# has anyone used this food



## terryj (Oct 30, 2010)

I've recently bought a new puppy and her name is Nickie and she is 5 months old and the people I bought her from were feeding her Black Gold Ultimate Puppy food. I ,ve had her for one month and she seems to be doing well on it.
Is anyone familiar with this brand of food or has anyone used it before.
Just curious .

Thanks


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## Abby (Aug 17, 2010)

I hate to say it, but it seems like that food is TERRIBLE. Here's the ingredient list:
Meat meal, brewers rice, corn meal, ground wheat, poultry fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols source of vitamin E), corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, dried beet pulp, natural poultry flavoring, salt, potassium chloride, brewers dried yeast, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, zinc oxide, niacin, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), menadione sodium bisulfate complex (vitamin K), calcium lodate, vitamin D3 supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), cobalt carbonate, folic acid and sodium selenite

The first ingredient is meat meal. Meal is highly concentrated meat and contained about 300 percent more protein than meat. This is done by pretty much over cooking the meat and baking the residue into a super concentrated meat powder. You can find meals in generally all dog foods, a good ingredient the problem here is that it doesn't state WHAT meats. In the pet food industry, "meat meal" can mean roadkill, dead zoo animals, diseased livestock, even euthanized cats and dogs. 
Next we have brewers rice, a by-product of rice milling. It's a cheap grain by product and not a quality ingredient.
Corn meal is a controversial ingredient, it's basically ground dried corn made into a course flour. It's controversial because it's used to make feed for livestock. 
Ground wheat- same as above
poultry fat- from rendering... again, meat not named, bad sign
corn gluten meal- the rubbery stuff of corn that's left once the good carbohydrates are removed
chicken by product meal- dry rendered chicken by products, which mean the slaughterhouse waste deemed unfit for human consumption once the prime cuts are removed
beet pulp- stuff used after sugar beet processing, controversial as some call it a cheap filler and other say it's good for intestinal health, in reasonable quantities
Also there is menadione, a very controversial ingredient that has been llinked to liver failure and allergies.
Finally, there is a protein content of 26 percent, fat 18, and carbs 48-all pretty average. 
Now, if your dog is doing well on this brand, by all means keep feeding it, but just know that you can find MUCH, MUCH better foods with good, maybe even better results for a similar price. If you want any reccomendations, feel free to PM me. Hope I helped.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

terryj said:


> I've recently bought a new puppy and her name is Nickie and she is 5 months old and the people I bought her from were feeding her Black Gold Ultimate Puppy food. I ,ve had her for one month and she seems to be doing well on it.
> Is anyone familiar with this brand of food or has anyone used it before.
> Just curious .
> 
> Thanks


Black Gold is a good mid-range food. It doesn't conform to the "natural or holistic" feeding philosophy but then it doesn't claim to. If your pup is doing well on it, there is no reason to change.


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## Merlins mom (Jun 20, 2007)

My SIL feeds this to her 4 border collies. No problems and they look great!


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

The thing that stands out to me from the ingredients list that Abby posted is that there is only 1 meat source in the first 5 ingredients. The fact that it's an un-named meat source is another thing I'd be leery of. Since food allergies are so common in the breed, I'd prefer to know EXACTLY what I'm feeding my dog.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Enzos_Mom said:


> Since food allergies are so common in the breed, I'd prefer to know EXACTLY what I'm feeding my dog.


Actual food allergies are rare in dogs, including goldens. They are in no way "common".


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

Swampcollie said:


> Actual food allergies are rare in dogs, including goldens. They are in no way "common".


They sure don't seem rare. Food sensitivities are common, at the very least. Either way, I'd want to know exactly what my dog is eating and that isn't possible when all they tell you is that it's meat.


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## Jamm (Mar 28, 2010)

Swampcollie said:


> Actual food allergies are rare in dogs, including goldens. They are in no way "common".


I have soooo many people come into my work (at a petstore) buying allergy care, and having to buy a specific food because their dog has allergies, i see so many of them in every breed.


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## Green&Gold (Nov 2, 2010)

*food*

Dog Food Reviews - Black Gold Signature Series 32/24 Ultimate Puppy - Powered by ReviewPost

This website provides a brief overview of the food. I do wish it listed general prices. The food you're on gets 2 stars.

On one hand, I'm sure it's fine. I mean, Eukanuba is 1 star, and that's one of the most expensive foods at Petsmart.

On the other hand, the 5 and 6 star foods that are highly recommended tend to only be $5-10 more expensive for comparable size bags, and they're easier on your dog's digestive system, the dog poops a WHOLE LOT LESS, and the dog looks and acts healthier. It obviously depends on your situation, but I think it's worth consideration.

When we move up to adult food we are switching from Eukanuba to Canidae. It's in the $40 for a 35 lb bag range. Not cheap, but it gets 5 stars, made with real meat, and I look forward to selling my stock in poop bags.

Enjoy!


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

It seems that a few Goldens on this forum are suffering from possible food allergies. My Austin may be of them. We are currently eliminating wheat and beef from his diet to try to pinpoint what is causing the ear infections.

Check out this link:

Dog Allergies - Golden Retriever


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## janine (Aug 8, 2009)

Laurie said:


> It seems that a few Goldens on this forum are suffering from possible food allergies. My Austin may be of them. We are currently eliminating wheat and beef from his diet to try to pinpoint what is causing the ear infections.
> 
> Check out this link:
> 
> Dog Allergies - Golden Retriever


Thanks for the link....we have gone grain free (only been about 5 weeks) because of ear infections/dirty ears. Chester had good ears (for two years) until the vet put Murphy on Science Diet for loose poo. They were eating Innova and Cal. Naturals before that. Chester was also eating some of the SD and got his first ear infection...then vet said when Murphy was neutered to keep an eye on his ears they were not infected but dirty. Corn is very high on the ingredients list in S/D so for now we have cut all grains and if we have luck with good ears I then might add some grain back in the diet. Murphy is very skinny so he need more calories.


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

janine said:


> Thanks for the link....we have gone grain free (only been about 5 weeks) because of ear infections/dirty ears. Chester had good ears (for two years) until the vet put Murphy on Science Diet for loose poo. They were eating Innova and Cal. Naturals before that. Chester was also eating some of the SD and got his first ear infection...then vet said when Murphy was neutered to keep an eye on his ears they were not infected but dirty. Corn is very high on the ingredients list in S/D so for now we have cut all grains and if we have luck with good ears I then might add some grain back in the diet. Murphy is very skinny so he need more calories.


My guys are currently on a 50-50 raw diet with Orijen (Regional Red) being their kibble of choice. It is grain free. However, I've noticed that some of the treats we've been feeding them have wheat and are beef based (ie. Rollover). Austin seems to be the only one suffereing at the moment. My oldes boy, Reno, hasn't had an ear infection in 8 years!! I'm :crossfing that the elimination of the wheat and beef will make a difference in his ears. 

My Lincoln was quite skinny as well (looked a alot like Murphy). He's packed on about 6 or 7 pounds since we switched to raw...I had him weighed last Friday..he's now 71 pounds and he's not quite 2 years old. He is, however, still long and lean.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Swampcollie said:


> Actual food allergies are rare in dogs, including goldens. They are in no way "common".


I know this statement isn't going to be particularly popular, but it's true, so I figured I'd second what SC is saying.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

I have found that, with kopper, he will be 8 yrs. old in feb. that the fromm grain free put some weight on him, so he is on other fromm types, i feed him less also, but still put weight on, brodee, my lab., is doing fine on grain free, and also spirit.


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## Abby (Aug 17, 2010)

If you want an affordable, quality food, try kirkland at costco. The price it like 20 bucks for a 40 pound bag and the ingredients and nutritional content is quite good.


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

tippykayak said:


> I know this statement isn't going to be particularly popular, but it's true, so I figured I'd second what SC is saying.


According to this site, only about 1% of dogs are affected by food allergies. Are they the ultimate authority? No, but I have read similar articles on other sites. It's just one of the first sites I stumbled on after doing a search.

Shackleford Road Veterinary Clinic

*Allergy Information*
_Allergies are a common cause of chronic itching in dogs and sometimes cats. Chronic ear infections may be a result of these allergies also. Our pets can be allergic to pollens, molds, mites, foods (typically protein sources such as beef or chicken or carbohydrates such as corn or wheat) and insects such as fleas. It should be noted that food allergies are typically developed over time to foods the animal has been eating for weeks, months, or years. Fleas are the most common allergy, followed by atopy (affecting about 10% of dogs) and food allergies (affecting about 1% of dogs). Secondary skin infections with bacteria or fungus are common as well and contribute to the itching. _


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Abby said:


> The first ingredient is meat meal. Meal is highly concentrated meat and contained about 300 percent more protein than meat. This is done by pretty much over cooking the meat and baking the residue into a super concentrated meat powder. You can find meals in generally all dog foods, a good ingredient the problem here is that it doesn't state WHAT meats.


I'm with you in that I like to know what kind of meat my dog is eating, but where are you getting this "300 percent more protein than meat" number? Do you mean by weight?



Abby said:


> In the pet food industry, "meat meal" can mean roadkill, dead zoo animals, diseased livestock, even euthanized cats and dogs.


This is a commonly repeated claim from a popular anti-kibble website, but there's no evidence that it's true. It's illegal to use diseased animals, roadkill, etc. in pet food.

I'm not going to quote the rest, but I'll take on two of the claims: 

Beet pulp is basically a fiber additive, and most dogs thrive on a little fiber, which is why it's added. 

Menadione is a popular bugaboo, but there's no evidence to suggest it's harmful in the amounts that are added to pet foods as a Vitamin K supplement.

Now, I don't know if this food is good or not, but the way that dog food websites generally teach people to read bags is ridiculous.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

A lot of things that people call "allergies" in dogs aren't actually allergies. Food intolerance is a different thing, and should not be confused with true allergies.

Also, most itching isn't caused by food allergies. Environmental allergies and fleas are far more common.

I think, because people are constantly talking about allergies, that folks assume their dog's problem is caused by them, and so we get a lot of people saying their dogs have allergies and saying something is the allergen, even though no vet has rigorously confirmed this finding.


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## OrdinaryEllen (Jun 20, 2010)

*choosing the best food for your dog*

I feed Piper Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural Grain Free. He loves it. Piper gets two cups in the morning around 6:30 am and another cup around 5:30 pm. I wanted to choose a healthy food but also one he really seemed to enjoy eating. 

He gets a pretty good variety of treats, most store bought, but he also gets some pumpkin once or twice a week and we're starting him on a scrambled egg from time to time. He does eat peanut butter in his Kong. A few actual peanuts from time to time and, from a tip I learned on this site, baby carrots although he munches and does not seem crazy about them.

The next thing I hope to add is sardines or some type of rich fish weekly.

I do worry more about food choices with Piper, especially after reading many of the posts on the forum that provide information that I previously lacked.:doh:


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

I am one to tell you that Maggie was on Fromm Duck and Sweet Potato solely for 3 months and doing fine. In August my son picked out the Fromm Chicken A la veg recipe to try, because he liked the black and orange bag(he's an Orioles fan, go figure). Well, it wasn't immediately noticeable, however, she did scratch and bite at the feathery hind end hairs and her tail hairs. I mean it looked so bad, like she got a hold of a pair of scissors and just started cutting her hair out. It looked awful. I checked for bugs, fleas, hot spots, nothing. I got her back on the duck and sweet potato and she is back to normal. It took about six weeks for this to clear up. If you don't want to call it an allergy, then I say she's sensitive to chicken.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Blondie said:


> If you don't want to call it an allergy, then I say she's sensitive to chicken.


It's not about what we want to call it or about agreeing on a term as forum members (like we do with "correction" or "aversive"). It's that the word "allergy" has a very specific medical definition, and you don't want to confuse the term with non-allergic reactions to food.


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## terryj (Oct 30, 2010)

Thank you for the response to my inquires about Black Gold puppy food and I will consider the alternatives upon Nickie finishing the food I have left.

Thanks,
Terry


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

Abby said:


> ... You can find meals in generally all dog foods, a good ingredient the problem here is that it doesn't state WHAT meats. In the pet food industry, "meat meal" can mean roadkill, dead zoo animals, diseased livestock, even euthanized cats and dogs ...





tippykayak said:


> This is a commonly repeated claim from a popular anti-kibble website, but there's no evidence that it's true. *It's illegal to use diseased animals, roadkill, etc. in pet food.*
> 
> But are the laws being enforced ?
> You forgot to mention all the loopholes ...
> http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/undeniable-proof-the-fda-allows-pet-food-to-break-the-law.html


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

T&T said:


> tippykayak said:
> 
> 
> > This is a commonly repeated claim from a popular anti-kibble website, but there's no evidence that it's true. *It's illegal to use diseased animals, roadkill, etc. in pet food.*
> ...


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