don't just trust what someone posts, or any website for that matter, as fact. Make sure you verify it thru a couple of sources. Sometimes people recommend things that are just wrong.

he looks thin to me, but the vet says he is still too fat.

I see vegetarian dog foods on the market and I can not understand why anyone would choose it for a carnivore. I didn't know anyone who feeds veg to their dog until now, so I did what I always do and I "Googled" it. I found this web site which recommends against it--

http://www.wisegeek.com/is-it-healthy-to-feed-my-dog-vegetarian-dog-food.htm

I'm sure there are sites that support a vegetarian diet for dogs or they wouldn't make the food, but could you explain why you decided on it for your dog? Not judging, just wondering. Do you supplement with protein? calcium?

sad that it's even on the market. We should refuse to shop at Wal Mart until they remove it from the shelves.

she WAS on Canidae (with grains) for a year and I never had problems along with the other 3 dogs I own. Not until I switched her a few months ago was there any trouble. So in 12 months she did just fine on Canidae, gorgeous coat, shiny, etc.

I picked up a different food and didn't go back to Canidae because I really would like to see if these "NO grain" are what the are cracked up to be. I'm hoping I get better results with this new food. At this point I'm pretty pissed because it's the middle of show season and I don't like showing my dogs when they look like ****. So she will probably be scratched from the next show and hope like heck she is ready for next months specialties.

My parents put every table scrap into a big pot and cooked it up for the dogs and they fed Purina Pro Plan kibble or whatever was the best brand on sale. Never fed the likes of Old Roy . Those days there wasn't all this fancy dog foods and I only remember 1 dog that we had that had horrible allergies (not to food but grass, dirt, etc) SO I personally think WE have done something to create all these horrible allergy issues. Be it environmental, breeding, over vaccinations, whatever...I have no idea. But it just didn't seem to be the same 30 & 40 yrs ago.

than I have. Even tho, some foods work for one dog and not the other, there are people here who are better educated than me on what may be a poor ingredient etc.

Between this board and my Maltese board, I have learned a wealth of information about dog foods. And if it weren't for this board and me asking, I may have never tried Core, which is working amazingly for my guys!!!!!!

I get what your saying.....but I think its silly not to post questions and share thoughts about dog foods.

On a side note, my mothers dog lived a long healthy life on Purina...he lived to be 14yrs old.

I sure hope they get paid well.

Lynn King CPDT

swiss army knife, sure comes in handy.

Lynn King CPDT

i watch it too, I have a crab pot and everything... When will you be up to head out to the Bering Sea?


ahaahahhaah

Vicky,
Bosco, Bella, Breve' & Holly

http://langagerbulldogs.tripod.com

PHOTOS ARE PROPERTY OF LANGAGER BULLDOGS, YOU MUST HAVE WRITTEN PERMISSION FOR ANY USE OF THESE PHOTOS FROM LANGAGERBULLDOG.

I agree with what you say about not taking everything said on the net to seriously but, i personally used www.dogfoodanalysis.com because i was a stranger to dog food brands and my bullie is the first puppy i've had since i was a kid. I liked what the website had to say about what they thought the optimal diet was for any dog not just bulldogs. I liked all the information they had to offer and it just happened to be a coincidence that the foods that website ranked as 5 and 6 star foods are the brands most often mentioned on the message board as being the foods most often fed to bulldogs. Don't be to harsh on us newbie's personally i just want my dog to have the best and be healthy and happy and iam guilty of trusting to easily that lots of people here know everything about bullies.





glitter-graphics.com

I have had to change foods twice. One didn't agree with Coop; the other didn't agree with AJ. The brand I am feeding now is working for both. It was important to me that both were on the same diet, basically for convenience to me even though they are fed separately. Mine are not on TOTW, but I have researched it and should this premium, no-grain brand that I'm feeding fail, then at that point, I'll try something else. My decisions are not based on what individuals post, but how my dogs are doing. And I must say, they are lovin' it because AJ has put on some weight (as Elaine/Junior warned me they might on this brand).


Sandra, Cooper and AJ!
www.myspace.com/cooperandaj

I try and look at dog food like this...if the world was coming to end and i was hiding out in what my family calls the hideout (our family desingated place to go when the world ends, LOL) would I eat the dog food. So dont worry you will not catch me ever eating Old Roy starving or not. LOL!

Rhiann, Samson, Mia and Karma
If you breed then rescue
Northern California Bulldog Rescue

that is the worst dog food ever you can feed to any dog. The pound here won't even feed that food to dogs that are on death row. Costo actually has decent dog food for a good price.

that i was not aiming my post towards anyone feeding TOTW whos been having issues.
But i will be curious to see if you do get better results with Ester on Canidae.
i think that possibly many of the dogs eating TOTW or other high protein premium foods may be having problesm because its just too rich for them. Causing loose stools, gas, ect ect...not sure about hair loss and what in TOTW a dog would be allergic too. Like i said will be curious to see...

amazing what some dogs eat that i find is crap and they thrive on it. As a kid my parents fed our dogs table scraps and they all lived past 15. Our Persian cats ate Meow mix and they all lived till they were 12. go figure.
If i fed my Bulldogs table food daily they would all probably die within 5 years....

My freinds who are dog owners feed thier dogs Ole Roy and they all do well on it. of coarse they crap 20 times a day from all the fillers but thier Labs, Chows and mutts never see a vet!

thanks for any responses

Rhiann, Samson, Mia and Karma
If you breed then rescue
Northern California Bulldog Rescue

those 2 jobs are a little too crazy for me. Love both shows

Lynn King CPDT

man that sucks!
My guys love when i am drinking wine...they get a taste, such boozers they are, LOL

Rhiann, Samson, Mia and Karma
If you breed then rescue
Northern California Bulldog Rescue

I have been watching Deadliest catch, that makes me an offical crab fisherman as well Ice Truckers making me one of the best drivers ever, even though its over 100 degrees here!
too cute

Rhiann, Samson, Mia and Karma
If you breed then rescue
Northern California Bulldog Rescue

My dogs have been on Natural Balance for as long as I have had them. When I got Chelsea her tear stains were absolutely horrible. She was eating Royal bulldog formula. The only reason I switched her was because it wasn't carried at any food store here. I put her on Natural Balance Duck and Potato which I had Tinker on. Her tear stains cleared up. I decided to switch to TOTW because Skidmark has had skin issues ever since I owned him and was going to switch him so I decided to switch her also. It didn't work out so I put her back on NB Duck and Potato and her tear stains cleared up. I have now found out after about $600 of vet bills and lab work that Skid has a resistant staff infection. He is on new meds. Since I know it is not food he is back on Pedigree Lamb and Rice. Jez has been on Natural Balance vegetarian for about 6 years now and has absolutely no problems. I'm sticking by Natural Balance for my bulldogs because they have done great on it for most of their lives.

Hey there -

Just wanted to say I appreciated your thoughts and have always thought highly of your posts as you seem to really take the time to listen and respond when you have something of value to add.

I was curious about the TOTW and wanted to try it out for myself and I honestly feel now that it has caused more problems overall for him. Lucky for me Sanford is NOT a picky eater and will eat anything his Momma (or anyone else for that matter) will give him so switching him isn't a big deal. I too don't switch over gradually so in an effort to see if I can solve the problem myself without unncessary and expensive vet visits and treatments I am going to try the switch back to Natural Balance and see what happens.

Lucky for me the cost of food for him is NOT an issue. I don't care what it costs - if it's going to help him "be all that he can be" then I'll spend it.

For the record, I am not one who takes what I hear on the internet to be "gospel" so to speak but I personally do like to know what other people's experiences have been whether it be with a pet food product or a camera, or an appliance etc. It never hurts to hear what other people have to say about a product so long as you are smart enough to know that not everyone is an expert that is - LOL.

Anyway - thanks again for the feedback.

Best, Trish~

It's good to note that dogs can do well on a food and suddenly develop an allergy to it. That seems to be the problem with Roxy. She does well on a food for a while and then she starts getting soft stools and irritable bowels. It drives me nuts!

I'm always on a search for a new better food. I do love to hear what others have tried. If I hear others have had good results on a particular food and I like the ingredient list, I'll jump on the wagon.

Only thing I'm not willing to try again is home cooking. That drove me nuts.

to do something that I love. Just can't get enough of dog.

Lynn King CPDT

nm

Lynn King CPDT

gonna get the flaming going on

I do have to say I believe you Lynn are an expert in the training field and you always provide your resources to back up what you say and advice you provide so the person can educate themselves. Especially like the book references.

My husband calls me the Dog Whisperer when I scold him for spoiling the children and I just tell him its what you told me, LOL!

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express last night...so I can do ANYTHING!!!

Cathy Miller
http://www.marshillbulldogs.com

I know far more then the average person. Since I have been watching the Discovery channel, I know how to do brain surgery, knee replacement, rebuild a car engine all with the same tools. LOL

Just kidding

Lynn King CPDT

....not Kofi who is allowed only minimal popcorn and NO alcohol .

Finding the right food for your dog is done by trial and error, seems most want to skip past all that.

My parents fed all their dogs whatever was on sale at the time, none died before the age of 14.

You are right about switching foods, I don't do it gradually either. They eat what I have the first night they are here.

The price and the convenience is enough for most people to stick to the major brands, if it works for them, terrific.

I like to change foods, variety isnt a bad thing. I feed Wellness and mix 50/50 of another brand. But I don't have children, so I can spend more for dog food. Those with children should stick to the best food for the price they can afford and not feel guilty or compelled to keep up with others.

Lynn King CPDT

nicely stated .

Look at me....I thrive on popcorn and vodka ....

BUT when your dog has never had problems and then 8 weeks into the new food their hair starts falling out it leads you to believe it is related to the only change that was made....that being the food.

Believe me I'm not a person you changes food. When I got Norbert at 9 wks over 12 years ago he was on Eukanuba and Nutro. I didn't want to feed 2 foods so I put him on Eukanuba. Which many believe to be a crappy food. He did great on it for 5 years. 1 time in the first 2 years of his life I switched him to Iams...because I was able to get it at the local grocery store and I had to drive 15 miles to get the Eukanuba. Within 4 weeks his hair started falling out and as soon as I put him back on the Eukanuba it stopped. Then when I moved to Seattle I put him on Canidae and I have fed Canidae for 8 years.

I only changed to TOTW because Cleo was a little yeasty on her nose rope and I thought maybe a grain free food might help. Lesson learned....grain free isn't always the best, especially if your dogs don't have food allergies. I'm sorry I made the change and will go back to Canidae since it has worked for me for years, grain or no grain.

You do need to use what works best for the dog...but with all the foods available on the market today it is nice to know what is working for others. That is why I think the subject comes up so often.

WHAT I THINK IS MOST IMPORTANT ON THESE TYPE OF FORUMS NO MATTER WHAT SUBJECT....IS THAT YOU REALIZE THAT PEOPLE YOU MIGHT THINK ARE EXPERTS ARE NOT ALWAYS SUCH AND YOU NEED TO TAKE WHAT EVERYONE HAS TO SAY WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. READ, LISTEN, EDUCATE YOURSELF AND THEN MAKE A DECISION BASED ON YOUR OWN KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH. I'M ALWAYS AMAZED AT THE PEOPLE WHO ASK FOR REPLYS FROM BREEDERS AND THEY MENTION NAMES AND THE NAMES THEY MENTION ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT BREEDERS OR EXPERTS IN ANY MANNER....JUST FREQUENT POSTERS WHO ACT LIKE EXPERTS. I THINK WE ALL KNOW THOSE KIND OF PEOPLE WHO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYTHING AND WILL TELL YOU SO.

you're going to bring out the philosophical side of me. Too often, many of us take what people say as truth
This is often the case in all walks of life, be it bully care, politics, religion, what we should go see at the theater, etc. We rely on other people's knowledge, opinions, and experience, without considering our own circumstances, which may be totally different than the other person's.
I would love to see a little more independent thought in this world. We might still come up with the same conclusions, but at least our brains will get a bit of exercise.

Cathy Miller
http://www.marshillbulldogs.com

i feed what i feel is best by looking at the label.

But when my dog starts having an issues that htey have not had EVER before, then i have to make a change and see if it helps.

Im the first to say what works for one may not work for the other, but you have to do what is best for your dog.

I can not bring myself to feed my dogs some of the foods. I have walked the isles at the store looking at foods and just cant do it. I have a hard time feeding the snobby chihuahua's they are the pickiest eaters. Im feedin benniful because they will eat it, not because its a good food.

:D

Vicky,
Bosco, Bella, Breve' & Holly

http://langagerbulldogs.tripod.com

PHOTOS ARE PROPERTY OF LANGAGER BULLDOGS, YOU MUST HAVE WRITTEN PERMISSION FOR ANY USE OF THESE PHOTOS FROM LANGAGERBULLDOG.

I've got the down-low on how to do pretty much anything, given a swiss army knife and a bolt of butcher's twine.

I do, however, respect that we need to sanitize the primary instrument with a dose of 180 proof grain alcohol.

******Deb, if you read this, I COMPLETELY AGREE with you.......feed what works for your babies - even if it's different for each one. No one food is the end-all-be-all for any of these fellas and we just need to be aware of how food effect them.