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Is Eukanuba a healthy dog food?
I have 4 dogs who used to eat Pedigree, but I recently switched all of them over to Eukbanuba. Does anyone have any expirence with this brand, or knows a thing or 2 about it? If I find that it is unhealthy, I might switch again, although I don't think this is good for them with all of this switching. Anyways, any help is appreciated. Thanks!
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Member 977595
on Mar 26th 2010
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As long as you do the switching over a period of time (say about two weeks) you will avoid any gastric upset.
A lot of people think that switching foods every six months or a year is actually GOOD for dogs.
It seems that dogs who had their food changed a few times in life end up as less picky eaters as they get into old age and they seem to not develop as many food intolerances in old age as dogs who have been on the same food their whole lives.
As for this food....well, it's kind of a lateral move from Pedigree, I'm afraid. It contains an awful lot of fillers and by-products, as well as ingredients that either are virtually indigestible or just plain unnecessary.
Better choices would be Wellness, Orijen, Innova or California Natural. All of these brands are free of excessive (or any in some cases) unhealthy grains, by products and unhealthy chemicals or compounds.
And again, as long as you do the switching gradually over at least a couple of weeks, they should be fine.
:-)
Jack
answered on 3/26/10.
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You must remember there is an enormous amount of hype concerning dog food and many extremists want you to feed your dogs that way they eat. It is quite easy for most dog owners tto give their dog a better diet that they eat. Eukanuba is a find food, perhaps over priced at the worst, but not as bad as many other food that are no better for you dog.
The highly experienced professionals in service dog programs some times choose Eukanuba. They also advise keeping dogs on the same food all their life. Nobody here begins to have the training and experience they do. Most of the food advice on the net is based on speculation about ingredients, not studies of how dogs do on diets.
Aster
answered on 3/27/10.
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Solid Gold is the best food their is. There are absolutely NO by-products! I have checked myself! Eukanuba is okay.......
NO SCIENCE DIET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jet and Jay
Jet
answered on 3/27/10.
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I agree with Jack on both switching between foods and Eukanuba being pretty much a lateral move from Pedigree. There's nothing "dangerous" in it like there is in some foods, but there are plenty of low-quality ingredients and fillers that I personally would never feed my dog. Looking at the ingredients for the adult maintenance formula, things that I stay clear of:
Chicken by-product meal, corn meal, sorghum, dried beet pulp, fish meal (only because they don't specifically list what KIND of fish), and fish oil (same reason). It's also super grain heavy, translating into having to feed more and pick up more in your yard.
Can your dog do "fine" on this food as Aster suggests? Yes. I personally don't want my dog to do just "fine". Just MHO.
C.J. (C-ATCH,TDI,CGC,RE,ChSN)
answered on 3/27/10.
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I don't know, for one I disagree with Aster, I mean it is an opinion about dog foods. They are all body parts melted down , some have lots of grains , some have lots of chemicals to keep it from rotting.
Solid gold is made by Diamond. Diamond, purina, Eukanuba and many others have had recalls.
Maybe pedigree has more corn and fillers.
But, even if you are a professional it is so easy to pick up a bag anywhere and feed it.
I don't think it is a trend but more people are feeding raw or cooking for their dogs versus buying kibble.
Feed what makes you feel comfortable.
There is no professional dog food people. The commercial dogfood companies makes millions and tell you by advertizing how wonderful their food is. It is up to the individual to make decisions on what to feed. It is fine to ask. I use to all the time but never really found that perfect food in a bag.
Switch to what you feel is good. good luck.
Dieta
answered on 3/27/10.
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If you really want to learn more about dog food, good vs bad brands, etc. Read the post from Sedona called "so you're confused about dog food?". Type it in the dogster.com search engine and it should come right up. Very informational, great reading, very helpful!!
Lexi
answered on 3/27/10.
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Eukanuba is a really bad dog food to feed. I recommend you feed Orijen, Solid Gold, Merrick B.G., or Timberwolf.
Check out this site, it gives you great info on what's really in pet food:
www.bornfreeusa.org
Eukanuba has corn and soy, which dogs can NOT digest. It has by products, which is a cheap ingredient, and is not good to feed any pet.
You are feeding another bad brand of dog food. I highly recommend you switch. Bad dog food is the leading cause to medical issues.
www.thedogbowl.com
www.beforegrain.com
www.orijen.ca
www.solidgoldhealth.com
www.timberwolforganics.com
All these dog foods, ecspecially Orijen is a good, clean dog food. Orijen is the best brand you can feed. It is expensive, but it is worth every dollar. I feed it, it is the best dog food I've ever fed.
Check out this dog food, too:
www.primalpetfoods.com
Howard
answered on 3/27/10.
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I personally feed my dogs on a rotation plan. I have chosen three brands that have ingredients I am happy with, and which my dogs like, and I switch them from bag to bag. For example, right now they are eating Blue Buffalo Natural fish and sweet potato. When that bag is gone, they will get Merrick Before Grain, then I will switch to Wellness Core, then back again, maybe with a different protein source. They always get a premade raw topper. None of my dogs have any problem with direct switches of brands or protein sources, so it's pretty easy to do it that way. I feel variety is mostly important in the prevention of allergies, but it is also great for preventing boredom at feeding time, and I also believe that each of these three brands offer something the other two don't have, so by rotating, they get the best of all three. I don't eat the same thing every day, why should they have to???
Beanster, CD, RN, CGC
answered on 3/27/10.
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Questions like this are asked so often that I recently got myself into the habit of just refering people to others like this that I have answered so they can get my take on what to look for in a food. So, here:
www.dogster.com
www.dogster.com
www.dogster.com
The answer is simple--study for yourself and come to your own conclusions rather than relying completely on the word of others. It's easier in the long-run, believe me.
Oh, and another here rotator here. My GSD gets her food rotated bag by bag. Rotation is feeding several different brands. If the dog can handle it, as mine can, it's fine to switch cold turkey rather than over a period of time. You can rotate brands daily, every other day, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc. There's even a brand, Nature's Variety, that was made to be rotated--except in a slightly different way. It has three forms--raw, kibble, and if I remember correctly, something like canned.
While rotation is typically done to avoid allergies, I rotate for variety--and also to lessen the cost. Rotating between Solid Gold and other decent, but much cheaper, brands costs much less than buying Solid Gold all the time.
Cookies 'n' Creme (1998-2011)
answered on 3/27/10.
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Mom works for Nutro and recommends trying the Ultra line. There are no chicken by-products which are the heads, feet, and intestines, as well as no ground yellow corn, or artificial colors or preservatives in any of their foods. The Ultra line also has three protein sources in the form of meals as well as fresh chicken! The food is full of protein and antioxidant rich ingredients to keep your pups immune systems high as well as all the added vitamins and minerals a dog could need!
Check out the website at:
www.ultraholistic.com
Maverick
answered on 3/28/10.
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Hi! Bailey's mom here. Don’t depend on what we say on Dogster. Feed the food. Look at your dog. Then decide.
I’ve worked for Eukanuba/Iams for nearly 15 years. There are some misunderstandings about our ingredients.
Not ever chicken by product meal (CBPM) is as good as ours. We set superior quality standards for our suppliers, and our CBPM goes through a unique and proprietary screening process that removes components that would not be digestible.
Corn and sorghum are both complex carbs used in combination to help maintain stable blood glucose/energy levels. And because of our quality standards, it’s not unusual for a truck load of corn to be turned away at our loading dock because it doesn't meet specifications.
Beet pulp is a moderately fermentable fiber used in our diets because it provides bulk to move waste but it also gets broken down into short-chain fatty acids that provide energy for the cells lining the intestines.
Look at your dog and feed the food that works the best.
Bailey-the-Bichon
answered on 3/29/10.
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I am not a fan of Eukanuba. It may be just a small step up from Pedigree but not much.
Dunkin
answered on 3/29/10.
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Look at the bag. Is one of the main ingredients a grain? If so, absolutely stay away.
Member 968710
answered on 3/29/10.
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