I fell into there trap

[Leon van houkje]

Well I'd like to share a couple of my misleading experiences and hopefully other people will post there own here so others don't fall into the same trap.

The main reason I came to this forum was for advice on many things but mainly about food for leon.

I had been given advice from two pet stores here where I live on which food is the best for leon,

First store advised me to use there royal canin bulldog breed food it's specially designed for bulldogs are there isn't anything better for them, but leon had terrible gas and his poo was always runny. (Sponsored by royal canin)

So I went to my second store (sponsored by bozita/robur) and straight away said royal canin was one of the worst food and I should feed leon robur puppy and breeder he said it will give him lots of power to develop and help with his muscle development but leon wasn't a fan we had to feed it to him by hand and he also started to lose hair and had two bald patches.

It wasn't until I went to my third petstore I was chatting with a lady who worked there who gave advice on pet food and snacks advice, she was looking around and acting strange and was wondering what's wrong with her it wasn't until she said she was making sure her boss or any co-workers were about and told me big pet stores here in Groningen are kinda sponsored by big pet food companies and are pushed to sell there product so they get the product cheap and make more money (there was by royal canin) and she advised me to look online and do some research for a grain free dog food hence how I landed up on this forum.

Now leon is on orijen puppy we don't have to feed him by hand he eats it no problem and his hair is growing back his poo as firmed up and he as way to much energy.

Did you have any experience like this ? If so please share I wouldn't like anyone to be taken as a fool like I was.


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[thedjjonpaul]

In today's society it is amazing that these "local" pet stores can survive with the way the economy is and the way the mislead their customers on a daily basis. I have found that the best advise when it comes to bulldogs is just what you did, searching forums to find out what has helped and worked for other "Bully Families." I was once told to feed my 11 yr old EB Bill Jack that is in a refrigerated section at the pet store, now you can even find it around Ohio... It just seems that every different store has their "brand of choice" the same as every Doctor has their favorite name brand of medicine to prescribe... It all comes down to who is greasing theit palms on the back end... Now that I have finished my dissertation in economics I shall go back to playing fetch with a Bully that loves to fetch but not bring it back to me... God Speed!

 

[xxaprilrose]

I agree. If it wernt for this forum I would be completely lost on food. I googled everything and I too, came to the conclusion that royal canin was the best way to go. So I actually thought this all the way up until the day I got her and I went to this site and was like OH NO! thank god i didnt buy it. But I also have a local dog store that sells organic dog food and healthy dog food and the lady there had a bulldog puppy and when she got her from the breeder she only lasted 4 months and then passed due to a disease passed down from her parents but she also said fromms would be great for our new addition.

 

[Rigginsluv11]

I was also told Fromm and Canidae are two great choices.

So sorry you had to go through all of that. Riggins breeder had him on Fromm but I just couldn't find it anywhere around here. My vet said Canidae was a great food as well and told me how to transition him over. So now I can buy his food at a small local pet store which I also love.


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[ltpyro]

I would have been lost with out this forum!!! So glad you found it as well. We went through two dog food brands before, now we are on Fromms hoping that will solve the issues. One thing I have deffinately learned from this forum... there is NO ONE THING that fits all bulldogs. They are just like people, all different.

 

[Baxter Tiberius]

I have found that *everyone* has an opinion on dog food.
And most people have no proof to support their opinion. Usually its what they've heard.
Even where there is proof (studies backing raw, etc) there are exceptions to the rule (Baxter did horrible on raw and was Emaciated and unhealthy).

So, much to the dismay of the natural dog food feeders here in south florida, I put him on a "cooked" whole food dog food.
And then I supplemented with a "safe" carb-based kibble. To give him some natural carbs (blue buffalo basic). It contains sweet potato.

Then he flourished. Absolutely flourished.

Blue buffalo is listed as a "mediocre" to "not good" dog food on several websites.
Fromms is listed as # 1 but it made baxter lose hair all over, and have bad reactions.

So you start to see that in the end . each dog is different, and nobody is "right".

However one thing you can *always* take to the bank:

Never give grain-based foods. Never give foods with gluten. Never give foods with unsafe carbs.
This is a universal rule that even extends to human beings.
They cause inflammatory conditions across the board.

-B-

 

[dolphin]

This is a great thread and I echo everyone's responses about the food. I never realized how much these vets and pet shops make off of these food companies, even when they know it's all crap. We fell into the same trap about food and treats and I regret not finding EBN earlier as I truly believe my French bulldog would still be alive.

 

[Leon van houkje]

I lost this handsome boy just over 3 years ago he was only 6 years old to cancer and the vet said cheap food with chemicals and E numbers can increase the chance of cancer it broke my heart to hear that so that is why I try to give leon the best if possible.

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[dolphin]

Wow what a beautiful dog! Doctors told us the exact same thing, we lost our Mickey who just turned 7 to cancer two years ago.

 

[cefe13]

Food is so difficult and dogs seem so different! When we first got Castor, we read up a lot here and elsewhere and then went for high-protein grain free kibble (first we tried acana and later orijen, froom not being available here). Castor remained a very slim bulldog, but as his stomach wasn't doing well we couldn't increase his portions (as soon as we tried to give him more food, his stools were very runny). As a result, he always seemed hungry. Then we decided to make a switch to another kind of kibble, so first he tried James Wellbeloved and now he has been on Royal Canin Bulldog for some time. At 12 months, he's still under 40 lbs but has started to fill out, stools are so much better (and no gas).

We will evaluate the situation in a while, but for now, Castor is actually doing much better on Royal Canin than on high-quality, high-protein kibbles.

 

[Bella'sMom]

It is sad how these stores do this. I am glad you found EBN. Even vets are guilty of this and just suggesting what the salesmen talk them into.

 

[Libra926]

We've had O on Beef Frittata for a few years now. I am amazed at how much healthier she is. Having a white bulldog who sucks on a stinky bear nightly leaves her prone to yeast. I was so embarrassed about her tear stains....I would photoshop them out or only show them in black and white. Now? Her face is white as can be! We've tried several different flavors...but the Beef works the best for her.
Here are before and after photos.





I firmly believe that good food is very important. I also believe that just because one food is good for Orion, it doesn't make it perfect for Vegas. They are indeed on two separate foods. Vegas is on a food called Dog Lovers Gold. We've tried to switch him to a higher quality food...but he reacted badly.

 

[Samantha Orts]

Grain free also made June's tear stains go away! We get so many compliments when we are out and about and how healthy she looks. Other than healthy breeding, I believe it's because of her healthy food That's why we shop at a locally owned pet boutique and not a large chain.

 

[ddnene]

Oh I agree on this thread so much… VETS and PET STORES seem to push their brands of food (whomever is catering to them) It's all BS, this forum has helped me w/my bulldogs and my boxer. I so wish I had known this stuff earlier, poor Bella suffered w/allergies for years

 

[2BullyMama]

I lost this handsome boy just over 3 years ago he was only 6 years old to cancer and the vet said cheap food with chemicals and E numbers can increase the chance of cancer it broke my heart to hear that so that is why I try to give leon the best if possible.

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Whjat a BEAUTIFUL boy..... rest in peace sweety!