Dog owners:what kind of food do you buy?

mollz007

My dog has been having skin problems with the weather change and I think I need to buy a better food for her. Ive been feeding her purina dog chow and Ive heard thats like feeding them junk food every day... lol. I am on a budget but I also want her to be healthy and not be scratching so much so I will spend more if I need to. She is a collie mis and she is 6 years old and 50 lbs.

JWink23

I have heard great things about blue buffalo wilderness--especially for dogs that are having issues with skin. I personally feed it to my dog and she loves it It is on the pricier side but I think it is definitely worth the money...hope your dog gets to feeling better!

kcmcd

Diamond Naturals. It was suggested by his breeder.

UpEarly

We really like the Natural Balance line. It's a limited ingredient diet with no grain or corn. Our vet recommended it over the stuff they sell in their office.

AliceNov2011

I have two little ones with allergies and I have had huge success with Purina One Beyond. It is a little more expensive than other grocery store brands, but not as expensive as pet store or vet brands.

Other key element is NO PEOPLE FOOD!

themorganvictoria

my dog is allergic to lots of things. We tried all sorts of "hypoallergenic" foods for him. We found Acana to work the best. Its a high quality food with no fillers. we started him of Pacifica, because the vet said fish would be great for his skin and coat, but he didn't like it much, so we moved him to Acana Grasslands. he loves it and his allergies are basically gone.

Newf77

Try adding a little vegtable oil to their dry food each day.

LATeagno

For a long time, we were buying Nature's Variety duck for our Newfoundland. When we realized we were spending close to $70 a week on her food, though, we started shopping around.

We ended up compromising on Purina Pro Plan, which is Purina's "higher end" product. It's not holistic or grain free like Nature's Variety or Blue Buffalo, but she thrives on it and meat is the first ingredient, followed by rice.

I also give her homemade meals a couple of times a week-- usually drained, rinsed ground beef, brown rice, Greek yogurt and a few egg whites mixed together. Not only does it pack a good natural protein punch, but it helps the food last longer.

Hope this helps.

NatalieWinning

One my dogs can't have fish or fish products. So i'm more limited. I was doing okay with Nutro natural source. Even the new dog became itchy a week after we got him. So I went to that brand grain free. No help. A friend suggested hollistic suppliments, which were very pricey. So I went reading packages again more closely. I got Blue, Blue Buffalo dog food. No chicken or poultry by-product meals, no corn, wheat or soy, no artificial preservatives, no artificial flavors. And way down on the list of ingredients I noticed it has probiotics. Beneficial bacterias for the gut. I decided it couldn't hurt. I priced it out by pound and compared to the other bags (bags are different sizes despite looking the same) and it's not so very different than the other "good" foods in price.

I think I did see improvement. Day 3 of running out of it and the new dog is shedding and itching. He came to us as not much of a shedder and not itchy. I'm going to go get another bag of it. It can't hurt.

krawl78

I feed mine Wellness Super5 mix and add a little fresh pet select wet food (a tbsp). I also add salmon oil to help his skin. You're right Purina is a horrible food for dogs . All filler.

hunkycanuck

Costco Nature's Domain. It gets reviews as high as the expensive pet store brands. I used to by Fromm dog food. It was great food, but very expensive. Nature's Domain had a similar rating, but at a fraction of the price. My dogs seem to really like it and I can switch between the Turkey and Salmon to keep them interested.

paintlisapurple

Yes, Purina is a corn based food. Try moving to a brand that has more protein content. I have found that "4health" costs about the same, and is made with far better ingredients. :flowerforyou:

dward2011

Diamond Naturals (it is different than Diamond) Lamb and Rice

willnorton

I lost my best buddy a month ago...Petie...he was a rat terrier and he was 12 years old. The vet told me his kidneys completely shut down... she asked what I was feeding him and I told her Kibbles and Bits...she had a fit..... that is probably what made his kidneys shut down...it is grain filled and high carb.....lots of grains......

I miss him so bad, please do some research and stop feeding your dog crap filled with grains.....

you will have to spend a little more money on their food but let me ask you, is the dog worth it...if i could have my Petie back I would feed him filet mignon everyday.....

dont feed your dog grain based food.....

Malozing0809

My vet had me change my dog's diet to brown rice with chicken and veggies. Buying the veggies mixed and frozen once every two weeks, and less than a pound of chicken every week and a half. 50 pound bag of brown rice stays over 2 months

LATeagno

Costco Nature's Domain. It gets reviews as high as the expensive pet store brands. I used to by Fromm dog food. It was great food, but very expensive. Nature's Domain had a similar rating, but at a fraction of the price. My dogs seem to really like it and I can switch between the Turkey and Salmon to keep them interested.

I will have to look for this. Thanks for the tip.

mollz007

Thanks for all the responses, they have been really helpful. So as a general rule should I look for food that has meat as the 1st ingredient? I think I will aso try cooking some eggs and mixing it in with her food. To clarify the skin problems she is having is just really dry skin. She has been having really bad dandriff (and she has a black coat so it is really noticable)

mollz007

I lost my best buddy a month ago...Petie...he was a rat terrier and he was 12 years old. The vet told me his kidneys completely shut down... she asked what I was feeding him and I told her Kibbles and Bits...she had a fit..... that is probably what made his kidneys shut down...it is grain filled and high carb.....lots of grains......

I miss him so bad, please do some research and stop feeding your dog crap filled with grains.....

you will have to spend a little more money on their food but let me ask you, is the dog worth it...if i could have my Petie back I would feed him filet mignon everyday.....

dont feed your dog grain based food.....

Im so sorry about your loss. Thanks for ssharing your story.

LATeagno

My vet had me change my dog's diet to brown rice with chicken and veggies. Buying the veggies mixed and frozen once every two weeks, and less than a pound of chicken every week and a half. 50 pound bag of brown rice stays over 2 months

I'm inspired by this. We do homemade food 2-3 nights per week and kibble the remaining nights. Homemade dog food is so awesome-- we do a combo of eggs, Greek yogurt, rinsed lean ground beef and brown rice. I try veggies but my dog always picks around them. LOL

fldiver97

I hear you....dog food has gotten pretty expensive. I have a large dog, used to have 3 big dogs and went through a lot of food. In my opinion most supermarket and some 'prime' dog foods are cr@ppy. When I got my first dog, rescue I fed him waht the previous owner fed him. Not a supermarket brand but something from a well known manufacturer sold in pet stores. Milo pooped tons, had gas and I then started reading labels. I fed him Solid Gold Hund'nFlocken for a few years and he did really well on that. I also added some greek yogurt, chopped veggies (carrots, beans mostly) and the occasional egg to his kibbles. Yes, the Solid Gold was a tad more expensive but he needed less kibbles, adding the occasional 1/2 cup of veggies or a couple of tablespoons of yogurt or kefir or an egg to the kibbles added 'excitement' to his food. He started having a much shinier, smooth coat, less flaky skin, smaller poop and NO gas. I suggest to go to a perstore, check for brands that contain some type of meat as first ingredient, no food coloring, no 'funky' (artificial/chemical) preservatives. Some foods have skin issues/allergies due to food coloring, soy, certain protein sources. I loke to switch around between 2 or 3 different brands (nothing worse than a dog that only eats one brand and then you can't get that brand or the manufacturer makes some changes.......). The most expensive food is not always the best. Keep in mind - your dogs has to like it, you have to be able to afford it etc. Some folks swear by raw food diet or a homecooked diet. If you have the time/freezerspace, time to research healthy recipes it may be an option. I sometimes supplement raw duck or turkeyneck but only to feed it outside. I try to buy food with high meat/fish content, prefer no soy but whole grain/barley/pea etc, no food colors/artificial preservatives. Sometimes our pet store has coupons or specials, many brands have a buy 10 get one free program. If you want brands I have tried you can pm me. Good for you and your dog that you are trying to improve his/her health with a better diet!!!! :flowerforyou:

AliceNov2011

Yes, Purina is a corn based food. Try moving to a brand that has more protein content. I have found that "4health" costs about the same, and is made with far better ingredients. :flowerforyou:

One Beyond has no corn. That's what sets it apart from other Purina products and makes it an affordable choice is corn is the issue. It totally worked for my two.