Solid Gold

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I am having trouble finding a good reputable dog food for my two dogs. I have one 6 year old male pomeranian in good health and he weights 9 pounds (he is a bigger pom in structure he is not overweight). I also have a 1 year old Pit Bull mix male dog who is in good health but he has mild itchy skin, anal gland problems, and sheds alot, he weights a healthy 40 pounds. I know there is a buz about natural foods for dogs but I do not want to believe it if it does not have facts attached. I do not want to feed my dog a food simply because it is trendy. I have heard alot about Solid Gold and I have tried the Bison formula and my dogs love it. I am not sure if it is a reputable brand and if it is really a good food or just a fad. I also read the ingredients and they seem good but what is Ocean Fish Meal? I was under the impression that if the ingredient is not a specific fish, such as salmon or trout, it is not a high quality ingredient, is this true? Also, I cannot find out if Solid Gold uses artificial preservatives like Ethoxyquin? Any comments on solid gold? I like the brand because it seems reputable but as with anything I want to be an educated owner and give my dogs a food which is proven and real and not just a fad. My dogs like to eat Solid Gold and it is a pretty fair price so I want to buy it from now on but I also want to be sure it is a good food, any ideas? Thanks

ANSWER: Hi Rachel,

First, let me say I applaud your decision to thoroughly investigate the claims made by premium dog foods and to evaluate carefully if the extra money is worth paying, in terms of your dog's longtime health and wellbeing. I have seen many, many people jump blindly onto the "natural health bandwagon" without considering their dog's individual needs, without evaluating the differences between major brands, without any sort of ongoing education. This often results in real problems for the dog if the owner has decided on home prepared food, and neglected to figure out the nutrient content of the diet and the requirements of the dog. Often improvements are seen initially as the dog goes through a sort of detox from undesirable ingredients in kibble, but down the road, deficiencies appear and cause as much or more trouble than the kibble did originally. Thankfully, most of the premium brands that are popular today are in fact vastly superior to products made by IAMS or Purina, so a switch is almost always for the benefit of the dog, unless there is an allergy or intolerance to an ingredient in the new diet.

That said, some premium foods are better than others, and even amongst the top brands, some FORMULAS will be better suited to the individual.


Solid Gold, like all foods I have seen, has many positives and a few drawbacks - but the drawbacks are related to kibble per se, not specifically to the brand.  There are several reasons why I would choose another food in the same price range, over Wolfking: here's the breakdown as stated on their site:


Protein, Min 22%
Fat, Min 9%
Fiber, Max 4%
Moisture, Max 10%
Calories per cup, 364


Ingredients Bison | Ocean Fish Meal | Brown Rice | Millet | Oatmeal | Cracked Pearled Barley | Rice Bran | Canola Oil | Tomato Pomace | Flaxseed | Natural Flavor | Salmon Oil | Choline Chloride | Dried Chicory Root | Parsley | Pumpkin Meal | Almond Oil | Sesame Oil | Yucca Schidigera Extract | Thyme | Blueberries | Carrots | Broccoli | Vitamin E Supplement | Iron Proteinate | Zinc Proteinate | Copper Proteinate | Ferrous Sulfate | Copper Sulfate | Potassium Iodide | Thiamine Mononitrate | Manganese Proteinate | Manganous Oxide | Ascorbic Acid | Vitamin A Supplement | Biotin | Calcium Panthothenate | Manganese Sulfate | Sodium Selenite | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) | Riboflavin | Vitamin D3 Supplement | Folic Acid |




Ok, so here is a low protein food, with a LOT of carb I prefer not to see (millet,barley) unidentified fish meal and canola oil. Better then, say, Beneful, but that is damning with faint praise! Here is a better choice I feel, lets have a look at one of the Acana foods:

http://www.championpetfoods.com/acana/show-product.php?formulation=gfd

I was unable to copy the page but if you open it you will see a far better ingredient list as well as better nutrient levels. We are looking to those two things first - ingredient quality and type, and nutrient levels. There are several factors to consider in choosing a premium food, and a product can be absolutely excellent on paper but not suit your individual dog. I had one of my Ridgebacks on the Grasslands as I feel it is a superb product and I can't cook all the time, but he did not like it and appeared to get loose stool while on it. So, he is now on Fromm Fourstar which agrees with him and my bitch is on Acana. It's a matter of learning to read the label, understand the little tricks companies pull, try the food with YOUR dog. And always understand that the very best commercial diet will still not be as good as a properly formulated home made (raw or cooked) one can be.

The short version is that overall, premium foods are far superior to the old standbys such as Purina (all of them) and IAMs. Natural balance, Innova, Fromm, Acana, Wellness - these and many others are products that use much better ingredients, higher protein, superior fiber sources and better types of minerals (for optimal absorption). But which one is ideal for an individual dog can take some time to figure out. As a Canine Nutrition Consultant  I can tell you that over and over, into the thousands of cases, I see dogs dramatically improve when their diets are changed from cheap ingredients and heavy grain laden foods to better calibre products with perhaps a few supplements - over and over. I plan to put some before and after pictures on my site to show just how dramatic a simple change in KIBBLE can be. It's not something I stand behind because I'm related in any way to any company. It's simply scientifically verifiable.

I hope this helps a little, feel free to ask for clarity if I missed anything. My yahoogroup is also a source of ongoing nutrition information:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ThePossibleCanine-Nutrition.

All the best, Catherine


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your detailed response. I have actually switched my dog to the Hund N Flocken Solid Gold, it is made with lamb. I was going to try the WolfKing but I noticed the Hund N Flocken Lamb and decided it might be better as it had a meal form protein following the 1st ingredient. Also, I contacted Solid Gold and they said the Ocean Fish meal is menhaden herring fish, is there a reason they do not just put that on the ingredient list? I know I got an answer from the company saying what it is but I am curious why they would not just list it as it is rather than calling it Ocean fish meal. What do you think about the Hund N Flocken formula? I have my small dog, a pom 10 lbs, on the small breed Solid Gold called Wee Bit and it is bison protein. I have my medium dog, pit bull 40 lbs, on the Hund N Flocken Lamb. I know you had mentioned the other brands but I have tried the Wellness and it gives both my dogs excess gas so that is ruled out. I know there are other choices but so far my dogs are doing well. I do want to switch them to a homemade diet but the time and money required I cannot provide. So, until I am able to give them a homemade diet I must buy dog food. The only dog food I can purchase in my area you mentioned is Natural Balance so is there much difference between solid gold and natural balance? In other words, if Solid Gold works for my dog is it a nutritionally balanced reputable dog food? I think it is very difficult for an owner to find a good quality dog food, which I wish was easier but the health of my dogs is of the utmost importance. One reason I have my dogs on solid gold is one of them, the pom, has such picky taste and litterally will not touch many foods. In fact I tried to feed my pom Orijen, Wellness, Pinnacle, and Eukanuba and the only food he seemed to want to eat was Solid Gold Wee Bit formula Bison! He is so picky so I figured if I found a food he liked to eat I should stick to it but I want to make sure it is nutritionally balanced and a proper healthy food for him. My other dog, the pit bull, will eat anything! He loved all the foods its just that the Solid Gold is easier to purchase because I can find it at Petco rather than online or a private dog bakery and he loves the Hund N Flocken lamb flakes. Just let me know if Solid Gold is an ok food and nutritionally balanced. I know some brands are like feeding dogs junk food so I want to be sure solid gold is not junk food. Also, should I supplement with a protein, perhaps something I can cook? For example, giving them some cooked lamb every day? I am sure they would both love that but I do not know if I should or it does not matter. Thanks again for your help.

Answer
hi Rachel,

A super busy week so my apologies for the late reply.
Let me  address your questions here in order.

1) I really am not sure why they would not use the correct term for the fish meal, other than it's not what they use 100% of the time, so they could be sued if they were misrepresenting the product.
2) My opinion on Hund n Flocken: well, personal experience, my own dogs did not do well on it many years ago when I tried it, but that's possibly *just* my breed or individuals. On paper?  Well let's have a look:

Lamb | Lamb Meal | Brown Rice | Cracked Pearled Barley | Millet | Rice Bran | Oatmeal | Ocean Fish Meal | Canola Oil | Tomato Pomace | Flaxseed | Natural Flavor | Salmon Oil (source of DHA) | Choline Chloride | Taurine | Dried Chicory Root | Parsley Flakes | Pumpkin Meal | Almond Oil | Sesame Oil | Yucca Schidigera Extract | Thyme | Blueberries | Cranberries | Carrots | Broccoli | Vitamin E Supplement | Iron Proteinate | Zinc Proteinate | Copper Proteinate | Ferrous Sulfate | Zinc Sulfate | Copper Sulfate | Potassium Iodide | Thiamine Mononitrate | Manganese Proteinate | Manganous Oxide | Ascorbic Acid | Vitamin A Supplement | Biotin | Calcium Panthothenate | Manganese Sulfate | Sodium Selenite | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Vitamin B12 Supplement | Riboflavin Supplement | Vitamin D Supplement | Folic Acid |



Protein, Min 22%
Fat, Min 10%
Fiber, Max 4%
Moisture, Max 10%
Calories per cup, 367

Lower protein, a huge range of carb sources, canola oil...a few things I'm not thrilled with. this is definitely not my food of choice in th premium price range. but hey - it's a quality product, it beats IAMs, Eukanuba and so on by a country mile - and if it works well for an individual, I have no problem with it.

3) yes, Solid Gold is a longstanding reputable company, as is Natural Balance. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

4) you could supplement these foods with ROTATED proteins, and also a little well cooked brown rice and squash - a little, mind you, and I prefer to see people use a recipe. I'd say you can safely add eggs, sardines, cooked turkey or chicken (watch the fat with the Pom especially) beef heart, tripe, plain yogurt (high fat usually) and canned dog foods such as Merrick's, Innova, Spot's Stew. it's nice to add interest and bolster nutrients but if you go too high you will unbalance the mineral content, for example, which is one of the things dog food companies do well. So a little, daily, and not a lot of liver as that can really affect mineral balance.


Supplementally, I like to use a probiotic, a green food, a joint supplement where appropriate (over  a certain age/ depending on activity level and size) and a fish body oil (NOT cod liver oil). All of these have health benefits and most dogs tolerate them well. Adding some protein especially to the pit bull's food is fine too, just don;t overfeed any one thing.
And do join my yahoogroup, you sound really keen to learn. :)

All the best,and again my apologies for the late reply here.
Catherine