# Best dog food for hunting



## rabbittrapper (Mar 3, 2014)

I have a friend that is going to duck hunt with his dog this fall. He want to get good dog food for his dog. What is the best food for his dog? He wants to go for pheasant, and ducks with his dog.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

nutrisource chicken

google it


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## Chaws (Oct 12, 2007)

Pro Plan, Eukenuba performance, Nutrisource and a newer one to the market which has gotten great results from people that competitively run their dogs is one called Dr Tims. Dr Tims feed is used by 4 of the top 5 finishers, including the winner of the Iditorod race that just finished in AK.


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## Queenwalts (Jun 9, 2014)

What you want your hard-working hunting dog to eat are protein and fat-high-quality, digestible protein and fat from meat, not vegetables, and in surprisingly high percentages.

___________________________________________
zombie gear


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

My vets all say there is no BEST DogFood, but there are a lot of real good ones out there. I personally don't change dog food from season to season, but my dog usually does a good 50 miles a week and stays in pretty top condition. She loves every mile and I wish I could say she keeps me in top condition, too! Best I can say is not in shape, but at least a little less out of shape, anyway! 
I think we use Iams, the one for ? Healthy adult dogs? But my vets say any high quality mutt food that the dog likes is good.
Definitely nothing of any kind from China or not produced and made in USA! Not just packaged in USA!
Off topic, but a couple other old farts like me were reminiscing the other day about when we were kids in the 50's and dogs were fed table scraps, no repackaged dog food invented yet. Wonder when it first came out? In the late 50's early 60's? Now multiple billion dollar industry! Who'd have thought that back then........


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

I had fed Science Diet for many years but old Sam came up with what the vet thought was a food allergy. Anal gland trouble, underside rash, & ear infections. The vet switched us over to a duck & potato based food for 3 months which cured the gland & rash, and the ears are better. Also had 2 weeks of strong antibiotics.

I followed Bob's advice (he's my hero  ) on the nutrisource chicken last month and it seems to be working fine. There is a gent on another site with some real barn burner setters that get a raw hot dog in small pieces right at the end of the hunt. Seemed like a good idea. Heck, we eat lunch on a hunt, a little extra energy food for the dog makes sense too.


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

Thanks for the advice Dick and Bobm. Our little three year old E Cocker does fine on Iams, but lately has started to develop anal gland filling a bit, and also started scratching herself on the ears and hide a bit.
Will try nutria source chicken and see what happens.
Though most high quality dog foods are presumably great nutritionally, finding the optimum one for a particular dog involve a bit of trial and error.
Bomb, any advice in anal glands?


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

One other question. Looking at their website what is the difference between their chicken and their chicken and rice dog food? What difference, pro or con, does rice make? Or lack of, as Bobm suggests.

Also when training what do you use as training rewards or dog treats? Even more importantly, what do you avoid? I'm guilty of over rewarding, I'm sure! 
I'm not much of a dog trainer as my E Cockers have been. So easy to train, even for a klutz like me. Off topic, but I see KDM from another thread from V City recently got an E Cocker pup from a breeder friend of mine down the road. I think his male is probably related to mine, not far back! Great blood line.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

I'm feeding the chicken-rice, blue bag, from my local Cenex store. They have a program of buy 12, get the 13th free.


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

Dunno how reliable this info is, but at the feed store they told me that supposedly a lot of the itching in dogs is a grain allergy or intolerance, and more people are calling for grain free dog food, advised by their vets. 
They didn't have chicken without rice, it was on order, but I got the nutria source lamb, grain free, to try.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

I avoid grain in my dog foods and my dogs seem to do much better.

The nutri source grain free chicken is expensive, but you don't have to feed as much of it as other foods to keep your dog nourished.

I've been considering making my own dog food with venison, there are tons of road kills near my home in the winter.

I could probably feed all 10 of my dogs better for a lot less money. My dog food bill is over $200.00/month


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