What do most people feed there labs??

What great foods are not rated well kraka? It's not that difficult to read the ingredients on a bag of food, or look it up on the net and determine whether it's quality ingredients or not.

Does Loyall even contain any real meat? I just checked out all their levels and the closest thing to meat is chicken by-products and the rest is fillers, but hey, like you said, even the best " "trainers" can feed their dogs what everybody else in that field does. Sounds lemming'esque. Do they get kickbacks/endorsements from Purina because PP is far from the best food out there. Some dogs thrive on Ol' Roy as well but that doesn't make it the best choice.

As I had said if it works for you and others then stick with it. I know many if not hundreds over the years that have fed every dog food on the market and dog food companies do approach working dog clubs. I can remember Purnia, Shurgain, Martin, Nutram and a few others approaching the dog club I was involved with for many years to be a sponsor for race events. Been down that road with above average dog food companies and seen the end result when teams were sponsored by these companies with the promotional savings. When a top team was sponsored by Eagle Pac, Red Paw, Dr.Tim's, National dog food you knew these teams were going to do well because they were feeding the best because these dog food companies were using the sled dog racing as a testing ground. Sled dog performance study is a completely different level when it comes to nutrition . Myself and many others can scan dog food ingredients on a bag of dog food and give a very close rating just based on the breakdown. Dog genetics is a huge part as well and have said in previous threads that some dogs you could feed them an old shoe and it will still perform at a high level. I am not bashing what works for you or others so stick with what works for you.

Nor am I YD..what works....works.

Here in the US where I am training there was a strong following for Dr Tims, in fact I considered it as well but not always available when needed in Canada. There was a Diamond following until several recalls and associated dog deaths occurred with the culprit being an off shore ingredient.

Rick, these trainers I reference could feed whatever they choose to, 'lemming esque'.......hardly, these people set the bar in competition and feed what they consider the best for their dogs.

But in the end it's each to his own, YD understands the relative importance to quality diets as it relates to competition, not sure many others have any idea as they are not competing in any form other than to feed their house poet.

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Originally Posted by krakadawn

But in the end it's each to his own, YD understands the relative importance to quality diets as it relates to competition, not sure many others have any idea as they are not competing in any form other than to feed their house poet.

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So only as long as you compete is it important to be aware of the quality of the food you feed your pet?

I'll ask again, which great foods are rated poorly? I'd like to see the ingredients on these brands that are so great, but rated poorly.

These trainers could feed whatever they want but they choose PP? Somehow I think there's more to it than that. Trainers are no closer to being nutritionists than vets are.

I leave that for you to research

Yes you are and should be concerned what you feed your pet. There is a significant difference with dogs who are engaged in more physically demanding activities.

Rick, do you not think the top trainers in any given sport have a lot of experience in evaluating their animals? They work them daily, view recovery periods, tract soft tissue injuries....the list goes on. To me that is significantly more than a Vet would see unless he was competing himself.

If you choose to disbelieve what I have shared, go get yourself a dog and start competing....retrievers, pointers, sled dogs, fox hounds..... go meet the folks at the top of any game, ask them the questions you ask.....watch for the look you'll get

I'll take the advice of a nutritionist first kraka.

Hey YD, ACANA Sport and Agility is not grain free. It's still decent quality but it has oats in it. Only their Regionals are grain free. I rotate through each flavor (four different types) every time I get a new bag to try and keep things interesting for pooch.

Yes you are correct and was leaning towards their Regional food for that reason but decided on the Sport & Agility instead. Elly has no allergies and been doing very well on it. My two new pups arriving this spring will also be put on the ACANA.

Acana made my dog fart something AWFUL! Lol. Only thing worse was a dog about 20 years ago, I fed him raw organ meat, WOW that was so bad, he would leave the room. I swear you saw that dog leave the room, you ran.

When you feed premium kibble you don't need to feed as much. This is often the problem people have when switching to quality food but continue to feed 5 cups per day like they did with their Purina Beneful or Ol' Roy!
Either that, or the food just didn't agree with your dog.
The same goes for organ meat. It's rich, and too much will make your dog gassy and have the runs so you can't just slap a whole hunk of liver in the dogs bowl..LOL!