# Price aside, what is the BEST dry food for my pit?



## mark896 (Jul 3, 2012)

He's almost 5 months old and about 33 pounds. I have him on Innova Puppy but someone recently told me Innova is garbage since they got bought out so I'm looking at Orijen Puppy. 

I don't care how much it costs, what is the best dry food for him? I hear TOTW is ok, but I don't really want to deal with them since the recall.. 

Thanks for your help.

Mark


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

That's a good food. KM Also reccomended Acana to me an from what I have read it looks great. My dog has allergies so I need to go grain free.


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## ::::COACH:::: (Apr 4, 2012)

Orijen, Acana, Instinct


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## angelbaby (Feb 4, 2010)

Acana and orijen are both good. But honestly this thread has been posted over and over , there is a search button at the top if you are looking for advice on food please just type in `food` or ``kibble`` or food rate chart in the search button im sure you will find all the info in the other threads.


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## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

mark896 said:


> He's almost 5 months old and about 33 pounds. I have him on Innova Puppy but someone recently told me Innova is garbage since they got bought out so I'm looking at Orijen Puppy.
> 
> I don't care how much it costs, what is the best dry food for him? I hear TOTW is ok, but I don't really want to deal with them since the recall..
> 
> ...


As Angelbaby mentioned, this topic has been stated over and over.. Feel free to search through the nutrition/health sections and see other threads related.. I have posted on several threads on the subject and virtually say the same thing over and over.. If you still have questions, feel free to ask or PM me. There are several members here whom i have answered and helped and can vouch for my expertise.



ames said:


> That's a good food. KM Also reccomended Acana to me an fro
> What I have read it looks great. My dog has allergies so I need to go grain free.


:cheers:



::::COACH:::: said:


> Orijen, Acana, Instinct


:thumbsup:


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## mark896 (Jul 3, 2012)

Thanks guys. I know it's been discussed, and trust me I searched, but to be honest, I get mixed reviews. The dog food review sites, I believe can be "skewed" from time to time, I'd rather hear it from knowledgable pit owners. I thought I was giving my dog premium food but I guess Innova is garbage which saddens me because I've been giving it to him for 2 months. 

Anyways, I'm going to try Orijen, about to order a 30 lb. bag. How aggressively should I meter it into the Innova during the switch?


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## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

mark896 said:


> Thanks guys. I know it's been discussed, and trust me I searched, but to be honest, I get mixed reviews. The dog food review sites, I believe can be "skewed" from time to time, I'd rather hear it from knowledgable pit owners. I thought I was giving my dog premium food but I guess Innova is garbage which saddens me because I've been giving it to him for 2 months.
> 
> Anyways, I'm going to try Orijen, about to order a 30 lb. bag. How aggressively should I meter it into the Innova during the switch?


While it goes against what many will say including myself depending on the situation, you can just do a complete change... Typically, when going from a poorer quality to a higher quality you don't have the same digestive problems that occur when switching from higher to lower OR poor to poor. Dogs with sensitive stomachs will react more negatively during a change than those with a "stronger" digestive system.. So of course,, this will vary dog to dog.

However, you know your dog better than anyone so that is up to you. The most common is start with 75 old 25 new for a few days, then 50 - 50, 25 - 75 then 100% new over 6 - 8 days. Unless you are dealing with a VERY sensitive animal, this is complete over kill.

One thing with Orijen you have to keep in mind is the high protein, some dogs do not fair well with high protein diets for various reasons most common has to do with genetic balance..

Also, with feeds over 36% such as Orijen, it is best suited for extremely active animals OR working stock.. Generalized for a reason, many variations of work however i don't mean spring pole, flirt pole.. Catch dog, protection, herd stock, sleigh hounds, etc..

However on the flip side, in order to be as close to appropriate as possible in kibble diets, it must be that of high protein as to how the meat is processed (dehydrated..lacking water content unless stated fresh*) by volume.. Meaning, dogs need a sufficient amount of meat in their foundation of diet.. When adding 3 + quality meat products in a feed, the protein content rises.. This is why if you look at single meat source kibbles, protein amounts are typically less than 26%.. On average, 20 - 24%.

What this means regardless of activity is that you will A. feed less than you do with your current feed as there is more nutritional value that can be broken down and used efficiently and B. water intake will be increased by an unspecific amount as this amount varies completely depending on use of animal and animal in general.

One thing about Orijen and Acana that is an added benefit is that some of the meats are fresh and not dehydrated during processing. This means, water content is still there although SMALL makes a difference. However do not be fooled by believing water intake will remain the same.

The method i find USUALLY works..

Feed
wait 30 - 40 minutes
give 1/2 bowl water
wait up to 20 minutes
take out/relieve

Especially in the summer, wait an additional 30 or so minutes after this to work/exercise at any significant amount, this is mostly precaution..

After your first period of exercise wait another hour or so for the body to cool and come back to a more relaxed state, give a full bowl of water.

After any real amount of exercise or any time where the dog gets hot and worn, wait about an hour and give another bowl of water.. This will help reduce the amount of stress that the kidneys can endure.

If i am making you worry.. Don't fret.. For about a decade of personally handling feeding and working animals, i have fed high protein diets and not once had a feed issue.

Use your common sense and it goes a long way.. You really do this stuff with any feed however the main difference is amount you feed and amount of water actually consumed..

Now unless you have a chain spot, then this changes slightly by same concept is applied.. :thumbsup:


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## mark896 (Jul 3, 2012)

KMdogs said:


> While it goes against what many will say including myself depending on the situation, you can just do a complete change... Typically, when going from a poorer quality to a higher quality you don't have the same digestive problems that occur when switching from higher to lower OR poor to poor. Dogs with sensitive stomachs will react more negatively during a change than those with a "stronger" digestive system.. So of course,, this will vary dog to dog.
> 
> However, you know your dog better than anyone so that is up to you. The most common is start with 75 old 25 new for a few days, then 50 - 50, 25 - 75 then 100% new over 6 - 8 days. Unless you are dealing with a VERY sensitive animal, this is complete over kill.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much for this, EXTREMELY informative. Like I said, he's almost 5 months old, he's simply a family pet, and we don't plan on extreme exercise, just jogs around the block 3-5 times a week. I spare no expense with him, and want the BEST for him. I don't have the time for a raw diet else I'd probably do that. But it sounds like Orijen will work just fine for me. I understand the extra protein, and that he might not eat as much of it as he would something else. We live in Southern Alabama and it is hot as HELL here; he has a full bowl of fresh water always, I cannot bare to take that away from him.


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