Switching dog food

[molotov_birddogs]

Hi,
So my youngest gsp is on purina pro plan 30/20 and has been doing really well on it and I went to buy more, except now the price is up to $90 dollars a bag. He eats four cups of food a day.
I was thinking of getting black gold performance dog food as I've heard great things of them, and a bag is only $58 and the ingredients seem decent.

The only thing is that the Black Gold has less protein and I've heard switching to less protein in the summer could mess with their metabolism, but I've also heard of a lot of hunter doing this in the summer. I would like to hear your opinions on whether to switch to a lower protein in the summer or stay consistent with the food that he's on.

[Mosby]

A lot of people change feed during the off season. I don't think there is a right or wrong way to feed. Once it gets hot, I don't do a lot with my dogs anyway except take them swimming. I doubt you would notice a difference over the summer months if you change but you won't know until you try it.

I feed PPP Salmon 30/20 year round. I like to keep it simple and don't like to mess with transitioning dogs on and off food or dealing with stomach issues etc, but that's me. My dogs do well on what I give them, so I leave it alone.

[molotov_birddogs]

I think I will try the black gold and see how he does. I personally do alot of training in the summer with my dogs, so I will see what happens.

Thanks

[Dakotazeb]

In reality how much money are you actually saving by switching to Black Gold? Generally they estimate there are 4 cups of dog food per pound. Figure out the price per pound on each product. If you buy PPP at $90 for a 50 lb. bag it's $1.80/lb. Black Gold at $58 for a 40 lb. bag is $1.45/lb. The extra cost is roughly 35 cents a day or $10 per month. Tell me your GSP isn't worth $10/month. That food cost is minor compared to the other costs of hunting (license, guns, ammo, gas, etc.) If he's doing well on the PPP leave him on it. Your dog will be happy!

[Garrison]

In general, I think what we feed our dogs gets far too much thought than it deserves. Your dog will be fine either way, but if you are getting good results, why switch? As Dakotazeb showed, it’s not a whole lot of savings if you are feeding one or two dogs.

To answer your question, it has more to do with the dog acclimating to, and utilizing fat than differences in protein. It takes a dog that is being worked about 2 months to acclimate to a substantial change in fat levels. You can either make the change early, or live with a couple months of lost conditioning before the season. With a pup, I wouldn’t want to switch from what you are feeding as it is the most important phase of their life. With an adult, they don’t need a whole lot of food during the summer anyway, so saving a few bucks? Ehhhhh.

Garrison

[molotov_birddogs]

I agree I may give food to much thought. I'm going to have to get another bag of purina anyway because I don't have enough to transition. He would only be on black gold for about three months before having to switch back again, so with that considered I think I'll keep him purina. Thanks for the feedback

[TroughCreek]

We also fed ppp 30/20 and the price drove us to inukshuk 30/25. Its a little cheaper per pound and we're feeding about 1 1/2 cups per day less with it then the ppp. Went from 4 cups a day to about 2 1/2 and our gsp seems to be doing well with it so far. We tried joy but it didn't do well for us.

[RyanDoolittle]

We also fed ppp 30/20 and the price drove us to inukshuk 30/25. Its a little cheaper per pound and we're feeding about 1 1/2 cups per day less with it then the ppp. Went from 4 cups a day to about 2 1/2 and our gsp seems to be doing well with it so far. We tried joy but it didn't do well for us.

I have found the same thing. The Inukshuk is 30% more dense that the PPP. I am feeding the 26/16 and still feed less than the 30/20

[lvrgsp]

I fed Purina for years and years, I switched to Victor, have been more than happy with it. I'm going to take a guess and say your out west some where feeding Black Gold? Used to feed it as well.

[RayGubernat]

Dayla --

I have fed a bunch of different 30/20 feeds over the years and most were well tolerated by my dogs. I never fed Purina becasue it was always too pricey for me. Feeding four to six dogs is a whole lot different than feeding one. I generally used a moderately priced quality feed from a major company until it became difficult to obtain in my area. On a couple of occasions, I noted a change in the formula and in one instance a couple of my dogs showed some allergic reaction to the new feed(skin flareups). In those instances,I actively searched for a replacement.
Anyhow, for the last 8 years or so I have ben feeding a Sportsman's Pride product. It is 26/18. The dogs do quite well on it and I have field trial competitive pointers (English), so you can be sure they are high energy dogs. The company has several formulas including a 30/20 variety, but as i said,my guys don't seem to need it. Most of the time their stools are pretty firm so cleanup is easy.

Last time I bought from my dealer it was $32.50 for a 40# bag so it is quite affordable and,ads I said, the dogs do well on it.

RayG

[molotov_birddogs]

Just an update here: I tried a bag of diamond performance, it's crap.

After that I went to inukshuk 30/26 and I love it. He's been on it since may-June-ish and he eats two cups a day compared to four cups on PPP. One bag last eight weeks so it's roughly $30 a month for just him. I get it off chewy since I don't have enough dogs to get a pallet load ,yet.

[molotov_birddogs]

I fed Purina for years and years, I switched to Victor, have been more than happy with it. I'm going to take a guess and say your out west some where feeding Black Gold? Used to feed it as well.

No, not out west. My other gsp is on Victor and I am very pleased with it, he likes it to ,though he likes any food. He'd get to chunky being on inukshuk.

[RyanDoolittle]

I fed Purina for years and years, I switched to Victor, have been more than happy with it. I'm going to take a guess and say your out west some where feeding Black Gold? Used to feed it as well.

No, not out west. My other gsp is on Victor and I am very pleased with it, he likes it to ,though he likes any food. He'd get to chunky being on inukshuk.

Just feed the 26/16 if you are worried about him putting on weight.

Even your current dog you could go down to 26/16 and feed an extra cup of kibble. There is more to kibble than just fat and protein, you want to make sure your dog is getting everything it needs.

I remember listening to a podcast with a Eukanuba nutritionist and he has mentioned optimum is between 3 and 4 cups. When you feed about 1 or 2 cups he suggested to go to a lower fat/protein formula if possible because of the other vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are formulated into the kibble for the dog. The dog isn't getting enough of those if you don't feed enough. He also suggested at 5 & 6 cups you should feed a higher protein/fat formula if possible to reduce the risk of bloat.

Even if you had to feed 3 or 4 cups of the 26/16 a day, you would still see a significant savings. Where I am, PPP is nearly $90/bag and I buy Inukshuk 26/16 for about $60/bag. That alone is a 30% reduction in my feed cost.

[molotov_birddogs]

I fed Purina for years and years, I switched to Victor, have been more than happy with it. I'm going to take a guess and say your out west some where feeding Black Gold? Used to feed it as well.

No, not out west. My other gsp is on Victor and I am very pleased with it, he likes it to ,though he likes any food. He'd get to chunky being on inukshuk.

Just feed the 26/16 if you are worried about him putting on weight.

Even your current dog you could go down to 26/16 and feed an extra cup of kibble. There is more to kibble than just fat and protein, you want to make sure your dog is getting everything it needs.

I remember listening to a podcast with a Eukanuba nutritionist and he has mentioned optimum is between 3 and 4 cups. When you feed about 1 or 2 cups he suggested to go to a lower fat/protein formula if possible because of the other vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are formulated into the kibble for the dog. The dog isn't getting enough of those if you don't feed enough. He also suggested at 5 & 6 cups you should feed a higher protein/fat formula if possible to reduce the risk of bloat.

Even if you had to feed 3 or 4 cups of the 26/16 a day, you would still see a significant savings. Where I am, PPP is nearly $90/bag and I buy Inukshuk 26/16 for about $60/bag. That alone is a 30% reduction in my feed cost.

With inukshuk i only have to feed 2 cups because of how nutrient dense it is, that's one of the reasons I love it. 600 calories a cup vs the average 400 works for my gsp.

[molotov_birddogs]

Even if I switched to a lower ratio I doubt he would eat more. It's a chore to get him to eat everything, he's getting better with food motivation.

[mnaj_springer]

Just an update here: I tried a bag of diamond performance, it's crap.

After that I went to inukshuk 30/26 and I love it. He's been on it since may-June-ish and he eats two cups a day compared to four cups on PPP. One bag last eight weeks so it's roughly $30 a month for just him. I get it off chewy since I don't have enough dogs to get a pallet load ,yet.

Hi Dayla,

I've been debating a switch based on price (I currently feed PPP Sport 30/20). I have been considering Diamond Performance.... so if I can ask, what was it that you did not like about that brand?

Thank you

[molotov_birddogs]

Just an update here: I tried a bag of diamond performance, it's crap.

After that I went to inukshuk 30/26 and I love it. He's been on it since may-June-ish and he eats two cups a day compared to four cups on PPP. One bag last eight weeks so it's roughly $30 a month for just him. I get it off chewy since I don't have enough dogs to get a pallet load ,yet.

Hi Dayla,

I've been debating a switch based on price (I currently feed PPP Sport 30/20). I have been considering Diamond Performance.... so if I can ask, what was it that you did not like about that brand?

Thank you

His skin became extremely flaky as well as greasy and dull. I could tell he just didn't feel good on it and he hated the taste. Overall it's a highly rated food and it works for alot people, personally it didn't work for me. Buying a bag or two wouldn't hurt to test if it ends up being a good food for your dog. Hope this helps!

[mnaj_springer]

Just an update here: I tried a bag of diamond performance, it's crap.

After that I went to inukshuk 30/26 and I love it. He's been on it since may-June-ish and he eats two cups a day compared to four cups on PPP. One bag last eight weeks so it's roughly $30 a month for just him. I get it off chewy since I don't have enough dogs to get a pallet load ,yet.

Hi Dayla,

I've been debating a switch based on price (I currently feed PPP Sport 30/20). I have been considering Diamond Performance.... so if I can ask, what was it that you did not like about that brand?

Thank you

His skin became extremely flaky as well as greasy and dull. I could tell he just didn't feel good on it and he hated the taste. Overall it's a highly rated food and it works for alot people, personally it didn't work for me. Buying a bag or two wouldn't hurt to test if it ends up being a good food for your dog. Hope this helps!

Thank you for your response! I might try one bag and go from there.

[BlessedGirl]

If you can find a high-quality food that your dog does well on, there shouldn't be a reason why you can't make the switch. I had to switch, because food prices went from approximately $1.40/lb to $2.27/lb just in the last 1.5 - 2 years. I found something less expensive which my dogs do great on. The wallet is letting out a sigh of relief.