Nutrition Information
All dogs are individuals when it comes to feeding and nutrition. What works for one dog may not work for another.
Many dogs do very well and are healthy on diets that are carbohydrate heavy, or that include grain and corn products. Some dogs thrive on a low carbohydrate raw diet and do poorly on high carbohydrate or a grain inclusive diet. Some dogs require higher levels of carbohydrates to maintain healthy body weight. Some dogs do not tolerate high fat levels and develop diarrhea and bad gas, while others require higher fat to maintain good condition. A dogs individual metabolism and energy level will also play a big part in proper diet selection.
Diet and nutrition is very important and many conditions or ailments such as dry/itchy skin, dry/brittle fur, excessive shedding, ear infections, body odor, bad breath, loose stools, high volume of stools, urine odor, allergies, vomiting, and many other health concerns are often caused or made worse by the diet your dog is fed. A certain food might cause one dog to drop weight, have loose stools and itchy skin, but another dog on that same food has great body condition, nice firm stools and a gleaming healthy coat.
Feed the dog in front of you based on what they do best on. If your dog has bad gas, does not have firm stool, is itchy, has a dry or dull coat, has ear issues, etc - look at the diet! Consider changing foods to find one that works better for your dog, or adding a supplement to address a specific issue such as dry coat.
The primary consideration is the quality and quantity of the meat ingredients in the food. Named (i.e. Chicken, Turkey, Rabbit, Lamb etc.) meat meals should top the ingredients list of the food, not generic or unnamed ingredients such as Meat Meal. Fresh, water-inclusive, meat ingredients that are listed simply as chicken, beef, pork, and so on, are actually not as ideal for kibble due to the fact that ingredient listings on the products are formed by the weight of each ingredient *before* cooking. Fresh meats are anywhere from 65-80% water, which is eliminated in the cooking process and drops those fresh meat ingredients considerably further down the list. Named meat meals (chicken meal, beef meal, lamb meal, etc) are essentially meat concentrates and already have most of the moisture removed, so their position on the ingredients list is not misleading. They are fine to see as part of an ingredients list, but as the only/primary meat source, we prefer not to see it.
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Again, dogs are individuals and it is always best to judge a food based on the health of the dog you are feeding it to. There are many misconceptions and many strong opinions regarding nutrition for your pets.
At Ferocia Kennels we prefer to feed a high calorie kibble with a moderate carbohydrate level. For us, calorie content is a major factor in food selection - the higher the calorie content the better, as our dogs are working dogs. We prefer a high calorie performance formula. Below is a look at the different supplements we use and the kibbles we feed or have fed in the past. We also prefer to rotate and mix protein sources to provide variety not only of flavor but more importantly of nutrients. Different meats/proteins have different amino acid profiles and we feel it is good to provide variety for optimum nutrition for our dogs.
SUPPLEMENTS
Our dogs have their diet supplemented with various vitamins and nutraceuticals. We use a combination of individual ingredients and preformulated mixes for our dogs. We use and recommend many Dogzymes products from Nature's Farmacy. https://naturesfarmacy.com/dog
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Supplements we currently give our dogs from Nature's Farmacy:
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Ultimate, For skin and coat: https://naturesfarmacy.com/dogzymes-ultimate-vitamins-minerals-omegas-organic-coconut-parmesan-cheese/
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Phytoflex, for joint health and immune system: https://naturesfarmacy.com/dogzymes-phyto-flex-bone-joint-soft-tissue-support-glucosamine-chondroitin-msm-and-hyaluronic-acid/
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Daily Balance, a probiotic/prebiotic/enzyme for digestive and immune health: whey base https://naturesfarmacy.com/dogzymes-probiotic-daily-balance-5-billion-cfu-enzymes-organic-whey-base/ or egg/liver base https://naturesfarmacy.com/dogzymes-probiotic-daily-balance-liver-egg-probiotics-enzymes-5-billion-cfu-formerly-digestive-enhancer/
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Other supplements we use from Nature's Farmacy that can be helpful for many dogs:
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https://naturesfarmacy.com/dogzymes-super-c-sodium-ascorbate-1-lb-2850-mg-per-teaspoon/
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For travel, to keep things simple, we give Complete. Complete is a combination of Daily Balance, Ultimate, and PhytoFlex. We do not use Complete other times because we are able to better customize the dosage for each dog with the separate individual supplements.
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Nature's Farmacy has many amazing products that we have been using for years. There are many more products we use for specific purposes, such as: Whole Egg Powder, Liver and Heart Powder, Muscle Builder, Chicken Bone Broth, Electrolyte powder, Gro Hair, Biotin 240, and their reproductive supplemets Estrus-mate and Gestamate. Not all of these products are suitable for every dog, not all of our dogs get these supplements and these are not given daily.
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Helpful Supplements for sudden digestive upset:
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Dogs can wind up with a bad belly pretty easily, especially as puppies when they are prone to tasting things that should not be tasted. We keep Gastro Elm Plus in the emergency kit for rear end explosions: https://www.gastroelm.com/products/gastroelm-plus-small-bag
The Gastro Elm Plus is mixed with Psylium husk: https://www.amazon.com/NOW-Supplements-Psyllium-Powder-24-Ounce/dp/B002RWUNYM
and plain canned pumpkin you can find at the grocery store (NOT pumpkin pie filling, make sure to get plain pumpkin with nothing else added)
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Information/Links about some individual ingredients in the supplements (links may no longer be active, this page is always under construction)
Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate and/or Ascorbic Acid)
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/1_7/features/5309-1.html
http://www.animalwellnessmagazine.com/articles/natural-treatment-for-degenerative-joint-disease/
Natural Vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol, mixed natural tocopherols)
http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/FULL/Natural_vs_Synthetic_Vitamin_E.shtml
MSM (methylsulfonylmethane)
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/msm-raw-fed-dogs/
Yucca Schidigera (for joints and also to reduce urine/feces/flatulence odor)
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/10_3/features/Canine-Arthritis_15910-1.html
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/sp-su98/saponins.html
Probiotics
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_3/features/Probiotics-For-Dogs_20473-1.html
Glucosamine sulfate
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/7_8/features/Canine-Osteoarthritis_15644-1.html
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/3_2/features/5056-1.html
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/glucosamine-does-your-joint-support-kibble-stand-up/
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Raw/Organic Garlic
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/garlic-for-dogs-poison-or-medicine/
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/garlic-friend-or-foe/
More Articles
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http://www.arthrix.com/phil_brown.htm
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/8_10/features/15752-1.html
https://webfiles.uci.edu/mcbrown/display/belfield.html
High Quality Kibbles
At Ferocia Kennels, we are once again feeding Purina Pro Plan to our dogs, after giving Inukshuk a try for 6 months. Inukshuk is a very high quality food and while we really loved how our dogs did on this food, there was a problem with availability and sourcing. We may go back to Inukshuk if we are able to purchase by the pallet.
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We primarily feed a combination of formulas from Purina Pro Plan, and we still recommend these high quality foods:
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Pro Plan Sport 30/20 Chicken: https://www.purina.com/pro-plan/dogs/dry-dog-food/sport-performance-30-20-high-protein
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Pro Plan Sport 30/20 Salmon: https://www.purina.com/pro-plan/dogs/dry-dog-food/sport-performance-30-20-high-protein-salmon-rice
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Pro Plan Sport 30/20 Beef: https://www.purina.com/pro-plan/dogs/dry-dog-food/sport-performance-30-20-high-protein-beef-rice
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Inukshuk has formulas with increased Omega fatty acids that help skin and coat, as well as several very high calorie foods for working dogs. We still recommend this food to puppy buyers if they want different options than what the puppy is sent home with. We fed the 30/25 and the Marine 25, but the 26/16 and Marine 16 are also great options for non working dogs.
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We also feed various canned formulas, all loaf/ground form (not cuts in gravy) to continue to provide varied protein sources. Lamb, Duck, Turkey, Salmon, Beef, Rabbit, Pork etc. The dogs get a small amount, only a tablespoon or two, mixed in with their kibble and water. The dogs do still get some raw but not as their primary diet.
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Because variety is import, we do still mix in foods from other brands occasionally or as food reward during training. Inukshuk Marine formulas are great for training. The foods listed below are foods we currently feed or have fed in the past.
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Sport Dog Food has several excellent formulas: https://www.sportdogfood.com/series/k9
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First Mate High Performance: https://firstmate.com/product/classic-formulas-high-performance/
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These are not the only quality foods available, just what we currently feed and recommend. As always, feed what works for you and your dog. Below are other recommendations for quality foods that may work well for your pet.
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Any Purina Pro Plan or Purina ONE product, all of these meet WSAVA guidelines and are the top tier of Purina products. Diamond Naturals has formulas that have worked very well for many dogs. Victor also has formulas that many dogs thrive on, such as the Professional and Hi Pro formulas.
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RAW DIET
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Please note that is is VERY important to properly balance a raw or homecooked diet. It is very easy to accidentally feed a raw or homecooked diet that is improperly balanced and harmful to your pet. Too much bone/calcium, not enough bone/calcium, lack or overuse of supplements or organ meat... If you are feeding a raw or homecooked diet please work with a licensed veterinary nutritionist to properly formulate the diet for your dog.
Because of the risks associated with improper nutrition from homemade raw or cooked diets, we cannot guarantee orthopedic soundness in our dogs if solely fed a homemade cooked or raw diet. Commercially formulated raw products are recommended unless you are very experienced and knowledgeable in proper feeding of a raw or homecooked diet and are working with a licensed veterinary nutritionist.
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We supplement all our dog's kibble with raw. Our dogs get about 75% of their nutrition from high quality kibble and canned formulas.
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We do use preformulated balanced raw diets from Ross Wells / Titan Dog Food. Titan Blue, Titan Red, as well as individual raw components from other sources.
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ADDITIONAL LINKS TO SCIENTIFIC STUDIES REGARDING VARIOUS NUTRITION TOPICS
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(Links may not longer be active, this page is under construction)
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Dr. Jeans Dodd's "Dog and Cat Pea Intolerance" https://drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com/post/119222590581/pea-food-intolerance#.Yg1Ct9_MLEZ
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Digestibility and metabolizable energy of some carbohydrate sources for dogs https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377840110000258?fbclid=IwAR3PBGoQzHzyKVnEW_8kSvLx_kQeVg43_s0c-Zt8wtD-LMnHRGP_kMj4NOI
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The Use of Sorghum and Corn as Alternatives to Rice in Dog Foods https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/132/6/1704S/4687724?fbclid=IwAR2m1XnIu9T6OmEsL1BTguD6Ulmqua8b5FwYYgC4A9Fj__t1WTBI_oAlEjc&login=false
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A review: nutrition and process attributes of corn in pet foods https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408398.2021.1931020?fbclid=IwAR3t-Oay_aGuekJ9o7jBscV_4KFSqIU6Rc4TPrrYkyTUo6OKzcSFvFfg3s0
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Why you shouldn’t judge a pet food by its ingredient list https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/06/why-you-shouldnt-judge-a-pet-food-by-its-ingredient-list/?fbclid=IwAR3sFL-C8ppR1VONLQN0jYEWcvBkt0veIbJP-esqNDV2Kv83Uz8QYz9D4sQ#:~:text=Ingredients%20must%20be%20listed%20in,nutrients%20to%20the%20overall%20diet
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Any Kernels of Truth to Claims That Corn Is Bad for Your Dog? https://www.tuftsyourdog.com/dogfoodandnutrition/any-kernels-of-truth-to-claims-that-corn-is-bad-for-your-dog/?fbclid=IwAR32MiEYvYyWp6Gq7fLhsb25pbRhvfBnDntwcXva8-xE9ge7BcwaslJNc-4
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Tufts University School of Veterinary Nutrition has many amazing articles regarding nutrition for our pets. https://www.tuftsyourdog.com/category/dogfoodandnutrition/