Is Premium Dog Food really more filling?

Question

Most pet owners have heard the claims that premium dog and cat foods are more filling b/c they have less fillers and additives resulting in less food being used at each feeding. Is it really true? I have a 95lb Bullmastiff and a 10lb mini dachshund. They currently eat Purina (as my bullmastiff has a very sensitive stomach and has to be fed a low fat and low protein diet (<26% protein, <15% fat) according to his breeder. Who here noticed a difference in consumation when they switched to a Premium brand? Does anyone have a Bullmastiff or other large breed dog that can recommend a good quality food? One last thing, my Bully's stomach is so sensitive that he cannot even be fed plain biscuits b/c he gets diarhea.

Answer 1

Dogs are able to process more of what is in the premium brands that in the grocery store brands so the feeding size is less.  If you are feeding proper serving sizes You end up paying about the same per serving for a premium or super premium brand verses a grocery store brand.   I have never fed my dog a grocery store brand he has always had a premium brand but I know someone who has a similar sized dog that feeds a grocery store brand.  It takes my dog (93lbs) about 2 months to go through a 40lb bag of the premium dog food I feed where has her dog is going through a 40lb bag of grocery store brand in about 3 weeks.  

The premium or super premium foods will probably help with your Bullys stomach issues also because he won&#039;t be trying to digest all the fillers in the food.   You may have to search around for something he can eat though.

Answer 2

Yes, I believe it is.  At one point my dog was eating Iams Premium protection dog food (I got the bags free).  She consumed about 2 cups, twice a day.  She was a 65 lb GSD at the time.  Over the course of time it took her to eat the 30 lb bag, and a 15 lb bag afterwards, her weight went up to 71 lbs.  She gulped the food down and always looked for more.

Since then, she&#039;s been eating Evo red meat, Nature&#039;s variety instinct, or Taste of the Wild (I rotate foods every 3 months as the formulas are very similar, all are grain-free).   She is down now to 68 lbs, eats 1&amp; 1/4 cup twice a day, and is very satisfied with that amount.  Her weight has remained steady for the past 7-8 months, so I believe I can say that she is eating the right amount.

As far as her stool, she eliminated 3-4 times a day, (loose but not diarrhea) on the Iams. Her stool on the grain-free food is compact, and 1-2 times /day.

Answer 3

It is true that dogs need far less of a higher quality food not only to reach their daily requirements but to stay full. My parents feed their dog free fed (active dog, who is able to self regulate how much she eats) and she eats half of what she used to eat now on her super premium brand than she did on the grocery store brand.

If you are looking for a lower protein/fat food I would try Blue Buffalo (sold at Petsmart). The ingrediants are great, my pup really thrives on it. Some people feel it is a little high in grains however they are good quality grains and there is plenty of good meat sources in it. My dog has a very touchy stomach, I tried switching him to some of the other high quality brands (Orijen) very gradually of course but they where too rich for him. He really seems to thrive on this brand you can get a free sample on their website http://www.bluebuff.com

Answer 4

I have three dogs (including a 100+lbs  Great Pyrenees) on Innova Large Breed Senior.  I use the Large Breed Senior even though not all of my dogs are Senior and not all are large but it had less filler than the regular Innova.  My Pyr looks great and borders on chubby on just two cups of the Innova a day.  Our other dogs look great as well and they eat less then the Pyr.  The analysis on the large breed sr. is 26% protein, 10% fat with no hard to digest stuff like corn or wheat.  (Corn is tough on a dog&#039;s stomach... we had a dog that actually had seizures when he ate corn).  My mom even feeds the same brand/variety to her Jack Russel with good results... so Innova has my vote!

Answer 5

If the Purina is working for you, don&#039;t change unless you are willing to do it sloooowly.  Premium foods aren&#039;t more filling per se but they are better utilized and cause less waste.  You might want to try many of the low residue foods on the market too.  They work quite well for dogs with sensitive stomachs.  I don&#039;t have a bull mastiff but there are many in the area that eat premium brands just fine with no issues.  Owners  also don&#039;t have to clean their yards as often and they can feed two cups of food instead of six to maintain the dog&#039;s weight.  The dogs are definately healthier because of the better foods too.  Just a few things to consider.

Answer 6

For the bullmastiff, stick with a food that is 23% protein or less until 24 months of age.

Solid gold mmelinia is a good option. After 24 months, go with evo or innova.

The dachshund can be put on Evo, Innova, Orijen, Wellness core, Blue Wilderness, taste of the wild.  

If your pup is having problems with foods, look into talking to a canine nutritionist. www.dogfoodguru.com

I didnt know that you had to feed less when you switched to a higher quality food, so my dane had diarrhea the whole time he was on it. When we switched to raw, he was fed even less and his poo is solid and small.

Your breeder knows nothing about nutrition, the dog wouldnt be on purina.

Here is the forum that helped me with my dogs loose stool problem and my older dogs sensitive stomachs. www.bigdogsporch.com

Answer 7

It is really true. Since your dog digests more of what it eats, it needs to eat less. Sometimes by as much as half.

I&#039;d be willing to bet your bully is sensitive to some of the ingredients in dog biscuits, most commercial dog biscuits are made primarily of things the dog doesn&#039;t need. Wheat, flour, etc.

I&#039;ve chosen not to feed commercial foods anymore and feed prey model raw instead. My dogs do great on the diet. This might be something for you to consider as dogs that sensitive to some proteins cooked, do fine with the same protein raw. Cooking changes the food.

Some high quality foods to look at would be Wellness, Innova, Eagle Pack Holistics, and Solid Gold.

Remember to make the switch slowly, especially since the bully has a sensitive tummy.

**LOL, I didn&#039;t even notice the typo, I read it as consumption.

Answer 8

There is a HUGE difference when you switch to quality foods.

I switched both of my boys to a high quality food.  My mix is really sensitive to most things (I had to stop feeding store bought treats because they all made him ill,) but he does fantastic on the new food.  I actually had him on Purina first.  He had loose, bright yellow bowel movements....when we switched, they became firm, small, normal colored bm&#039;s.  For your Bully with the sensitive tummy...I&#039;m almost sure that Purina is just shredding him apart inside as it did to my boy.  Look at the ingredients...in the top three are corn.  Dogs can&#039;t digest this, and some (as I suspect with my mix,) are actually allergic to it.

As far as the less feeding goes...yes, my boys require a slightly smaller amount of the new food.  Where I was feeding almost 6 cups a day of Purina, we&#039;re down to 4 cups a day with the California Natural.  

You can look at http://www.dogfoodanaylsis.com if you want to see good foods that are low in fat and protein for your dogs.