What do you feed your LGD?

[Nanno]

The lady I bought Daisy from fed a certain type of dry dog food that they don't carry in my local grocery or hardware stores and I'm not going to drive all the way to Pueblo to buy dog food! I'm almost out of the old stuff and would appreciate any suggestions on good common brands of dog food that my grocery store might carry. I don't want to spend a pile of money on premium food, but I don't want to shortchange my good guard dog either. Is this something I even need to worry about?

[TOU]

The lady I bought Daisy from fed a certain type of dry dog food that they don't carry in my local grocery or hardware stores and I'm not going to drive all the way to Pueblo to buy dog food! I'm almost out of the old stuff and would appreciate any suggestions on good common brands of dog food that my grocery store might carry. I don't want to spend a pile of money on premium food, but I don't want to shortchange my good guard dog either. Is this something I even need to worry about?

I have raised my prized hunting English Springer Spaniel on Costco's Kirkland Premium dog food. Their Puppy kibble first and then graduated to mixing their Chicken/Vegetable & Lamb/vegetable. (She likes the chicken the best.) My new big boy LGD's (measured 60 lbs at the vet at 5 months old), are getting a 3 way mixture of all three. It does not have the corn meal fillers and none of the "animal products and fillers" of other foods. I am happy with it for the cost...they just eat a lot! I think it will slow down when they are full grown just like my Springer & Beagle did. They cost about $24/40lbs; Puppy kibble is about $12/20 lbs. BTW, I calculate my 2 LGD dogs will cost me 4-6x what my goats cost to feed if feeding them full time with no pasture. But...they are part of the cost of having goats I guess. Also...while the corn fillers don't hurt them in the least, they tend to excrete much more scat. I tried those foods with both my English Beagle & my English Springer...they didn't agree with them. In the end this cheaper dog food cost more as you may have to feed them more to get what they need nutritionally. Finally, I tend to error on quality a bit more even if it cost especially as my two LGD are growing FAST and live in the elements full time. (I.E. need to stay warm.)

[SMaxwell]

I used to feed Taste of the Wild, but now use Diamond Naturals, both are grain free and my dogs gave done great on them. I firmly believed that we got about another 4 years of life out of our old lab when we switched to Taste of the Wild from "Ol Roy." He went from deaths door to acting like a puppy again. Ingredients in each are basically the same but the Taste of the Wild uses meat like venison, bison & salmon & Diamond Naturals used beef, lamb, whitefish & is about $10 cheaper per bag. I am a big proponent of not feeding dog food with grain. Here is a great site for comparing dog foods. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ You will be surprised that some "premium foods" are really terrible. I also feed a lot of raw beef bones (from the butcher) these are the only "treats" they get and are highly recommended in the book "Livestock Protection Dogs"

[nebs]

I think it is best to start mixing the new brand you choose with what's left of their previous food. This helps their digestive system with the transition. If you suddenly stop with one brand and introduce something totally new, it's not uncommon to get some bad diarrhea for a few days. Sometimes with blood.

[Nanno]

Thanks for the advice, folks! I'll see what my local stores carry and go from there. I've been planning to make the switch over about a week or so and my current bag has about 1/3 left, so I figure it's a good time to start making the change. I'm also planning to keep fresh bones around as much as possible. I think she's still got an elk leg kicking around somewhere (she likes to hide it). It was buried under the straw in one of the goat shelters a few days ago and none of the goats would go in there.

[Sanhestar]

go for something that isn't very high in protein. Most LGD-breeds have been raised on a more grain/milk- then flesh(protein)-based diet and fare better with food like pasta, barley, sorghum, etc.

I personally would avoid corn and wheat because of their highly allergic properties and most likely cook/feed mixed raw for this type of dog.

Oh, in regard to bones: do you know if she resp. her digestive tract is accostomed to it? If not, painful congestion could be the result, especially if you feed a processed food.

[Casdog1]

I feed raw & have done so for almost 15 years. 8-)

[Wordman]

Taste of the Wild for my buddy too. It's a little more expensive but more affordable for being a good dog food than other brands. And I'm a poor dude! Just bought a 30 pound bag after getting some pay to stock up. I had my dude tied outside a store awhile ago while hitch hiking home and I came out to a bag of kibbles and bits someone had left for me, mixed in with good stuff I'll use lower grade dog food. I dont buy it though. I don't really eat crap so he isn't either. I give him meat a lot too and veggies and some fruit. good thread