Food Recall
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Food Concerns…
Who needs them anytime but all the more so at Christmas…
A couple of days ago we received notice that there is a recall of Kroger’s Dog Food…
Click Here to Read about the Recall!
There have been many pet food recalls in the last decade. Many top brand names have been involved in these recalls. This time it is a store-brand food.  Since most stores don’t make their own foods we were doing some research to try to figure out who makes this food for Kroger.  We could not determine the answer to that question.
Regardless, knowing that many of you depend upon us to keep you informed we wanted to bring this recall to your attention. Having done so we want to mention that a quality food is important. With so many dog foods being made by large companies such as Mars Candy Company and Nestle. Â In fact here is a list we found on the Internet:
Many of these well known brands were once considered the best food available. Some of you may still feed them. This list might be outdated as Mars has also acquired Nutro Natural and there are many blogs and forum discussions on the decline in quality.
Understanding dog food and balancing the information is hard for the average person. Many people just pick up their food at their Veterinary office–most of which rely on Science Diet, Hills, and on occasion Purina. We understand that Purina is now owned by Nestle.
Our long time favorite was Eagle Pack because they had excellent quality control and manufactured all their own food. In the last couple of years they sold out to Wellness who changed the Eagle Pack product line to Holistic Select. We have stuck with the brand because by all appearances they have kept the same level of quality or made improvements.
The Holistic Transitions works to help you transition your pet’s food. Even with the best of directions it can be tough to easily transition. Suggestions include the mixing of the old food and the new food starting with a 50-50 mix of the two foods. Then over a period of two weeks you slowly reduce the old food and increase the new food.
We find the Weimaraner often will pick one of the two foods out and leave the other. Food changes can bring on diarrhea and sometimes severe diarrhea. Transitions can help ease or possibly prevent these issues entirely.
Quality food
…is important for your Weimaraner…..
Choosing a premium food is not all that easy. If you go with a store brand you need to be extra vigilant even once you determine it is a premium food. Stores don’t usually manufacture their own dog food though the package carries their brand. At any time they can change manufacturers, ingredients, and quality without notice. Costco has had a fairly good food but they are an example of one you would want to watch. There is no guarantee they will stick with the same company next month.
Ingredients…
Ingredients should not include corn, wheat, or barley, nor should it have a lot of fillers. Surprisingly, protein meal (such as lamb meal or chicken meal) is more digestible than those foods touting whole chicken or whole lamb etc. Â A person has to read the labels as with their own food and determine if the food is quality, appropriate and the right proportions. As a general rule an adult Weimaraner should do well on a food having about 22% protein and 12% fat. (You may not find any with these exact proportions but you should have something within a couple percentages.) In truth, the ingredients are more important than the percentages.
Serving Size
If you are working or hunting your Weimaraner you may need higher percentages of protein and fat in order to maintain a healthy body weight. During the winter they may require a slightly larger serving to retain their body weight. Proportions vary according to size, sex, amount of exercise, and season. Pregnant or lactating moms also require a lot more feed and higher calorie food. Here at OwyheeStar Cliff feeds between 3-5 cups normally. All of the kids get at least 3 cups even in the spring or summer. In the winter the minimum serving is 4 cups. A few require almost 6 cups to maintain their body weight in the winter. As you can see this is not an exact science.
Much of this is subjective. You have to determine if they are fat enough as well as not too fat. If their backbone is showing they are getting too thin. The backbone should have a thin coating of fat.
Food issues can be a problem. Some Weims have a sensitive tummy and cannot tolerate the normal foods and for this reason require a special diet. (Special diets might mean using duck and potato, salmon, or other foods that contain sweet potato). Food changes as we said are precarious at best. We hope this information helps you understand a bit more about the dog food industry. It is ever changing and out-sourcing our pet’s food is happening. Our best advice is to be vigilant.
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