Question what is the best dog food?
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windsplitters
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dog food
I feed Black Gold Black bag and loved it dogs did great but then the dealer quit getting it so I had to switch to diamond green bag it does good to but I perfer Black Gold.
Hey bunny runner i've heard talk of beagles getting burned up from high protein dog foods when not ran that much is there any truth to this,or does anyone else have an opinion on it. Also when should you feed a certain protien to fat % at what time. What seems to be a good balance?
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Captains Creek Kennels
Captains Creek Kennels
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Alabama John
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Bunny Runner
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Mayhem,
What do you mean when you say "burned up"?
There is no maximum limit to protein according to the NRC. Most dogs are capable of digesting large amounts of protein on a regular basis. Protein builds and maintains muscle and if the body requires more than what the diet is providing, the muscle protein gets used up and muscle will actually be lost. The thing with fat is it is what provides the "energy" your dog will need for performance. Carbs also add energy (short term energy) but if not used up is converted to body fat.
Your protein - fat ratio should be considered for hi-energy dogs or dogs that are working or performance dogs. Personally, I would not use a food with a fat over 16% at all, but a fat% of 14 - 15% would be fine when your dog is working hard. The protein ratio can be as high as 35% for working dogs.
Knowing the kcals your dog requires is important when considering fat/protein/carbs ratios.
You can estimate your dog foods kcals (or if it's listed on the bag) and that will tell you how much to feed your dog based on it's weight/activity level/growth/reproduction status. All kcals and % of nutrients are based on 100grams. You also have to take into consideration that not all the nutrients are able to be utilized. Digestable energy is much different than Metabolizable energy. Digestable energy is what the animal actually is able to absorb and USE, while ME is basically what is available to the animal thru it's diet. So while there may be 25% crude protein, the animal may only be able to USE 15% of it. This is where the protein for corn and such comes into play (or should I say goes out of play). If a kernel of corn contain 15% crude protein (which is basically nitrogen) and only 2% of that kernel of corn is DIGESTABLE, then you dog is basically not UTILIZING 13% of that kernel of corn and it is WASTED in it's feces.
Same with all other nutrients. Chelated minerals are minerals that are readily absorbable. Most minerals need other factors in order to be used and absorbed by the body. Calcium for instance relies on Vit. D3 for absorbtion. Chelated calcuim is ready for absorbtion upon ingestion.
There are some dogs that do NOT do well on HIGH protein diets and they can be animals with certain health problems, such as liver or kidney problems, some allergies, etc. But you should discuss these issues with your vet before changing this type of dogs diet.
I don't see any problems with feeding a 26/14 dog food, but like I said, a higher protein is not harmful for MOST dogs. Just watch the fat intake. Too much fat can also cause health problems other than weight gain, pancreatitis for one.
What do you mean when you say "burned up"?
There is no maximum limit to protein according to the NRC. Most dogs are capable of digesting large amounts of protein on a regular basis. Protein builds and maintains muscle and if the body requires more than what the diet is providing, the muscle protein gets used up and muscle will actually be lost. The thing with fat is it is what provides the "energy" your dog will need for performance. Carbs also add energy (short term energy) but if not used up is converted to body fat.
Your protein - fat ratio should be considered for hi-energy dogs or dogs that are working or performance dogs. Personally, I would not use a food with a fat over 16% at all, but a fat% of 14 - 15% would be fine when your dog is working hard. The protein ratio can be as high as 35% for working dogs.
Knowing the kcals your dog requires is important when considering fat/protein/carbs ratios.
You can estimate your dog foods kcals (or if it's listed on the bag) and that will tell you how much to feed your dog based on it's weight/activity level/growth/reproduction status. All kcals and % of nutrients are based on 100grams. You also have to take into consideration that not all the nutrients are able to be utilized. Digestable energy is much different than Metabolizable energy. Digestable energy is what the animal actually is able to absorb and USE, while ME is basically what is available to the animal thru it's diet. So while there may be 25% crude protein, the animal may only be able to USE 15% of it. This is where the protein for corn and such comes into play (or should I say goes out of play). If a kernel of corn contain 15% crude protein (which is basically nitrogen) and only 2% of that kernel of corn is DIGESTABLE, then you dog is basically not UTILIZING 13% of that kernel of corn and it is WASTED in it's feces.
Same with all other nutrients. Chelated minerals are minerals that are readily absorbable. Most minerals need other factors in order to be used and absorbed by the body. Calcium for instance relies on Vit. D3 for absorbtion. Chelated calcuim is ready for absorbtion upon ingestion.
There are some dogs that do NOT do well on HIGH protein diets and they can be animals with certain health problems, such as liver or kidney problems, some allergies, etc. But you should discuss these issues with your vet before changing this type of dogs diet.
I don't see any problems with feeding a 26/14 dog food, but like I said, a higher protein is not harmful for MOST dogs. Just watch the fat intake. Too much fat can also cause health problems other than weight gain, pancreatitis for one.
Education, Preservation, and Conservation ensures a "WILD" future for our children!
Not saying your wrong but I've always read that fat intake should be higher with active dogs for energy and stress. Sled dogs for example have diets as high as 50% fat for energy. Now I know a beagle doesn't exert near the energy a sled dog does but if run alot I'd think 18% + fat would be better then less.
Right now I'm deciding between Natural Choice High Energy and Science Diet Active. The Nutro is 30/20 (393kcals/percup) and the Science Diet is 26.5/23 (560kcals/percup). They way I'm looking at it is excess protein is either wasted or converted to colories/fat. The fat on the other hand provides almost 2 1/4 more energy then protein. I've used Science Diet before and leaning toward it again do to the energy it provides that the Nutro wont. If my dogs ran once or 2 times tops a week I'd lean toward Nutro but we run alot more then that.
Right now I'm deciding between Natural Choice High Energy and Science Diet Active. The Nutro is 30/20 (393kcals/percup) and the Science Diet is 26.5/23 (560kcals/percup). They way I'm looking at it is excess protein is either wasted or converted to colories/fat. The fat on the other hand provides almost 2 1/4 more energy then protein. I've used Science Diet before and leaning toward it again do to the energy it provides that the Nutro wont. If my dogs ran once or 2 times tops a week I'd lean toward Nutro but we run alot more then that.
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you would stay out and your dog would go in."
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Bunny Runner
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You are correct about the sled dogs needing WAY more fat in their diets. These dogs are endurance dogs that run in extreme conditions for days on end.
The energy breakdown on protein/fat/carbs is as follows:
Protein = 4 kcal/gram
Fat = 9 kcal/gram
Carbs = 4 kcal/gram
So as you stated, fat contributes a bit more than 2x the energy as protein.
Excess protein is mostly excreted in the urine and feces. This is how the determine the digestability of protein. Of course, some will be converted to fat, but that amount would be very little.
Fat, on the other hand, is stored for later use as body fat. So, if your NOT running your dogs regularly, you wouldn't want to use a food with excessive fat.
I guess my blanket statement of not more than 16% should have included a bit more information, sorry about that. Some times in these long posts, things get missed.
The energy breakdown on protein/fat/carbs is as follows:
Protein = 4 kcal/gram
Fat = 9 kcal/gram
Carbs = 4 kcal/gram
So as you stated, fat contributes a bit more than 2x the energy as protein.
Excess protein is mostly excreted in the urine and feces. This is how the determine the digestability of protein. Of course, some will be converted to fat, but that amount would be very little.
Fat, on the other hand, is stored for later use as body fat. So, if your NOT running your dogs regularly, you wouldn't want to use a food with excessive fat.
I guess my blanket statement of not more than 16% should have included a bit more information, sorry about that. Some times in these long posts, things get missed.
Education, Preservation, and Conservation ensures a "WILD" future for our children!
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jack-hammer
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TOUCHSTONE
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Purina pro-plan performance is tough to beat. Must consider the quallity of the ingredients and where the ingredients come from. Some companies import from Mexico, etc. Quality controll is important. My dogs heal quickly so their tails and ears are not such a mess. My dogs are house pets so this is as much for my sake as theirs. The puppy chow is also an excellent product. I also feed the puppy chow to a bitch from the time she is bred untill the pups are weened. I have recently been introduced to Black Gold and think it may be a quallity product. My questions about where their ingredients come from and quality control are still unanswered so I must reserve my opinion for now. It also has good digestability and the dogs I see that are on it seem healthy.
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