Canidae: Putting it to the Test

Sounds normal to me I like the smell of it. The dogs love it.

B

 

I think purina is a little low on protein and a little high on crude fiber. I feed HY TEK Rations 31% protein, 3.0% crude fiber.

 

Rocky, how much does your dog weigh? & how much Canidae are you feeding it? Also, When referring to a cup, do you mean 1 measuring cup? A lot of people use coffee cans, plastic drinking cups, etc. I have a 63# male that eats 1 measuring cup of Canidae in the morning & 1 in the evening. He gets moderate exercise, (Texas summers don't permit more) & is at an ideal non-keep size. I'm just curious as to how strict the parameters of your study are. How much dog chow did you used to feed? You should start noticing a significant difference within 3-4 weeks. Did your dog recieve any additional supplements to the previous feed? Daily vitamins & such? If so none of these are needed with the Canidae. I think that the normal walking you're doing right now is fine. But I would'nt stop it altogether. Sorry for all the questions.

 

Execellent questions! This is a main reason for me posting my experiment. Rocky currently weighs 55 lbs and is fed 2 cups per day of Canidae as per feeding requirements. While on Dog Chow, he was fed 2 1/3 cups, again, as per feeding requirement on the package ( A cup being 8oz). While on Dog Chow, he received 1000 IU Vitamin E in capsule form every other day (sometimes less than that!). I have continue to give him the capsules as normal.

I have to note that he is fed Canidae in the morning and receives a Hide bone at night. This follows his previous normal pattern of receiving Dow Chow (2 1/3 cups) in the morning and a bone (Hide) at night.

 

The guy at the pet food store said one of the big dog food co.'s is buying canadae and the quality will go down the toilet.

 

I hope this isnt true.

 

You can stop the Vitamin E. It is completely unnecessary while feeding Canidae!
If you want to get a real ideal on the quality of the food, then the only thing you should be putting in the dog is the Food!

 

If that's true, better stock up NOW! I recently switched to canidae and I truly love it! My dogs love it too. Now they can't wait for me to put the food in their bowls when before they would let it sit until they were starving. (I guess Diamond isn't their choice of food...) I can feed less. And though they love it, they still leave some in the bowls. I have a feeling I'll be buying less food, and for more benefits.

 

10/4/05 Update on experiment:

Dog noticeably hungrier under Canidae than while under Dog Chow.

Stool amount remains the same as when it was on Dog Chow except that it is less solid now than under Dog Chow.

Coat and skin unchanged. Dog was flaking before changing foods and is still flaking today.

Energy level remain the same.

Dog breath remain the same.

I will take a side picture of him for reference purposes and will add it to this post tomorrow. You may then reference those taken before commencement of experiment and posted in the first post.

 

I agree that this is a good idea to test one thing to remember though every dog reacts to certain things different.Wrather it be food,excersise,enviroment,ect.I hope the results of this experiment turn out in your favor.Best regards-Mike.

 

Mike333,

I am not seeking a particular result. I am trying to be as fair as possible to both sides of the equation. My aim is to figure if it is worth to buy advertised 'high' quality food or if it is better to buy decent dog food and supplements. So far, Canidae is not turning out so well. I hope to see results in the next two weeks.

 

Here is how he looked on 10/04/05 (Pictures prior to experiment on first post):

 

I think it takes a few weeks to see much change ...mine are hungry on the can. too!

 

***originally posted by: APBTADBA
When we began to look at cost per feeding last year, we discovered an interesting fact: It costs less to feed a Super-Premium dog food than an Economy dog food. The secret is in the nutritional power of the food. A Super-Premium dog food contains much more energy and protein in every kibble than an economy brand. In one test we ran, we had to feed five times as much of the Economy brand dog food to get the same nutritional benefits of the Super-Premium. Despite the lower cost per bag of the Econo brand, it costs you more to feed than a Super-Premium, because you use more bags. How does cost fit in to the dog food picture? We measured the cost of 40 pound bags of various maintenance/adult dog foods and took the manufacturers' suggested feeding instructions. We then calculated the cost of feeding a 40 lb house dog for a day.

The Premium foods studied had an average of 22% crude protein and 10% crude fat. The Super-Premium dog foods examined had an average of 27% crude protein and 15% crude fat. The Economy brands averaged 20% crude protein and 8% crude fat.

The Super-Premium foods suggested feeding an average of 1-3/4 cups of food per day for our 40 lb dog. Premium brands recommended 3-1/4 cups, while the Econo brands instructed feeding 6 cups a day.

It costs an average of 24 cents a day to feed a dog a Super-Premium brand, compared to 26 cents a day for a Premium brand, and 31 cents a day for an Econo brand. That's right - the Econo-brand actually costs you 7 cents more a day to feed your dog than a Super-Premium does. In order to give your dog the nutrition he needs, he has to eat 3-1/2 times more of the Econo brand than the Super-Premium food.

Thus, the big difference is in the poop! The seven cents more that you spend on an Economy brand buys you piles more in the yard cleanup department.

Something else interesting turned up in our study. If you have a giant breed, such as an Irish Wolfhound, you would have to feed your dog at least 12 cups of an Econo brand for a cost of 64 cents a day. On a Super-Premium, he'd eat only 4-3/4 cups of food for a cost of 62 cents a day. That means the top quality food costs two cents less than the low quality food to get the same nutrition.

The bigger the dog, the narrower the margin of savings the Super-Premiums give. However, for my money, I'll take the Super-Premiums any day - can you imagine having to clean up the result of 12 cups of food a day per Wolfhound?? (Feeding a bigger dog on a Premium dog food costs 1/3 of a cent less than the Super-Premium, although you will still be feeding more and would have greater stool volume.)

Working with a kennel of 70 active hunting dogs over the last three years, we tested 10 different brands of dog food ranging from Econo brands to Super-Premiums. We found that it doesn't pay to feed a cheap-quality dog food. The better the quality of the food, the less it took to feed our dogs. Even at a higher price per bag, we saved several cents per feeding per dog. The better quality the food, the better the value.

Here's an example in our Foxhound kennel. The typical dog weighs about 70 pounds. It costs an average of 86 cents per dog per day to feed a Super-Premium brand, compared to S1.01 per dog per day for a Premium brand. When we fed a Regular brand, it cost us $1.12 per dog per day. When we fed an Econo brand, our cost soared to $1.35 per dog per day.

Super-Premium dog foods are more digestible so more of the nutrients are utilized. This means less poop is produced. Super-Premiums are more nutrient dense and less expensive to feed than Economy, Regular and some Premium brands" By ©1999 Good Dog! Inc

 

ON 9/27/05 I began testing Canidae food. A month prior, I stopped my dog's normal exercise, reduced his food intake (Dog Chow), observed his appearance, energy level, and strength. The below are the findings thus far:

No change in amount of feces.
No change in energy level.
Coat and skin remain flaky and dry.
No added muscles.
Dog appears hungrier than when on Dog Chow.

I have continued to walk him daily for an hour. I began to use a 9lb collar on his walks two weeks ago. I have begun to use 20lb harness but will only use this two days per week. On October 24th, I will restart running him as he did prior to my experiment. He should run 8 miles in 45 minutes, two days a week for two weeks. At that point, I will again assess his health and appearance. For your reference, I have included his appearance as per 10/16/05.

 

How old is your dog? I was wondering if that might play a factor in this. See, I switched over to Canidae and my female has lost her unnecessary bulkiness from crap dog-food and has gained more muscular definitions, yet the whole time, her activity has stayed pretty much the same.... maybe a bit more springpole-ing. She is only 10 1/2 months old. Do you think age plays a role in this? I'm basically happy that she has lost her "fat" really.

One bad thing I have noticed since switching to Canidae is both of my dogs now have "eye boogers" in the mornings and periodically throughout the day. How about you?

 

The below are the findings thus far:
No change in amount of feces.
No change in energy level.
Coat and skin remain flaky and dry.
No added muscles.
Dog appears hungrier than when on Dog Chow.<O:p</O:p
That’s simply because the dog’s GI tract hasn’t even rid the body of the cheap poisoned crap you’ve been feeding it throughout its life. It will take up to six weeks just for that! There is no miracle kibble that will change your dog over night. Good luck!

 

My dog is a bit over 5 years of age. I would not think it plays a part in it. After the suggested time by Texasbulldogs, I will restart his normal exercise routine. I am beginning to think Canidae is better for "Athletic" dogs than for regular dogs. I will have to see after a month of serious exercising.

I realize what you have told me. I also realize in order to keep my findings as objective as possible, I need write as many thoughts as possible and review at the end of the "Experiment". As stated above, I have started working him by walking him heavy. In two weeks I will start to training as if it was getting ready for a show. I hope to have a clearer view of Canidae by early December.

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Not to put down yoour study or anything
but if u were exercising ur dog with purina and stop with canidae u r changing factors...in just pure thought of exercise someone could eat horrible and exercise a lot and look awsome, but on the other hand someone could get great have no exercise and still be over weight..you cant change varibles that the dog is use to. the only variable would change would be the food. to get an acurate measure i would have to believe pulse rate at resting and at exercise would have been taken to see a change.also weight a given...but what do i know thought i just give an opinion...good luck to you and i am also going to change brands...







For your review, I have included the nutritional analysis of both products. Why am I not accounting for ingredients? Because at the end, we seek the best nutritional foods in the market not the nicest ingredients. In addition, I am pessimistic of company claims of having this or that ingredient in their product as that is not under government scrutiny. I am more confident of nutritional factors as they are monitored by FDA (It requires all foods to have nutritional analysis posted on their products).

Crude Protein: Purina Dow Chow: 21% vs Canidae: 24%
Crude Fat: Purina Dow Chow: 10% vs Canidae: 14.50%
Crude Fiber: Purina Dow Chow: 4.5% vs Canidae: 4%
Moisture: Purina Dow Chow: 12% vs Canidae: 10%
Linoleic Acid (Omega-6): Purina Dow Chow:1.5% vs Canidae: 3.70%
Calcium: Purina Dow Chow: 1% vs Canidae: 1.20%
Phosphorus: Purina Dow Chow: 0.8% vs Canidae: 0.90%
Vitamin A: Purina Dow Chow:10,000 IU/kg vs Canidae: 0
Alpha Linoleic Acid (Omega-3): Purina Dow Chow: 0% vs Canidae: 0.60%
Vitamin E: Purina Dow Chow: 0 vs Canidae: 200 IU/Kg
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C): Purina Dow Chow: 0 vs Canidae: 50 mg/Kg
Cellulase: Purina Dow Chow: 0 vs Canidae: 100 CMCU/Kg

Calorie Content:
Metabolizable Energy (ME)
Purina Dow Chow: 3701 Kcal/kg vs Canidae: 4103 Kcal/kg
Purina Dow Chow: 1679 Kcal/lb vs Canidae: 1865 Kcal/lb
Purina Dow Chow: 433 Kcal/cup vs Canidae: 466.25 Kcal/cup

Here are the feeding requirements:

Purina Dow Chow: 21-35 lbs: 1 1/3 - 2 cups
Purina Dow Chow: 36-50 lbs: 2 - 2 2/3 cups
VS
Canidae: 25-50 lbs: 1- 2 cups

Thus, a 50 pound dog would eat 2 2/3 cups of dog chow (at most) or 2 cups of Canidae (at most)

Purina Dow Chow:50-75 lbs: 2 2/3 - 3 1/3 cups
Vs
Canidae: 50-75 lbs: 2 - 3 cups

Thus, a 75 lb dog will only need to eat an additional 1/3 of a cup if on Purina Dog Chow.

Rocky completed his 1st week on Canidae this Sunday, Sept. 26th, 2005. Prior, he stopped exercising 3 weeks before the change over. NO EXERCISE WILL BE DONE UNTIL 40 LB BAG OF CANIDAE IS FINISH. I do not wish to have exercise as a variable factor in this experiment.

I hope to see how changing dog food will affect my dog's health without having other factors involved. I hope to be able to intelligently assess the cost/benefit of buying Canidae over Purina Dow Chow at the end of this experiment.

Addendum 9/28/05

Find pictures showing how Rocky looked before commencement of this experiment and how he looks today.

I began reducing Rocky's food (Dog Chow) intake at the end of July (1st picture: 9/24/05). He weighed 62#.

Rocky weighed 58# on the second picture dated 8/21/05.

On the third picture he weighed 56# taken on 9/25/05.

The fourth picture was taken yesterday 9/27/05.[/QUOTE]

 

That is a good observation. I did take that into account. I believe to have stated (in original post) that I stopped exercising him a bit over a month before changing brands.....Exactly for your reasoning. I have attempted to fully maintain his routine as it was a month prior to commencement of this "test".

I have posted my "curiosity test" in public in order to have as many minds monitoring a fair test. I do not seek any specific result, rather, I seek a clearer assessment of what Canidae brings at $35 (40lb) that will compensate changing from Dog Chow's $15 (50lb) feed. I openly state that Canidae, according to its label, is more nutritious than Dog Chow. My question is if it is worth it for the price or if supplements and Dog Chow will suffice.

PS Welcome to the site!