Grain-inclusive options

[terrikath]

I have two labs... 9.5 years and 1 yr. I've fed my older lab Horizon Legacy for years (which is grain free) but my vet recommended that we consider switching to grain-inclusive. My puppy was on Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy, which he did well on. I did a little research on the PPP large breed adult and was not a huge fan of the poultry by-products listed for ingredients. We are taking Merrick Full Source for a test drive now but wanted to ask if anyone has a recommendation.

[barry581]

What was your vets reasoning for a switch to grain inclusive? I know DCM is a concern, bit from my understanding it's the legumes, peas, etc that seem to be the issue as they are a major source of protein in many grain free foods. I'm not familiar with the Horizon food so not sure of the ingredients. I've feed Fromm 4 star to my female Lab for a long time and she's done well on it. They have a wide variety of flavors, some grain free. I feed my male Pro Plan Sport 30/20 and he does well on it.

[Snowshoe]

Yes, me too, what is your Vet's rational for switching food?

I am a fan of rotating foods, maybe that's an option? I kept the protein, fat and kilocal/cup numbers as close as I could and rotated three different main proteins and three different main carbs. I have no problem with poultry by-products, they can be nutrient rich parts of a bird that people don't generally eat, like brain, heart, bones, giblets - hey giblet gravy, we do often eat that. How and where they are sourced might be a problem.

Full disclosure, after rotating for three years my boy got sick, no way to think food was a cause, he has Lymphangiectasia. He now eats one food day in and day out, it is Raynes Low Fat Kangaroo and it has chick peas. Five years on it, after a stint of raw food, and he is fine. I prefer raw myself or at the very least, rotating kibble but we can't do it.

[Shelley]

With the DCM scare, feeding a grain inclusive food isn't a bad idea.

For what it is worth, I have fed Purina Pro Plan for a long time, and appreciate the research and development behind their dogs foods. PPP is also one of the WASAVA recommended foods to prevent Dietary acquired DCM, along with the other big name foods that do a lot of research and development of their foods, like Eukanuba, Iams, Science Diet etc...

Also Chicken by product meal in dog food is not a bad thing, it just sounds bad. For Purina chicken by product meal are the parts of the chicken that remain after the meat is removed, they can include lungs, spleen, liver, and kidneys (all things raw feeders look for, and have a lot of nutrition, glucosamine and valuable vitamins etc...) Purina dog foods never include parts like feathers, skin, intestinal contents etc... So I wouldn't Not feed PPP just because of that. If you other dog/puppy is doing well on PPP why not feed it to both dogs?

Here is a better explanation:
https://www.purina.com/articles/dog/...al-in-dog-food

[Black Labbies]

Our almost 6 month old puppy, Loua, is on Holistic Select LB puppy - grain inclusive kibble and is doing great on it. Beautiful coat, nice poops, and she loves her meals. She also gets bits of raw meats and veggies/fruits daily. Even as raw feeders, we feed grains, sweet potato, etc., and have ever since starting with raw. Our vet encourages feeding grains with their meals in moderation.

[Nancy0]

Charlie who will be 13 in June is now on science diet bio active sold only through Petco. Honestly I always poo pooed science Diet. I needed to make the switch because my vet thought he had the start of kidney disease. This food was lower in phosphorus . To my surprise he has done very well on this food. His kidney values are back in the normal range. There is no corn wheat or soy in this food. My shepherd is on Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach. She has done very well on it.

oh before science diet for Charlie he was on Holistic Select (grain inclusive) sardine, anchovy and salmon meal. He was on that for about 10 years. He did wonderful on it.

nancy

[simply]

With the DCM scare, feeding a grain inclusive food isn't a bad idea.

For what it is worth, I have fed Purina Pro Plan for a long time, and appreciate the research and development behind their dogs foods. PPP is also one of the WASAVA recommended foods to prevent Dietary acquired DCM, along with the other big name foods that do a lot of research and development of their foods, like Eukanuba, Iams, Science Diet etc...

Also Chicken by product meal in dog food is not a bad thing, it just sounds bad. For Purina chicken by product meal are the parts of the chicken that remain after the meat is removed, they can include lungs, spleen, liver, and kidneys (all things raw feeders look for, and have a lot of nutrition, glucosamine and valuable vitamins etc...) Purina dog foods never include parts like feathers, skin, intestinal contents etc... So I wouldn't Not feed PPP just because of that. If you other dog/puppy is doing well on PPP why not feed it to both dogs?

Here is a better explanation:
https://www.purina.com/articles/dog/...al-in-dog-food

https://truthaboutpetfood.com/purina...nutrient-rich/

[smartrock]

https://truthaboutpetfood.com/purina...nutrient-rich/

The person who writes that website, Susan Thixton, as far as I can determine does not have any sort of degree in veterinary medicine, veterinary nutrition, or other related degree. I would look to veterinary nutrition experts who base their information on scientific evidence.