# Exclusive Dog Food



## COCO-PUP (Nov 22, 2006)

Have you any of you ever heard of this name brand? I was at local feed store and they recomend it, and my dogs love it, here is a link to the website http://www.pminutrition.com/exclusive_brand.html I have been reading these dog food posts and I am so confused, since so many of you used different ones


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## Trixy (Nov 30, 2006)

I have never seen it before myself but I shall have a look at my pet store next time I go, very interesting though


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## workingdog (Oct 19, 2006)

We use to feed Exclusive Performance(for working dogs) our dogs loved it but we didn't feed it long enough to really know how good it was. There was no reason why we stoped feeding it. I heard it was good food.Our dogs work very hard, that's why we tryed it.I think we wanted to try chicken soup for the dog lovers soul and liked it so much, that we never tryed anything else


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

COCO-PUP said:


> I have been reading these dog food posts and I am so confused, since so many of you used different ones


That's because no "one" dog food is right for everydog. Ultimately, to find out if your dog food is best for your dog you should understand what the ingredients are, and call the manufacturer to get all the details. After that, if you feel the food is suited for your dog, test it, and see if you get the results you want. What do you want? That usually depends on the owner. Some want sparkling coats. Some want firm stool. And some just want their dogs to not be picky about the food. It really varies. But, if you understand the ingredients...and this is not always the easiest thing to do, and if you get the results you want, then, you should be assured that you've done the best for your dog. Everything outside of that, is just an opinion and should be taken with a grain of salt.


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## Jessica&Crew (Sep 23, 2006)

Thats actually what I feed my dogs right now. They've been on it since the end of September.


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## COCO-PUP (Nov 22, 2006)

Curbside Prophet said:


> That's because no "one" dog food is right for everydog. Ultimately, to find out if your dog food is best for your dog you should understand what the ingredients are, and call the manufacturer to get all the details. After that, if you feel the food is suited for your dog, test it, and see if you get the results you want. What do you want? That usually depends on the owner. Some want sparkling coats. Some want firm stool. And some just want their dogs to not be picky about the food. It really varies. But, if you understand the ingredients...and this is not always the easiest thing to do, and if you get the results you want, then, you should be assured that you've done the best for your dog. Everything outside of that, is just an opinion and should be taken with a grain of salt.



I see what you are saying, I was just doing some research and looking for the best food for my dogs, I just want them to be healthy, not really looking anything particular.


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## LabLady101 (Jul 5, 2006)

To be perfectly honest, I have never tried Exclusive, but do know some field trial people who feed it and get great results from it. However, that is just what I have heard from others. I have looked at this food before as a choice for my own dogs and IMO it looks to be decent. If you want to, try it and see how it goes. Remember to make any food change gradually so as to not upset your dog's stomach. Let us know what you decide and how it goes.

Good Luck!
Darcy L.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

The basics of kibble are all pretty much the same. Stay away from corn, wheat, soy, animal by products and artificial preservatives. 

From there you need to know the appropriate protien/fat levels for your breed and thier activity level. A Mastiff will need a lower protien/fat levels than a Border Collie because of breed activity levels nad a Border Collie that is working in the field or competing in agility will need higher protien/fat levels than one that is lying around the house.


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## LabLady101 (Jul 5, 2006)

cshellenberger said:


> The basics of kibble are all pretty much the same. Stay away from corn, wheat, soy, animal by products and artificial preservatives.
> 
> From there you need to know the appropriate protien/fat levels for your breed and thier activity level. A Mastiff will need a lower protien/fat levels than a Border Collie because of breed activity levels nad a Border Collie that is working in the field or competing in agility will need higher protien/fat levels than one that is lying around the house.


IMHO, corn, wheat, and by-products are not that terrible if they are used correctly and your dog doesn't have any problem with them. There is a lot of misinformation that is passed around about these ingredients, mainly by those that have dogs with food allergies. However, in all actuality, that's really only about 10% of the total dog population. So, mainly it's a personal preference that each person has to make for themselves.

As far as a Mastiff needing a lower protein/fat level, if I correctly assume you are talking about those "Large Breed" Adult formulas, they are a gimmick- along with "Reduced Fat" formulas. Mastiffs, along with many large & giant breed dogs, do just fine on regular Adult food.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

LabLady101 said:


> IMHO, corn, wheat, and by-products are not that terrible if they are used correctly and your dog doesn't have any problem with them. There is a lot of misinformation that is passed around about these ingredients, mainly by those that have dogs with food allergies. However, in all actuality, that's really only about 10% of the total dog population. So, mainly it's a personal preference that each person has to make for themselves.
> 
> As far as a Mastiff needing a lower protein/fat level, if I correctly assume you are talking about those "Large Breed" Adult formulas, they are a gimmick- along with "Reduced Fat" formulas. Mastiffs, along with many large & giant breed dogs, do just fine on regular Adult food.



I was told this by a holistic vet when my mastiffs legs started bowing from HOD at 12 wks. He had been on IAMS large Breed Puppy which had a protien level of 30%. We caught the problem early and werre able to correct it with diet. BTW, I got him from TOP breeder in S cal and his parents were tested so it wasn't a BYB situation. He was simply growing too fast and we had to slow it down or risk permanent damage. He has been on a good grade adult food since.


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## LabLady101 (Jul 5, 2006)

cshellenberger said:


> I was told this by a holistic vet when my mastiffs legs started bowing from HOD at 12 wks. He had been on IAMS large Breed Puppy which had a protien level of 30%. We caught the problem early and werre able to correct it with diet. BTW, I got him from TOP breeder in S cal and his parents were tested so it wasn't a BYB situation. He was simply growing too fast and we had to slow it down or risk permanent damage. He has been on a good grade adult food since.


I don't know how long ago this incident was, but IAMS Large Breed Puppy currently only has 26% protein- which is pretty acceptable for Large and Giant Breed pups. The only formula of IAMS in recent years that I can think of that had protein levels of 30% or more is the regular Puppy- which I believe used to have 32% but currently only has 28%. I'm curious as to what the calcium level of the food was when you fed it? Was it also higher? Many people (including breeders), used to blame skeletal problems and fast growth on protein. This myth has been busted in recent years and the focus for these problems is on calcium and phosporus.

Also, I don't know what your breeder told you, but testing is not a guarantee and breeding is not an exact science. When you're dealing with genetics, anything can happen. You can still get a dysplastic pup from a top breeder. Granted, the chance is smaller with testing and good breeding practices, but it is still present. IMHO, any breeder who denies that is not a very good one.

Switching pups to adult food right away is something that breeders recommend sometimes. However, with the development of lots of decent LB & GB Puppy foods in recent years, the need to switch at a younger age (8 wks, 12 wks, never feed puppy, etc.) has been minimized. Breeders (at least in my breed) are more likely to switch at 4-6 months now. So, IMHO the world of Large & Giant Breed Puppy nutrition has improved in recent years.

...But, if you reread my previous post, I wasn't talking about LB/GB puppies anyway. I was talking about the LB Adult food- which is an entirely subject.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

That was right at a year ago, not sure what the calcium level was in the food. As far as the breeder, they didn't tell me, I researched the breed and got TONS of info from the MCOA site on testing and what problems were common in the breed. I know testing is no gaurantee, but it does assure me, when I see it's been done generation after generation that the likelyhood is greatly reduced end up with problems. 

As for breeding, I know a little about that too. My mom bred Dobies and Rotties before they became hugely popular. It was also before testing or the nutritional knowlege we have now. She was a responsible breeder for 20 years, producing conformational champions as well as Schultzhund and police dogs. She NEVER advertised and required referrals from potential homes. She also took back dogs that weren't wanted for any reason. Twenty years ago, that was unheard of. 

I did read your post, I was merely letting you know what I experienced and what worked for me. It may have not have been IAMS, but it was a brand along these lines. As I said, it's been over about a year.


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## LabLady101 (Jul 5, 2006)

cshellenberger said:


> That was right at a year ago, not sure what the calcium level was in the food. As far as the breeder, they didn't tell me, I researched the breed and got TONS of info from the MCOA site on testing and what problems were common in the breed. I know testing is no gaurantee, but it does assure me, when I see it's been done generation after generation that the likelyhood is greatly reduced end up with problems.
> 
> As for breeding, I know a little about that too. My mom bred Dobies and Rotties before they became hugely popular. It was also before testing or the nutritional knowlege we have now. She was a responsible breeder for 20 years, producing conformational champions as well as Schultzhund and police dogs. She NEVER advertised and required referrals from potential homes. She also took back dogs that weren't wanted for any reason. Twenty years ago, that was unheard of.
> 
> I did read your post, I was merely letting you know what I experienced and what worked for me. It may have not have been IAMS, but it was a brand along these lines. As I said, it's been over about a year.


Ok, I gotcha! Glad to see we're on the same page. Although, I'm still puzzled as to what brand of food that could of been? Hmmm, I guess I'll have to look into...


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Actually, I was just on the IAMS/Eukanuba site, they've changed thier protien levals as has Science Diet. All are now 23-26% Protien. They were all much higher.


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## LabLady101 (Jul 5, 2006)

cshellenberger said:


> Actually, I was just on the IAMS/Eukanuba site, they've changed thier protien levals as has Science Diet. All are now 23-26% Protien. They were all much higher.


I'm not sure how long ago they must have done that, but I know that about a year and a half ago I was feeding Shadow IAMS LB Puppy and it did have the 26% protein (and I think it was about 14% fat). It was also right around 1% calcium/0.8% phosporus (could've actually been less, but don't remember exactly). I remember they had just changed their formula to "Smart Puppy".


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## donsherr629 (Aug 9, 2009)

Our vet recommended Exclusive and we've raised our 8 month old Shih Tzu on it. We feed it to all three of our dogs and they seem very healthy.


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## wolfsnaps (Apr 27, 2007)

It looks ok to me except that corn gluten meal ingredient. I don't like that. Other than that, it looks ok IMHO.


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## LadyD (May 10, 2009)

"By products" are never good ingredients in pet food. IMO. I don't want to feed my dog beaks, feet, feathers and mystery meat by products.


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