Love them dogs

[Frac]

I've since switched from TotW to Diamond Naturals All Life Stages Chicken and Rice. It seems to be well regarded by experts and pet owners and the others are doing quite well on it. And, it's substantially less than TotW. I pay about $35 for a 40lb bag...TotW was about $46 for 28lbs.

Choosing the right food for my dogs is something I constantly worry over.

That switch from TOTW was a good call. RC is a good food. My dog?s breeder recommends and feeds Diamond. If I had a kennel full of dogs, I?d consider it also. We all worry about feeding the right stuff, and many manufacturers capitalize on that.

TOTW was one of the brands implicated in the DCM study. Basically, dogs who have no genetic predisposition to DCM were getting DCM, and the common factor was grain-free diets. The hypothesis is that the legumes used in these and the higher level of plant-based proteins is somehow impacting the dog?s ability to create taurine, leading to dilated cardiomyopathy.

See Section 7 below.
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinar...tween-diet-and

[DenverGP]

That switch from TOTW was a good call. RC is a good food. My dog?s breeder recommends and feeds Diamond. If I had a kennel full of dogs, I?d consider it also.

Taste of the Wild food is manufactured by Diamond...

[Frac]

The little man is growing up nicely. Lean, strong body mass and a gorgeous coat. Even the breeder complimented me on his coat. People at training days are always telling me he looks really good.

[OtterbatHellcat]

It depends upon which Eukanuba formula you are feeding.

Euk Large Breed Puppy, Activ Advantage. I appreciate your insight and I'll share this info with my wife to see if we're providing the best stuff for our kid.

[Bailey Guns]

Yep... Diamond makes a ton of different branded foods. Formulas/ingredients are different.

[Frac]

Yep... Diamond makes a ton of different branded foods. Formulas/ingredients are different.

Exactly this. I would not feed TOTW because they are grain free and recent research points to a linkage between grain free diets and debilitating heart conditions. Until that is sorted out, I would feed a grain-inclusive food that avoids corn.

[Frac]

Here are the good and the bad.

Good: Much of the protein comes from meat (and meat by-products). The calcium and phosphorus ratios are proper for large breed dogs. It is formulated to meet AAFCO guidelines for Growth of LB dogs. It is a grain-inclusive food, so it avoids possible problems with taurine deficiency and DCM. It has DHA for a strong mind and Omegas for a wonderful coat and immune system.

Dog food advisor loves that Eukanuba Puppy Large Breed Activ Advantage. I personally think DFA applies their ratings inconsistently. This rating alone gets a lot of people to buy it (Mars is the largest dog food seller at around $18B revenue). I wouldn?t stop there, though.

Here are some things for you and the wife to consider. Maybe it matters to you, or maybe you?re OK with it. Only you can decide.

I care about recalls.
Eukanuba has had some recalls including Salmonella. You also remember years ago the melamine contamination from China that killed many dogs? Eukanuba was included.

I care about by-products.
Eukanuba uses meat by-products. They are an inexpensive source of high protein, but I would rather not feed my dog beaks, legs, offal, etc.

I care about Aflatoxin.
Aflatoxin recalls are fairly consistent. There is a fungi that grows on grains, especially corn, that isn?t easily identified. The fungi makes the toxin, and it often passes undetected. I would prefer not to feed a food with corn in it, just to reduce the chances of getting into aflatoxin. Corn is the third ingredient in Eukanuba.

In summary, you could find a lot worse for dog foods out there. This one has a solid formula for your large breed pup. Some of the ingredients are there to meet a price point. The company has had some significant recalls.

[Bailey Guns]

I actually switched to the grain inclusive High Prairie TotW. Harper's gastric issues started some time after that. I have no idea if it's related.

I worry and worry about what to feed them. Then they go out and eat goose and turkey poop from the neighbor's birds like it's a doggie delicacy... *Sigh* I'm probably over-thinking the whole thing.

[Frac]

Yes, bird and bunny poop seems like a delicacy. I keep Fortiflora on hand to sort out those bouts of the Hershey squirts.

[TheSparkens]

The cat boxes in this house are a dog candy dispenser. I had to get special boxes to keep them out. The rabbits in this area have been greatly reduced because of two well feed bobcats, that have been all over the ring owner's app but if Gabby gets her nose down she find the pez dispensed from the bunnies.