay, I just wanted to say AND again.


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

CorgiPaws said:


> I've had NO fishy smells on dogs on TOTW wetlands... AND they have a canned formula, AND it's about the same price as Ultra, AND it's grain free, AND it's better quality.
> AND.... okay, I just wanted to say AND again.


 Thanks! I will def look into it here where I live.. a lot of feed stores by me only sell Avoderm but I'll look into it and see where I can find that, I don't have many pet speciality stores here in denver I think a hob knobs but they are more a boarding kennel so I'll do some searching.

Sorry guys 10:21 here house sitting commuting to 2 houses my spelling SUCKS as the result..lol..


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

NWhaley220 said:


> Thanks! I will def look into it here where I live.. a lot of feed stores by me only sell Avoderm but I'll look into it and see where I can find that, I don't have many pet speciality stores here in denver I think a hob knobs but they are more a boarding kennel so I'll do some searching.
> 
> Sorry guys 10:21 here house sitting commuting to 2 houses my spelling SUCKS as the result..lol..


WOoT!!! Another Colorado member!

There are SO, SO many specialty stores here its not even funny. I can probably name off about five if you want me to!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

NWhaley220 said:


> I don't have many pet speciality stores here in denver


You just don't know where to look! Denver is suuuuuper dog friendly, with a TON of doggy daycares, and most doggy daycares also carry excellent foods! 
Rather than trying to find pet food specialty stores, go to the website of whatever food you're interested in, and search for a retailer from there. You'd be surprised at what comes up. I know that CanineCampus in Westminster carries a lot of stuff. 

Heck, the nearest place to me that sells Orijen is actually a bike store.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

So since your a horse person and I trained QH for over twenty years maybe this will make sense to you, if you look at the ingredients in the food of some of the dogfood bags and you see corn, oats, beet pulp makes you think its for horses right?
Dogs and horses are not the same, horses are herbivores and dogs are carnivores, a good dogfood will be made up of mostly meat maybe a little potato to bind and some botanicals for antioxidant properties. Hope this makes a little sense to you!


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

CorgiPaws said:


> You just don't know where to look! Denver is suuuuuper dog friendly, with a TON of doggy daycares, and most doggy daycares also carry excellent foods!
> Rather than trying to find pet food specialty stores, go to the website of whatever food you're interested in, and search for a retailer from there. You'd be surprised at what comes up. I know that CanineCampus in Westminster carries a lot of stuff.
> 
> Heck, the nearest place to me that sells Orijen is actually a bike store.


You know I'm actually really really tempted to try this stuff now with him being a GSD what's the kind you'd recommend? Also would it hurt to switch him right away? or should I leave him on the ultra for now? My moms concerned of me screwing up his belly.. so I ask you guys who know more about nutrition and switching foods the I don what do you recommend?


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

whiteleo said:


> So since your a horse person and I trained QH for over twenty years maybe this will make sense to you, if you look at the ingredients in the food of some of the dogfood bags and you see corn, oats, beet pulp makes you think its for horses right?
> Dogs and horses are not the same, horses are herbivores and dogs are carnivores, a good dogfood will be made up of mostly meat maybe a little potato to bind and some botanicals for antioxidant properties. Hope this makes a little sense to you!


It does... Like I said I'm def new to the whole dog nutrition stuff though I come from a family that fed pedigree then Iams, then avoderm, now BB (thats what the goldens get) those 2 arent mine, but I'm extremely particular about my boy he's spoiled and I only want the best that I can afford!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

It wouldn't hurt him to switch right away, but you want to switch gradually, slowly adding new food into the original. I would recommend Orijen or Acana...those are the favorites of the community here. I personally don't feed kibble, so I will leave the latest recommendations up to those who do

Glad that we have had a chance to be productive in getting your boy on a better food. Keep us posted on his progress :wink:


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

NWhaley220 said:


> You know I'm actually really really tempted to try this stuff now with him being a GSD what's the kind you'd recommend? Also would it hurt to switch him right away? or should I leave him on the ultra for now? My moms concerned of me screwing up his belly.. so I ask you guys who know more about nutrition and switching foods the I don what do you recommend?


If Orijen is in the budget, ABSOLUTELY go for it, just do a slow transition, but you can start ASAP.

Orijen is very pricey, though. It is very understandable that for MOST people, it's just not in the budget... but you have been given some excellent alternatives that are grain free (and no fishies!) and affordable if that's a route you must take. 

Giving the best you can afford is all one can do! The GOOD news is, if you can afford Nutro Ultra, then you can afford other BETTER foods, and maybe even save!


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

We have all been in your shoes, we just got to the information before you did is all, Good luck with finding the right food for your beautiful dog!


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

Precisley! I agree well like I said he was on eukanuba they were out of his food and the store only had like the small 7lb bags and he only has 1/2 a bag left unfortunately so mixing gradually would be hard to do unless I go spend like 80 bucks on another small bag with the new stuff?


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

BTW I think I'll be going with the Taste of the Wild my feed store not more then 2 minuets away from me sells it which is a bonus! I'll call first thing in the morning and see how much they charge!


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

let me paraphrase not many pet food stores here in denver lol not many by where I live..lol...


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

NWhaley220 said:


> BTW I think I'll be going with the Taste of the Wild my feed store not more then 2 minuets away from me sells it which is a bonus! I'll call first thing in the morning and see how much they charge!


excellent choice. TOTW tends to be about $50 for the bigger bag, but it varies a bit with location. :smile:


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

Yea but that's not bad It's like 49.99 plus tax for the stuff I bought today for the 30lb bag.. I know my feed store charges a little high but I have a couple places close by that carry it I'll call in the morning for sure... I'll just do a little fibing to my mom about the whole food switching thing..lol.. she's hard headed lady I swear.. I saw a venison/bison kind that looks good we hunt so our dogs are exposed to fresh animal bones yearly so he may like that!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Considering you're an adult who can make your own decisions...your mom should respect your choice. Especially since you've put some good thought behind it!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Give it a shot, let us know how it goes! And dont hesitate to ask any questions along the way!!:biggrin:


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

Okay one last question cause I'm exhausted!! Lol should I go buy another small 7lb bag of eukanuba plus the TOTW food that will give me 1 7lb bag plus 1/2 another 7lb bag sorry math is out of the question right now..lol any rate would that be the best thing to do or would half a 7lb bag of eukanuba be enough to tansition?? BTW I can afford $50 a bag not an issue just not $60-$80 foods.. ha ha..


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

NWhaley220 said:


> Okay one last question cause I'm exhausted!! Lol should I go buy another small 7lb bag of eukanuba plus the TOTW food that will give me 1 7lb bag plus 1/2 another 7lb bag sorry math is out of the question right now..lol any rate would that be the best thing to do or would half a 7lb bag of eukanuba be enough to tansition?? BTW I can afford $50 a bag not an issue just not $60-$80 foods.. ha ha..


Some dogs handle transitions better and faster than others. You wont know which category your dog fits in until you get going. I'd start with what you have, and the gauge how long to do the transition, and therefore how much food you need, and then decide if you need to buy more.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

You'd be surprised that those $60-80 foods will last longer than the $50 foods because they are grain free and you don't need to feed as much, but thats for another discussion!


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

okay cool fyi he got into a bag of the goldens bb down stairs ate a lot and his stool wasn't affected.. he seems to have a steel gut but I just wanted to check and make sure thanks guys! I'll let you know where my phone calls take me.. For now I'm going to bed Im beyond exhausted house sitting house that literally is a zoo of animals I'll be here till 1 or later then head home to catch some sleep.. Good night!


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

So I'm going to go buy the TOTW dog food Prarie brand today my feed store not more then 2 minuets away from my house carries it and it costs the same amount as the other 2 foods I bought it's actually $2.00 less!! I'm going to do a good deed and just donate the ultra I bought I know shelters feed whatever but I'll donate it any way do some good and help out. I will keep you all updated on how he likes it!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

This is awesome news...and kudos to you for donating the Ultra!


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

If youre still feeding Nutro now, I would slowly transition over a week period, even if your dog has an iron stomach, its not uncommon to see some digestive upsets like diarhhea and gas when switching foods, especially going from grain inclusive to grain free. So you can do something like this, 

Day 1-2- 75% old/25% new food

Day 3-4- 50/50%

Day 5-6- 75% new/25% old

and by the 7th day you can do 100% of the new if everything goes smoothly.


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> If youre still feeding Nutro now, I would slowly transition over a week period, even if your dog has an iron stomach, its not uncommon to see some digestive upsets like diarhhea and gas when switching foods, especially going from grain inclusive to grain free. So you can do something like this,
> 
> Day 1-2- 75% old/25% new food
> 
> ...


The ultra hasn't even been fed yet.. He's still on Eukanuba well until 2nite any way.


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## NWhaley220 (Sep 14, 2010)

bought the food this afternoon... gunna start him on it tonight..


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