What do you feed your Bulldog ?

[kazzy220]

HA I've looked for it (FROMM) locally too...no luck! Currently, I'm transitioning to Taste of the Wild from Orijen. We'll see how that works out. I'll keep ya'll posted

[MENTION=1446]SamsonSezz[/MENTION] We don't have Fromm in the 4* range locally either ... and it's the 4* range that [MENTION=4]Lindathedogsmaid[/MENTION] recommends the most because of the quality and how good it is for our bullys. My local retailer was over 20 miles away and they only sold the 5lb bags ... so I did a bit of digging. You can go to www.petflow.com and you can get your fromm food delivered from there. They are excellent!!! Also because they got posted about in our threads here on EBN they contacted us and have offered EBN users a code that can give some good deals on shipping. Believe me I went to the Fromm online supplier website and must have spent two hours looking up the cost of each one, and petflow came out the best. So go to the thread on here and look up the coupons and codes thread and you should find a code you can use if you go to the petflow website to get some deals.

 

[Lindathedogsmaid]

please send me your zip code and I'll find some stores for you. e mail me @ bullysmum@gmail.com
what state do you live in ? several stores say they carry it but when calling they say I can order it , not many people really request a great food when they hear it costs 50some dollars. But what they dont know is 1/2 cup twice a day is plenty for a bully. unless they are a pup, then 2/3 twice a day, the stay stocky on that much too. no waste because of no filler! SO it is cheaper in the long run , and not so much to pick up in the yard.

 

[SamsonSezz]

[MENTION=1446]SamsonSezz[/MENTION] We don't have Fromm in the 4* range locally either ... and it's the 4* range that [MENTION=4]Lindathedogsmaid[/MENTION] recommends the most because of the quality and how good it is for our bullys. My local retailer was over 20 miles away and they only sold the 5lb bags ... so I did a bit of digging. You can go to www.petflow.com and you can get your fromm food delivered from there. They are excellent!!! Also because they got posted about in our threads here on EBN they contacted us and have offered EBN users a code that can give some good deals on shipping. Believe me I went to the Fromm online supplier website and must have spent two hours looking up the cost of each one, and petflow came out the best. So go to the thread on here and look up the coupons and codes thread and you should find a code you can use if you go to the petflow website to get some deals.

Fantastic! Thank you for the info. I too called a few local feed stores (near my job) and they only sell the small bags. I'll try the Petflow.com in the case that TOTW doesn't work out.

 

[kazzy220]

I read through this thread again and it has been going for over a year ...... it's fascinating to see how much we have learnt from each other about nutrition and allergies. I wonder how different the answers would be now if the original poster [MENTION=88]Frances[/MENTION] had asked this question in February 2011!!!

 

[ABEBD]

Hi Frances, I feed my bulldog a specially formulated food for bulldogs, from Royal Canin, I get it at Petco or Petsupermarket, it is about $50.00 for a 40 lg bag. It was developed for the bulldog digestion system. There is a story in the Royal Canin website about it. It is in a red bag, Bulldog24. Hope you find something that works. The Smart Balance is OK, but caused Taz to have loose bowels, and he gained a lot of weight on it. He also had bowel problems with the Solid Gold. This stuff works great for him.

Hi, I also feed the Royal Canin puppy food but then swtich over to the Canidae ALS/Grain free for the adults and this also works great for my 5 bullies. But EACH EBD will be different so don't just everyone take the word of what someone of a website says. You will have to find out for your OWN bullie what works. But as a "best practice" swtich over slowly over the course of a week or more to any change in dog foods.

 

[sparklle0913]

i always look up what is best online for bulldogs and most people say Blue, and i have had no problem with this dogfood, it is pricey but well worth it, My dogs coats are beautiful and they are very healthy.
I heard science diet is very bad and that vets just get paid a percentage to sell this, read the ingredients in the food and see for yourself.

 

[Lindathedogsmaid]

no one has said that their dogs are 6 or 7 years old -with no health issues -AFTER - eating these two foods. - let me start by saying that if i had a lab or a Shepard, these two foods might get by , not good at all, but the dogs bodies may not show the response the way the Bulldogs bodies do!(and I guarantee that it would shorten the lives of dogs by years,not months)
Blue Buffalo Company
46 Dog Food Reviews
Yes Red Flag Ingredients**********

Avg. Rating Dry 5 Paw Prints
Avg. Rating Can 3.5 Paw Prints
Blue Buffalo Pet Foods are manufactured by CJ Foods in Bern, Kansas and Dad's Pet Care in Meadville, Penn. Simmons Pet Foods in Arkansas produces canned foods. Meat meal ingredients (example chicken meal)*** contain internal organs; *****(leading cause of stones in Bulldogs, to laden with minerals)fish meal is preserved naturally with Naturox. Blue Buffalo did not respond to inquiries to cooking time and temperature.*** why is this a secret? to high temp or to long cooking makes the food hydrolyzed, and harmful to dogs(easier to digest,that's why they cook it so long, but it brakes down the food into its own amino acids)
oh and by the way Blue Buffalo had some food recalled recently!
-----
Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe Dog Food Dry
Rating:

Rating Note: The highest rating for a canned pet food is 4 paw prints - due to high moisture content of all canned pet foods.
Ingredients: Deboned Lamb, Oatmeal, Whole Ground Barley, Menhaden Fish Meal (natural source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Whole Ground Brown Rice, Peas, Natural Lamb Flavor, Whole Potatoes, Canola Oil (Naturally preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Alfalfa Meal, Tomato Pomace (natural source of Lycopene), Flaxseed (natural source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Sunflower Oil (natural source of Omega 6 Fatty Acids), Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Cranberries, Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Garlic, Dried Kelp, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Turmeric, Oil of Rosemary, Dried Chicory Root, Beta Carotene, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Salt, Caramel, Potassium Chloride, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium.
Plus: The Blue Buffalo Representative told me the ingredients are human grade/quality. The mineral listings do read to be chelated or proteinated (for better -mineral absorption). Contains Flax Seed - health promoting ingredient.

Minus: This food does include probiotics (friendly bacteria that benefits the intestinal system and in turn the immune system of the pet), however they are not listed in the Guaranteed Analysis ****(no company guarantee bacteria is viable).*** Contains** Canola Oil; controversial oil not tested for safety with pet foods. ** Contains garlic - controversial ingredient. Contains Sodium Selenite - potential risk form of selenium.
Red Flag Ingredients: **canola oil*****
Natural Preservatives: Yes
Shelf Life: 1 year
now this food contains canola oil, all canola oil is genetically modified, ! meaning we have no idea what it will do to us or the animals yet.
as is all sugar(except form cane sugar) soy, canola oil, corn.
----------
at a glance all of these ingredients appear fine! unless you understand that if the meat in ingredients--- do NOT say MUSCLE MEAT it is a by product of meat --humans have used all they could off of it and it went to the rendering plant for pet food !!along with downer cows, road kill, anything that may read as protein.. ground up leather boots test as a protein. no thanks.

Crude Protein: 22% Crude Fat: 12% Crude Fiber: 4.5% Moisture: 10%--
-----------------------------
Fromm Family Pet Food
20 Pet Food Reviews
No Red Flag Ingredients
Avg. Rating Dry 4.8 Paw Prints
Avg. Rating Can 4 Paw Prints
Fromm Family Pet Foods
Fromm Pet Foods are produced by forth generation Fromm Family. Dry Foods are manufactured in company owned U.S. plant; canned foods produced in South Dakota, U.S.; not a company owned plant. The Fromm Representative stated 'meat meal' ingredients (chicken meal, duck meal,...) do not contain by-products,*** only muscle meat;***(that means the roasts,steaks,chops that we would buy ))) fish meal preserved with citric acid (natural preservative). Manufacturing plants have APHIS EU certification. **** Dry foods are cooked at 255 F for 50 seconds. ******For more information on Fromm Family Pet Foods
Red Flag Ingredients: None
US Only Ingredients: US and Canada
Natural Preservatives: Yes
Shelf Life: 1 year
Crude Protein: 23% Crude Fat: 11% Crude Fiber: 3.5% Moisture: 10%
Lactobacillus Acidophilus 100,000,000 CFU/lb Min
Bifidobacterium Longum 100,000,000 CFU/lb Min
Lactobacillus Plantarum 100,000,000 CFU/lb Min
Enterococcous Faecium 100,000,000 CFU/lb Min

(((these are part of the guaranteed analysis-in writing and how much the minimum is in the food!))))

Ingredients: Duck, Duck Meal, Pearled Barley, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, White Rice, Whole Dried Egg, Millet, Dried Tomato Pomace, ****Safflower Oil,***NOT CANOLA OIL**)))) Cheese, Flaxseed, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Apples, Green Beans, Lecithin, Chicken Cartilage, Potassium Chloride, Cranberries, Blueberries, Salt, Chicory Root Extract, Alfalfa Sprouts, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Folic Acid, Parsley, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, D3, E, B12 Supplements, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sorbic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite.

you see you and most of the public do not get to see the real facts on what is in the food- only whta they want you to see and think.
the other foods you have been trying may go silently ,,doing damage for years before the organs and body bust out with life long problems, the dogs that we get in rescue are never under 3 unless they have major problems- it is 4 to 6 years when the vet bills get so high that folks give up on all the money they paid in the first place, it is to late for the dog to lead a healthy life, usually they have chronic ear issues, skin, digestion,and kidney,liver,but the fosters get them back to tolerable safe health, and let people know what is safe for Bulldogs to eat to stay out of the vet .
all I am trying to do after 12 years of rescue is tell you , you will get out of your dog what you put into them. good food, clean body,daily washings of face,private areas,and a good acid content into ears twice a week,(50/50 mix of vinegar/water) that keeps the yeast form ever growing, if done regularly.this is to help you and the dogs have a happy healthy life, because Bulldogs are 180 degrees different than any other dog.

 

[Danielle Cope]

I feed my Rambo Orijin Dog food.
When we had first gotten him, he had horrible horrible gas, and at the time he was being fed, chicken soup for the dog lovers soul or something a long those lines, we had him close to a month when we realized it was the chicken giving him horrible gas. He was actually allergic to chicken haha So we put him on 0rijin 6 fish. his has got way better, but it took about 3 months before his stool would finally become normal. weve had him for about 5-6 months now,and am starting to put him on orijin red meat formula, to give him more of that heartier protein, to put on more muscle weight. He's doing great on the food, and so is my boston terrier haha their both quite big for their breeds so them being on this food makes them look and feel fantastic

 

[Lindathedogsmaid]

first -- how did you find that he was allergic to chicken? did you take him to a specialist and have him tested? or just switch around on the food till you found one that did not give him gas? let me know because - you can take 2 brands of foods , same ingredients apparently--and one will bother the dog and not the other! I can tell you why, but bottom line - that is what I tell owners that Bulldogs should only eat certain brands, because they are that touchy!!
any way, I do not recommend Orijin at all, for many reasons but the basic is that your dog is eating food that is silently doing damage to his body, you may not see it now, -- but you will in about 3 to 4 years at the vets, dogs bodies try to deal with the garbage that they make these foods out of , but eventually it will show up. as chronic, skin,ear,and organ damage,. the last time I spoke with the Orijin manufacturer in Canada , not only refused to put into writing, a guarantee of what they say they put in the foods. that is unacceptable.
it means that they do not really put into the food what they say they do.by law all they need is a trace of anything to say its in there. and they would not tell me what the temperature is that they cook the foods at nor how long they cook my guess is that it is cooked so hot and so long that it is hydrolyzed. (cooked long enough so that it all is a cooked mush and can be digested more easily, BUT - when the food is cooked like that it cooks down to be come an amino acid, and is harmful to the dogs.(digested good- ) but very harmful. good companies will tell you . not to hot and not to long.
fromm foods tell you that it is only a few minuets, and not to hot, and they will let you know the exact time and temp. they have nothing to hide and in fact are on board with the truth about pet foods on many things, and the have a nutritionist on duty daily to answer any questions from the customers.
fromm is the only food that today - I will feed , they tell you how much yogurt type pre and pro biotics are in their food. and it is live not killed. try the fromm 4 star , whitefish, or duck, and change around in the same brand,its OK, no more than 3/4 cup 2 x a day, and thats only if you English is active, if not 1/2 cup twice a day, and 1/3 cup twice a day for the terrier. the just poop it out on the yard, and ad carrots,green beans, and veggie, cooked at first to get them used to it , with water on the kibble for the vitamins in the water.
I looked at the chicken soup for the dog lovers soul, ugh!!! real bad . diamond foods make that , and they are just about the worst, just a notch up from iams, or purina, but beniful is the worst. no meat at all , just the stomach contents from a cow,
HEY--- its protein.so says the FDA

 

[Danielle Cope]

No we didnt take rambo in to a specialist, my fiance works at a feed store and he does a lot of research on animals and the foods. with the allergy to chicken, on top of the horrible gas, his ears were getting bad and gunky, his eyes were very teary causeing a lot of junk out of there, and he was licking his paws an awful lot. his fur wasnt as nice, and he had bad dandruff.
Taking in all of those side effects led us to believe it was an allergy towards chicken, because were still feeding him chicken food, aqnd when we switched over to 6 fish everything got a lot better.

What you have to say about Orijin, I honestly didnt know any of that. I mean dont get me wrong I dont know much about foods for dogs other than they key ingrediants that shouldnt be in the food, but my fiance does all the research and he really likes this food.

If its so bad why would it be a 6 star rating dog food? I mean I look at the ingrediants, and I see a lot of REAL ingrdiants in there.
Now as for purina and beneful and all that jazz, yes thats crap hahaha

Our dogs dont even get biscuts haha they get the treats that are purely food ingrediants with no other products in them.

Fromm brand dog food Ive actually never heard of haha I'll have to check it out.

 

[Chad M Lane]

Hello,

This is Chad, Danielle's fiance. For starters read this independent paper.


http://orijen.ca/orijen/ORIJEN_White_Paper.pdf

Then watch the video.
Orijen Pet Foods: Products

Orijen cooks their meats at 190F (at least this is what I remember talking to them about) which is a very low temp compared to most other brands of dog foods.

If Orijen is so bad, why do I have customers that have been feeding it for 4-6 years with 11 year old dogs that look like they are 4-5 years old? Why are holistic vets recommending this food? Normal vets only have to take ONE semester of nutritional courses.

99% of people that have problems with feeding Orijen, Evo, and other high protein, low carbohydrate foods comes down to simply over feeding. Our dogs are not fed off guidelines, they are fed off calorie needs, = lazy day = less food, hiking/running day = more food. Simple as that.

Now I would like to know what ingredients in Orijen leads you to believe it is damaging organs in dogs?

Now looking at Fromm dog food "Grain free" surf and turf formula looks like a good food, but personally I will not feed it to my dogs. It's much higher in in Carbs, than Orijen, Evo, among other grain free foods. Dogs have little to NO nutritional needs for carbohydrates they can't use carbohydrates like we can, simple carbs are stored directly as fat, or pooped out, and not used. Complex carbs can be used much more easily but it's not needed, as dogs use protein and fat as energy as we use carbs keep in mind I used to be a body builder and I understand how protein, fats, and carbs work.

Here's a few ingredients I would not like to see in their food. Dried Tomato Pomace not a bad ingredient but a filler and nothing else.
Pea Protein: A plant biased protein to boost the protein % in the dog food, sadly it's an 'incomplete' protein that dogs can't use to it's full potential like true omnivores or herbivores can. IE: pooping it out.
Flaxseed: A quailty ingredient, but the omega fatty acids are in AL, which human digestive systems can convert into EFA and DHA, with DHA being the most usable source sadly dogs cannot convert AL into EFA, and DHA like we can, so intern it is not being used, and it's being pooped out.

My only problem I have with Orijen Regional Red is potato starch but they use it because it helps keep the kibbles shape as they use so much meat. All dry kibble have to have starch/carb source to keep the kibbles shape, otherwise all the meat would just crumble a part.




Cheers,
Chad

 

[Chad M Lane]

I'd also like to explain how I figured out he was allergic to Chicken. When we first got him, he was on Chicken Soup, and I switched him over to Taste of the Wild fowl. It improved slightly, bad gas, gunked ears, dandruff, dull coat, and licking his paws almost raw. I then switched him to Orijen Six Fish, and before that bag was gone lasts both dogs 4-5 weeks, he had almost no gas, coat was much softer shinner, stopped licking his paws. Then we couldn't get Six Fish so I switched them to Orijen adult which has Turkey/Chicken, went straight back to, bad gas, licking of paws etc... switched him back to Six Fish, he's been find since January on it. Now in the slow process of switching him over to the Red meat formula.

As I think he'll do great on it, and personally I like switching up the main protein sources every 2-3 bags, my Boston Terrier I can just straight up switch without mixing, and she'd be fine not even a soft stool, the English Bulldog however... give him a new treat and his stool goes bad for days. So when I have switched him I do it over a month long or longer process.

So all in all he had allergic reactions to three different foods containing chicken and had no problem with foods without Chicken?


Cheers,
Chad

 

[bullmama]

I also found out my Tidus was (more than likely) allergic to chicken the same way you found out. I had even tried fish based diets but most of them still contain a small amount of chicken. It was not until I went to a strictly beef diet that he got better. I also only give him salmon oil every 3 days because if I give it everyday it seems to cause a reaction as well. So it is also probable that he has a slight allergy to fish too!

I looked at your materials and I do not question Orijen is a great food myself. The only thing that concerns me is the amount of protein not being utilized by my dog, since they are not althletic or anything. I think the 30% I am currently feeding (Fromm Beef Frittata) is a bit high as well, but I give him a bit less kibble and give him veggies, cottage cheese, yogurt and pumpkin to give him the added food/fat he needs.

Note to Linda, I do see enzymes in the adult dog food in the guaranteed analysis. Are these not live?

 

[Lindathedogsmaid]

Hi Chad, you should switch teh meat source every few months yes , just keep it in the same brand,
that is why Fromm offers the gold foods, it is several meats together, so that dogs do not ever become intolerant to any meat. and I do not feed (treats__dog treats anyway,I never know whats in them) if any treats, a childs circus cookie is small enough to not cause tummy upset ,even in 1/2 the are happy with them, and I know that they are safe for them to eat. but mostly feed fruit and veggies, that also dilute the urine from becoming concentrated, and acidic. along with a bit of meat broth,in the drinking water. you know bullys.
all that other food might do fine on a lot of breeds but not long term on bullys. they are so sensative that you can take two foods with almost exactly the same ingredients, and just because it is made differently,with slightly different types of the same thing, I have seen bully react terribly .thank god not all of them are that sensitive. but if anything it is the high protein that will get them, they are not active or a working breed. to burn it off. as a body builder you should recognize that!

 

[Lindathedogsmaid]

Lisa if you are talking about the Fromm, yes most certainly , they are live , on the other brands-- they do not guarantee in writing that they are even there --BY LAW-- they don't have to --
it is just that small family Fromm company WANT TO. go above and beyond the basics, on just legal!
thats why they also let you know the type of meat used, lic their faculty beyond the needed licensing. have a nutritionist on duty all day to take questions , use only natural vitamins form veggies and fruit ,(such as the peas for a nutritional purpose)use the cheese locally , and truck in the good meats daily
and they DO NOT advertise!!!! that costs money,the(((( highest cost of manufacturing and bringing to market!!))) the food sells its self!!!!
wellness used to be that way, till they built a new plant and went the way of cheaper foods, and now they find the need to advertise and are in the petco,petsmart stores now. to sell the numbers -bag the quality!