The Holistic Gun Dog

Holistic and gun dog aren't words that flow together easily. To me, Holistic conjures up names like Sunbeam and Moonshadow practicing psychedelic medicine in black lit rooms while swaying to the beat of The Dead or The Doors. So how does the holistic dog food movement of today fit into our world of hard charging pointers, muddy retrievers, and filthy flushers? As twenty first century hunters and dog owners, we are residing in the dawn of canine enlightenment. Time is ripe to investigate the possibility of feeding our trusty hunting dog seriously top quality food. But first we must free our minds from all the marketing hype and worn thin standards that have been hand fed to us for years. There is a whole new world to be investigated out beyond the myths and legends of the past. Let's take a magic carpet ride as I try to shed some light on the holistic dog food movement happening around us. Be forewarned, the following facts will benefit the health and overall well being of your four legged hunting partner. As a positive consequence it will likely extended his or her life and athleticism in the field. All aboard the yellow submarine. Like Hendrix once asked, are you experienced?

It is long overdue that gun dog owners start seeing the big picture in HD clarity. 100% natural, holistic, and/or organic based food formulas have a place in our gun dog community. It is up to us as responsible owners and the leaders of the next generation to realize this. The fortune 500 have corner stoned the gun dog food mantra for decades. They have the big bucks to produce advertising campaigns that push the average hunter/owner towards their product. Glossy, full page ads show majestic breeds in well positioned action shots that adorn hunting magazine pages. Like all savvy marketing and advertising execs, pushing the right buttons when it comes to delivering the "live the lifestyle" or "be the brand" type advertising is why they get paid heaps of cash. This is not to say their product is not good but why is it that only a few major players are the standard of sporting dog foods? Is this solely because the longevity of their product and bank roll of the company? I was a huge advocate for many years of one particular brand. But then again, I am always a sucker for flashy advertising and openly admit to my own hardheadedness when it comes to change. For a long while it was difficult for me to finally accept the hard truth of what I was really feeding my dog and the truth was not good.

Proof of legitimacy is not found in today's advertising. Truth is only discovered by proven facts founded by quantitative science and then witnessing the results firsthand.

In the case of dog food, truth is found by analyzing Guarantee Analysis and Product Ingredients from two different companies in a side-by-side comparison. Company "A" is one of the mega players in the dog food industry and is a national leader in sales to the sporting dog consumer. They have been around for eons. A massive portion of their marketing and advertising budget is dedicated to proliferating their message to the hunting community. Company "B" is a relatively new, independently owned company who specializes in 100% natural, holistic ingredient food. They have never advertised in any hunting media nor have marketed within the hunting community. They are, however, strong proponents of all breeds and support all sporting dogs for their inherited working ability.

Before you go any further, I highly suggest you read my post titled Performance Dog Foods. It will instruct you how to properly read both types of listings. Please note: Guaranteed Analysis and Ingredient Listing below are for foods labelled and classified for retail sale only as a comparable chicken based "large breed adult formula" from both companies in question. Information has been taken directly from the each manufacturers public information website.

The Mega Company "A" Ingredients
Large Breed Adult Formula
Chicken, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp, Dried Egg Product, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Fish Meal, Potassium Chloride, Brewers Dried Yeast, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Salt, Flax Meal, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Fructooligosaccharides(Prebiotics that aid in digestive health), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), DL-Methionine, Dried Chicken Cartilage, Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Vitamin E Supplement, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.


The Small Company "B" Ingredients
Large Breed Adult Holistic Formula
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Tomato Pomace (natural source of Lycopene), Natural Chicken Flavor, Chicken Fat (naturally preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Potatoes, Peas, Flaxseed(natural source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Cranberries, Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Garlic, Alfalfa Meal, Dried Kelp, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Turmeric, Dried Chicory Root, Oil of Rosemary, Beta Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Salt, Caramel, Potassium Chloride, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium(bacteria cultures activated on ingesting the food and help to maintain normal bacteria balance in the lower intestine. They aid in digestion and reduce the occurrence of diarrhea, contributing to colon and rectum health)

Company "A" Guaranteed Analysis
Large Breed Adult Formula
Crude Protein: 23.00 % minimum
Crude Fat: 13.00 % minimum
Crude Fat: 16.00 % maximum
Crude Fiber: 5.00 % maximum
Moisture: 10.00 % maximum
Omega-6: 2.4 %* minimum
Omega-3: 0.3 % minimum
Glucosamine: 375 mg/kg minimum
Chondroitin Sulfate: 35 mg/kg minimum
Company "B" Guaranteed Analysis
Large Breed Adult Holistic Formula
Crude Protein: 26.0% minimum
Crude Fat: 12.0% minimum
Crude Fiber: 5.0% maximum
Moisture: 10.0% maximum
Omega 6: 2.25% minimum
Omega 3: 0.10% mimimum
Glucosamine: 400 mg/kg minimum
Chondroitin Sulfate 300 mg/kg minimum

From a pure ingredient stand point it is very clear to see a remarkable difference between the two large breed adult formulas. Remember, ingredients are listed by weight from highest to lowest in the listing. In my opinion the first 3-5 ingredients are critical in determining how effective they truly are. Also remember, any ingredient called "Meal" is just ground dehydrated product. I will, as I sure my dog will, take Chicken Meal over Corn Meal as the number two ingredient. Corn of any form is just a low grade, difficult to digest, source of carbohydrates. Chicken Meal on the other hand is a huge source of pure protein and is high digestible. Also, Company "B" uses no by-products in their ingredient listing where as Company "A" listed Chicken By-Product as the fourth heaviest ingredient in their formula which left me scratching my own head and started me on my way to rethinking what food I should be feeding. I also liked the fact that Company "B" had a huge level of Chondroitin(300mg/kg) per serving over a slim Company "A" Chondroitin level of only 35mg/kg. The more joint and cartilage support I can supply my dog the better. I know he will absorb as much as he needs and expel the rest.

Lets talk money. I first considered the monthly dollar difference a major concern when making the switch. I am sure the average gun dog owner thinks the same. A 40lb bag from Company "A" costs $51.99(price found at the nearest national pet food retailer). A 30lb bag(largest produced) by Company "B" is priced the same(found at same retailer on 2/17/10). OK, so a ten pound difference might seem like a lot. It did to me. But I tried the switch anyway. Come to find out, my 65lb/3y.o. pointer named Dewey needed to eat less everyday. He was able to digest(process needed nutrients better) more and needed to consume less to feel full. On average and over the course of the six weeks past his food transition phase Dewey went from regularly eating 2.5 cups a day of Company "A" to no more than 2 cups per day of Company "B". A general rule of thumb is a 40lb bag of dry dog foods contains approximately 100 cups. OK, freaks and geeks out there I realize this is NOT an exact science! Pounds and cups are incomparable units of measure and the size or volume of the actual food kibble size might skew this one one or the other. But for the sake of an economic comparison we are fairly accurate. Here is the breakout. Sharpen your pencil and break out a calculator...

40lb. of dry dog food = 100 cups(est.)
30lb. of dry dog food = 75 cups(est.)

If both bags cost $51.99(current retail value at time of posting)...

40lb bag costs $0.52 per cup
30lb bag costs $0.69 per cup

=difference of $0.17 per cup
The nutritional absorption of Company "B" resulted in a decrease in the amount I needed to feed Dewey daily. Please keep in mind this comparision is based on daily maintenance ration size(low work days!). The same comparision varibles held true during high laod work days, i.e. hunting/conditin/training

Daily Serving Comparison2.5 cups daily serving needed of Company "A" 40lb bag = 40 daily servings per bag
2.0 cups daily serving needed of Company "B" 30lb bag = 37.5 daily servings per bag
Cost Comparison Results
End equation results in +$1.73 per bag overall total variance per bag quantity to feed Company "B" holistic formula over Company "A" comparable adult large breed dog food. The bottom line is, I need to feed LESS but spend MORE at time of purchase for LESS quantity but the end result is only a total difference of $1.73 extra per bag of dog food purchased! That's amazing!

Proof always lies within the tangibles. The quality of ingredients found in the overall formula of the food clearly shows that holistic, 100% pure natural dog food are worth their weight in gold. If you care about the health and well being of your favorite four legged friend than feeding a truly natural/holistic based diet is a must.

I did a lot of soul searching and finally realized I had been putting my own ego in front of my dogs overall well being. This is not to say my dog or past dogs were not healthy but I never stopped to ask myself...could they be better? Currently, Dewey maintains the same healthy weight at 65lbs. I am most impressed by his increased recovery time and overall stamina in the field. He was always a high energy dog but seeing his ability to recover quickly after a long, stressful hunt and work equally as hard the following day is very impressive. His coat and fur are consistently shiny and I have stopped needing to give him any vitamin supplements as I had in the past(that alone is a $25 a month saving!)

When hanging around fellow hunters these days the topic of dog food always seems to arise. I let them know I made a drastic change. My dog and I no longer run with the pack. We run further and harder than the rest of them now. Those who have hunted with us nod their heads and quietly agree. But then again, my dog is now a holistic hunter. Peace and love my brother!

Best of luck to each of you out there. -Mark