Gun Dog Forum

Have been feeding Blue Buffalo for a few years and dogs like it but cost has gotten out of hand, $54 for 30 lbs. Dog food adviser has a 3.5 star rating on this BB lam and brown rice. About 3 months ago I moved to 4 health preformance at $37 for 35 lbs and dog like it and dog food adviser gives if 5 stars. This is a chicken based dog food. This week tractor supply will have $5 off a bag june 15-19.

Anyone had an problems with this food, yes it is a diamond food product and that at first gave me second thoughts about using it.

Will buy 6 months worth with the $5 off.

What is your feeling about 4 health dog food?

chicken19590 wrote:Have been feeding Blue Buffalo for a few years and dogs like it but cost has gotten out of hand, $54 for 30 lbs. Dog food adviser has a 3.5 star rating on this BB lam and brown rice. About 3 months ago I moved to 4 health preformance at $37 for 35 lbs and dog like it and dog food adviser gives if 5 stars. This is a chicken based dog food. This week tractor supply will have $5 off a bag june 15-19.

Anyone had an problems with this food, yes it is a diamond food product and that at first gave me second thoughts about using it.

Will buy 6 months worth with the $5 off.

What is your feeling about 4 health dog food?

I can't tell you from personal experience but the label looks decent, Diamond is an excellent manufacturer, and I know several who are using it and it has been good. I would put 0 reliability in the dog food advisor as it is just one mans opinion who happens to be a dentist and rates feed by unknown standards. Your dog is the expert and if it likes the feed and does well on it, you can afford it, and it is readily available then that is what you should use. However, I would hesitate to buy 6 months worth of feed in the summer time and all for a few dollars it could save. Down side is yu will be feeding a somewhat stale feed for several months that could have problems when stored in warm somewhat humid conditions. Winter time would be quite different.

Ezzy

Well thanks for the reply. We store the food inside the house in ac so that should not be a problem and the backageing is very tuff too.

If the 4 Health doesn't work give NutriSource a try. I buy it at Runnings on sale for $37.99 for a 33 lb. bag and after I buy 12 bags I get one free. Probably no Runnings in your part of the country but someone must have it. Been feeding NutriSource for 7 years and couldn't be happier. It also gets a high rating from Dog Food Adviser.

Claybuster on here turned me on to this food and it is fantastic.

http://www.therobertabadydogfoodcoltd.c ... lassic.htm

I am currently feeding one of my setters 4 health and she seems to like it and I like what I am seeing so far. I think it a great deal for a quality dry food!

Sent from my SM-T700 using Tapatalk

MonsterDad wrote:Claybuster on here turned me on to this food and it is fantastic.

http://www.therobertabadydogfoodcoltd.c ... lassic.htm

Just an observation on the Abady dog food. The first ingredient is chicken by-product meal and there isn't any whole meat in the formula. They say the first ingredient should be pure chicken, lamb or some other meat form. And 28% fat if very high and could be too much for a lot of dogs. Not saying anything bad about the Abady food, just stating what I see at first glance.

Dakotazeb wrote:

MonsterDad wrote:Claybuster on here turned me on to this food and it is fantastic.

http://www.therobertabadydogfoodcoltd.c ... lassic.htm

Just an observation on the Abady dog food. The first ingredient is chicken by-product meal and there isn't any whole meat in the formula. They say the first ingredient should be pure chicken, lamb or some other meat form. And 28% fat if very high and could be too much for a lot of dogs. Not saying anything bad about the Abady food, just stating what I see at first glance.

It has chicken by product meal, menhaden fish meal, dried liver, whey protein and beef meal at 30% protein, by weight 50% of the food is animal ingredient and 92.4% of the GA protein is animal protein.

Keep in mind this food isn't cooked and steamed and then heated and dried again. It is like oily coarse sand, never heated.

I first thought the fat was high but even in senior dogs they thrive on it.

There are versions of this food with 36% protein as well that don't use chicken by product meal but chicken meal and have dried eggs as well. I think the Chicken By products are the way to go because of all the organ meat and glucosamine in the feet.

A 40lb box feed like 80lbs of kibble and the stools are tiny because there is no fiber. Looks like coyote scat.

I think these foods are perfect for field dogs especially GSP's and Pointers because they seem to always have problems holding weight. Their energy needs far surpass their protein needs.

It isnt cheap at $85 for 38lbs but I think it is worth it because their teeth are sparkling white and I haven't spent a penny on even an ear infection.

Dakotazeb wrote:

MonsterDad wrote:Claybuster on here turned me on to this food and it is fantastic.

http://www.therobertabadydogfoodcoltd.c ... lassic.htm

Just an observation on the Abady dog food. The first ingredient is chicken by-product meal and there isn't any whole meat in the formula. They say the first ingredient should be pure chicken, lamb or some other meat form. And 28% fat if very high and could be too much for a lot of dogs. Not saying anything bad about the Abady food, just stating what I see at first glance.

Who is "They"?

[/quote]Who is "They"?[/quote]

Ya know what? That's a good question. I guess it just comes from the various things I've read over the years but I have no scientific proof to back it up. So perhaps meat meal or meat by products are just as nutritious as whole meat. Need to research this issue a little more I guess. My bad.

Chicken By Product Meal has better variety of nutrients. BTW, the biggest supplier is Tyson Foods. It is also much cheaper and frankly it seems a waste to let something so nutritious go to waste. It is also very palatable to dogs because of the organ meat content.

Also, mammal ingredient labeling does not require use of the word By Products. Lamb, Beef, Bison, Pork Meal can legally be By Products with no labeling specificity like chicken or turkey.

Dakotazeb wrote:

Who is "They"?[/quote]

Ya know what? That's a good question. I guess it just comes from the various things I've read over the years but I have no scientific proof to back it up. So perhaps meat meal or meat by products are just as nutritious as whole meat. Need to research this issue a little more I guess. My bad. [/quote]

Chicken in specific and most other by-products meal are the number one provider of the varied amino acids that a dog needs. When you see chicken or any other meat listed, remember that includes the water content which is high where a meal has already been dried, so you are getting much more nutrition from a meal than you would from an equal amount of meat.

In all honesty there is little you can tell about a formula from reading a label on a bag. If I formulate a ton of feed with 500 lbs. of meat meal and 499 lbs. of corn, meat meal will show as the first ingredient and corn second and everyone will think it is a good feed. If I do 500 of corn and 499 lbs. of meat meal, corn will be listed as the first ingredient and the meat meal second and I will guarantee every label reader will throw up their hands and absolutely refuse to feed such a lousy cheap feed. And all over a single pound of meat meal or corn in a ton of feed.

Every feed on the market is formulated to be a decent feed. Granted some are better than others, some are higher priced, though there is little coordination between the two, but they all will meet the standards of nutrition that it takes to feed a healthy dog. Watch your dog and if it is doing well, the feed is readily available, and you can afford it you are feeding a good feed for you. The dog is the expert and not the thousands of people who are making a living in a marketing ploy of telling you how one feed is better than another. True, some are but your dog will tell you.

ezzy, you are spot on. Very difficult to tell simply from what you read on the bag. Certainly some are better than others. But the bottom line is how is your dog doing on a specific food. If the dog is doing great why change foods. Lots of advertising hype out there.

MonsterDad wrote:Chicken By Product Meal has better variety of nutrients. BTW, the biggest supplier is Tyson Foods. It is also much cheaper and frankly it seems a waste to let something so nutritious go to waste. It is also very palatable to dogs because of the organ meat content.

Also, mammal ingredient labeling does not require use of the word By Products. Lamb, Beef, Bison, Pork Meal can legally be By Products with no labeling specificity like chicken or turkey.

You better check your sources on this?

ezzy333 wrote:

MonsterDad wrote:Chicken By Product Meal has better variety of nutrients. BTW, the biggest supplier is Tyson Foods. It is also much cheaper and frankly it seems a waste to let something so nutritious go to waste. It is also very palatable to dogs because of the organ meat content.

Also, mammal ingredient labeling does not require use of the word By Products. Lamb, Beef, Bison, Pork Meal can legally be By Products with no labeling specificity like chicken or turkey.

You better check your sources on this?

On what?

The "variety" of nutrients when comparing the two, Chicken Meal and Chicken By-Product Meal are actually very close. The typical analysis, the vitamins and minerals, and the amino acid profiles do not vary much between the two meals.

I think what has made the Abady feeds successful over they years is their willingness to take advantage of economics in the market place when it comes to certain ingredients and not be the least bit concern about being "blacklisted". If you don't meet the standards set forth by non-scientific entities like the Whole Dog Journal, you don't stand a chance in making the grade and getting yourself on the top ten list of the best feeds. So, what has made Abady a successful feed company is being able to deliver a higher percentage of animal source proteins in the diet compared to other companies and using the economics in the market to achieve that goal. Chicken by-product meal is the least desirable of the ingredients (yet with similar nutrient profiles) therefore the cost of the ingredient is less. For "X" amount of dollars, more quantity can be purchased and therefore supplied in the ration...at the same time not being afraid to promote the benefits of doing so fearing any backlash from those highly influential folks make that top-ten list of feeds. Besides the emphasis and higher percentages of animal source proteins in the ration, avoidance of certain ingredients also has played a factor (for Ababy), a major factor in what the company feels makes a 'safer' ration. That avoidance of certain ingredients (ie, beet pulp for one) is an area of much debate for many. I know how Ezzy feels about certain things and not my aim here to get into the debates over what makes a safe ration and what does not. We all feel different about how to feed dogs and in the end all that really matters is how YOUR dog is doing on a feed and whether or not your happy with the results. If you like what your doing and your dog is doing well no one can argue with that...keep doing what you're doing!

My setter will be 14 come September and doing well IMO for her age and I have had minimal vet bills along the way, just the routine state required shot like rabies. In fact, I have been doing those 3 year rabies shots at PETCO and avoiding the vet entirely. In all honestly, I can't remember the last time my dog had been to the Vet, he probably thinks she's dead by now! Her hips are fine and that is a biggie there. Zero trouble with her hips, a very common problem as they age. Skin is good, coat is good, still has all her teeth, etc. I have been very pleased with my results over the years, and if the day comes I decide to get another dog I will go back to using the Abady products.

chicken19590 wrote:Have been feeding Blue Buffalo for a few years and dogs like it but cost has gotten out of hand, $54 for 30 lbs. Dog food adviser has a 3.5 star rating on this BB lam and brown rice. About 3 months ago I moved to 4 health preformance at $37 for 35 lbs and dog like it and dog food adviser gives if 5 stars. This is a chicken based dog food. This week tractor supply will have $5 off a bag june 15-19.

Anyone had an problems with this food, yes it is a diamond food product and that at first gave me second thoughts about using it.

Will buy 6 months worth with the $5 off.

What is your feeling about 4 health dog food?

Dog food advisor also gives 5 stars for COSTCO high pro dog food by DIAMOND. My last dog got sick on a bad batch of Diamond/Costco food. Went to Merick. A family owned co. Merick bought out by Purina. I will stick with Purina sport. Dog food advisors???

chicken19590 wrote:Dog food adviser has a 3.5 star rating on this BB lam and brown rice.

I'll stop you right there. Dog food advisor is definitely not a worthwhile source of information, don't waste your time. Ask what people that have the same expectations out of their dog as you do feed, and see what works for your dog. I feed a popular food among field trialers - that demand energy, stamina and performance at a high level from their dogs in tough hunting situations... it rates 2 stars on dog food advisor... not accurate. Initially I wasted lots of money on that grain free, organic crap sold by blue buffalo, acana and orijen because those were the 4 and 5 star foods on that site. My dog performs 1000x better on a food that according to that site is close to killing him. Make sure you get unbiased, real word answers.