Turtleheadfred
03-29-2005, 01:03 AM
I recently found this information, and some of it was new to me as well, so I wanted to share. Hope it helps some of you. (P.S. I'm sure this most likely applies, in part, to cats as well.)
1. Large Breed Adult foods. GIMMICK. Your dog should already be full grown if feeding an adult food. Why do you need to feed a LB adult food? For the Glucosamine/Chrondritin in it? (See that entry below) I think Large Breed puppy foods are a good idea, but I feel the LB adult is a marketing gimmick. Most of them have more fillers in it. Pass this one by.
2. Glucosamine/Chrondritin in a food. GIMMICK. The G/C levels in most foods aren't theraputic. They don't help. They can't hurt, but certainly won't help. You're better off adding your own G/C.
3. Dental/Teeth cleaning formulas. Mostly GIMMICK. Oh please. Dogs don't chew anyway. How can a food keep the teeth clean? If you eat a bunch of crackers are your teeth cleaner? Use common sense here and don't rely only on the food to keep your dog's teeth clean. The best thing for your dog's teeth is a raw bone.
I will say that some of the newer diets coming out like Eukanuba foods with Dental Defense and the Royal Canin Labrador food might actually help. The pieces are larger in the RC Labrador food so the dog actually has to chew. These foods actually show promise in the fight against dog tarter.
4. Lite/Diet formulas. GIMMICK. Do you want to totally ruin your dog's coat? Feed a lite or diet formula. They are filled with fillers. That's how they keep the fat and protein levels down. Instead of feeding a lite or diet formula, cut back on the regular formula and add Green Beans to the food. You can use canned, fresh or frozen. If you use canned, please try to get the sodium-free. If you can't get the sodium-free, then make sure you drain and rinse the beans thoroughly before giving them in your dog's food. Try a 1/2 can of beans per feeding to help cut back the dog's weight.
1. Large Breed Adult foods. GIMMICK. Your dog should already be full grown if feeding an adult food. Why do you need to feed a LB adult food? For the Glucosamine/Chrondritin in it? (See that entry below) I think Large Breed puppy foods are a good idea, but I feel the LB adult is a marketing gimmick. Most of them have more fillers in it. Pass this one by.
2. Glucosamine/Chrondritin in a food. GIMMICK. The G/C levels in most foods aren't theraputic. They don't help. They can't hurt, but certainly won't help. You're better off adding your own G/C.
3. Dental/Teeth cleaning formulas. Mostly GIMMICK. Oh please. Dogs don't chew anyway. How can a food keep the teeth clean? If you eat a bunch of crackers are your teeth cleaner? Use common sense here and don't rely only on the food to keep your dog's teeth clean. The best thing for your dog's teeth is a raw bone.
I will say that some of the newer diets coming out like Eukanuba foods with Dental Defense and the Royal Canin Labrador food might actually help. The pieces are larger in the RC Labrador food so the dog actually has to chew. These foods actually show promise in the fight against dog tarter.
4. Lite/Diet formulas. GIMMICK. Do you want to totally ruin your dog's coat? Feed a lite or diet formula. They are filled with fillers. That's how they keep the fat and protein levels down. Instead of feeding a lite or diet formula, cut back on the regular formula and add Green Beans to the food. You can use canned, fresh or frozen. If you use canned, please try to get the sodium-free. If you can't get the sodium-free, then make sure you drain and rinse the beans thoroughly before giving them in your dog's food. Try a 1/2 can of beans per feeding to help cut back the dog's weight.