Is there a big difference (health wise) between Diamond sporting dog food and Gravy Train dog food?

Question

I was feeding my great danes diamond brand dog food for breakfast and then again for dinner mixed w/ pedigree canned dog food. One of my danes has been completely uninterested in the food. She'd let her food sit in the bowl until she was so hungry she'd finally eat it. Well then one day I ran out of food but the feed store was closed so I had to buy from the grocery store. I got them Gravy Train and they love it. Even my girl who always eats as a last resort licks up every last bite. I think I might stick w/ the Gravy Train - they seem to really get excited about it, but I thought the Diamond brand might have more nutritional value since it is sold at the feed store. What do you dog lovers out there think?

Answer 1

Dogs love Gravy Train because it is packed with SALT and artificial flavors -- there is no nutritional value in this food at all. This and just about all "grocery store" types of dog food are the nutritional equivalent of eating potato chips for every meal -- yummy maybe, but very bad for you!

Diamond is the better quality food, but as someone else said they had a major problem with aflotoxin poisoning in their foods a few months back, and although they say they've dealt with it, I would be cautious about going back just yet. Do a search on "Diamond Dog Food" on Yahoo Answers and you'll find some stuff related to that.

As far as kibble goes, I would stick to the premium brands, such as Nutro (Max or Natural Choice), Eukanuba, Royal Canin, etc. You want something with whole meat (not by-products) as the first ingredient, and preferably no corn in the first 4-5 ingredients listed (dog food ingredients are listed in order of amount used, with the first ingredient being the most, etc.).

Just remember that kids get excited about eating ice cream for breakfast, too -- it doesn't mean they should. Dogs' taste buds are not their strongest sensory organ, so basing their food choices on how they like the taste isn't a good way to go.

Also remember that a healthy dog will not starve itself, so don't cave in. I have a breed (Siberian Huskies) that goes into a "picky eater" stage at about 12-18 months old. We give them their food for 10 minutes, and if they don't eat it, we take it up until the next feeding time. Quickly they learn to take advantage of their dinner time, and they eventually grow out of the phase.

I only learned this after jumping through hoops to get my first Siberian to eat, only to be snubbed after a few days of eating the "newest and tastiest" thing I could find. Boy, he had me trained!

Good luck, and stay away from the Gravy Train. :)

Answer 2

I personally think Diamond dog food is a lot better than Gravy Train.
I have Rough Coat Collies and a German Shepherd, the Shepherd is very picky she likes the Diamond dog food but only if I put some fat (pork, beef, boiled down) then she will eat like their is no food left in the world (HE HE).
Since your female Dane ate the Gravy Train have you though maybe Diamond dog food is just to dry for her pallet? May be think about the gravy products that are out their instead of the can meats or try to boil the fat from pork or beef ( I buy from our butcher the fat, so their are no additives added to her system)

Diamond Dog food was under scrutiny a while back those were isolated incidents, from what I understood Diamond Dog food handle them and help out the people who were involved, I also understand that it was the South Eastern part of the United States that was effected. I would find out were your Diamond Dog food is shipped from if it is from the South Eastern of the United States then I would diffidently research and contact Diamond Dog food personnel.
Good luck Maureen

Answer 3

there is a big differance in Diamond and Gravy Train. Diamond used to be a high qaulity food rated right up there with Iams. Gravy Train and such is alot of undigestable filler. Look at the poop pile difference in Diamond and Gravy Train. I used to use Diamond exclusively but switched to The Pride and Sportsmans Pride. If you have Black Gold brand dealer around it is also a very good food probally the best. Good sporting brand foods do also contain cornmeal but it is usually cooked kinda like mush instead of just mixed in raw which makes it more digestable. Check out the forums on www.sqdog.com for more info on Diamond.

Answer 4

I don't want to alarm you, but a few months ago I saw a story on the news about Diamond Pet Food. It seems that hundreds of dogs died after eating this food. Apparently, Diamond Dog Food uses corn as the primary ingredient, and unknown to the company, much of the corn they were using was infested with a deadly type of mold that is COMPLETELY undetectable by sight or smell. It's affects are only seen after the damage has been done, and the dog is already VERY ill. I suggest using a food that has either meat or rice as the primary ingredient. Corn is useless to a dog anyway, because it is not digestable. Corn is simply a filler, used to take up space in your dog's belly. In my opinion, the best foods to use are Iams, Science Diet, Natural Balance or anything else in which the first listed ingredient is meat or rice. Hope this info is helpful to you and your best friends.....

Answer 5

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://bitly.im/aMPW5

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 6

Anything that is mostly lamb is best. You need to make sure they are not on a "corn" diet wich I'm sure is in gravy train. Of course they liked it, it's new. I'd get a different brand. My dogs are way picky too and they love Purina One Lamb and Rice. They won't eat much else. It's good for them too. If you have to get that flavor stuff you can add that comes in gravy flavor I'm sure.

Answer 7

Diamond is like chicken breast, veges & fruit to your dogs, gravy train is like taco bell or burger king as far as nutritional value go. They may like the taste better cuz there's a lot of junk in it. Who wouldn't. but your going to be better off trying a different high quality food as opposed to gravy train. Make sure you do a two week slow food change where you mix the foods as to not upset their stomachs.

Answer 8

Personally, I would be very reluctant to use Gravy Train, it may taste good to your dogs, but I'm not sure it offers the nutrients needed. I prefer Science Diet. I've had great results w/ this brand w/ several dogs. I love my 'little one' very much and wouldn't give her anything that I didn't feel 100% comfortable with.

Answer 9

I can't imagine that Gravy Train would be a very good food. I love
Chocolate, but that doesn't mean I should live on it, although I would like to!

Answer 10

Try "Bil-Jac" Our dogs love it. I beleive it is healthier than other brands. Try this experiment. 1. place a little of your favorite brand in a glass of water. Do the same with the Bil-Jac. First you will see the Bil-Jac sink to the bottom while the other floats. After a few minutes you will notice the Bil-Jac has dissolved where the other brand has probably swelled up and is still floating on the surface. You can guess whats happening inside your dog. We have never had any trouble with our dogs. Their stool is firm and dissolves in the rain. (nice little bonus). Evryone in our family has switched. Even my mom's ten year old Pom know as the finickyest dog on the planet.Our Vet constantly repeats, "perfect dog, perfect"