tkparker69
Wentzville Missouri
SH
Posts:41
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| 11/29/2010 4:11 PM |
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Just a quick question on feeding, how often do you feed and how much?
I have been feeding Birdie in the morning around 7 am and at night around 5pm but at 8 weeks not sure how much I should feed her. I would guess I am giving her about 1 cup possibly a bit less I am feeding Eukanuba Puppy and was considering a switch to Diamond Dog Food High Performance. What do you feed and how much? Have you heard anything about Diamond Dog Food??
Thanks agian for teaching me, by the way I TOTALLY love being a GSP owner !!!!
Tim
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3154
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| 11/29/2010 4:46 PM |
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I love Diamond...you probably don't have to do the high performance at least not yet...I use the naturals chicken and rice...I have looked into dog food a lot lately but based on how much I want to spend Diamond is great...no corn which is the first thing to look out for in dog food...
This is the feeding guildeline on Diamond
dog wieght: cups
10 or Less: 1/2 - 1
10 - 20: 1 - 3
20 - 30: 3-3
30 - 40: 3-3
40 - 60: 3-3
60 - 80: 3-4
80 - 100 4-5
At the age of your pup you probably want to be splitting up the feeding amount into 3 times a day...breakfast, lunch and dinner...later you can phase out lunch and just do morning and night... |
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tkparker69
Wentzville Missouri
SH
Posts:41
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| 11/30/2010 6:33 AM |
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Hi, Splat
Thanks for the reply Thats what I am going to do then is a switch to Diamond Puppy, I see that your in northern Ill.I go to Quincy almost every weekend are you close to Quincy, if so maybe we could get together for a meet & greet.
Tim
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stlbirddogs
Near St. Louis, Missouri
MH
Posts:147
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| 11/30/2010 6:34 AM |
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I tried Diamond and know several people that love it. My dogs did fine on it other than it gave them gas.... and with six gassy GSP's in the house we were afraid to light a match 
I've tried several different foods and end up going back to Pro Plan Performance although if the local feed store would keep enough Loyal in stock I would probably switch.
At 8 weeks I would try to feed three times a day if possible.
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Breeze - GSP
Dusty - Vizsla
The Brat Pack: Heidi, Hershey,Tank, Spot & Zero |
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tkparker69
Wentzville Missouri
SH
Posts:41
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| 11/30/2010 6:49 AM |
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Thanks stlbirddogs ! I just sent you a PM. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7922
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| 11/30/2010 9:01 AM |
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| I don't feed any of the brands listed, but the key is protein and fat and no grains. You might also want to compare the puppy food to the adult food in whatever brand you look at, most of the time there is not a substantial difference between the high performance adult food and the puppy food. I did start my last litter on a puppy food, but only because the brand of adult food I use is pretty obscure and I wanted my puppy buyers to be able to buy the food the puppies were on. I used the Wellness Puppy because it is pretty easy to find and a good quality food. However, as soon as all the puppies were gone at 8 weeks I changed the one I was keeping over to the adult food that I feed my other dogs and she is doing great on it. Good luck with your new puppy. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
   
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3154
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| 11/30/2010 9:19 AM |
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yeah Diamond isn't no grain but it is no corn and that is important...I think no wheat too...
I started feeding diamond to get rid of gas, so my dogs don't have gas on it...
I am about 5 hours north of Quincy....I am way north almost in Wisconsin... |
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TessaGA
Georgia
MH
Posts:2387
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| 11/30/2010 11:05 AM |
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Tessa had a lot of diarrhea and loose stools for about a year until I finally switched her to grainless, that works really well for her. From what I understand though, grainless should not be fed to puppies.
Right now, Tessa gets 1 cup in the a.m., one cup in the p.m., of Orijen kibble, usually mixed with a little fish, eggs, canned food or cottage cheese. On days that I run her hard she gets three meals. Tessa is 2.5 years old. |
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To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]
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TessaGA
Georgia
MH
Posts:2387
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| 11/30/2010 11:16 AM |
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Meant to add, if I remember correctly you just got Birdie, if so, I would give it a few days to see if any problems with the food persist. If you switch food, make sure you do so slowly over the course of a week - abrupt changes can cause digestive upsets.
In regards to brands, everyone has their own favorites, and dogs react to kibbles differently, so it's pretty much trial and error for each dog. I started feeding Tessa Candidae and Solid Gold which I always had good luck with but as I said, she did not do well on those.
Here is a dog food guide I always found it very helpful.
www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ |
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To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]
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TessaGA
Georgia
MH
Posts:2387
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| 11/30/2010 11:17 AM |
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| And at that age, I fed Tessa 3 times a day - a.m., noon, p.m. |
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To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3154
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| 11/30/2010 12:36 PM |
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yeah I think the no grain for puppies has to do with the high protein content...
I also want to add that it is the Diamond Naturals that is good not the regular Diamond... |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7922
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| 11/30/2010 1:00 PM |
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Guys if you take a look at puppy food it is typically higher in protein and fat than your basic adult dog food. Most dog food manufacturers will also tell you that the puppy food is 90% marketing because we (humans) think that puppies should have a special food. Just compare puppy food to adult performance food and you will be amazed that their is very little difference. For example, take a look a Diamond Puppy the Protein and Fat are: Protein: 31% Fat: 20% and Diamond Performance for Adults is Protein: 30% Fat: 20% . If you look at Diamond Natural Puppy (small breed because GSPs are NOT large breeds): Protein: 32% Fat: 22% and Diamond Natrural Extreme Athlete: Protein: 32% Fat: 25%. Not allot of difference and this is true across most brands, just do the compare yourself. As for other vitamins and minerals again you will find very little difference.
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3154
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| 11/30/2010 1:10 PM |
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I thought puppy had high protein...I never fed puppy food though...On that one analysis site on most of the no grain foods it said not good for puppies because of high protein but they were in the 40% protien range...http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/index.php/cat/1
Quote from site on the Naturapet Innova EVO
This food is outstanding in that it contains no grains whatsoever. Grains are not a natural part of a canine diet and it is pleasing to see dog foods on the market that exclude grains completely from the diet. This is a far more natural food concept and combined with a complete lack of any low quality or controversial ingredients is the reason this food is placed in a class above the more conventional form dry dog foods.
The only caution we would make on this food is that the high protein and calcium content may make it suitable for adult dogs only, particularly in the case of large breeds. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7922
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| 11/30/2010 2:29 PM |
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Splat - If you compare Innova Puppy to Innova Adult Large bites you see
Protein 28%, Fat 17% vs Protein 25%, Fat 14%
Innova EVO does not have a puppy food and that is primarily because their protein level is so high at around 40+%, so you can't compare EVO to the puppy food. I would also not recommend a protein level that high for a puppy, heck I wouldn't even recommend a protein level that high for most dogs unless they are like our GSPs burning allot of energy. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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therozypozy
MH
Posts:471
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| 11/30/2010 2:55 PM |
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| I am feeding the Wellness Puppy right now and I have one of Bev's puppies. My adult dogs all get Evo Red Meat which I would not feed to a puppy . . . although she loves it and tries to steal some of the big dog's food at their feeding time. I will probably stick with the Wellness brand, switching to the adult version when she is about 6 months because as she gets bigger, I do not like the small bites so will start the switch then. She is doing great on this food, growing like a weed and maintaining a good weight and coat. Java is 16 weeks old right now. She is fed 3 times a day, one cup each feeding. This will probably increase a little as we are actually starting to get some cold weather here today. When she is somewhere between 4 and 5 months I will switch to feeding her twice a day. But once she gets almost to her full height, I will switch her to the Evo as we will be training in agility which takes alot of energy and she will become my second jogging partner along with my Maple. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7922
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| 11/30/2010 4:23 PM |
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Roz - I was curious if you kept her on the Wellness Puppy and glad to hear it is working for you and she is doing so well. It really is one of the better puppy foods, but not cheap. She should do well on the Innova EVO. I was feeding my gang that (the adults) when I was approached by a new food manufacturer to test a new performance food. I checked the ingredients and it was almost identical to the Innova Adult and had a chicken base with added olive oil and kelp, plus the manufacturer said they would provide me the food for free, so I switched. My gang has done well on this new food and it is cheaper now that I have to buy it. The bad part is is it is not readily available yet in outside of Central Texas, so it is hard for me to recommend it unless someone wants to become a distributor. If this food ever went away, I would go back to the Innova in a heartbeat and would probably use the Innova EVO Chicken since it is now available. I couldn't use the Innova EVO beef which was the only thing available back when I was using Innova because Belle is allergic to beef.
Ah, the trials and tribulations of dog food. We spend more time worrying about what our dogs eat than what we eat. 
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3154
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| 11/30/2010 5:37 PM |
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I know I have been researching and trying to figure out the food thing....it is easy if you can afford the really good stuff, but if you have to watch the money it gets harder to figure out what is best for you and your dog...
My horse feed store said they would get in Diamond for me so I thought great! However today when I went they only had the regular Diamond so I didn't buy there...instead I went to the next town that said online they had Diamond...well they did and they had the chicken and rice naturals but I wanted the extreme athlete for more protien since my 2 have been so active running at the dog park they aren't keeping wieght on good (so I figured more protien might help)...so I spent the extra money and got Taste of the Wild (which is made by the same company as Diamond)... |
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singltrak
Las Cruces, NM
MH
Posts:1149
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| 11/30/2010 6:06 PM |
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Another thing to think about is that Diamond is the manufacturer of the Kirkland Foods sold at Costco. When Marcia's Striker was a wee pup, he along with his 7 littermates started their solid food experience on Kirkland Puppy...28-18 protein-fat ratio...as well as goat milk mixed in. I have the same problem as many of you do in that the closest Costco is 55 miles from me, and I really don't like being that far from my dog food of choice. At 12 bucks for a 20 pound bag for the puppy you more than get your money's worth, it is a great puppy starter food (reminds me a great deal of the old, old Nutro puppy with the little "O" shapes that break down so easily when moistened.
So, I pretty much stick with Sam's Exceed Lamb and Rice which is manufactured by Purina, and is right here in town. The older dogs do well on it and I seem to keep gravitating back. But, when I do get a chance to run to El Paso I stock up on a couple bags of Kirkland Chicken and Rice (the 44 pound bag is $22.99) or on their grain-free food, Nature's Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato, also made by Diamond. Its $28 for 35 pounds but still a lot cheaper than TOTW...which my guys also loved but became too pricey when feeding 4 adult/field trialing Shorthairs.....
Each to his own, I've never had much luck with Innova except for the biscuits...
Phyllis and the Singltrak Furkids |
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Look to the Past, Breed for the Future |
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therozypozy
MH
Posts:471
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| 11/30/2010 6:35 PM |
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Yes it is funny that I probably discuss more about what I feed the dogs than I did feeding my kids. I know how to eat healthy (not that I always do), but the dogs, it has taken me some time to realize what they need. Thought about feeding raw, but it really did not work out. My dogs are spoiled for cooked food. I am spoiled with the convenience of dry kibble.
You do have to choose a food that you can readily get as you want to be pretty consistent with what you feed them. I am lucky to have a small pet store in the next block where I live that sells the Innova and Wellness brands. She did sell Orijen which we used to mix with the Evo, but she did not sell enough of that to keep it in stock. And the shipping cost of it was getting quite high for her. I can't say I have seen the Diamond brand here and we do not have Costcos in this area.
So look at the ingrediants and try and stay away from grains. Get a higher protien and fat if your dog is active and and if they maintain a good weight, their coat is good and the dog is happy and active, you have picked the right food. There are quite a few good ones out there. |
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3154
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| 12/01/2010 5:05 AM |
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Posted By singltrak on 11/30/2010 6:06 PM
Another thing to think about is that Diamond is the manufacturer of the Kirkland Foods sold at Costco. When Marcia's Striker was a wee pup, he along with his 7 littermates started their solid food experience on Kirkland Puppy...28-18 protein-fat ratio...as well as goat milk mixed in. I have the same problem as many of you do in that the closest Costco is 55 miles from me, and I really don't like being that far from my dog food of choice. At 12 bucks for a 20 pound bag for the puppy you more than get your money's worth, it is a great puppy starter food (reminds me a great deal of the old, old Nutro puppy with the little "O" shapes that break down so easily when moistened.
So, I pretty much stick with Sam's Exceed Lamb and Rice which is manufactured by Purina, and is right here in town. The older dogs do well on it and I seem to keep gravitating back. But, when I do get a chance to run to El Paso I stock up on a couple bags of Kirkland Chicken and Rice (the 44 pound bag is $22.99) or on their grain-free food, Nature's Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato, also made by Diamond. Its $28 for 35 pounds but still a lot cheaper than TOTW...which my guys also loved but became too pricey when feeding 4 adult/field trialing Shorthairs.....
Each to his own, I've never had much luck with Innova except for the biscuits...
Phyllis and the Singltrak Furkids
I didn't realize that the costco was same manufactorer as Diamond, I knew that's what Striker was fed though....I don't have a Costco near by matter of fact I have never seen one, but I don' know they are around but more east of me...with my gas guzzling truck I stay close to home! I am gonna have to look into Nature's Domain and see where it sells at...the new pet store I got the TOTW at said he would order the Diamond Naturals extreme athlete but if I can find that Nature's Domain for that price and be grain free I would have it made! --- just looked it up and that is at Costco too, I read what you wrote wrong...
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