Dog Food

[JBrew]

Pro Plan here. Buddy of mine feeds Diamond and is happy with it.

 

[sndmn11]

What made both of you go Kinetic over Inukshuk?

I noticed a start to grazing with the older dog when I switched to it after the Victor recalls. She also started getting eye boogers. Nothing drastic and that started when the puppy arrived, so there were multiple possible causes. That was over the winter of '23-'24. I noticed the puppy grazing a lot and had eye boogers as well but didn't think much of it since both dogs looked great and every bird dog trainer raves about Inukshuk.

I went to Pheasant Fest this year and talked with a lot of businesses. One of the good conversations was with Kinetic and some of the things their president mentioned (unsolicited) resonated with me. So, I switched the young dog over and the eye boogers have stopped completely, while the older dog still has them. She still grazes, but not as much as before. Her paw pads are the biggest improvement and seem to be more leathery. The older dog is still working through the Inukshuk bag and hasn't switched over yet.

We are/were using both levels of Inukshuk Marine, and are using the Kinetic 24K. The older dog is allergic to chicken.

 

[tam9492]

I noticed a start to grazing with the older dog when I switched to it after the Victor recalls. She also started getting eye boogers. Nothing drastic and that started when the puppy arrived, so there were multiple possible causes. That was over the winter of '23-'24. I noticed the puppy grazing a lot and had eye boogers as well but didn't think much of it since both dogs looked great and every bird dog trainer raves about Inukshuk.

I went to Pheasant Fest this year and talked with a lot of businesses. One of the good conversations was with Kinetic and some of the things their president mentioned (unsolicited) resonated with me. So, I switched the young dog over and the eye boogers have stopped completely, while the older dog still has them. She still grazes, but not as much as before. Her paw pads are the biggest improvement and seem to be more leathery. The older dog is still working through the Inukshuk bag and hasn't switched over yet.

We are/were using both levels of Inukshuk Marine, and are using the Kinetic 24K. The older dog is allergic to chicken.

When did the Victor recall occur? Multiple trusted, local shops carry it, so I’m intrigued.

 

[sndmn11]

When did the Victor recall occur? Multiple trusted, local shops carry it, so I’m intrigued.

Fall '23 was the one that caused us to leave.

Mid America Pet Food Issues Voluntary Recall of Victor Beef Meal & Rice Dog Food Due to Possible Salmonella Health Risk

Mid America Pet Food, Mount Pleasant, Texas, is voluntarily recalling three lots of Victor Super Premium Dog Food, Select Beef Meal & Brown Rice Formula produced at its Mount Pleasant, Texas production facility because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

www.fda.gov

The former owners of Victor started a new dog food company in early 2024, the non-compete from the 2020 sale expired, but I can't remember what it is called.

edited to add:
https://www.petfoodindustry.com/pet...ates-private-equity-buys-mid-america-pet-food

the new company by thte former Victor folks is Next Level

Advantage — Next Level Super Premium Pet Food

At Next Level, we believe in building things from the ground up. The right way. We know how to, because we have done it before. Our strategy is simple: Use the best ingredients, source locally and deliver science-driven nutrition for science-fueled performance.

nextlevelpetfood.com

 

[Jason Snyder]

When did the Victor recall occur? Multiple trusted, local shops carry it, so I’m intrigued.

It was about 2-3 years ago

 

[ArchMT]

We feed Pro Plan as a puppy, but our Griff had allergy issues. Made the switch to Inukshuk once she was grown. Now she is off her allergy meds and doing great.

I mean look at this hairdo:

 

[MallardSX2]

We take ALL of the trimmings from our deer and elk and anything else that we cut up and when we are done butchering, we grind those sinew trimmings up and put it in 1 pound bags.

The dogs get 1 pound of it a week raw in their bowl.

I like to think it wakes up the inner wolf in my 2 wolves (that are disguised in "Black Labrador Pajamas" lol).

 

[KurtR]

What made both of you go Kinetic over Inukshuk?

I had tried the others and the guy who i trained with all the time fed kinetic. He gave me a bag to try and every problem he had went away. He is 68 pounds we train almost daily and i feed him 2 cups a day. All my other labs could have ate a dead skunk and been fine he has a sensitive stomach. I feed the 30k

 

[BadDogPSD]

I switched our GSP over to a carnivore diet over two years ago (he's 7 now). I buy primal cuts of beef & lamb and run it through the grinder. We tried Farmers Dog, We Feed Raw, Midwest Legacy Beef before making our own.

 

[BigDuckHunter]

A couple vets I’ve asked have said to go with one of five brands that employ vet nutritionists, conduct AAFCO feeding trials, and conduct nutrition research. They mentioned Purina, Iams, Hills, Eukaneuba, and another I’m forgetting. We’ve fed our guy Purina Pro Plan and have been very happy with his health and body condition. A friend of mines wife does QC for pet food and she says Purina has really high standards for their food. I think there are many options that will work but Pro Plan works for us and can be found anywhere (important because I travel a ton).

 

[Bama67]

My dog eats just cheap Purina, but she is mostly a yard dog.
I fed my last dog expensive food and she died at 7 years old due to cancer so not sure it helped.

although my current dog could probably live without her food because our chickens are constantly laying eggs in the woods and she eats at least a couple of those a day, shell and all.

 

[Jason Snyder]

It’s important to look at the dogs activity level. My two dogs are like Olympic athletes. They are hunting 2-3 days a week, for about 22 weeks straight, and then in the summer they are doing daily hikes and weekly water training sessions. Feed accordingly.

 

[butcherboy]

I use Purina. I take the bone marrow and fat residue that’s captured in my bandsaw after a day of processing beef. Scramble it in a frying pan, mix in shredded carrots and then package it in gallon ziplock bags and stored in the freezer . I mix in about a cup of this into the dry food. I also save a ton of beef tendons from the hind leg to use as chew treats. I cut a lot of dog bones as well.

 

[Reburn]

Ive been through
Victor, Pro plan, diamond, river run cheaper stuff and the most expensive stuff and a couple others I cant remember as well as blending my own with a nutritionist and making tons of it. Years later I ended up with wholehearted Active Performance High-Protien Beef and rice recipe and have found this to be the best performace.

​

 

[Wheels]

Switched from Victor when the recall came out to PPP Sport, both dogs do great with it.

 

[Pilsner]

Not quite a 1:1 comparison for a hunting dog but I am on my 3rd lab as a service dog and my pups are VERY active. As in its not uncommon for my boy to run besides the SxS for 30+ miles in a day as a 115# dog. We have always feed our pups Blue Buffalo grain free stuff supplemented by heavy amounts of wild game meat and scraps.

 

[TaperPin]

Our 17 year old wiener dog lived the last ten years on Costco dry food with a scoop of canned cat food and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese twice a day. I can’t say how it relates to big dogs, but those little legs logged a lot of miles. lol

The fat in the cat food helped her coat look good. Vet said she was a tough old bird and just keep doing whatever we were doing.

Other dogs in the family don’t clear their glands reliably with the oil from the cat food, and they don’t care for Parmesan cheese, but they love the hell out of a little cooked rice sprinkled on top. Our weird dog would be a vegetarian if it was up to him. His favorite treat in the whole world is a chunk of lettuce. Carrots will do, or cucumbers, anything from the produce department. Weird.

 

[ericmcd]

I just got a new pup and did a ton of research on this. There is lots of misinformation out there, dog food is made to sell to people not dogs. I would HIGHLY recommend only purchasing a food that follows WSAVA guidelines. Wasava doesn't actually approve any food but sets guidelines that you should look for when purchasing. Purina, Hills, Royal Canin, Iams, and Eukanuba all follow these guidelines. I was prepared to pay a ton of money on raw diet or luxury brand but my research ultimately led me to pro plan. Though to be honest I would feel more comfortable feeding my dog cheap Purina dog chow over the expensive brands that don't follow these guidelines

Nutrition Guidelines - WSAVA

These Global Guidelines aim to help veterinary teams ensure that pets are fed according to an optimal and individually tailored nutrition plan. They also offer advice to support owner compliance.

wsava.org

 

[tam9492]

Lot of Pro Plan users. It seems to be widely available, too.

 

[7mm-08]

Lot of Pro Plan users. It seems to be widely available, too.

Its a popular choice for good reason.