Member

Posts: 409
From:Los Angeles, Ca.
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 09-20-2003 10:24 PM         

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Hi Everyone!
I was hoping to get some responses from people who have experiance w/ feeding the "dry" dog food brand called 'Chicken Soup' -- for the Pet Lover's Soul Adult Dog Food... If so, please let me know what you think about it. Thanks for your help...

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From:NY, USA
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posted 09-21-2003 12:01 AM         

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I tried feeding it to my toy poodle.....he ate it for several weeks then stopped (which is common for him to do on any dry food). Initially, both of mine loved the sample bags I bought. Also, I had my cats on it for several months and was happy. Looks like a great food IMO.

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posted 09-21-2003 12:02 AM         

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I tried feeding it to my toy poodle.....he ate it for several weeks then stopped (which is common for him to do on any dry food). Initially, both of mine loved the sample bags I bought. Also, I had my cats on it for several months and was happy. Looks like a great food IMO.

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From:Los Angeles, Ca.
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posted 09-21-2003 03:01 PM         

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NERN,
Thanks for your reply.
You have a toy-Poodle? WOW!
I'm curious, how much do they range for? Are they hard/expensive top care for??

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posted 09-21-2003 09:46 PM         

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Around here they cost roughly $500 - $800 from a responsible breeder. I got mine for free because his previous owners no longer wanted him. He is not too hard to care for but can be a pain in the butt sometimes (especially when it comes to eating). He will not let me groom him myself at all so I have to take him to a groomer which only costs about $35 about every other month. Overall, I'd have to say I don't find it hard or expensive to own a poodle. He is a wonderful little companion.

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posted 09-22-2003 07:47 AM         

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I also own a Toy Poodle. The prices are very different depending on where you are and if you get guarantees and different colors. Females tend to be more expensive because they seem to be in greater demand. I really like my male dog too. Grooming can be a pain but you have a great trade off since they don't shed. You have no hair in the house. I groom my own. When they were little my husband helped to hold them still but now that they are older they hold still themselves. Some can be more stubborn though. It's only around $20-25 to have them groomed around here. I have it done once in awhile when I don't have the time. Overall they are great dogs and #2 in intellegience. Very easily trained and very sweet.

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From:,Calif. U.S.A.
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posted 09-22-2003 01:23 PM         

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I own a mini. poo straight from the downey shelter. I groom her allways and love the fact she does not shed, unlike my other dog. I would get another one in a heartbeat. Like lacey says prices differ. Show quality always much higher and only sold to show homes. The smaller the dog the higher the price.

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posted 09-22-2003 11:16 PM         

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HEY THANKS TO ALL THAT REPLYED!!

I'm thinking about getting one for my MOM.
It went from a Pomerainian. To a Long-Haired Chihuahua. But now, i'm going with the Toy-Poodle. Especially that they don't shed! My MOM would love that!

For my DAD, possibly a French Bulldog. Or English.

The thought of my Parents carring for these little guys &/or girls makes me feel good.
It's a cute, happy, healthy image i got in my head of them.

And of course, them carring for my parents!!

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...it's the understanding of what's wrong, when you only know how to do right...

[This message has been edited by GoodboysBaddogs (edited 09-22-2003).]

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posted 09-23-2003 10:12 AM         

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People form the strangest bonds with poodles. Just make sure your mom is up for grooming which is a hard job or she is able to take it to the groomers. Sasha and rufus in backgroud

[This message has been edited by puttin510 (edited 09-23-2003).]

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From:Buffalo, NY
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 09-24-2003 10:14 AM         

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Hi,
I currently feed my dog chicken soup. Max is a nine month old papillon he is considered a toy breed. Max loves his food I have never had any problems w/it his coat looks beautiful, he is in good shape and is very rarely sick. I would recommend it. Also if you are looking for a dog I would highly recommend a papillon, they are rare where I live but well worth it. Sandy..

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From:Los Angeles, Ca.
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posted 09-24-2003 09:07 PM         

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Hi ALL,
I just have 1 concern about Chicken Soup, for the Pet Lover's Soul Adult Dog Food.
They claim/advertise that their meat ingredients are "Freash & Pure".
What i wanna know is, does saying "freah & pure" mean that their meat/protein ingredeints are FREE from BHA/BHT, Ethoxyquin, Steriods, Antibiotics, & Hormones??????
They replyed to my email saying "all of the freash meat ingredients are free from all contaminants and chemical preservatives".
Now, I DO mean to be anal, because when it comes to my dogs, I WANT TO KNOW!!! You know what i mean!? And still, i'm not too sure about their reply to my question. By saying "free from contaminants", that does'nt necessarily mean FREE from Hormones, Steriods, Antibiotics, Ehtoxyquin, BHA/BHT, etc... It could just simply mean free from bacteria, fungus, mold, etc., you know, things that happen to meat when it goes bad. Thats why their big on saying "FREASH" & not being CLEAR about things. It's all a buisiness, & w/ business comes catchy frazes & terms!!
I do the best to understand what they mean, & what "they meant" to leave out!
Overall, i thinnk Chicken Soups ingredients is GREAT, comparied to all others. It's definatly one of the handfull of my favorites. And, am greatly considering adding it to my dogs rotation diet, ONLY if it meets my expectations, and passes FREE from all that junk!!! NO-OFFENSE TO THOSE THAT FEEL OFFENDED. And i'm sure there will be some. Feed your dog(s) what you like & can, I AM!!!
Thanks To ALL That Replyed.

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...it's the understanding of what's wrong, when you only know how to do right...

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posted 09-24-2003 09:19 PM         

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oOpPsS!
I mean - i do "my" best to understand, & NOT i do "the" best etc, etc... Even though i am the BADDEST! RADDEST!! "FREASHEST"!!! YEAH, L A U G H - O U T - L O U D ! ! ! ! !

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From:,Calif. U.S.A.
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posted 09-25-2003 09:28 AM         

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Oh, you. I never thought that you thought you were the very best at being the best. It seems you got quite a good laugh out of your little mistake. Do you know if they state that their meat is human grade meat. If so, it should be very good. Standards for us humans have gotten pretty high for meat these days for all the best reasons. I don't want to die from eating a contaminated anything, chicken, cow. So if you can find somewhere where it says human grade that would be something to go on. Your right in thinking it all was fresh at one point but was it when put into the cooking vat.? Take care.

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posted 09-25-2003 08:02 PM         

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Quoted from the Chicken Soup pamplet I have:
"We use only fresh, never frozen, hormone-free chicken as the base of our formulas...."

Also, if they told you their meats were free from chemical preservatives I would assume they are free from BHA/BHT and Ethoxyquin all of which are chemical preservatives.

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posted 09-25-2003 08:21 PM         

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Quoted from the Chicken Soup pamplet I have:
"We use only fresh, never frozen, hormone-free chicken as the base of our formulas...."

Also, if they told you their meats were free from chemical preservatives I would assume they are free from BHA/BHT and Ethoxyquin all of which are chemical preservatives.

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posted 09-25-2003 09:55 PM         

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Hi ALL!
Ummm, i also recieved another email from the "cooks" (so they like to say) from 'Chicken Soup' on another email i gave them, & they replyed A-LOT Clearer.

About the "human-grade" issue, on their website they mention that they don't like using the term "human-grade", which definatly got me thinking hmmmm..? They say that using the term human-grade would'nt be telling the complete truth to their customers, because even though (in general) meat sources may be delivered to the food processing factories in the "human-grade" condition, as soon as it get's to the factory it becomes "FEED-GRADE". Very interesting i thought, i never heard this before.
So, when all these companies are saying (being BiGG) that their meat & food products are human-grade, it does'nt necessarily mean that thats what we're feeding our dogs. That's another reason why i was kinda suspitious about the process of their food, post-processing. When they mentioned in their email to me, "all of our meats are freash & free of contaminants, & chemical preservatives" i was still a little concerned. I understood about the "free of chemical preservatives" part, but was still in doubt to the "free of all contaminants" part. Like i mentioned in my last post, it could have very well been some "read between the lines" thing. Meaning that it was just free from contamination from bad/spoiled type meat, & not free from the concerns that i mentioned to them (steriod, antibiotics, hormones, etc.).
Anyhow, like i said, i did recieve another email from them saying that their food is "Human-Grade". Funny, how they say this to me in a private message, & NOT in their website for ALL to understand. Why don't they just be clear up-front, & in the beginning? Another thing is, i thought they did'nt like the term "human-grade"..?
Whatever, in the end, i still like their choices of ingredients, & a-lot of people w/ concerns like mine about quality food (kibble) say it's a good choice. And, i really only see this product in stores that carry other "human-grade" foods like Innova, Canidae, Natural Balance, Wellness, & so on.
I'm just concerned about what i'm buying & feeding my dogs, especially when it's supposibly quality, i wanna know if it's quality, you know..?
I just bought a 35lbs. bag today, just cut it open & fed my dogs some, they attcked their bowls, & i have to say, i'm gonna be supporting this company. It will definatly be part of their rotation diet, untill proven otherwise.

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From:Houston, TX USA
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posted 10-09-2003 08:42 AM         

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Hi Goodboysbaddogs,

Now that you've had your dogs on the Chicken Soup for a while, I'd like to know how you feel about the food now. Not to be too gross, but how are their poops? Although I am currently a big fan of Innova, I am thinking of trying Chicken Soup, simply because it is comparable, but with far less calories than the Innova. I'm curious to hear of your experience with it.

Thanks!

Diane in Houston

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posted 10-09-2003 08:34 PM         

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What's up Diane in Houston,

Yeah, my dogs are finishing up their 1st 35lbs. bag of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul 'Adult' Dog Food.
They love it. Especially my AmBull. Both of my dogs coats are looking better each day that passes. It looks bold & has a nice shine to it. I hav'nt seen their coats like this since i was feeding them Wellness Super5Mix Puppy. Well, not counting the stage where i was supplementing their diet w/ Missing Link. Have you heard of that? It really works. If you ever plan to show you pups, or just need that extra something to make your dogs outstanding, i'd definatly recommend it. Of coarse w/ good exercise & all. A couple companies make this sort of supplement/product, but Missing Link is the only 1 i've tried so far. I'm planning on trying Natures Variety supplement food. I have a feeling it'll even be a little better. Wellness makes 1 too. Really i'd like to try almost all of them. It feels good to know your pups/dogs are getting good stuff in em', especially when you see results you want, or even more than you expected. Like in Chicken Soup, i definatly expected to see some improvment, but not w/ the extra shine & all. I just barely noticed the extra shine to their coats tonight. That's why i'm happy to answer your question about this food. Wait, i don't want to get you hopes up too high right now. You know, what works for 1, might not work for another.? So, i don't want to come-off as a lier when/IF things don't work out too well for yours. It definatly took some time beofore i actually saw a big improvement. Like i said, this is their 1st 35lbs. bag, but their also almost done w/ it... That's funny, i'm feeding what your probably going to try for your dogs, and i'm going to be switching my dogs food to yours, Innova Dog. I do this whole "rotation" diet thing w/ my dogs. It works well for us. Anyhow, what's your experiance w/ Innova Dog?? I can't wait to see it's results. I'm expecting to see a slight down fall in their coats shine ( in comparison to Chicken Soup), but i'm not too worried about nutrition, because "they say" (on their lables & website) their quality is great. I think it is, hopfully. It might not work for my boys though, you know.? I have a list of about 5 different companies, well, 3 different lines from Wellness, & 2 from Natural Balance that i chose for their rotation diet. It's basically in this rotation order: Wellness Lamb, Natural Blance, Canidae, Innova, Chicken Soup. After Innova, i'm going to start this speciafic order. I came up w/ this order according to each companies ingredients, & how i want my dogs to experience them.

Ohh! Yeah, thier doo-doo's looking like poo-poo... What?!? -- It looks good, never any loose stools. Moist & solid. Would you like me to ship some over!?! J/K!

[This message has been edited by GoodboysBaddogs (edited 10-09-2003).]

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posted 10-26-2003 12:58 PM           

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I work at a feed store that highly reccomends Chicken Soup and it seems to be a popular food for the customers. The store owner as well as myself use it for our animals. My bully Kyla loves it, the only drawback is that it seems to give her gas. But nothing serious. I would recommend it very highly.

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posted 10-26-2003 06:53 PM         

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NOANGEL:

Just a wyld guess, but do you work at a feed-store in Glendale/Burbank area..? You don't have to answer if you don't want too, i understand. It's just that i was recommended Chicken Soup a while back from 1 of the owners of a feed store in that area, & she also feeds it. Anyhow, yeah my dogs are doing very-good on it too, but i'm rotating to Innova-Dog like in two weeks. How much is your Innova going for?? What do you & your customers think of Innova-Dog??

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From:sheridan, wy
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posted 10-31-2003 11:22 PM         

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I started my cats on this brand last week and am starting the dogs as soon as they finish what they have. I will let you know how it goes.

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posted 11-01-2003 03:51 AM         

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I am considering trying this food as well. We are at the end of the sample bag of Innova puppy and it seems to be working well for Nala, except she has this extraordinary gas.

Has anyone else had this problem?

Jamiya

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From:,Calif. U.S.A.
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posted 11-03-2003 04:21 PM         

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The only time my dog gets gas is when I give her carrots for a few days in a row. Other than that she does not toot except for once in a blue moon. Its pretty funny to see a sweet little dainty poodle toot. She will get up and leave that spot. After looking back to see what happened. LOL

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From:Anchorage, AK
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 11-03-2003 05:05 PM         

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I have actually never seen this food here...is it only at local places? Be willing to try it...

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From:NY, USA
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posted 11-03-2003 06:39 PM         

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quote:

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except she has this extraordinary gas.
Has anyone else had this problem?

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Mine did'nt have gas while on Innova. There was a woman on another board complaining about her puppy having gas while on Innova puppy. She stopped feeding it but gave it a second try once her dog was an adult and he did'nt have any gas problems the second time around. Im sure it depends on the individual dog.

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posted 11-03-2003 06:45 PM         

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I started her on Healthwise (made by the Innova people) a few days ago. So far so good. The people at the shop said it is very easy to digest, and it looks like a good food to me. And she loves it!

Jamiya

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posted 11-04-2003 04:09 PM         

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Good choice Jamiya. I've been thinking about trying the Healthwise also.

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From:sheridan, wy
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posted 11-10-2003 10:06 PM         

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I started the dogs on Chicken Soup Saturday. The main problem so far is that the kibbles are small and the cats like to eat them. Their old food had big pieces that the cats couldn't eat very well. The dogs have had a bit of gas, but I think they are still adjusting to the new food.

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posted 11-10-2003 11:14 PM         

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quote:

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I have actually never seen this food here...is it only at local places? Be willing to try it...

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Im not sure which food your referring to but here are the links for both if you want to check their store locators:
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul- http://chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/cslocator_distributors.html

Innova, California Natural, Heathwise- http://naturapet.com/display.php?d=stores-tab

[This message has been edited by nern (edited 11-10-2003).]

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posted 11-10-2003 11:20 PM         

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quote:

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The main problem so far is that the kibbles are small and the cats like to eat them.

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My cats were fond of the CS dog food as well. I had to keep my eye on them well giving it to the dogs.

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From:sheridan, wy
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posted 11-11-2003 10:36 PM         

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I started locking it up at night, although they are still getting it during the day. The little punks, they always want what they aren't supposed to have.

The gas is better today by the way. It was horrendous the first day they were on CS.

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