# Question about Eukanuba



## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

Nothing wrong with Eukanuba or Iams.......whatever works for your dog.


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## Merlins mom (Jun 20, 2007)

Merlin's been eating Eukanuba for about two years and he is doing great on it! Like Wyatt's mommy says, it's about what works for your dog. If we had soft stools or I thought his coat didn't look good I'd try something else.


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## akgolden (Jun 18, 2011)

Wyatt's mommy said:


> Nothing wrong with Eukanuba or Iams.......whatever works for your dog.


+1
I feed both my lab and Golden the exact same bag as the OP stated and had great results. About 3-4 months ago I switched just to try something new that I heard great results about. The Golden is now on Taste Of The Wild Pacific Stream which she loves


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## EmmieLou (Nov 13, 2011)

Okay. Thanks. I was just wondering.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Been feeding Eukanuba to my own dogs and the training dogs for almost thirty years. It is rare to find a dog that doesn't do well on it.


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

I feed Eukanuba too. Nutrition threads tend to be dominated by topics on the newer 'better' brands. Many think the newer ones are better and they get a lot more chat time as a result. Not slamming the newer ones, but I prefer one with a good long term track record as Eukanuba. JMO.


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## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

I never liked Iams because I heard they are involved in animal testing. Not sure if there is any truth behind that. 

I dont really like breed specific foods as I think they are a hype but whatever works for your dog is what you should feed . Ive learned that, having a dog who only seems to do well on Purina Pro Plan.


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## desi.n.nutro (Mar 18, 2011)

I like to pick foods based on digestibility, safety, history. I look for complete and balanced nutrition that contributes to my pet’s health and vitality. I like no ground yellow corn, no chicken-by-products, and no chemicals. I like a lot of Omega 3's and 6's and nutrient dense food that help my pets thrive without having to supplement them. I used to feed one of the foods already mentioned and we had no success with it. This generation of dogs is doing so much better than Buck, since we switched. There are so many choices out there and you can keep looking until you find the perfect one for Emmie to have a long healthy life.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

We feed Eukanuba. It's very popular among people who show and compete with their dogs, which is a big plus in its favor in my eyes.

The dogs have been very healthy with bright eyes, healthy weight, and great coats.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

My dogs do the best on Eukanuba Premium Performance, and my golden Joplin lived nearly to age 16 eating it every day of his life. That being said, sometimes I feel guilty that it might have preservatives or fillers, so I sometimes stray away. I never get the nice coats and good weights with other foods though, except for Solid Gold SunDancer.


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## becky101803 (Dec 1, 2011)

Our breeder uses/recommends Eukanuba so that is what we will use.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

Eukanuba has been around a long time so doesn't get as much attention as some of the newer formulas. They have many, many more formulas than they did even 10 years ago; most likely to get as large of a market share as possible. That's business.

I think Eukanuba's breed specific formulas are not as good as some of their other formulas. Ingredients listed on the Eukanuba Labrador bag are in order of *pre-cooked* weight (heaviest first). So, once the high moisture content of the #1 listed chicken is cooked out, that makes the #2 listed ingredient of cornmeal actually the #1 ingredient in post-cooked weight. Dogs need and utilize meat protein more than plant protein; so I always look for formulas that have a decent chance of meat protein being the #1 ingredient in the manufactured kibble.

You might want to take a look at:

Eukanuba Pure: protein/fat at 25/16; chicken, chicken meal as the first two ingredients

Eukanuba Active Performance: protein/fat at 28/18; chicken, chicken by-product meal


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

MyBentley said:


> Ingredients listed on the Eukanuba Labrador bag are in order of *pre-cooked* weight (heaviest first). So, once the high moisture content of the #1 listed chicken is cooked out, that makes the #2 listed ingredient of cornmeal actually the #1 ingredient in post-cooked weight. Dogs need and utilize meat protein more than plant protein; so I always look for formulas that have a decent chance of meat protein being the #1 ingredient in the manufactured kibble.


Just to be clear, you don't know for sure that the chicken ends up weighing less than the corn meal. You're right that "chicken," listed by itself, is a pre-cooked weight and will lose weight when being cooked, but since you don't know how much, you can't say with certainty that it ends up weighing less than the corn meal. The way dog food websites teach folks to read ingredient lists sometimes results in inaccurate assumptions.

Personally, I like the performance blends more too, but they're too high in calories for some dogs.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

tippykayak said:


> Just to be clear, you don't know for sure that the chicken ends up weighing less than the corn meal. You're right that "chicken," listed by itself, is a pre-cooked weight and will lose weight when being cooked, but since you don't know how much, *you can't say with certainty that it ends up weighing less than the corn meal.* The way dog food websites teach folks to read ingredient lists sometimes results in inaccurate assumptions.
> 
> Personally, I like the performance blends more too, but they're too high in calories for some dogs.


I found the following paragraph of information on the Timberwolf Organics food site this last year and found it interesting. I'll also provide the link to the entire page. It seems like it would be pretty unlikely that "chicken" followed by "cornmeal" could possibly end up being the post-manufactured main ingredient.

_So you say, "Fine. What about dog foods that list meat?"

Good question! Oh, what clever readers you are! First, only a handful of mills have the equipment to add meat. Some companies may list meat but actually use meal. Of those that actually can add meat, it’s not quite what you would expect. It’s usually mechanically de-boned and mixed with water to make a slurry that is pumped into the extruder. The most you can use in a formula is limited to about 30%, although manufacturers can use as little as 3%. What starts out as chicken with 78% moisture is now perhaps 90% moisture cooked down to 10%. That 30% you started out with is now about 3.3% or less dry matter. To get the protein up, you must now add corn gluten meal or another protein source. Corn gluten meal is a good protein source; it’s high in sulfur-containing amino acids. But a lot of people (myself included) prefer an animal-based protein, which means you must add animal meals, which means it is not 100% human grade._

Myths & Misconceptions of dog food


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## jpajinag (Nov 25, 2010)

Our dogs eat Eukanuba Large Breed and Large Breed Puppy. We have tried other premium foods- some were okay, some did NOT work out, but in the end came back to Eukanuba (supplemented occasionally with raw) because over the last 15 years it is what has worked for all our dogs (from Rotties to Maltese to Goldens). In the end what works best for your dog IS what is best for YOUR dog.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

MyBentley said:


> I found the following paragraph of information on the Timberwolf Organics food site this last year and found it interesting. I'll also provide the link to the entire page. It seems like it would be pretty unlikely that "chicken" followed by "cornmeal" could possibly end up being the post-manufactured main ingredient.


My point is that you don't know. And the fact that it's the Timberwolf Organics website that you're citing here should tell you a lot about who stands to gain from perpetuating negative assumptions about mainstream foods.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

tippykayak said:


> My point is that you don't know. And the fact that it's the Timberwolf Organics website that you're citing here should tell you a lot about who stands to gain from perpetuating negative assumptions about mainstream foods.


Well, yes, it's an understatement unfortunately to say that consumers don't know with certainty a lot about kibble. The pet food companies and manufacturers keep us guessing to a great degree. . . some more than others.

Although I tend to be a skeptic, I don't totally discount the information on the Timberwolf site regarding the percentage range of fresh meat in kibble. After all, Timberwolf, like Eukanuba, does offer a formula with a fresh meat listed first followed by a grain just like Eukanuba does in its breed specific formulas. It is the Black Forest formula which lists the first two ingredients as "venison, brown rice". 

My point, to the OP, was that it's an educated guess to perceive that Eukanuba's Pure formula and Active Performance formula have more meat-based protein (compared to plant-based) than Eukanuba's breed specific formulas. Now, wether or not the OP considers that a priority is up to her, of course.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

MyBentley said:


> My point, to the OP, was that it's an educated guess to perceive that Eukanuba's Pure formula and Active Performance formula have more meat-based protein (compared to plant-based) than Eukanuba's breed specific formulas. Now, wether or not the OP considers that a priority is up to her, of course.


I think you're probably right about this, I just like to encourage a lot of skepticism about dog food information posted online by either dog food companies or self-proclaimed dog food experts with no credentials or original research (like many of the dog food rating websites).

The thing about the non-performance formulas is that they probably have more vegetable matter because the food needs to have enough bulk but shouldn't have too many calories and too much protein and fat. So they're probably perfect for a lot of dogs. I worry that the pursuit of extra meat in dog food also pushes people toward foods that may be richer than is really ideal.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

tippykayak said:


> I think you're probably right about this, I just like to encourage a lot of skepticism about dog food information posted online by either dog food companies or self-proclaimed dog food experts with no credentials or original research (like many of the dog food rating websites).
> 
> The thing about the non-performance formulas is that they probably have more vegetable matter because the food needs to have enough bulk but shouldn't have too many calories and too much protein and fat. So they're probably perfect for a lot of dogs. *I worry that the pursuit of extra meat in dog food also pushes people toward foods that may be richer than is really ideal*.


I see what you mean to a certain degree. I often add a little of my own fresh-cooked high quality ground meat or an egg to my dogs' dinners to boost the protein of a kibble that is potentially a little lower on meat-based protein than I like. That way I don't have to guess on the sourcing or quality and I'm satisfied using a specific kibble as a base for my own supplementing.


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## desi.n.nutro (Mar 18, 2011)

I agree with the Timberwolf article, readers (and pet owners) are so clever. 
Chicken meal is usually chicken with all of the water and most of the fat removed. When chicken, and not chicken meal, is the first ingredient it would move to fourth or fifth once it was measured without the water and fat. I would recommend always looking for *meat protein meal* as the first ingredient; except for by-product meals of course. 
I also wanted to add to the corn gluten vs. corn comment from the article. When you mill corn the result is bran, oil, starch, and protein. Corn gluten is the protein part of corn and is much more bioavailable or what some folks call digestible. Corn meal is a carb but corn gluten meal is a protein. 
Again, I have to say that you all are so smart and paying such good attention. It warms my heart and I am happy for your pets.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

desi.n.nutro said:


> Chicken meal is usually chicken with all of the water and most of the fat removed. When chicken, and not chicken meal, is the first ingredient it would move to fourth or fifth once it was measured without the water and fat.


Again, that is an _assumption_, not a hard and fast reality. A food should not be penalized for listing an non-meal meat first. Because it's first, it could easily be the main ingredient. It could also easily be the third or fourth ingredient (by real weight). You simply don't know by reading the bag. It would not _necessarily_ move to fourth or fifth. It might, but you don't know for sure.



desi.n.nutro said:


> I would recommend always looking for *meat protein meal* as the first ingredient; except for by-product meals of course.


Of course? Byproduct meal simply refers to a different ingredient, not necessarily an inferior one. "Byproduct meal" on a dog food label, simply refers to meat, skin, fat, organ meat, and bone, ground into a meal the same way a meat meal is. Meat, bones, skin, fat, and organs, as raw feeders know, are perfectly good ingredients. They offer a different (and more varied) nutrient profile than a meat meal, but not an inferior one.



desi.n.nutro said:


> I also wanted to add to the corn gluten vs. corn comment from the article. When you mill corn the result is bran, oil, starch, and protein. Corn gluten is the protein part of corn and is much more bioavailable or what some folks call digestible.


I hear "bioavailable" as a term that's used regularly in dog food discussions, but I have no idea how it's quantified. It appears, to me at least, to be a bit of pseudoscientific language that has no rigorous definition in animal nutrition. Please correct me if I'm wrong here. How does one measure "bioavailability" in a grain as opposed to a meat? And can we prove that there's an enormous difference in "bioavailability" or "digestibility" between a ground grain and a ground meat?


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

MyBentley said:


> _ Of those that actually can add meat, it’s not quite what you would expect. It’s usually mechanically de-boned and mixed with water to make a slurry that is pumped into the extruder. _
> 
> Myths & Misconceptions of dog food



Staying out of it, but, this is also how you make a commercial chicken nugget...my hubby has been known to go on a Mc Nugget run...and his coat is still shiny...don't want to know about his stool.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Lol, that last comment made me laugh!


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## desi.n.nutro (Mar 18, 2011)

I am unsure if you are commenting or inquiring. I decided to further express my thoughts on the subjects. 



tippykayak said:


> Again, that is an _assumption_, not a hard and fast reality. A food should not be penalized for listing an non-meal meat first. Because it's first, it could easily be the main ingredient. It could also easily be the third or fourth ingredient (by real weight). You simply don't know by reading the bag. It would not _necessarily_ move to fourth or fifth. It might, but you don't know for sure.


I whole-heartedly agree that real weight of ingredients depends on milling and processing. That is why I said usually because I believe that is not a hard and fast reality but a usual occurrence. While dogs are not obligate carnivores I still believe they are meat eaters that benefit most from a diet dominate in protein and meat. BTW, I believe the same for myself. 



tippykayak said:


> Of course? Byproduct meal simply refers to a different ingredient, not necessarily an inferior one. "Byproduct meal" on a dog food label, simply refers to meat, skin, fat, organ meat, and bone, ground into a meal the same way a meat meal is. Meat, bones, skin, fat, and organs, as raw feeders know, are perfectly good ingredients. They offer a different (and more varied) nutrient profile than a meat meal, but not an inferior one.


Byproduct meal means many different things. A meat byproduct meal is defined differently depending on the meat. In fact, meat byproduct itself is defined as anything from an animal other than meat but poultry byproduct may contain poultry head, feet and intestine. Your definition sounds like mammal byproduct except to add tankage. None of it is bad. I just believe there are ingredients that are better. I encourage my dogs to have bones from the butcher as well as eat deer and elk legs we find left by hunters. Over pet food and beef hocks, they still eat litter crunchies and horse pies and everything the chickens _leave_. Dogs will be dogs. BTW, I don't believe I should eat the same way in this regard.



tippykayak said:


> I hear "bioavailable" as a term that's used regularly in dog food discussions, but I have no idea how it's quantified. It appears, to me at least, to be a bit of pseudoscientific language that has no rigorous definition in animal nutrition. Please correct me if I'm wrong here. How does one measure "bioavailability" in a grain as opposed to a meat? And can we prove that there's an enormous difference in "bioavailability" or "digestibility" between a ground grain and a ground meat?


This may be far off in the weeds from the point I was trying to make but here goes. For dietary supplements, herbs and other nutrients, bioavailability generally designates simply the quantity or fraction of the ingested dose that is absorbed. The guaranteed analysis would be the anticipated minimum of nutrients absorbed. My understanding is we can prove the guaranteed analysis of individual ingredients as well as the combined whole of ingredients once they interact with each other. Does that sound right to you? BTW, I don't eat weeds. 

Thank you for the exchange. I love to learn and I love talking about our pets and all that is pet related.


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## desi.n.nutro (Mar 18, 2011)

maggiesmommy said:


> Staying out of it, but, this is also how you make a commercial chicken nugget...my hubby has been known to go on a Mc Nugget run...and his coat is still shiny...don't want to know about his stool.


My hubby is not supposed to go on a nugget run but I wouldn't be surprised to find out he sneaks behind my back because he seems to be blowing his coat.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

desi.n.nutro said:


> I whole-heartedly agree that real weight of ingredients depends on milling and processing. That is why I said usually because I believe that is not a hard and fast reality but a usual occurrence. While dogs are not obligate carnivores I still believe they are meat eaters that benefit most from a diet dominate in protein and meat. BTW, I believe the same for myself.


I'm not disagreeing that dogs need meat in their diets, but rather pulling apart some of the assumptions that are common in the dog food discussion but perhaps not as solidly grounded in evidence as they should be.



desi.n.nutro said:


> Byproduct meal means many different things. A meat byproduct meal is defined differently depending on the meat. In fact, meat byproduct itself is defined as anything from an animal other than meat but poultry byproduct may contain poultry head, feet and intestine. Your definition sounds like mammal byproduct except to add tankage. None of it is bad. I just believe there are ingredients that are better.


Just FYI, the AAFCO definition of by-product meal doesn't include anything and everything from an animal, as you suggest. It defines byproduct as "the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices." So when you see it on the bag, that's what it means. 



desi.n.nutro said:


> I encourage my dogs to have bones from the butcher as well as eat deer and elk legs we find left by hunters. Over pet food and beef hocks, they still eat litter crunchies and horse pies and everything the chickens _leave_. Dogs will be dogs. BTW, I don't believe I should eat the same way in this regard.


I don't think dogs should be eating other animals' feces, no matter how much they seem to enjoy it. Dogs are equipped to make use of the nutrients found in such sources, but since they don't need to if you're feeding them, I prefer to have them avoid the risk of the parasites and other diseases.



desi.n.nutro said:


> This may be far off in the weeds from the point I was trying to make but here goes. For dietary supplements, herbs and other nutrients, bioavailability generally designates simply the quantity or fraction of the ingested dose that is absorbed.


How does one measure this percentage?



desi.n.nutro said:


> The guaranteed analysis would be the anticipated minimum of nutrients absorbed. My understanding is we can prove the guaranteed analysis of individual ingredients as well as the combined whole of ingredients once they interact with each other. Does that sound right to you? BTW, I don't eat weeds.


The GA numbers do not reflect the nutrients the animal will absorb but rather the minimum proportion of nutrients that are in the bag. Measuring how much of a given nutrient an animal will absorb is really, really tricky, and those measurements play no role in any of the nutrition information on a dog food bag.



desi.n.nutro said:


> Thank you for the exchange. I love to learn and I love talking about our pets and all that is pet related.


Thank you too!


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

A few dog food brands will tell you on the bag what % of the protein is from meat. I know that Orijen and Acana list it. A handful of other companies will share that information if you call their customer service. Then finally, there are the companies that either don't understand the question and just repeat how much overall protein is in the formula or simply don't want the consumer to know.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

To the OP--all of my dogs except my current one, Toby, did very well on Iams and/or Eukanuba throughout their lives. My Beau was on Iams, then Eukanuba until he died at 13 1/2. My Barkley did very well on Eukanuba Sensitive Skin and he died one month shy of 13. My Toby didn't so do well on it so we switched him around, finally settling on Wellness, but we later learned he suffered from a cobalamin and folate deficiency, which is now under control--he's doing well on his current kibble so we aren't switching back now because we don't want to mess with a good thing. If your dog is healthy and thriving on it, that's wonderful!


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

I don't think there's anything wrong with Eukanuba. We had Riley on it and he did real well for quite a while. His coat started going downhill and he gained quite a bit of weight, so we switched back to Fromm. Found out that he's hypothyroid, so I imagine that had more to do with the weight-gain and poor coat than the food did.
He's doing real well on the Fromm now, so I don't want to fix what isn't broken. Otherwise, I would have no problem switching back to Eukanuba.


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

Changing the subject a bit, but still on Eukanuba. I'm a little put off with Eukanuba or maybe my frustration should be directed at Tractor Supply. The other day I go there to buy a 40lb bag of Euk Maint formula and all they have in any formulas are 33lb. Price was a little lower than the old 40lb but not much. Net effect is a price increase per pound. I emailed Tractor Supply and they say the manufacturer changed it. But Eukanuba's website still shows 40lb availability as well. Are any of you guys seeing a change to 33lb if you are buying from someone other than TSC?

I know other brands have reduced their bag size, but it chaps me. Sneaky way to increase the price.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

msdogs1976 said:


> Changing the subject a bit, but still on Eukanuba. I'm a little put off with Eukanuba or maybe my frustration should be directed at Tractor Supply. The other day I go there to buy a 40lb bag of Euk Maint formula and all they have in any formulas are 33lb. Price was a little lower than the old 40lb but not much. Net effect is a price increase per pound. I emailed Tractor Supply and they say the manufacturer changed it. But Eukanuba's website still shows 40lb availability as well. Are any of you guys seeing a change to 33lb if you are buying from someone other than TSC?
> 
> I know other brands have reduced their bag size, but it chaps me. Sneaky way to increase the price.


We aren't on Eukanuba, but I'm afraid prices are going to increase with all brands and the smaller bags at the same or slightly lower pricing is a common practice.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

My dog was on Eukanuba Puppy, then Large Breed, then Retriever formula, then Senior until a year ago She did superbly well on it, and the only reason I switched is because I was introduced to Acana, which is made from Canadian products, in Canada, which appealed to me. But can I see any difference at all? No. She is doing equally well on Acana Senior.




Dallas Gold said:


> We aren't on Eukanuba, but *I'm afraid prices are going to increase with all brands and the smaller bags at the same or slightly lower pricing is a common practice*.


In fact, I just bought a new bag of food, the biggest size, for the same price as always. But when I got it home, I discovered the 30 pound bag is now a 28 pound bag. I think this is how a lot of food producers are coping - human and pet food. You pay the same, but the package size has shrunk. It feels very dishonest to me - and in fact, I actually thought about writing to Acana about it, just as customer feedback. But I guess their market research has told them that people would prefer NOT to see a price hike, even though it means I'll be buying the food sooner than I used to.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Commodity prices have gone up a bit, but with the current economic instability people are cutting back on things like dog food and opting for cheaper brands. So if the sticker price on the bag goes up, you risk having the person look for a cheaper bag. So, they shrink the bag a bit, they can keep the sticker the same and lower the risk of that moment where the hypothetical consumer looks around for a new brand.

It's frustrating, but they're all doing it, so it seems like an increase in their costs across the board and they have to pass it on somehow.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

msdogs1976 said:


> Changing the subject a bit, but still on Eukanuba. I'm a little put off with Eukanuba or maybe my frustration should be directed at Tractor Supply. The other day I go there to buy a 40lb bag of Euk Maint formula and all they have in any formulas are 33lb. Price was a little lower than the old 40lb but not much. Net effect is a price increase per pound. I emailed Tractor Supply and they say the manufacturer changed it. But Eukanuba's website still shows 40lb availability as well. Are any of you guys seeing a change to 33lb if you are buying from someone other than TSC?
> 
> I know other brands have reduced their bag size, but it chaps me. Sneaky way to increase the price.


Eukanuba has offered more packaging options to its' retail outlets, so the stores have the lattitude to select package size and set their price structure. (For example we buy 44lb bags.)

Price increases are a fact of life we all have to live with as commodity prices continue to rise. The sale price of a whole chicken at the grocery store is $1.35 higher than it was a year ago too.


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## Visitador (Aug 12, 2011)

Just to thank everyone for their insights.

Cody came from the breeder using Eukanuba Puppy Growth. We have been happy with it. His stool is firm and at 14 weeks he weights 31 pounds. We have to decide what to do next. The breeder advises switching to adult formula when he is 5 or 6 months. Judging from some of the replies, it seems better to switch to Large Breed, rather than the specific Labrador Retriever one. Anyone care to comment? Thanks.


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## desi.n.nutro (Mar 18, 2011)

tippykayak said:


> Commodity prices have gone up a bit, but with the current economic instability people are cutting back on things like dog food and opting for cheaper brands. So if the sticker price on the bag goes up, you risk having the person look for a cheaper bag. So, they shrink the bag a bit, they can keep the sticker the same and lower the risk of that moment where the hypothetical consumer looks around for a new brand.
> 
> It's frustrating, but they're all doing it, so it seems like an increase in their costs across the board and they have to pass it on somehow.


 
Commodity prices have gone up as much as 40% but most food companies are trying to keep the price increases under 20%. I think I was told NUTRO is able to stick to around 16%. 

Timing is everything though and I wanted to cut some of the frustration away. Smaller bags have been petitioned by the pet stores for the safe lifting for store employees. I am sure companies do smaller bag, same price, to increase their prices at the same time as satisfying the pet food stores.


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## Tinatxh (Feb 3, 2012)

shadow is on blue buffalo its an amazing dog food


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## desi.n.nutro (Mar 18, 2011)

Visitador said:


> Just to thank everyone for their insights.
> 
> Cody came from the breeder using Eukanuba Puppy Growth. We have been happy with it. His stool is firm and at 14 weeks he weights 31 pounds. We have to decide what to do next. The breeder advises switching to adult formula when he is 5 or 6 months. Judging from some of the replies, it seems better to switch to Large Breed, rather than the specific Labrador Retriever one. Anyone care to comment? Thanks.


 
I bet they are similar since the Labrador Retriever one should cover the balance of calcium/phosphorus and optimize the protein/fat levels to specifically meet Large Breed needs. A few breeders suggest switching at 5 or 6 months to an adult food. When you are on a Premium Large Breed Puppy food and you switch to the Labrador food, the unique needs for the growth of your Large Breed puppy are being met and you can even wait until the puppy is a year old and done growing.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Visitador said:


> Just to thank everyone for their insights.
> 
> Cody came from the breeder using Eukanuba Puppy Growth. We have been happy with it. His stool is firm and at 14 weeks he weights 31 pounds. We have to decide what to do next. The breeder advises switching to adult formula when he is 5 or 6 months. Judging from some of the replies, it seems better to switch to Large Breed, rather than the specific Labrador Retriever one. Anyone care to comment? Thanks.


They're both very similar. The retriever formula may have a bit more glucosamine and chondroitin. You can compare the ingredients and nutritional analysis on their webpage of each specific formula.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Visitador said:


> Just to thank everyone for their insights.
> 
> Cody came from the breeder using Eukanuba Puppy Growth. We have been happy with it. His stool is firm and at 14 weeks he weights 31 pounds. We have to decide what to do next. The breeder advises switching to adult formula when he is 5 or 6 months. Judging from some of the replies, it seems better to switch to Large Breed, rather than the specific Labrador Retriever one. Anyone care to comment? Thanks.


I would switch to the Large Breed Puppy formula. When the pup has completed its' last major growth spurt, switch to an Adult formula.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Swampcollie said:


> I would switch to the Large Breed Puppy formula. When the pup has completed its' last major growth spurt, switch to an Adult formula.


I agree. I wouldn't feed the growth formula, since you want slow growth. I'd switch to LBP, and then onto adult food at 18 months or so.


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## Visitador (Aug 12, 2011)

Totally confused now.

The last couple of posters suggested switching to LPG rather than adult formula. Breeder says switch to adult. Some posters in the "up to 1 year old" forum suggest adult formula.

Huh, the more I research, the more info. clutter my mind. I wish the FDA would go into pet food research. lol


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

I think you're fine with LBP or adult. Both have the lower calcium/phosphorus ratio that may help protect your pup from growth-related problems. We do LBP because Eukanuba has put significant resources into developing it for fast growing pups. But you'd be fine with adult, I'm sure.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

IMO, there is absolutely no need for a Large Breed Puppy formula for your dog at 5 or 6 months. Feeding a properly formulated "all life stages" food in the appropriate amounts should work very well. 

I believe that Eukanuba originally developed a large breed puppy formula in response to a now relatively old study about great danes . . . a truly large breed.

Many breeders never use large breed formulas and realize that in most cases it's just one more marketing strategy by pet food companies.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

FYI- there are a number of growth studies referenced in Eukanuba's white paper on LBP food, not just a single one on Great Danes. I agree that Goldens aren't as at risk as GDs for growth issues, but I'm not aware of any newer research that contradicts the idea of lower calcium/phosphorus ratio for fast growing breeds. An ALS food would probably be fine too, since most ALS foods have calcium/phosphorus amounts within the recommended guidelines.


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

tippykayak said:


> Commodity prices have gone up a bit, but with the current economic instability people are cutting back on things like dog food and opting for cheaper brands. So if the sticker price on the bag goes up, you risk having the person look for a cheaper bag. So, they shrink the bag a bit, they can keep the sticker the same and lower the risk of that moment where the hypothetical consumer looks around for a new brand.
> 
> It's frustrating, but they're all doing it, so it seems like an increase in their costs across the board and they have to pass it on somehow.





Swampcollie said:


> Eukanuba has offered more packaging options to its' retail outlets, so the stores have the lattitude to select package size and set their price structure. (For example we buy 44lb bags.)
> 
> Price increases are a fact of life we all have to live with as commodity prices continue to rise. The sale price of a whole chicken at the grocery store is $1.35 higher than it was a year ago too.


Went to TSC today and they removed all Eukanuba products from the store. I'm certainly not buying it from Petco as the prices there are crazy. The clerk didn't seem to think it sold very well. I figure with the price increase they decided to concentrate on the better selling ones.

So bit the bullet and bought a bag of Diamond Performance. I know about all the previous recalls but those were from their S.C. plant and this comes from the MO one, so that makes me feel more comfortable. Plus the recalls were a few years ago, hopefully that has all been worked out. At $32 for a 40lb bag of a 30/20 formula, worth the try. 

Hopefully it will work well. Many use it on hunting dog forums.


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## john martin (Feb 26, 2012)

I switched my 8 mos. Golden to Euka Puppy Large breed from Holistic Receipe puppy. Comparing the formula, definitely Euka is superior. However, she does not finish her food which is about 2 cups each serving. 

The kibble is larger than the old food she had and probably more difficult to chew. She finished it when I wet the kibble and made it a bit softer. Do you suggest this procedure? Or should I shift her to a smaller kibble food?

Would appreciate your inputs please...


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

It may just be more calorie dense. Most pups don't need anywhere near 4 cups of Euk LBP a day. 

I'd feed her a little less and simply give her 15 minutes with the food. If she doesn't finish, don't sweat it. Simply give her the normal serving at the next meal time. She'll adjust. If she's consistently not finishing, but she's also a good weight, then you're simply giving her too much food.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

john martin said:


> I switched my 8 mos. Golden to Euka Puppy Large breed from Holistic Receipe puppy. Comparing the formula, definitely Euka is superior. However, she does not finish her food which is about 2 cups each serving.
> 
> The kibble is larger than the old food she had and probably more difficult to chew. She finished it when I wet the kibble and made it a bit softer. Do you suggest this procedure? Or should I shift her to a smaller kibble food?
> 
> Would appreciate your inputs please...


Two cups per serving is a LOT of food. By 8 months old, I think my pup was getting one cup twice a day of Eukanuba.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

Perhaps feed a bit less as the last two posters suggested; but continue to add some warm water to the kibble. It does two things: helps to release the aroma which may stimulate your dog to eat it better; plus any added moisture is a help for the dog's system to process the dry kibble. Moisture could come from water, canned food or some of your own fresh food from the kitchen.


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## john martin (Feb 26, 2012)

Thanks a lot who gave their feedback. My dog is eating better now. Had to change the food to Go Natural grain free. I'm just giving her 2.5 cups per day


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