# what to feed



## 1notenough

the lady i bought the dogs from was feeding them iams healthy naturals.I did not think that was going to be the right food for my dogs.so this is what i did.got them a bag of EVO all meat no grains 42% protein.I read some disturbing things about to much protein can disrupt kidney function.they say those levels are for dogs who run or work all day.also after three days on the food i had a dog relieving his piddle right in front of me two times i thought this to be a little strange.food went back to store now i am in the second week of transition on the new food.taste of the wild a no grain 32%protein bision and venison formula. all seems to be going well.also supplementing with fruits and veggies.also giving raw venison when i have it going to vet in two days we will see what she has to say about the whole thing they look good and they love to eat a bunch of cry babies when its chow time


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## Vlicked

We just switched our guy to EVO (chicken formula) after him not eating anything we tried for 2 months (even with smelly wet stuff on it) and he started to look pretty skeletal. It's very disheartening when complete strangers walk by you and say "Oh my, what a skinny Vizsla" loud enough so you can hear. Meanwhile, they're walking with their overweight lab...lab...I've had labs, they eat anything! But I digress...

The jury is still out on the high protein nature of this food. My husband belongs to a vet forum due to nature of his job and, when asked, the vets said there has not been scientific evidence that a high protein diet disrupts kidney function. In fact, they cited other foods that have just as high a protein content. I'm not trying to dissuade, obviously, but I too read a few reviews of the food where they talked about kidney problems with their toy breeds. Our pup (1 y.o.) is highly active and so far no problem. But we our watching in case it is an issue. Also, you don't feed as much as a regular food. 

This is the only food so far that he gets SO excited about and licks his bowl clean. And, I like the fact it is grain-free as we started to suspect he had a food allergy (our vet does not think so). 

But, I moved to EVO because I started to look into a RAW diet but know I'm the type of person who can't commit to the work! It sounds like that is starting to work for you...Is your new food called Taste of the Wild? I will see if it's available around here in case we decide the EVO isn't the way to go as per aforementioned issue. Sounds like switching up their protein has worked nicely for you as well.

Thanks for the info! I'm curious what other folks feed since we've been having some problems!

As a sidenote- Whilst at the grocery store once, just to see what the ingredients on some of those less expensive foods was since I was doing all this research with food...looked kind of scary...corn was the #1 ingredient followed by fillers then some meat...that can't be good.


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## 1notenough

the evo had 20%more than that garbage iams is putting in their healthy naturals.the taste of the wild i am feeding is high plains it has only 10%more witch puts it at around 32% hopefully all digestable protein.my vet said last night dogs only need in the low twenties for protein .imagine that most low end dog foods contain that.why would they put that more in there than that since all they care about is getting your dog old enough to breed.once bred more pups more profit all hype and marketing it all disgusts me.puppy formula elder dog formula mid life formula. bull sshhiitt.feed your dog a healthy diet high enough in protein and fats oh yeah exercise too lets not forget the most important part let them run run run cant we all just play with our dogs sedentary is not what makes them happy its two things dirty and tired!


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## Vlicked

1notenough: I like the look of that Taste of the Wild Product. It has all the same great ingredients as EVO but without the high protein. Looks like they have a duck/chicken version which is a protein that seems to be working for our guy. We found that foods with fish as main ingredient don't agree with him! Thanks for mentioning this product.

I agree with you and don't understand the need to feed your dog "stage" foods. Our breeder told us not to worry about buying puppy specific food and he could start on an adult formula. That's what we did.

And, talk about folks who don't exercise their dogs! I almost got laughed at when I asked the clerk at the food store if there was a performance formula for my dog since he's having a hard time keeping weight on. She says most of the "special" food is for weight management for overweight dogs! Oh well. Don't people get that tired dog = well behaved dog! Our guy gets pretty mischievous when he's not exercised enough!

EDIT: Yeah!! I can buy Taste of Wild at same place as I get the EVO!


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## 1notenough

well vlicked i have read that a fowl diet is geard more tword their ancesterial diet rahter than venison or fish they are a plains animal.although my guys seem to do alright so far on their new diet not yet completely off of the iams yet only in to week two and a half .50 /50 split food mix.I have noticed what looks like the hives have come back i do not treat that with any drugs.it seems to only last for a week or two and they do not seem to itch very much.we will see what happens in another week or two when they are completely off of the iams.looking forward to it been atedoius trip.Good luck


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## VizslaDiva

What about "ProPlan: Large Breed"?


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## 1notenough

try a grain free diet with out corn.not digestable. blue...halo...evolve..or taste of the wild even eukanube has some good foods...READ THE LABELS...DOYOUR HOMEWORK....see what your dog likes mine eat taste of wild...although the duck formula gives them gas nasty boys back to high prairie.i like T.of the wild.berries yams venision all good stuff evo. is a little high on protien.just stay with the large bites dont want them to choke.


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## Vlicked

I don't think a V needs a large breed formula. And, if your guy is a pup, I don't think he needs a puppy formula either. We were feeding our guy Pro Plan Chicken and Rice (regular adult food). He started to become finicky (after eating it for months!) and stopped eating it, even after we put some wet food in it. This went on for days. 

We then switched him to the grain-free Taste of the Wild and he never misses a meal. And the Taste of the Wild has a lot of meat in it along with some great veggies.

I think if your guy likes the Pro Plan, then you should keep him on that. I just don't think they need "special" food (i.e. the large breed formula). However, we were going to switch our pup to Pro Plan's Performance formula because it had more fat and protein since he wasn't gaining a lot of weight. But then he threw his fussy fit! Good Luck!


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## Cornbread

how many lbs. of dog food does your V eat per week or month on average?


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## 1notenough

about twenty pounds of kiibble


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## treetops1974

We have just begun the de-crapifying of our 4-month old v's diet by switching him off purina puppy chow to a grain free, high protein & fat food also. There is a Canadian brand called Orijen that we chose over EVO (slightly lighter in the wallet) ... they are similar in protein/fat analysis 42%, 20% respectively for the puppy formula ... just started today, will let you know how it goes.

I may be stating the obvious, but a high protein diet is essential for a v pup's muscle development. Given the active nature of the breed - a high protein diet will aide in your healthy v's muscle development and help ward off hip and elbow dysplasia in the first year.


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## madaboutvizslas

We feed our 8 month V:

Morning - One cup of Nutrience dog biscuits & one chicken neck.
Evening - Two cups of Nutrience dog biscuits & half a cup of puppy mince (which is usually chicken or venison). Sometimes this is supplemented with rice or leftovers such as beans, brocolli, potatoe. She loves brocolli.

She loves the chicken necks and they are cheap to buy. If I need to fatten her up I feed her a small brisket bone at noon. Only one and no more than one every couple of days or I have found that she gets the runs.

I've just had 2 weeks vacation and she was run pretty hard every second day. Never changed her diet at all. Where we were there was 4 other V's. This was really weird, I've never seen so many in one place. Everyone was asking what they were feeding. Our dog seemed to be in the best condition and was probably doing the most work.

I have found that occasionally she will only eat part of her morning meal. Sometimes you have to stand over her to entice her to eat. Seems to be easily distracted if she thinks you are going to leave her behind!!!


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## 1notenough

hay madaboutv's what is the deal with the chicken necks.I have never giventhem to my dogs.are they cooked or raw.and does your dog ever have any problems with the bones....


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## madaboutvizslas

When she was younger we had problems getting weight on her. Probably as she was growing so fast (wish we had taken more photos!). Our vet suggested chicken necks. We get them in a pack of about 20 at the market. I put one or two in the bowl first and then the biscuits on top. She always digs out the chicken neck first. She is more likely to eat the biscuits if she has a chicken neck in there especially if you roll it around in the biscuits and taint them with the smell. And lets face it who wants to eat just dry biscuits every day? Ever try eating a dry wheat biscuit for breakfast!

They are raw. The chicken bones are soft so she has no problem with them.

The vet also recommended feed her diced carrots as a treat when training and she loves those as well.


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## UplandV

A 20/30 mix of protein to fat is ideal. Eagle Pack has always worked well for me and is what my breeder feeds.

Red Mills new food also looks promising. Fat is as important as protein for dogs...


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## Kle1986

I feed my dogs TOTW. They all do well on it.

Joker my V gets a cup of TOTW at 10 am. At 1-2 I give all the dogs a frozen chicken quarter or frozen pork necks(nice clean white teeth)! Then at 5 pm Joker gets another cup of kibble.


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## 1notenough

this totw is what i feed to my dogs.witch brand do you feed?fish,fowl or hoofed.mine get the hoofed they seem to enjoy there meal time.I will say this about the feed.Sometimes when i open the bag it smells well lets just say... less than desirable to me.I have also opened the bag and just about wanted to make mashed potatoes to go along side it with some gravey.maybee sometimes it is fresher,I dont know. My two v's seem to do very well on it.They do get a varied diet.What i dont feed them is raw chicken or pork.Let me ask you this.Whats are you talking about when you say pork necks?are you talking about the meat or the bones.Now lets talk about dairy do you or anyone else reading this give there dogs any amount of milk or cheeses.personally i dont give my dogs milk.I dont give my dogs too much of any american beef or dairy.there extra meat is venison or fresh fish.they love smelt and perch.


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## madaboutvizslas

I started giving my V small bits of cheese during training but stopped as I thought it was starting to give her a rash on her belly between her back legs. So now no dairy and I stay away from wheat products too.

Gave her an egg mashed in with her biscuits this morning as I had run out of chicken necks. She loved it.

Whats the concern with chicken and pork? Have you had a bad experience with it?


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## 1notenough

no i have not had any bad experiences with raw chicken or pork.Raw pork they have never had raw chicken livers they have had.One of my dogs dose not like his chicken livers raw he wants them cooked.i am concerned about the bacteria in chicken and pork.I don't know if these concerns are realistic. They say to cook chicken and pork thoroughly.Is this true for dogs I don't know.


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## Lisa

Check out dogfoodanalysis.com

There's some great info here on most top dog foods. There's also lots of info on high protein foods, rotation feeding and puppy diets.


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## john_wi

Taste of the Wild seems to be a popular choice.
I was thinking about switching my 13 week old off of his current food to something with no grain.
I gave him a sample of the Pacific Stream formula (fish) and he did not want to eat it. The lady at the food store told me that he may not like it. I have a sample of the High Prairie that I will try next. The one thing that I noticed about the TOTW that he tried, was that it seemed very hard or crunchy. I was wondering if he may not like the food being so hard. Maybe it doesnt matter to him at all.
I value all of the opinions and suggestions here.


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## Vlicked

john_wi said:


> The one thing that I noticed about the TOTW that he tried, was that it seemed very hard or crunchy. I was wondering if he may not like the food being so hard.


Sometimes I'll add some water to his kibble. Our breeder does that, but she does it more because sometimes she feels her dogs aren't drinking enough water. I use TOW and it does seem crunchy! But the water softens it up without making it mushy. Just a thought. 

We give our guy the Wetlands flavor. I'm wondering if he'd like the High Plains better...it's just that we started him on a chicken protein when he was a pup and just continued along those lines. He's currently going through another finicky phase where we're lucky if he'll it one of his meals for the day. We once tried a fish formula and Loki would not eat it at all either!


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## john_wi

Good to know about the water!
I have him on a lamb and rice formula now. I have a sample of the High Plains that I will try.
I am hoping that he will like BOTH of the High Plains and Wetland formulas.


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## Cornbread

will those with more experience enlighten me a little further on this not eating business...I have no problem giving a dog the flavor it likes, but I buy a bag and he won't eat it, then is the bag wasted $$ ?

seems like if he won't finish his meal in say 10-15 minutes, it should be pulled and he gets a fed at the next schedule time. ...will his hunger level not kick in? we've done that with our kids (human that is) and it works no problem. if they are hungry they eat if not they don't (note that allowing them snacks only encourages them to not eat at dinner...sounds mean, but they eat at meal time which is the best food for them). 

or will his hunger seriously not catch up with his need for calories? which leaps me to a conclusion-ary question...are they high maintenance / picky eaters to where the above won't work? we're awaiting the arrival of a litter for our pup.


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## DixiesMom

john_wi,

My 12 week old female loves TOTW Wetlands formula, but I am changing her to something else because she is not tolerating it well. Of course she doesn't even chew it...just gulps it down, especially when I add yogurt to it. I am a huge fan of TOTW and when Reba gets older I am sure that I will try it again. Just wanted to let you know about my experience with my puppy.


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## 1notenough

I fed totw for four months, bison venison formula my dogs did very well I recently switched to something else for varitey.One is not doing very well... soft stools.i am going to switch them to another brand.the blue with life bits is good for one but I need one that is good for two.back to the drawing board


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## Vlicked

Cornbread said:


> will those with more experience enlighten me a little further on this not eating business...


Wish I could enlighten you. Our guy is 18 months and stalling at 48 pounds. He goes through phases of eating both his meals...this lasts for about a week. Then, we're lucky if he eats one meal a day. We've switched his food countless times. He'll love it for about 3 weeks, and then we're back at square one. I hope someone else has an answer to this!



Cornbread said:


> seems like if he won't finish his meal in say 10-15 minutes, it should be pulled and he gets a fed at the next schedule time...are they high maintenance / picky eaters to where the above won't work? we're awaiting the arrival of a litter for our pup.


We put down the food for 20 minutes and take it up if he doesn't eat it. It might take a day or two for him to get hungry enough to actually eat a whole meal (and he's really active...runs every day). From what I read, V's are definitely picky eaters. But it could be individual, since not every V owner has this problem.

I did want to add that as a pup, our guy hoovered his food so fast we had to get a Buster cube to slow him down...I now wish we had that problem!

Maybe I should post a new thread...but I'd love to hear anyone else on this issue!


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