# Food Dilema



## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

Hi....I'm from LI too!.I feed my guy Acana ranchland and Pacifica....he's only getting 2 1/2 cups a day. It's a high calorie food but he looks great. How old is your dog and what is his weight.
You'll get alot of different ideas here but IMO a good quality food is important.


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

murphy1 said:


> Hi....I'm from LI too!.I feed my guy Acana ranchland and Pacifica....he's only getting 2 1/2 cups a day. It's a high calorie food but he looks great. How old is your dog and what is his weight.
> You'll get alot of different ideas here but IMO a good quality food is important.


He is 6 years old. I haven't weighed him in a while, but he was 100 lbs the last time I weighed him. He is very big boned, but def needs to loose weight. Where on Long Island do you live?


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

Why are you feeding Acana lamb/apple? It is a food designed for diet sensitive dogs. If Benny is not food sensitive, you could switch to Acana Wild Prairie, which is also a quality food, but a little less expensive than the Lamb and Apple. Both foods are grain free.

If you want Benny to lose weight, check his calorie intake. A good rule of thumb is 10 calories per pound. So, if you want a 90 pound dog, feed about 900 calories per day. That would be about 2.25 cups per day of the Acana Lamb/Apple. By watching Max's caloric intake, he lost 20 pounds over about 8 months while eating Wild Prairie.


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

Max's Dad said:


> Why are you feeding Acana lamb/apple? It is a food designed for diet sensitive dogs. If Benny is not food sensitive, you could switch to Acana Wild Prairie, which is also a quality food, but a little less expensive than the Lamb and Apple. Both foods are grain free.
> 
> If you want Benny to lose weight, check his calorie intake. A good rule of thumb is 10 calories per pound. So, if you want a 90 pound dog, feed about 900 calories per day. That would be about 2.25 cups per day of the Acana Lamb/Apple. By watching Max's caloric intake, he lost 20 pounds over about 8 months while eating Wild Prairie.


He has a problem with chicken, but I was looking at Acana Ranchland or Grassland.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

I'm from Jericho on the north shore. Murphy is a big dog too....95lbs. My Vet said he should loose 5 lbs which is why we cut him back to 2 1/2 cups. I've switched between ranchland and pacifica. I have chosen to stay away from anything with a poultry base.
Where did you get your dog from???


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

murphy1 said:


> I'm from Jericho on the north shore. Murphy is a big dog too....95lbs. My Vet said he should loose 5 lbs which is why we cut him back to 2 1/2 cups. I've switched between ranchland and pacifica. I have chosen to stay away from anything with a poultry base.
> Where did you get your dog from???


Benny is from Darrowby Goldens, upstate. Where is Murphy from. Where do you buy your dog food. I can't find it locally, so I order online, Petflow.com


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

Murphy is from Massachusetts. Both his parents are Beau Geste. His mom was co-owned with the owner of Beau Geste.
Animal Appetites on Wantagh Ave, Wantagh. It's diagonal across the street from Mulcahy's. That was the only place I could find that carries Acana and Orijen. I usually by two large bags at a time.


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

He's beautiful. How old is he? I know Animal Appetites, I pass it on my way to Iavaronne Brothers. It's also on my way home from work. I teach in Bethpage.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

Grain-free formulas don't necessarily help a dog loose weight. It's more a matter of the percentage of carbohydrates (be they grains or not) compared to the percentages of protein and fat. In general, the higher the carbs, the harder it may be for the dog to lose weight. Of course, quantity of food and exercise is also key.

Both Bentley and my lab have been eating Farmina Natural & Delicious Wild Cod & Ancestral Low-Grain kibble since last April when it first became available in the U.S. My lab has a chicken intolerance so this food works really well in that respect. Bentley isn't very active as a 13 yr. old but has no problem maintaining a good weight on it. 

The Farmina costs about $12 less per large bag than the Acana Lamb & Apple; plus it's 1 1/2 lbs. bigger. I've been through most of the Orijen and Acana formulas in the past but finally decided they were overly-priced for their value. They have become very busy and complicated formulas that dogs don't need IMO. I think you'll find the Farmina website a good read:
The Raw Materials | Farmina Pet Foods - Happy pet. Happy You.

A couple of other brands with a good track record and good price points are NutriSource, Annamaet and Dr. Tims


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

MyBentley said:


> Grain-free formulas don't necessarily help a dog loose weight. It's more a matter of the percentage of carbohydrates (be they grains or not) compared to the percentages of protein and fat. In general, the higher the carbs, the harder it may be for the dog to lose weight. Of course, quantity of food and exercise is also key.
> 
> Both Bentley and my lab have been eating Farmina Natural & Delicious Wild Cod & Ancestral Low-Grain kibble since last April when it first became available in the U.S. My lab has a chicken intolerance so this food works really well in that respect. Bentley isn't very active as a 13 yr. old but has no problem maintaining a good weight on it.
> 
> ...


Farmina has come to my attention. I was looking at the Cod and Ancestral Low grain, it seems like a great food. The we site has great information too.


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

MyBentley said:


> Grain-free formulas don't necessarily help a dog loose weight. It's more a matter of the percentage of carbohydrates (be they grains or not) compared to the percentages of protein and fat. In general, the higher the carbs, the harder it may be for the dog to lose weight. Of course, quantity of food and exercise is also key.
> 
> Both Bentley and my lab have been eating Farmina Natural & Delicious Wild Cod & Ancestral Low-Grain kibble since last April when it first became available in the U.S. My lab has a chicken intolerance so this food works really well in that respect. Bentley isn't very active as a 13 yr. old but has no problem maintaining a good weight on it.
> 
> ...


Farmina has come to my attention. I was looking at the Cod and Ancestral Low grain, it seems like a great food. The we site has great information too.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

Murphy is 2 1/2. He's done very well on Acana and I plan to continue using it. Murph get plenty of exercise! A mile and a half to two mile a day walk every day plus a good run a few times a week at an open field.
I love Iavarone.....I go to the one in Woodbury.


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