Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 34
  1. #1
    House Broken Candy and Spike's Dad's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Marysville WA
    Posts
    169
    Thanked: 48

    baked food vs extruded food?

    Which is better? I saw lotus baked dog food at my usual pet boutique store today and it wasn't expensive. Is it easier for dogs to digest baked dog food?? am thinking about trying a new dog food for Spike because of his anal glands issues.

  2. #2
    Real Retriever
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    318
    Thanked: 120
    The best health for a kibble-fed dog IS to be on a rotation of proteins and brands of foods; it's becoming a huge recommendation now to NOT feed the same brand or protein of food for months at a time, let-alone for the life of the dog.

    The only way to know is to try it; I have one dog that didn't do good on kibble of any kind, extruded or baked; and is utterly thriving on a raw diet. Of which I know is not for everyone; but it did cure all of his digestive/butt issues

  3. #3
    House Broken Candy and Spike's Dad's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Marysville WA
    Posts
    169
    Thanked: 48
    I have been rotating. I was feeding Fromm then I tried Wellness Core Ocean and after that tried Nature's logic chicken. Went back to Fromm because Candy stopped eating Nature's logic. She didn't like the food. Candy does best on Fromm. Spike doesn't do well on Fromm as far as his anal glands go. Hopefully I can find one food that they both do well on. I ended up buying Lotus yesterday. I'll let you know how he does on the food.

    As for Raw, I hate shopping(I get sleepy every time I go shopping), and it's not do able for me to go raw except for the packaged raw. It's still little too expensive plus I don't have a big freezer.

  4. #4
    Real Retriever
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    318
    Thanked: 120
    Good luck with being able to use same brands of food for both dogs....that was the part I hated most about dog foods. Always had to buy 2 bags of different brands.

    Funny thing, we primarily switched to raw because we DO have 2 huge chest freezers, one thing we don't have is storage space for bags of kibble....always had to store them in my bedroom closet, my clothes smelled like dog food.

    Nothing wrong with feeding kibble if it's working; for us, we live over 60 miles out of town, one way...so bulk shopping at one time each month is imperative whether we like it or not...for the dogs, family and house.

  5. #5
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Upstate New York
    Posts
    1,683
    Thanked: 787
    Quote Originally Posted by Woofie View Post
    The best health for a kibble-fed dog IS to be on a rotation of proteins and brands of foods; it's becoming a huge recommendation now to NOT feed the same brand or protein of food for months at a time, let-alone for the life of the dog.

    The only way to know is to try it; I have one dog that didn't do good on kibble of any kind, extruded or baked; and is utterly thriving on a raw diet. Of which I know is not for everyone; but it did cure all of his digestive/butt issues
    I have to politely disagree. While some dogs can tolerate switching proteins and brands of food..many can not. This can play havoc on a dog's digestive system..causing stomach upset and diarrhea.

    It is also recommended to stay with the same brand of food so this doesn't happen. Many pet owners get on a "roller coaster of food changing" and then it is hard to get your dog back to normal.

    I don't think switching foods is a "one size fits all" for all dogs.

    I happen to have a dog that cannot tolerate switching foods..instead, I will add some healthy toppers to his kibble for variety.

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to lovemylabby For This Useful Post:

    Jagersmom (03-17-2015)

  7. #6
    Real Retriever
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    318
    Thanked: 120
    Quote Originally Posted by lovemylabby View Post
    I have to politely disagree. While some dogs can tolerate switching proteins and brands of food..many can not. This can play havoc on a dog's digestive system..causing stomach upset and diarrhea.

    It is also recommended to stay with the same brand of food so this doesn't happen. Many pet owners get on a "roller coaster of food changing" and then it is hard to get your dog back to normal.

    I don't think switching foods is a "one size fits all" for all dogs.

    I happen to have a dog that cannot tolerate switching foods..instead, I will add some healthy toppers to his kibble for variety.
    And....this is why I *don't* feed kibble; I DO have one dog who can't switch kibble foods; and I was running into a dead end road at his young age and not being able to feed him anything different. When that ONE brand of food switched their ingredients I was out of options.

    After switching him OFF kibble, is when I realized his issues were not with the proteins; they were with the other kibble ingredients themselves, and NO kibble is limited enough in being able to figure out which ingredients.

    Rotating fresh ingredients is a far cry different then rotating kibble, so with you I definitely agree on that....which is why I don't feed kibble any more period.

    I was your exact example/scenario with Rivers while ON kibble, but not with fresh foods - he can eat anything now, as long as it's starch and grain free.

    The OP was talking about trying a different food for anal gland issues though, not because of a dog in serious allergic reactive state, thus the reason I posted what I did on THIS thread. For dogs with serious reactions to different kibbles, whether or not from allergies or digestive issues, makes one wonder if they should be on kibble in the first place - IMHO, not all dogs have the enzyme ability to digest kibble.

    I have one of those dogs.

  8. The Following User Says Thank You to Woofie For This Useful Post:

    lovemylabby (03-16-2015)

  9. #7
    Senior Dog Georgia's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Centreville, VA
    Posts
    998
    Thanked: 639
    To the OP, I will be interested to hear how Spike does on Lotus as far as his anal glands are concerned. Sam is my problem child with his anal glands. He's a butt dragger and has to go to the vet to periodically have his anal glands expressed. His poops are perfectly normal so runny stool is not issue. I've tried upping his fiber which doesn't do anything. I've changed brands of dog food and proteins which doesn't do anything. It'll be interesting to hear if the baked versus extruded food helps.
    Hidden Content
    Sam and Frank

  10. #8
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    baldwin, ny 11519
    Posts
    1,073
    Thanked: 928
    jake has anal gland issues and 2 caps of metamucil, twice a day has done the trick for years. he also gets a blob of non fat yogurt and pumpkin.
    he's fed farmina, and fromm, for the most part. i am recall phobic and he has no issue switching each month or so.

  11. #9
    Senior Dog Nancy0's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    San Diego
    Posts
    913
    Thanked: 865
    Betty beat me to it as I was going to suggest Metamucil as well. And I agree with getting the capsules. It's just psyllium husk fiber nothing else. The big jars of Metamucil usually have other junk in them. It'll bulk up the poo which will press on the anal glands. Sorry TMI

  12. #10
    House Broken Candy and Spike's Dad's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Marysville WA
    Posts
    169
    Thanked: 48
    So far I haven't noticed anything but I smelled his anal glands in my sleep.. yikes. Metamucil really works?? I thought it would make the poop softer?? Ok I will go get the capsules. I was taking Spike to the vet for anal expression but I just learned how to do it myself.. I was too scared to squeeze them hard but I think I finally got it.

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •