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  1. #11
    Senior Dog Abulafia's Avatar
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    I worry that Orijen might be a little rich, but I've never tried it, so I am basing this on nothing.

    Labradorks, when you feed a raw meal, what do you give? What do you give for home-cooked?

    And yes, it's the corn in ProPlan that I think I might want to get away from.
    Hidden Content Hokule'a ("Hoku") / b. 06.08.15

  2. #12
    Senior Dog voodoo's Avatar
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    acana for chili. he likes it and has no problem eating it dry...but i usually add something on top.
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  3. #13
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
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    Is Hoku 2 yet? I forget?

    If she is still growing at all, I wouldn't switch yet, since she has grown nice and evenly on her current food. The Calcuim/Phosphorus ratio is excellent on the Pro Plan too, which is perfect for long term joint health. With an existing joint issue, I absolutely would not feed raw, it is too difficult to predict the calcium/phosphorus ratio in a raw diet. If she didn't have any problems, and was over 2 years old, I would consider it.

    Sometimes Labradors that have been on a middle of the road food, don't adapt well to "higher-value" foods, plus the glucosamine and chondroitin in dog food is not at any sort of medicinal level, its mostly a marketing gimmick.
    This right here is compelling enough reason not to change food for me though, what if you start her on another food and she doesn't adjust well? Why mess with what's not broken? :-) What does Becky say?

    "So, Hoku's been on Pro-Plan since weaning, and I have no complaints."

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    windycanyon (03-30-2017)

  5. #14
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
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    Oh, and corn is not the enemy you think it is. I don't think it should be the first ingredient, but it's not bad to be there.

    Why Is Corn So Bad As An Ingredient In Pet Food? | Web DVM

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    windycanyon (03-30-2017)

  7. #15
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    I looked at Orijen, but always felt the protein was too high. I could see using it if I had a very active hunting dog working for hours in the field. I think Orijen is very good food if you NEED it.

    Mine have done very well on a rotation of Fromm 4 Star and Petkind Tripe Dry rotating proteins. I also give a 1/2 cup per day of Natures Variety Instinct Raw frozen bites. Shedding is almost non-existent on my dogs, great coats, good energy.

    One thing to consider. I know when I had my accident and was hit by a car while riding my bicycle and broke both collar bones, a bone in my neck, plus over 180 stitches and staples, I lost 10 pounds in about two weeks from loss of muscle. All the inactivity the past few months has caused her to lose muscle, and it's going to take some time for it to come back. I'd be more concerned over all with the type of weight she puts on, rather than just feeding it on her.

  8. #16
    Senior Dog Abulafia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shelley View Post
    Is Hoku 2 yet? I forget?

    If she is still growing at all, I wouldn't switch yet, since she has grown nice and evenly on her current food. The Calcuim/Phosphorus ratio is excellent on the Pro Plan too, which is perfect for long term joint health. With an existing joint issue, I absolutely would not feed raw, it is too difficult to predict the calcium/phosphorus ratio in a raw diet. If she didn't have any problems, and was over 2 years old, I would consider it.

    Sometimes Labradors that have been on a middle of the road food, don't adapt well to "higher-value" foods, plus the glucosamine and chondroitin in dog food is not at any sort of medicinal level, its mostly a marketing gimmick.
    This right here is compelling enough reason not to change food for me though, what if you start her on another food and she doesn't adjust well? Why mess with what's not broken? :-) What does Becky say?

    "So, Hoku's been on Pro-Plan since weaning, and I have no complaints."
    Hoku is 21 months old. I hadn't planned to switch her before she reached about 24 months.

    I have no complaints about how she's done on ProPlan thus far. I have mild concerns about the food for the long-term, and these are not based on anything that's happened over the past three months.

    Becky had said "keep her on this for the first two years, and then you can consider changing, if you want to."

    I've been researching the possibility of a change for about a year, because I am an obsessive researcher: this isn't a new idea—just getting to the point at which I thought about asking others here.

    Anyway, thanks for your input. We are taking all these comments into account as we think about what to do.
    Hidden Content Hokule'a ("Hoku") / b. 06.08.15

  9. #17
    Senior Dog Abulafia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by barry581 View Post
    I looked at Orijen, but always felt the protein was too high. I could see using it if I had a very active hunting dog working for hours in the field. I think Orijen is very good food if you NEED it.

    Mine have done very well on a rotation of Fromm 4 Star and Petkind Tripe Dry rotating proteins. I also give a 1/2 cup per day of Natures Variety Instinct Raw frozen bites. Shedding is almost non-existent on my dogs, great coats, good energy.

    One thing to consider. I know when I had my accident and was hit by a car while riding my bicycle and broke both collar bones, a bone in my neck, plus over 180 stitches and staples, I lost 10 pounds in about two weeks from loss of muscle. All the inactivity the past few months has caused her to lose muscle, and it's going to take some time for it to come back. I'd be more concerned over all with the type of weight she puts on, rather than just feeding it on her.
    The protein in Orijen is very high (higher than a raw food die), which I've wondered about.

    Hoku's weight loss PO was primarily from cutting back the food.

    She did lose some muscle in the surgery leg during recovery, but we have done aggressive PT (while no off-leash, more focused physical activity than she'd had before—a few hours a day of stair work, cavaletti exercises, hills, backward walking, etc.), and her surgery leg and non-surgery leg have returned to even circumference (measured every week). While she's lost weight, per her orthopedic PT she has gained muscle.

    Thanks for your input! We are finding all of this very helpful.
    Hidden Content Hokule'a ("Hoku") / b. 06.08.15

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  11. #18
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Abulafia View Post
    I worry that Orijen might be a little rich, but I've never tried it, so I am basing this on nothing.

    Labradorks, when you feed a raw meal, what do you give? What do you give for home-cooked?

    And yes, it's the corn in ProPlan that I think I might want to get away from.
    I think Pro Plan does have everything in it that a dog needs, the formula is proven, but the corn bugs me, too, at least long-term and in a dog that easily gains weight.

    For raw, I will feed them...whatever. I will buy stuff up that is on sale, like turkey gizzards during the hoildays, and freeze it. There is also a wholesale meat place by me that sells gross dog stuff like tripe, whole mackerel, knuckle bones, pork kidneys, trachea, etc. I keep it as simple as possible, but occasionally I'll but them a whole rabbit (gutted, skinned) or something similar.

    Homecooked is the same deal. I'll take meat and boil it, add hard veggies (carrots, sweet potatoes, root veggies) then soak up the water with brown rice, lentils or oats. Then stir in greens (kale, spinach) and fruit (apples, bananas). I usually make a big pot and freeze gallon bags. I also use bone broth in my homecooked meals.

    I don't worry about balance because I give them raw food just about once a week (it varies) and it balances out over time. Homecooked is a little more frequent, but it's usually half kibble. So, again, I feel they are balanced. I also feed a vitamin/mineral mix especially when I'm not feeding as much kibble. I don't know that I need to, but it does give me peace of mind.

    Oh, and I make my own treats. Either boiled gizzards or I put a bunch of stuff in the blender with eggs, add some coconut flour and coconut oil, bake and then cut into little squares.

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    Abulafia (03-30-2017)

  13. #19
    Senior Dog ZoeysMommy's Avatar
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    I am not a fan of Orijen, to "rich" for my dogs. Anyway, I dont keep mine on one particular type of food for any length of time. They can easily rotate to 5 or more different foods. I also add a lot of raw and cooked foods as well. I see nothing wrong with you trying other foods and seeing what works.

    All of mine are proplan raised as well including my corgi and I occassionally go back to it, it works well, but there are a lot of other good foods out there

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    Abulafia (03-30-2017)

  15. #20
    Senior Dog windycanyon's Avatar
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    https://iheartdogs.com/the-secret-no-...free-dog-food/
    Saw this posted on FB, no idea how credible it is but have had other vets tell me the same.... not to waste $ on grain free unless there was a real issue.
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