Authority - good kibble ?

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samsons

Boxer Insane
I am a new owner of a male boxer 2 YO ~ he is a rescue so do not know diet history ( foster home feed purina, he was there 3 mo ) when we got home i feed him what they had sent - he was thin - deep indent in his hip area - My landlord is a retired dog trainer in the military - he said " change that dogs food NOW !" ( he saw him the first day here ) well even i knew that - lol ... just didnt know what to change it to ~ i had chows - low energy - totatly dif nutr. needs ! so armed with a print out from here - the artical about kibble - off we go to the pet store .. my fav guy there is a boxer owner - so we look for Mat - and sure enough he says he feeds Authority - major things matched up on my list of things to look for , $ 30 ish for 40 lbs, - so home we go ... Samson LOVES it - I feed 3 small meals a day - ( 1/2 cup in morning - 1/2 cup lunch ( i come home for lunch ) about 2 cups dinner w/ 1/4 can of wet . HE looks awsome - hips filled out , coat much softer - still can see most of his ribs - so not gaining to much . does had a bit of wet stole - and today - was very wet, is that normal changing foods - or becouse of more protein ? or am i over feeding ?

my major concern is - is this a good food - how much should i really be feeding - and how to tell ?

sam gobles up whats in the bowl - but stuff that falls on floor - he leaves - BEFORE he swept the floor - same amount of food- so i think it fills him up better - but still i dont know !! so tell me what u guys think !

thanks in advance !
 

johann

Boxer Insane
Did you check out dogfoodanalysis.com? It looks like the best rating Authority is a 2 star food (out of 6). There is a lot of misinformation and lack of knowledge regarding dog food.....for example, Science Diet is one of the worst foods you can buy, but its considered a "premium" brand by a lot of people. The same with Iams, Eukanuba, Purina, etc. Dogfoodanalysis has a great rating system that makes it easy to find a quality food.

Ideally you should try to find a 5 or 6 star food to feed him. It may be more expensive, but you have to feed a lot less of it. Some good brands to look for are Orijen, Acana, Wellness, Instinct, Canidea, and Taste of the Wild.

You probably won't find any of these foods at a big chain pet store (Petco carries Wellness, Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo)....but there is probably a small pet food/supppy store in your area. Most of the dog food manufacturers' websites have a place to search for a local store.

Congrats on the new addition. Boxers are supposed to be a lean dog, so you should be able to see the last rib or two when he's at a good weight. :) I love your avatar photo, he's a handsome boy and looks like he's having a blast in the snow. :D
 
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mueltrain

Boxer Booster
Same as above. I would highly recommend you switch food, and if you want the convenience of going to petco or something like that they do carry Wellness. Check that website!
 

BxrMommieNAZ

Boxer Insane
If you need to shop at PetSmart they carry Blue Buffalo which is a good food. If you need PetCo they carry Wellness, Solid Gold, and Natural Balance which are all good foods. Past that you will need to go to the individual food's website, put in your zip code and find a "mom and pop" type place in your area that sells the food you're looking for.

To answer your question, no Authority is a poor quality food and really not much better than the Purina that was being fed previously. You do not need to wait for that bag to be gone you can return it (despite having fed it) to PetSmart for a full refund without any issues.

The dog food analysis site is a very good starting point and a 4, 5, or 6 star food sold in your area in your price range would be a better option.

Best of luck!
 

MKAD

Boxer Insane
I agree with other posts; check out dogfoodanalysis.com. It has helped me a lot.
I was in a similar situation when I rescued my Sam- it was disgusting how skinny he was. 1-2 times a week I give him an egg in addition to his meals; also a bit of peanut butter (something with a higher fat content). He know looks like a totally different dog. But, to date, I have not been able to get firm stools for him- that is my struggle with his diet now.
Good luck; it sounds like you have already come a long way with Sam.
Take care-
Mary, Sally & Sammy
 

SteveL

Boxer Booster
I think the others covered the food well enough. Taste of the Wild is also a good food available at Tractor Supply (if you have one near you) I am rotating between Natural Balance and TOTW.
Yes it is common for a dog to have loose stools when you switch his food especially if you do it cold turkey. Most people recommend a 10 day switch over(start with very little of the new food and gradually increase). I had my poor puppy screwed up for a month switching his food. Remember (this is what I didn't know that hurt my puppy) even if you switch to a good food that agrees with him it could take 3 weeks for his tummy to calm down now that it is upset.

Also Boxers are a naturally lean bread. You can expect to see his last 2 ribs but not his hip bones if he is at ideal weight. Chows look a little different at thier ideal weight.
 

samsons

Boxer Insane
THANK U ALL ! ~~ I have received lots of great advice , and read many forums ( and still open to more ) so at this point , after much research and conversation with many ppl ~ we have decieded to feed authority & totw on rotation - i cant afford to buy it every time - but want my boy to have the best he can get - so seemed like a good solution :) i think anyway - and i will add cottage cheese cpl times a week - to add good protien to his diet - i have read alot about not fattening him up = but gaining wait healthy ~ his coat is getting shiney - but his hip bones still stick out a bit - but its only been less then a mo. i didnt want to just make him " fat" so i have been going slow ~

any new advice on this idea is greatly helpfull !!!

MERRY CHRISTMASS !!
FROM ANGELA N SAMY SAM
 

samsons

Boxer Insane
ohh - i forgot to mention this - i cant get on dogfoodanalisses (sp) ( lots of egg nog -lol) as it is down - for last 3-4 days - so i am staying with the food we have - and might change the authority to a dif one when i can do some more research on that price range (30) of food - but def getting totw for the next bag - and will still do the rotation thing - i just want to pick 2 foods to stick with , dont wanna keep changing and upsettting his tummy !!


thanks again~
 

BxrMommieNAZ

Boxer Insane
PLEASE skip the Authority, it's junk. You may as well feed Dog Chow or Ol Roy, it'd be cheaper for you and the ingredient nutrition is really no worse than Authority. Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul is a good brand and typically cheaper than other premium foods. If you have a Costco card you can get their own brand of food there which is the Kirkland brand which is better than Authority, Canidae isn't terribly expensive nor is Blue Buffalo and both are leaps and bounds better than Authority.

On the cottage cheese...skip it. Dogs are carnivores they don't need dairy as their protein they need MEAT. So if you want to go that route, either add a decent canned food as a topper or get some chicken, pork, beef, whatever is on sale and add that. I know all Super Wal-Marts have chicken quarters (bagged) that are always 50 cents per pound and it's a 10 pound bag for a little over $5 which is a GREAT deal. You can purchase that, boil the chicken and put some on top (deboned if you boil) it) for the added protein. Skip dairies and veggies, etc when trying to add protein as that isn't what your pup needs.

Also I have no problem accessing dog food analysis (Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble) so maybe it was down temporarily or maybe your settings are set incorrectly only your computer, but as of now (and I was looking at it yesterday as well) it is not down. Maybe try something different than you were using, ie if you were using Internet Explorer try fox fire or vise versa. Sometimes it's the browser that's messed up.

Also you can pick as many foods as you'd like to rotate, as long as you rotate over a 7-10 day period and the food agrees with the dog it won't mess up their stomach.
 

samsons

Boxer Insane
thanks soo soo much for the great advice- i did get on dfa and found chicken soup is pretty good - but i am concered about the recalls it has had ( a fish additive? ) but i am still leaning towards that , any one have some input on that kibble ? i feel like i am being absesive (sp) about this , but i want my boy to have the best i can afford, and certanlty dont wanna pay premium price for " dog chow " even i know thats a bad feed - but with authority seems like i bought a 30.00 bag of it ! lol

Thanks in advance !
 
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