The pet food arena has become an area of concern for many pet owners, in light of recent developments with the origin of materials that go into many pet formulas. The ingredient list is and has become an increased area of vigilance when constructing your pets diet, as it should be. Often, the consumer is led by branding and advertising; with little knowledge of the content of the foods they choose only to pay the price downstream as their pet's health and immune is compromised after years of being undernourished, often at premium prices. While the cost of your pet's food is, by no measure, an indicator of quality, you do need to be aware of your pets needs and match it to an appropriate product.

While taking delivery of our newest Golden Retriever this weekend, the breeder responsibly gave us a bag of the food that she was feeding our girl, Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy. Eukanuba's formula is intended to address the issue large breed dogs contend with including growth rate, proper muscular, skeletal and joint development. I have seen dogs, particularly a Great Dane I recently came upon at a Pet Smart, who were inordinately large in physical mass yet had little support skeletally.  Our breeders philosophy is that the first four to six months growth should be slowed to allow for proper development of bones and joints which can lead to soft tissue injuries, orthopedic issues as hip and elbow Dysplasia as well as Panaosteitis. While her puppies seem a little smaller than some other breeders they develop into robust examples of the breed standard evidenced by her show record.

The ingredient list is a point of concern to me. I am a little surprised at some of the entries in the list and am moving forward advisedly. Entries like Corn Meal, Brewers Rice, Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken By-products make me wince, frankly, knowing what I do. And so I present the ingredient list.
 
Ingredient List:

v     Chicken  I like having the first ingredient listed a beef or poultry. The caveat is that you need to know if the content basis is before or after drying.
v     Corn Meal Oddly, Golden Retrievers generally do not respond well to corn products of any sort, which makes the choice to move my Golden back to Nutro an easy one.
v     Ground Whole Grain Sorghum is Grain based livestock feed which seems a questionable choice for dogs.
v     Chicken By-Product Meal (natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine) I personally like to know exactly what products are in my dog's food. By products can include everything from scraps and waste, which pose a risk in that uncertainty. I choose to supplement Glucosomine and Chondroitin.
v     Brewers Rice - Yet another problematic ingredient for me, while a fill ingredient, some Vitamin B can be derived form its use.
v     Natural Chicken Flavor - derived form high quality fats and protein to add to palatable flavor to content.
v     Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed) is a source of fiber, which aids in digestion
v     Fish meal is a source of Omega 3 fatty acids, comes from ground tissue of non-decomposed fish from the North Atlantic. Here again, I have a red flag waving in that I want to be certain that the quality of ingredient is more than scraps that are reground and sold as an Omega 3 resource.
v     Dried Egg Product essentially provides amino acids for muscle building hormone synthesis and various metabolic processes. I just would like to have a deeper understanding of what egg product they are referring.
v     Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E) is, again, a source of Omega 3 fatty acids, which aids in blood clotting and decreasing inflammation.
v     Brewers Dried Yeast promotes a healthy coat.
v     Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E) and Omega 6 along with essential fatty acids for skin and coat maintenance.
v     Potassium Chloride Salt a source of potassium, which also contains salt. I would exercise a little care to assure your supplements and treats aren't also salt loading.

v     Vitamin E Supplement
v     Ascorbic Acid
v     Beta-Carotene
v     Vitamin A Acetate
v     Calcium Pantothenate Biotin
v     Vitamin B12 Supplement
v     Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1)
v     Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2)
v     Inositol Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6)
v     Vitamin D3 Supplement  Folic Acid
v     Calcium Carbonate
v     Choline Chloride
v     Minerals [Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate]
v     DL-Methionine
v     Dried Chicken Cartilage (natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine)
v     Marigold, Rosemary Extract

Guaranteed Analysis
 
v     Crude Protein not less than                       26.00 %      
v     Crude Fat not less than                                 14.00 %      
v     Crude Fiber not more than                       5.00 %      
v     Moisture not more than                                 10.00 %
v     Calcium not less than                                 0.80 %
v     Phosphorus not less than                                 0.67 %
v     Vitamin E not less than                                 140 IU/kg
v     Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) not less than          0.1 %
v     Omega-6 Fatty Acids not less than             2.4 %
v     Omega-3 Fatty Acids not less than             0.3 %

v     Glucosamine not less than                       375 mg/kg         
v     Chondroitin Sulfate not less than             35 mg/kg




The issue of state and federal regulation is an issue with pet owners everywhere. The recent melamine scandal should have served as a warning to consumers that the governing bodies cannot and do not have the capability to effectively monitor the efficacy of pet foods; it is a responsibility that must be borne by pet owners. Knowledge of ingredient value must be an essential component in your dog's nutritional health. The federal authority the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), has regulated to the point of truthful labeling and omission of harmful content but clearly, that falls short on what can be done by the consumer to assure your pet's diet can be taken up a few notches. Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy pays attention to the slow steady growth of your pet, which I personally have to agree with personally witnessing the results of a deliberate breeding program with Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy food; results which, in my opinion, substantially exceed the minimum benchmarks set by the regulatory authority but may still fall short on what you can accomplish with a more thought out comprehensive feeing program. While the merits of this food are recognized, you should also have your pet on a wholesome and comprehensive vitamin regimen that addresses nutrient and muscular-skeletal requirements.

Up to this point, we have made a point of feeding our dogs Nutro products yet while I can dispute and even cast a credible defending argument against our breeders nutritional regimen, her results are indisputable.  Not only do her dogs catch up to more rapidly harvested growth from competing breeders, her dogs surpass the competition in conformation and, more importantly, lifespan. Often hurrying growth to field a ring ready dog is done so with consequences. I have heard both sides of the argument over the years, but the proof is incontrovertible that a more deliberate feeding program that places emphasis on bone and skeletal development produces a healthier dog. I do have reservations when it comes to much of the content of the Eukanuba product, but I also recognize that I may be a bit more and possibly too discriminating of my dogs diet. While that won't change, I will tolerate and closely watch as our pooch as she goes through this bag of the Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy all the while supplementing her diet with Nu Vet Plus vitamins as she does and make another assessment in 2-4 weeks. My impulse is to make the change gradual but definitely back to Nutro but based on what I have witnessed from my breeder, I will recommend it advisedly.

Recommended: Yes