# Duck as primary protein in dog food?



## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

Our little puppy is ... well, turning into a little dog. He's 9 months old now, his growth has slowed significantly, and I'm thinking about starting the gradual transition to adult food with the next food purchase. Hamilton does not seem to have a sensitive stomach. He does seem to have a preference for duck, however. Our local pet store often has sample bags of different dog foods, and I'll grab one when I'm there and use them as treats, and he really goes bananas for the duck based foods. I was considering choosing a duck-based kibble for his adult food (his puppy food is chicken based), but I wondered if it was too rich or if there were any issues with it being the primary protein? Any recommendations for duck based foods? 

[Please, do not recommend a raw diet. It is not for us. I am vegan, the only 'people' allowed to eat any meat products in my home are the cats and dog, and I am not going to deal with raw meat.]


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## Loki Love (May 23, 2010)

I don't see why duck would be an issue - Natural Balance has some duck based foods.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Well, raw is still just meat products for the dog and cat, just in a different form. . .. But yeah, there's someone on my cat forum who's vegan (grain-free raw vegan, at that) and is transitioning her cats to raw and it's hard for her. I wouldn't expect many vegans to do that. 

I don't see a problem with a duck-based kibble as long as it agrees with him. Which you'll only know once you've given it a try. And keep an eye on the meat content. . .a lot of duck-based foods are limited ingredient allergy foods, and those tend to be high in grain.


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

TotW wetlands is duck meal, chicken meal, ...
Instinct has a duck and turkey one
Acana has a duck based food too

That's all i know off the top of my head


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

Willowy said:


> Well, raw is still just meat products for the dog and cat, just in a different form. . .. But yeah, there's someone on my cat forum who's vegan (grain-free raw vegan, at that) and is transitioning her cats to raw and it's hard for her. I wouldn't expect many vegans to do that.
> 
> I don't see a problem with a duck-based kibble as long as it agrees with him. Which you'll only know once you've given it a try. And keep an eye on the meat content. . .a lot of duck-based foods are limited ingredient allergy foods, and those tend to be high in grain.


Of course raw is meat in a different form - but it's different to have it in my fridge/freezer hangin' out, and opening a can or the kibbles bin! I WILL cook the pets chicken and rice if they're sick, but I am squicked out the whole time and then like, sterilize my entire kitchen. Haha. (FWIW, I haven't eaten meat in nearly 20 yrs - more than my entire adult life - so it's nothing I ever got used to handling or dealing with!)

I think I've mostly seen it in conjunction with allergies, which is I think in part why I was wondering if there was a reason NOT to use it with an animal who doesn't have allergies (as far as we know!! knock wood).


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

Go! Has a duck formula as does nutrisource pure vita and natural balance. And yes duck is fine for a base!


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Hambonez said:


> I think I've mostly seen it in conjunction with allergies, which is I think in part why I was wondering if there was a reason NOT to use it with an animal who doesn't have allergies (as far as we know!! knock wood).


Nah, it's fine for any dog.  I think it's a good idea to rotate protein sources anyway.


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## Bear2010 (Aug 21, 2012)

We follow the rotation diet..changing main protein of the kibble every other bag,duck is one of them.Chicken,Lamb,Duck,Fish,Vension and Beef is what we normally rotate.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Duck should be fine. Any chance you'd do a pre made raw?


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

InkedMarie said:


> Duck should be fine. Any chance you'd do a pre made raw?


Nope! It'd still involve storing raw meat in my house.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Hambonez said:


> Nope! It'd still involve storing raw meat in my house.


No worries, there are tons of duck based kibble and canned diets out there. My favorite is Back to Basics Duck. Nature's Variety Instinct Duck and Turkey is another good option. On the cheaper end of the scale, Taste of the Wild Wetlands is duck based. It contains chicken meal as well, but if your dog doesn't have an allergy to it that's no problem. I search for "canned duck" on the site I normally buy food from came up with a ton of results. http://www.petflow.com/explorer?x=0&y=0&search=canned+duck


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Hambonez said:


> Nope! It'd still involve storing raw meat in my house.


Yeah thats true. I feed Darwins. It comes individually packaged, you just tear from the corner, dump it in the bowl but yes, it would involve storing.


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

Hambonez said:


> Nope! It'd still involve storing raw meat in my house.


I don't want to get too into the philosophical aspects of being a vegan but......what's the difference between raw meat and processed meat......


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

zhaor said:


> I don't want to get too into the philosophical aspects of being a vegan but......what's the difference between raw meat and processed meat......


And pre-made raw is even less icky than canned food (smells better at least)! I do have trouble handling meat but pre-made raw is easy-peasy. But, yeah, meat in a can or paper bag vs meat in a plastic bag in the freezer? I don't see the difference.

But I can't cook up meat even for the animals (the smell of cooking meat. . .bleh ugh) so you're ahead of me on that .


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Willowy said:


> And pre-made raw is even less icky than canned food (smells better at least)! I do have trouble handling meat but pre-made raw is easy-peasy. But, yeah, meat in a can or paper bag vs meat in a plastic bag in the freezer? I don't see the difference.
> 
> But I can't cook up meat even for the animals (the smell of cooking meat. . .bleh ugh) so you're ahead of me on that .


Idk, it doesn't bother me too much, but the only pre-made raw product I've ever fed (Darwin's) did have blood in it. It actually leaked in my fridge, so I started defrosting it in a gallon plastic bag so it didn't make a mess. Canned food smells worse, but it's different.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Ooh, yeah, maybe. Nature's Variety is the one I've used most, it's pretty dry and has very little "juice" (and it's not dark red). I can see how juicier meats would be a problem . Ah well.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

kafkabeetle said:


> Idk, it doesn't bother me too much, but the only pre-made raw product I've ever fed (Darwin's) did have blood in it. It actually leaked in my fridge, so I started defrosting it in a gallon plastic bag so it didn't make a mess. Canned food smells worse, but it's different.


Didn't they give you a white container with their name on the side of it? They sent one with my first order, then I asked for a second with the next order


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

InkedMarie said:


> Didn't they give you a white container with their name on the side of it? They sent one with my first order, then I asked for a second with the next order


Yeah they did. But I usually defrosted all 4 at once so it was easier just to stick them in a zip lock bag.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

kafkabeetle said:


> Yeah they did. But I usually defrosted all 4 at once so it was easier just to stick them in a zip lock bag.


Ah. I just bought another container at the dollar store LOL. How is Sydney doing? What's she eating now? Mine have Darwins for breakfast and Brothers for dinner


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

InkedMarie said:


> Ah. I just bought another container at the dollar store LOL. How is Sydney doing? What's she eating now? Mine have Darwins for breakfast and Brothers for dinner


She's doing good. We switched mostly back to kibble for financial reasons. I hope to lean more towards raw in the future but it's just not the right time. She's eating Nature's Variety Instinct at the moment along with weekly extras like eggs, sardines and beef ribs. Glad your two are still doing well with the Darwin's. We're jealous over here.


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## georgiapeach (Mar 17, 2012)

zhaor said:


> TotW wetlands is duck meal, chicken meal, ...
> Instinct has a duck and turkey one
> Acana has a duck based food too
> 
> That's all i know off the top of my head


Good ones! Here's another: http://bluebuffalo.com/dog-food/wilderness-duck


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

kafkabeetle said:


> She's doing good. We switched mostly back to kibble for financial reasons. I hope to lean more towards raw in the future but it's just not the right time. She's eating Nature's Variety Instinct at the moment along with weekly extras like eggs, sardines and beef ribs. Glad your two are still doing well with the Darwin's. We're jealous over here.


Mine are loving the Darwins while we still can. Between that and the Brothers, Steve is liking the way less pooping out of Ginger!


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## Spiritwind (Mar 4, 2011)

Merrick also has a new grain free duck formula. Has duck, turkey and salmon in it I believe.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

I ended up getting a bag off Fromm Gold at the pet store yesterday. The first ingredient is duck, then chicken. We'll see how he likes it. 



zhaor said:


> I don't want to get too into the philosophical aspects of being a vegan but......what's the difference between raw meat and processed meat......


The processed meat is stored in a sealed bin by the pet dishes and does not cross contaminate with my food.


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

Hambonez said:


> The processed meat is stored in a sealed bin by the pet dishes and does not cross contaminate with my food.


That's actually a much more practical reason than I expected lol.


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