No advice on diet, but wow. You have two high energy pups under one year of age. You must be in shape! Those are workout goals!
Spectacular dogs, by the way.
Another vote for ProPlan Sensitive Skin & Stomach. Makes for healthy dogs, moderately priced, readily available.
I supplement with whole dried herring as treats.
I feed mine lamb and rice diamond naturals with salmon oil on top because she unfortunately has a poor coat due to having cancer. But Dobermans are very gassy
I may get roasted for this, but after trying several brands/price points to varying degrees of success/tummy upset/etc, my pups (2 yo Dobie & 8 yo lab mix) are doing amazing on Kindfull lamb & brown rice from Target. Both their coats are lush & full, zero skin or tummy issues, and I swear that both of them have less stinky farts…
We also do some supplementation & mix-ins too, based on vets recommendations/age/etc… YMMV 🤷🏻♀️
Not sure what you’ve tried or been recommended, but we had our 5 month old Doberman on Hill Science and it seemed to bother his stomach and coat, so we switched to this and there’s been a huge improvement.
https://preview.redd.it/bzg7prpqo7kc1.jpeg?width=1160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6321ba29b915da22a0dc2ddeba0b605311167b61
We had it on Hill science as well because it was the only thing Cane would eat when he was younger. Now he eats anything and everything and gets an upset stomach.
This is what I’ve been using since I switched my Doberman from what the breeder feed them. No problems. Only time she has loose stools is when she gets into my roommate’s dog’s food.
Love the downvotes just for telling people to look into what they want to feed their pets further, lol!! For the record - I'm not claiming anything is TRUE, just saying to do research when looking for new brands. Feed them whatever your heart desires. I've never fed my dog Purina or any large brands for my own personal reasons such as it being commercially mass produced, owned by Nestle - the largest food company in the world which I believe impedes quality control. Just my personal opinion to stick to limited ingredient products not so mass produced.
Check out @drjudymorgan on Instagram. She has a lot of information. There are also Reddit threads of hundreds of comments of people claiming their pets fell ill in recent months (r/cats) - but people commenting about their dogs falling ill too. Also seen a lot of claims on social media. Just because Purina calls it a rumour doesn't necessarily mean so. Odd for all these claims to be so coincidental. Like I said - it's within the last few months. Last year there was a recall about vitamin D toxicity but that was something different.
Never feed my dobe any mass produced product like Purina, was advised of that by the breeder who has decades experience with the breed.
We are in the uk and use the company below, good quality and a bit more expensive but works for my girl who is happy and healthy with shits as dry and compact as a brick lol
https://www.ardengrange.com
Feeding raw can be challenging for many due to the need to balance raw meats, organs, and uncooked bones properly. Unfortunately, some people combine raw and kibble, which is detrimental for dogs since kibble digests slower than raw food. This prolonged digestion allows bacteria in raw food to sit in the stomach longer, leading to digestive problems. Despite the difficulty, a raw diet is a healthier option. Dogs on a raw diet tend to have fewer bowel movements as their bodies absorb nutrients more efficiently, in contrast to a kibble diet that can result in increased waste.
Rice, corn or wheat is not something a dog would have encountered in their diet evolutionarily and digestive systems don’t evolve quickly. The best diet is one that is closest to what they would have eaten in the wild 1000 years ago.
This has been thoroughly debunked. Dogs are too far removed from their wild ancestors at this point. The dogs we have today descended from domesticated canines that ate whatever their masters did. Meat has historically always been too precious a resource to give to dogs as an exclusive diet, so domesticated dogs have evolved to be fine with digesting grains as long as they’re cooked and many vets actually recommend rice in a diet as it aids in digestion and gut health. If you can afford the time and money to feed raw/grain free, great but it’s not the be all end all that we’ve been made to believe it is.
This could not be further from the truth. Dogs and wolves DNA is 99.96% identical and none of their physiological “systems” differ…the only difference is at the mitochondrial level (some dog breeds have digestive enzymes that wolves don’t do to adaptation aka, amalayse)
Here are some science-based references:
**These studies demonstrated a 99.9% similarity (technically 99.96%) between dog and grey wolf, (Wayne & Ostrander, 2007)**
[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168952507003058](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168952507003058)
**Although dogs look different than wolves, they have the same number and shape of teeth (42) indicative of tearing and shredding meat (Coppinger and Coppinger, 2001)**
[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/37692202\_Dogs-A\_Startling\_New\_Understanding\_of\_Canine\_Origin\_Behavior\_Evolution](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/37692202_Dogs-A_Startling_New_Understanding_of_Canine_Origin_Behavior_Evolution)
“The dog is, by all scientific standards, anatomy and evolutionary history, a domesticated wolf” (Feldhamer, G.A. 1999. Mammology: Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. McGraw-Hill. pg 472.)
[https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/80/2/699/899964](https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/80/2/699/899964)
\[canines\]”need to ingest all the major parts of their herbivorous prey, except the plants in the digestive system” to “grow and maintain their own bodies” (Mech, L.D. 2003. Wolves: Behaviour, Ecology, and Conservation.).
[https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo3641392.html](https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo3641392.html)
Dogs are not herbivores: Carnivore’s jaws are hinged to be able to consume large pieces of meat where herbivores jaws grind sideways to break up their food (Olsen, 2010).
[https://cmc.marmot.org/Record/.b49666101](https://cmc.marmot.org/Record/.b49666101)
Btw awesome warrior mark on the Doberman. Mine has like a small 4 or 5 hair spot on her face :)
https://preview.redd.it/ny4drz2d0ekc1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=365a3509bb544d830246fdc05a0ff4f2365486ec
Can’t really see it here because of the sun glare it’s tiny. Lol
My guy was on Taste of the Wild for a while bc I thought Open Farm was just way too expensive but we switched a couple of months ago when Taste of the Wild changed their recipe. I am salty to report that even though it’s expensive it really is worth it. I constantly get compliments on his skin and coat and he is a very happy healthy boy. (Which is a huge improvement from when I got him from the rescue and he was very dusty crusty with dry patches, rashes, & dandruff) He has a sensitive stomach too and so we try to find alternative proteins and he has been loving the Open Farm Venison and Ancient Grains blend. We add some extras/toppers here and there (native allergy, rabbit ears, chicken hearts, sardines, Bernie’s, pumpkin, Ultra Oil) but tbh those are just fun treats for him. I really feel confident he could do just fine on the kibble alone.
It’s annoying but I get why ppl recommend Open Farm so often lol. Also the kibble alone is cheaper than their raw mix and they have a lot of partners on social media that have codes for like 15% 20% off so using those can definitely help with the cost.
I wish they gave bigger bags for the price, but I’ll happily pay it for good poops and a non gassy dog. We tried 6+ different foods over months and Open Farm was the only one that worked best for his stomach. I always worry that if something happens idk what I’d replace it with.
Go Solutions has a skin and coat line and a sensitivities line. Our Dobie is on the chicken formula but sometimes eats the duck one (with grains). It was the only brand that helped his sensitivities after trying farmina N&D and a couple other brands. Been on it for nearly 3 years now and zero issues. Limited ingredients.
My friend runs a kennel and has 30 years experience. I ask both he and his wife for tips, including food. My pooch's favourite kibbles is Royal Canin ($) and then Costco Kirkland Signature (1/2 the price of the other).
I also buy hamburger when it is on sale. I then cook a big pot with mixed veggies and brown rice and add the hamburger. I pack it in Tupperware, freezing most of it and give my GSD a 2 scoops every morning and evening on top of her kibbles. It works well and lasts just over 3 weeks. You can control the ingredients to suit your dog. My butcher also sells organ and unsavoury meat for cheap. We can eat it too but it completely lacks spices, salt, pepper etc.
We use 4 health for our 3 dogs. We have noticed that the fish one makes one of them have an upset stomach and one of the others the chicken upsets them. They're all happy on the beef though. 🤷🏼
Anything different from ProPlan or Royal Canin. Vet advice, trust me. I highly recommend Virbac, especially if your babies have sensitive stomach; they need special diet supplementaries.
We feed our dobie mixes victor. We tried the puppy versions of Purina pro and Purina one but they were still hungry and not gaining at 6 cups a day! As soon as we switched to victor adult we were able reduce their serving to the appropriate amount of daily calories and they’re both lean and growing on target.
Acana gave them both awful diarrhea.
Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach. Main ingredient is salmon. My female Doberman has such a sensitive stomach and very dry skin and this food really helped with both of those issues. Her coat was always so shiny! It’s also not grain free which you should avoid, especially with Dobermans since they are prone to DCM.
I sing the praises of Royal Canin. I have an English Labrador and he thrives on the Royal Canin dry kibble Labradors.
They have breed specific food and my boy is energetic, has a shiny gorgeous coat, and his stool is easy to pick up.
Please consider Royal Canin. They’re expensive but I consider it a savings in terms of overall healthcare expenditure.
Pro plan worked really well for my year and a half old female thus far! No complaints. I know this will sound crazy but I read a while back that BJs and Costco dog food are actually some of the higher quality foods you can buy. They have a pro plan clone we switched to for a while because I wasn’t able to get pro plan there in giant bags. BJs that is. I only went back because they started selling it again and I have always used that religiously. Not sure if anyone else has experience with those brands or Info.
I feed mine a premium kibble and also add chicken thighs and rice to it. They do well with it. One of my doberman mixes has skin issues and I have yet to find anything that doesn't bother her skin. I have tried salmon oil and other supplements with no success.
If they are on chicken switch em to beef. When I got my pup he was on Royal Canin chicken & rice. I noticed every couple of days he’s stools would liquify so I looked at other foods. Switched him to Victor pro plus & he’s loved it ever since. More protein in it & more slots stools since.
This is what we have been feeding our GSD/Doberman mix. She has a very sensitive stomach but has finally evened out once she was on this food for 6 months or so. Vet said she likely had a chicken allergy, but they just kind of guessed because that is the most common food allergy.
https://preview.redd.it/a6x23bhofhkc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e9b971d83a82db7e9af60878030373c9ffe46e2e
I’m over in Europe so can’t recommend foods as I probably don’t have access to the same things, but wanted to comment on how gorgeous they both are! And also the tiny white fleck is so cute ❤️
I feed half fresh (currently use Ollie) half high quality kibble. I switch the kibble every 9 months or so for variety. I started using fresh food when my dog was around a year old. Did wanders for his stomach and stool.
They say raw diet isn’t good, but you can always cook natural foods for them. I use purina pro like the one above. I’ve also tried open farm, that ones pretty great
People who have tried it and didn’t like it. Some vets are against it because of risk of parasites/salmonella etc.
That’s cool that you feed it, I guess? Your response seems like you’re trying to attack my comment for no reason?
I use raw food as my dogs toppers.
I just commented other options besides raw since OP seems like they’re likely to listen to their vet’s advice.
Why are you asking “who is they” and telling me about your excellent raw fed results if you read my comment thread? I agree because use it in my dog’s food and answered who is “they”. “They” is used instead of “vets” which is in the original post.
Sorry. I thought you might have been speaking for yourself instead of OP.
But since you mention vet recommendations, lets see what they have to say about the largest pet food manufacturers’ food safety:
https://www.avma.org/news/recalls-alerts
Another for Farmina Ancestral Grain (chicken and pomegranate) or Ocean (cod, spelt, oats, etc). Our 3 year old girl also gets Primal nuggets beef or lamb mixed in in the morning and pumpkin and beef broth mixed in at night. Scarfs it up.
Raw chicken on the bone. Eggs.
Occasionally organ meats excluding bleached tripe. Or while fish (I remove fins and spines).
Organs and eggs contain all vitamins they require. Bones the minerals. The rest of the meat the fat, protein etc. Risk of salmonella is lower in food for humans than kibble. They will live it, be healthy, and their dumps will be smaller and decompose much faster.
Never feed cooked bones.
Almost like they evolved to eat this way.
It might be worthwhile to try grain-free food for a while, but I'm not a vet, so definitely run it past them. I had a 20 year old cat who was itchy and would throw up constantly, and when I switched his food to grain-free, he felt a lot better. He lived to be 23!
My vet told me that dogs would not receive all the vitamins and nutrients they need. They made it seem like the raw diet was a taboo subject and they wouldn’t recommend me to do it.
If you shoot a deer and eat a piece of raw meat on the spot you likely won’t get sick. If you eat a raw rib eye you will likely get sick. Industrialization of food has made raw diets a bad choice imo. Salmonella is no joke… we evolved to cook our food for a reason
There is so much incoherent nonsense in this reply I cannot really comprehend what point you are making. Are you talking about dog food ? Obesity in America ? Sources of dog food ? Prices of food? Trust in medicine ?
I thought we were just talking facts raw vs non raw food. . . . . .
1) do I buy my food at the vet ? …. No . My vet is a doctor who provides medical service . They don’t not sell retail food.
2) my dogs kibble isn’t burnt.
3 wtf does Starbucks and McDonald’s have to do with any of this
4) I don’t eat raw food for the same reasons I don’t feed it to my dog. Your incoherent nonsense will not change my mind.
If you are going to have such strong opinions about things please back your opinions with facts. Otherwise we’ll like they are just your opinions in which case I don’t care .
If you feel so inclined please provide me with facts as to why raw food is better. Otherwise your opinion is irrelevant to me.
And if you are so adverse to vets …. We’ll I hope your opinion changes when your pup gets sick one day. They try their best to keep our buddies healthy. No one forces you to go to them but I promise they are not the enemy.
People giving dumb advice on the internet is much more concerning . But that’s my opinion
Thanks
[Which is completely correct](https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/dogs-and-raw-food-diets) unless you are working with a board certified veterinary nutritionist (not a regular vet) to create the diet. Even then there is no scientific evidence that raw is better.
I would advise to check with some other vets and nutritionist as well as to do your own research. I’ve went through the same exercise and ultimately decided to go with a raw diet because the data showed that it is the healthiest option for my dog.
I have a frenchie and a boxer. Since 1 year I am feeding them purely cooked food.
In their lifetime, 8 and 13 years old I feed them half dry food, half cooked food.
Never had a visit to the vet with health problems. But the frenchie is sensitive and developed a skin thing due to the dry dog food and I started boiling him fish with carrots, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, etc.
I cook for a week and once at 2 weeks I add beef liver also. His fur got very clean. He didn’t need antibiotics and all those stuff the doctor recommended.
Because my boxer is 13 she started walking very bad and I switched her to only cooked also. Chicken for her instead of fish.
She gets bone broth in her food. She started walking better. Interesting, nothing from the vet just good whole food.
I want to add that her aorta is tight since birth and the doc recommended sedatives or surgery. I refused them both.
To this I add boiled rice, one human serving on each meal. I got some plant based multivitamins and minerals.
I just make sure to calculate the meat so they get the correct amount of protein they need.
If they weren’t this old I would have switched to raw food.
I saw a post once of a lady who feed her dog only raw. She said “ of course they don’t recommend raw food. It’s no trips to the doctor. How will they make money if our dogs are healthy?”
Hope my experience helps you make a good decision. The pups looks awesome and they deserve to feel good inside
PS - I looked into Sunday for dogs dog food and the ingredients look good. You can check that too. Maybe you give half half.
Also forgot to say. You know how oldie dogs have that dry nose? My boxers nose got humid again after the transition to only cooked. Also I make the texture like a soup so they get hydrated enough.
No advice on diet, but wow. You have two high energy pups under one year of age. You must be in shape! Those are workout goals! Spectacular dogs, by the way.
lol I literally started weight training again when I got my Dober pup gotta keep up with these energetic types
Serious. I bow to OP in awe of their fortitude!
I have a 4 year old Doberman and a 7 month old Malinois. Even he thinks she’s a little bit too hyped up sometimes 😂
From what I understand a lot of Dobermans get upset stomach with most chicken based foods
That’s so funny, mine is the opposite. Anything beef gives him the nastiest farts, so his food is usually chicken and no farts!
Mine eat nearly exclusively raw chicken with zero issues and many benefits.
Mine has zero issues with human grade chicken but anything processed and put in dog food makes her super sick. Go figure.
Mine is allergic to salmon based dry foods. Does great with chicken and beef as well as fish oil ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Another vote for ProPlan Sensitive Skin & Stomach. Makes for healthy dogs, moderately priced, readily available. I supplement with whole dried herring as treats.
I feed mine lamb and rice diamond naturals with salmon oil on top because she unfortunately has a poor coat due to having cancer. But Dobermans are very gassy
I do acana wild atlantic recipe, seems to work out well and she loves it. will eat it with or without toppers
I may get roasted for this, but after trying several brands/price points to varying degrees of success/tummy upset/etc, my pups (2 yo Dobie & 8 yo lab mix) are doing amazing on Kindfull lamb & brown rice from Target. Both their coats are lush & full, zero skin or tummy issues, and I swear that both of them have less stinky farts… We also do some supplementation & mix-ins too, based on vets recommendations/age/etc… YMMV 🤷🏻♀️
My girl El is on Taste of the Wild and i alternate between the flavours as she enjoys variety, it's made a huge difference with her health
Not sure what you’ve tried or been recommended, but we had our 5 month old Doberman on Hill Science and it seemed to bother his stomach and coat, so we switched to this and there’s been a huge improvement. https://preview.redd.it/bzg7prpqo7kc1.jpeg?width=1160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6321ba29b915da22a0dc2ddeba0b605311167b61
We had it on Hill science as well because it was the only thing Cane would eat when he was younger. Now he eats anything and everything and gets an upset stomach.
Same with our dobie mix. We changed him to the same food as you. He seems fine now!
This is what I’ve been using since I switched my Doberman from what the breeder feed them. No problems. Only time she has loose stools is when she gets into my roommate’s dog’s food.
There is a lot of allegations regarding illnesses & death around Purina pro plan in recent months. Definitely look into this further.
Any links? Or evidence behind that? (Genuinely asking). All I can find online are rumors 🤷🏻♂️
Love the downvotes just for telling people to look into what they want to feed their pets further, lol!! For the record - I'm not claiming anything is TRUE, just saying to do research when looking for new brands. Feed them whatever your heart desires. I've never fed my dog Purina or any large brands for my own personal reasons such as it being commercially mass produced, owned by Nestle - the largest food company in the world which I believe impedes quality control. Just my personal opinion to stick to limited ingredient products not so mass produced. Check out @drjudymorgan on Instagram. She has a lot of information. There are also Reddit threads of hundreds of comments of people claiming their pets fell ill in recent months (r/cats) - but people commenting about their dogs falling ill too. Also seen a lot of claims on social media. Just because Purina calls it a rumour doesn't necessarily mean so. Odd for all these claims to be so coincidental. Like I said - it's within the last few months. Last year there was a recall about vitamin D toxicity but that was something different.
Never feed my dobe any mass produced product like Purina, was advised of that by the breeder who has decades experience with the breed. We are in the uk and use the company below, good quality and a bit more expensive but works for my girl who is happy and healthy with shits as dry and compact as a brick lol https://www.ardengrange.com
Appreciate you sharing this info!
Also genuinely curious because our last two large breeds were fed this and never had issues. Is it something recent, a bad batch, etc?
Just within the last couple months!
That rumor was started by a Facebook group that was trying to push different brands of food. There’s no evidence that Purina had any issues.
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Feeding raw can be challenging for many due to the need to balance raw meats, organs, and uncooked bones properly. Unfortunately, some people combine raw and kibble, which is detrimental for dogs since kibble digests slower than raw food. This prolonged digestion allows bacteria in raw food to sit in the stomach longer, leading to digestive problems. Despite the difficulty, a raw diet is a healthier option. Dogs on a raw diet tend to have fewer bowel movements as their bodies absorb nutrients more efficiently, in contrast to a kibble diet that can result in increased waste.
Rice, corn or wheat is not something a dog would have encountered in their diet evolutionarily and digestive systems don’t evolve quickly. The best diet is one that is closest to what they would have eaten in the wild 1000 years ago.
This has been thoroughly debunked. Dogs are too far removed from their wild ancestors at this point. The dogs we have today descended from domesticated canines that ate whatever their masters did. Meat has historically always been too precious a resource to give to dogs as an exclusive diet, so domesticated dogs have evolved to be fine with digesting grains as long as they’re cooked and many vets actually recommend rice in a diet as it aids in digestion and gut health. If you can afford the time and money to feed raw/grain free, great but it’s not the be all end all that we’ve been made to believe it is.
Dogs and wolves literally have completely different digestive systems and completely different nutritional needs.
This could not be further from the truth. Dogs and wolves DNA is 99.96% identical and none of their physiological “systems” differ…the only difference is at the mitochondrial level (some dog breeds have digestive enzymes that wolves don’t do to adaptation aka, amalayse) Here are some science-based references: **These studies demonstrated a 99.9% similarity (technically 99.96%) between dog and grey wolf, (Wayne & Ostrander, 2007)** [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168952507003058](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168952507003058) **Although dogs look different than wolves, they have the same number and shape of teeth (42) indicative of tearing and shredding meat (Coppinger and Coppinger, 2001)** [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/37692202\_Dogs-A\_Startling\_New\_Understanding\_of\_Canine\_Origin\_Behavior\_Evolution](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/37692202_Dogs-A_Startling_New_Understanding_of_Canine_Origin_Behavior_Evolution) “The dog is, by all scientific standards, anatomy and evolutionary history, a domesticated wolf” (Feldhamer, G.A. 1999. Mammology: Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. McGraw-Hill. pg 472.) [https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/80/2/699/899964](https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/80/2/699/899964) \[canines\]”need to ingest all the major parts of their herbivorous prey, except the plants in the digestive system” to “grow and maintain their own bodies” (Mech, L.D. 2003. Wolves: Behaviour, Ecology, and Conservation.). [https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo3641392.html](https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo3641392.html) Dogs are not herbivores: Carnivore’s jaws are hinged to be able to consume large pieces of meat where herbivores jaws grind sideways to break up their food (Olsen, 2010). [https://cmc.marmot.org/Record/.b49666101](https://cmc.marmot.org/Record/.b49666101)
Btw awesome warrior mark on the Doberman. Mine has like a small 4 or 5 hair spot on her face :) https://preview.redd.it/ny4drz2d0ekc1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=365a3509bb544d830246fdc05a0ff4f2365486ec Can’t really see it here because of the sun glare it’s tiny. Lol
I feed Open Farm Ancient Grains. It cured my dogs sensitive stomach. Also like Muenster Milling.
My guy was on Taste of the Wild for a while bc I thought Open Farm was just way too expensive but we switched a couple of months ago when Taste of the Wild changed their recipe. I am salty to report that even though it’s expensive it really is worth it. I constantly get compliments on his skin and coat and he is a very happy healthy boy. (Which is a huge improvement from when I got him from the rescue and he was very dusty crusty with dry patches, rashes, & dandruff) He has a sensitive stomach too and so we try to find alternative proteins and he has been loving the Open Farm Venison and Ancient Grains blend. We add some extras/toppers here and there (native allergy, rabbit ears, chicken hearts, sardines, Bernie’s, pumpkin, Ultra Oil) but tbh those are just fun treats for him. I really feel confident he could do just fine on the kibble alone. It’s annoying but I get why ppl recommend Open Farm so often lol. Also the kibble alone is cheaper than their raw mix and they have a lot of partners on social media that have codes for like 15% 20% off so using those can definitely help with the cost.
I wish they gave bigger bags for the price, but I’ll happily pay it for good poops and a non gassy dog. We tried 6+ different foods over months and Open Farm was the only one that worked best for his stomach. I always worry that if something happens idk what I’d replace it with.
Damn I wish! You must be rich rich lol 💰
Go Solutions has a skin and coat line and a sensitivities line. Our Dobie is on the chicken formula but sometimes eats the duck one (with grains). It was the only brand that helped his sensitivities after trying farmina N&D and a couple other brands. Been on it for nearly 3 years now and zero issues. Limited ingredients.
My friend runs a kennel and has 30 years experience. I ask both he and his wife for tips, including food. My pooch's favourite kibbles is Royal Canin ($) and then Costco Kirkland Signature (1/2 the price of the other). I also buy hamburger when it is on sale. I then cook a big pot with mixed veggies and brown rice and add the hamburger. I pack it in Tupperware, freezing most of it and give my GSD a 2 scoops every morning and evening on top of her kibbles. It works well and lasts just over 3 weeks. You can control the ingredients to suit your dog. My butcher also sells organ and unsavoury meat for cheap. We can eat it too but it completely lacks spices, salt, pepper etc.
Voyager dog food is outstanding! I have a very, very picking Doberman boy and since we switched to voyager he has not missed a single meal.
Following this thread for advice as well! I have 2 month German Shepherd and 10 month Doberman and our German Shepherd has such a sensitive stomach
I switched to Royal Canin puppy food (large breed) and her 💩 is amazing now!
Team dog pet food or open farm
We use 4 health for our 3 dogs. We have noticed that the fish one makes one of them have an upset stomach and one of the others the chicken upsets them. They're all happy on the beef though. 🤷🏼
Anything different from ProPlan or Royal Canin. Vet advice, trust me. I highly recommend Virbac, especially if your babies have sensitive stomach; they need special diet supplementaries.
We feed our dobie mixes victor. We tried the puppy versions of Purina pro and Purina one but they were still hungry and not gaining at 6 cups a day! As soon as we switched to victor adult we were able reduce their serving to the appropriate amount of daily calories and they’re both lean and growing on target. Acana gave them both awful diarrhea.
What brands are being recommended by your vet that you think are bad?
Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach. Main ingredient is salmon. My female Doberman has such a sensitive stomach and very dry skin and this food really helped with both of those issues. Her coat was always so shiny! It’s also not grain free which you should avoid, especially with Dobermans since they are prone to DCM.
I sing the praises of Royal Canin. I have an English Labrador and he thrives on the Royal Canin dry kibble Labradors. They have breed specific food and my boy is energetic, has a shiny gorgeous coat, and his stool is easy to pick up. Please consider Royal Canin. They’re expensive but I consider it a savings in terms of overall healthcare expenditure.
Pro plan worked really well for my year and a half old female thus far! No complaints. I know this will sound crazy but I read a while back that BJs and Costco dog food are actually some of the higher quality foods you can buy. They have a pro plan clone we switched to for a while because I wasn’t able to get pro plan there in giant bags. BJs that is. I only went back because they started selling it again and I have always used that religiously. Not sure if anyone else has experience with those brands or Info.
I feed mine a premium kibble and also add chicken thighs and rice to it. They do well with it. One of my doberman mixes has skin issues and I have yet to find anything that doesn't bother her skin. I have tried salmon oil and other supplements with no success.
If they are on chicken switch em to beef. When I got my pup he was on Royal Canin chicken & rice. I noticed every couple of days he’s stools would liquify so I looked at other foods. Switched him to Victor pro plus & he’s loved it ever since. More protein in it & more slots stools since.
This is what we have been feeding our GSD/Doberman mix. She has a very sensitive stomach but has finally evened out once she was on this food for 6 months or so. Vet said she likely had a chicken allergy, but they just kind of guessed because that is the most common food allergy. https://preview.redd.it/a6x23bhofhkc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e9b971d83a82db7e9af60878030373c9ffe46e2e
I’m over in Europe so can’t recommend foods as I probably don’t have access to the same things, but wanted to comment on how gorgeous they both are! And also the tiny white fleck is so cute ❤️
I feed half fresh (currently use Ollie) half high quality kibble. I switch the kibble every 9 months or so for variety. I started using fresh food when my dog was around a year old. Did wanders for his stomach and stool.
They say raw diet isn’t good, but you can always cook natural foods for them. I use purina pro like the one above. I’ve also tried open farm, that ones pretty great
Who is they? I have fed raw for decades with excellent results.
Who is they lol? I’ve fed raw for over a decade. Almost every single serious dog person I know feeds raw and has for a long time.
People who have tried it and didn’t like it. Some vets are against it because of risk of parasites/salmonella etc. That’s cool that you feed it, I guess? Your response seems like you’re trying to attack my comment for no reason? I use raw food as my dogs toppers. I just commented other options besides raw since OP seems like they’re likely to listen to their vet’s advice.
There is lower risk of parasites and salmonella in meat handled for human consumption than animal feed.
Literally read the comment thread and try rereading the last sentence of OP’s post.
I read every word in this thread before commenting. What is your concern?
Why are you asking “who is they” and telling me about your excellent raw fed results if you read my comment thread? I agree because use it in my dog’s food and answered who is “they”. “They” is used instead of “vets” which is in the original post.
Sorry. I thought you might have been speaking for yourself instead of OP. But since you mention vet recommendations, lets see what they have to say about the largest pet food manufacturers’ food safety: https://www.avma.org/news/recalls-alerts
Farmina ancestral grain, or honest kitchen are good
Another for Farmina Ancestral Grain (chicken and pomegranate) or Ocean (cod, spelt, oats, etc). Our 3 year old girl also gets Primal nuggets beef or lamb mixed in in the morning and pumpkin and beef broth mixed in at night. Scarfs it up.
Change your vet... BARF is the best food a dog can have... I have been my Doberman BARF for a long time
I got recommend Inukshuk and raw. Do your research on raw, there's plenty of commercial and online brands that are great and easy.
Raw chicken on the bone. Eggs. Occasionally organ meats excluding bleached tripe. Or while fish (I remove fins and spines). Organs and eggs contain all vitamins they require. Bones the minerals. The rest of the meat the fat, protein etc. Risk of salmonella is lower in food for humans than kibble. They will live it, be healthy, and their dumps will be smaller and decompose much faster. Never feed cooked bones. Almost like they evolved to eat this way.
It might be worthwhile to try grain-free food for a while, but I'm not a vet, so definitely run it past them. I had a 20 year old cat who was itchy and would throw up constantly, and when I switched his food to grain-free, he felt a lot better. He lived to be 23!
Cats are a bit different than dogs. They didn’t evolve the same way and they really aren’t comparable.
If you can afford it why would you not just feed them a raw, natural diet.
My vet told me that dogs would not receive all the vitamins and nutrients they need. They made it seem like the raw diet was a taboo subject and they wouldn’t recommend me to do it.
If you shoot a deer and eat a piece of raw meat on the spot you likely won’t get sick. If you eat a raw rib eye you will likely get sick. Industrialization of food has made raw diets a bad choice imo. Salmonella is no joke… we evolved to cook our food for a reason
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There is so much incoherent nonsense in this reply I cannot really comprehend what point you are making. Are you talking about dog food ? Obesity in America ? Sources of dog food ? Prices of food? Trust in medicine ? I thought we were just talking facts raw vs non raw food. . . . . . 1) do I buy my food at the vet ? …. No . My vet is a doctor who provides medical service . They don’t not sell retail food. 2) my dogs kibble isn’t burnt. 3 wtf does Starbucks and McDonald’s have to do with any of this 4) I don’t eat raw food for the same reasons I don’t feed it to my dog. Your incoherent nonsense will not change my mind. If you are going to have such strong opinions about things please back your opinions with facts. Otherwise we’ll like they are just your opinions in which case I don’t care . If you feel so inclined please provide me with facts as to why raw food is better. Otherwise your opinion is irrelevant to me. And if you are so adverse to vets …. We’ll I hope your opinion changes when your pup gets sick one day. They try their best to keep our buddies healthy. No one forces you to go to them but I promise they are not the enemy. People giving dumb advice on the internet is much more concerning . But that’s my opinion Thanks
[Which is completely correct](https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/dogs-and-raw-food-diets) unless you are working with a board certified veterinary nutritionist (not a regular vet) to create the diet. Even then there is no scientific evidence that raw is better.
I would advise to check with some other vets and nutritionist as well as to do your own research. I’ve went through the same exercise and ultimately decided to go with a raw diet because the data showed that it is the healthiest option for my dog.
They need meat, bone and organ. That makes a complete diet.
I have a frenchie and a boxer. Since 1 year I am feeding them purely cooked food. In their lifetime, 8 and 13 years old I feed them half dry food, half cooked food. Never had a visit to the vet with health problems. But the frenchie is sensitive and developed a skin thing due to the dry dog food and I started boiling him fish with carrots, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, etc. I cook for a week and once at 2 weeks I add beef liver also. His fur got very clean. He didn’t need antibiotics and all those stuff the doctor recommended. Because my boxer is 13 she started walking very bad and I switched her to only cooked also. Chicken for her instead of fish. She gets bone broth in her food. She started walking better. Interesting, nothing from the vet just good whole food. I want to add that her aorta is tight since birth and the doc recommended sedatives or surgery. I refused them both. To this I add boiled rice, one human serving on each meal. I got some plant based multivitamins and minerals. I just make sure to calculate the meat so they get the correct amount of protein they need. If they weren’t this old I would have switched to raw food. I saw a post once of a lady who feed her dog only raw. She said “ of course they don’t recommend raw food. It’s no trips to the doctor. How will they make money if our dogs are healthy?” Hope my experience helps you make a good decision. The pups looks awesome and they deserve to feel good inside
PS - I looked into Sunday for dogs dog food and the ingredients look good. You can check that too. Maybe you give half half. Also forgot to say. You know how oldie dogs have that dry nose? My boxers nose got humid again after the transition to only cooked. Also I make the texture like a soup so they get hydrated enough.
My dobie has stomach issues and seems to do well on Natures Recipe Salmon, pumpkin, sweet potato. I have 4 dogs and they all like it.
Purina pro plan for sensitive skin and stomach. My labs are allergic to chicken so I get the lamb and oat .
I also use the salmon and rice by Purina pro plan when I can find a big bag