Dog owners:what kind of food do you buy?

dmoses

We feed our baby girl Orijen and she gets complimented on her beautiful shiny coat all the time!

randysbombshellgirl

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.....

I'm so sorry for you loss it is so hard I know. I lost my toy fox after 18 years I still miss him every day. We opened our heart to a rat terrier and live him dearly. I hope time will make it a little easier. On the subject of food you make a really great point the less grain the better.

guacamole17

We have three large-ish dogs, and we feed one of Wellness kinds right now. We order from Amazon and get a discount for having a monthly delivery, which is AWESOME. They get an raw egg and shell once or twice a week, raw veggies, chicken trimmings, etc. We also give them Kong toys stuffed with nonfat yogurt, shredded apple, canned pumpkin, and a touch of PB (about 1/4th cup total then frozen to make it last longer) once everyday or two. Boy do they LOVE that.

LMick1986

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)

Yes, you want food with the first ingredient being meat. I would suggest salmon for skin care...as it has the oils. Think of what salmon does to our skin. I think it's the Omega-3s. Really good stuff. I'm a big fan of Rachel Ray's dog food line (thought I don't know if she has a salmon one)!! It's about 20 bucks for a 10lb bag, so it's definitely not expensive and you can find it at the grocery store....and it's meat as the first ingredient! The pups love it! My dog used to have those same skin issues and I found this conditioning bath spray. It's called Miracle Coat with Tea Tree. Think of what Head and Shoulders does for people! Like that! I think I found it at Petsmart.

LMick1986

i have a shizhu and a shizhu / bichon. my shizhu has skin problems too.....she scratches all the time. vet put her on a steroid and that really helps. tried all kinds of different foods but my dogs are very finicky eaters. now i mix canned dog food (Lean Cuts) with cooked cut up chicken breasts and they love it!! they been eating this for almost a year now. i sometimes for a change give them ground cooked turkey or ground chicken in their canned food for a change.

Have you ever have them tested for chicken allergies? I read up quite a bit, a long time ago, that a lot of dogs are allergic to chicken....which could cause the skin issues. Just a thought....probably totally unrelated.

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:

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.

That's great! Its important to find something that works for the animal as an individual and that is cost effective for the owner/human companion. The brand I had mentioned earlier was recommended by the vet. and at only $1/lb (at the feed supply store) is a wonderful alternative to the typical brands found in most grocery stores.

makkman

Nat Science dry and Purina wet for taste

prairiedawg2014

i have a shizhu and a shizhu / bichon. my shizhu has skin problems too.....she scratches all the time. vet put her on a steroid and that really helps. tried all kinds of different foods but my dogs are very finicky eaters. now i mix canned dog food (Lean Cuts) with cooked cut up chicken breasts and they love it!! they been eating this for almost a year now. i sometimes for a change give them ground cooked turkey or ground chicken in their canned food for a change.

Have you ever have them tested for chicken allergies? I read up quite a bit, a long time ago, that a lot of dogs are allergic to chicken....which could cause the skin issues. Just a thought....probably totally unrelated.

iluvprettyshoes

Great thread!! Thanks for all the info-
I've tried so many different foods for my little westie and she gets sick to her stomach so often.
Going to try some of these brands for her and see how she likes them.

prairiedawg2014

don't know what i just did lol ( to LMick)
i started giving them chicken a year ago....she already had the skin condition. with the steroids and the change to chicken in her diet she is 75% better. i know she has no allergy to chicken. the vet says its a seasonal and environmental allergy as she is fine all winter when there is snow on the ground......during the winter months she is off her meds.

acstansell

NutriSource Grain-Free Lamb formula. My boy has ear infection issue and has a grain sensitivity that became a skin rash on his belly. Since switching his food, no ear infections and no rash.

tessa175

I fed my dog vet reccomemded kibble for the first few months, but he would scratch like crazy and then get bored of it and not eat. I looked into the raw food diets but decided that even though I love my dog like a child, I just didnt have enough time to devote to this every week and to purchase raw food premade was really expensive. But then I found Honest Kitchen and what a differrence that made! It's a dehyrated fresh food diet made with human grade food, it's not considered raw because they use heat during the dehydrating process that cooks the meats but it's the closest I could get to the real thing. It's as easy to prepare as instant oatmeal and they have a few different varieties so you can choose what you want to feed your dog. fish, chicken, turkey, beef, grains, no grains etc... they even have one that's just a base so you can add your own protein source. My dog never scratches anymore, the vet says he's super healthy, and he practically begs for every meal. totally worth it for me!

katevarner

My dog likes Organix, and his itching has almost completely stopped, but it's expensive. I do feed him veggies, tho, and he loves them, particularly carrots and collard greens!

wysmom2000

Our dog (a Cockapoo) had terrible recurring ear infections for years. I ran into someone who suggested a raw food grain free diet. Just Google "raw food diet for dogs" and you'll find a lot of information. After a lot of research, I discovered that dogs do not have the enzyme to digest carbs, which is the main ingredient in most commercial dog food. Their bodies struggle to digest these carbs causing inflammation. I started him on a raw food diet about a year ago, supplementing with a quality grain-free commercial food in a pinch. It took about 3 weeks and his ear infections were gone! His energy was back and his eyes cleared (he always seemed to have a haze in his eyes). My dog does not get any corn, soy or wheat products. He eats raw meats, vegetables and fruit. We will also give him leftovers from our meals as long as it's not pasta or bread. I have actually found it to be cheaper to feed him this way than to buy the bagged dog food.

januarygal

Whatever you do don't give your dog the ********dried chicken or duck treats manufactured in China***********. There is a lot of concern that the processing of these products can cause kidney damage to dogs. And as someone who was treating my dogs with them, (they loved them) and spending $100's at the vet for kidney issues with my dog, we are not doing that anymore. Vet recommended putting her down, we persevered and though she lost so much weight she looks like a walking skeleton (ultra skinny greyhound) she is now eating again, gaining slowly, and has enough energy to walk around the block.
She eats homemade dog food, with high quality moist food added. It costs more, but we are not ready to let her go and she still seem to want to keep going.

acstansell

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)

You always want to look for meat as the first, if not the first two, ingredients. For skin issues, like dandruff or rashes, try eliminating as much filler as possible - like grains. Even rice, which is a grain, can cause issues. Salmon is good for skin issues too, but the better food you buy the fewer issues you'll have. Their coats will be softer and shinier and oily (yes, you want that), ears nice and pink, and fewer rashes, infections. Plus, they poop less.

Also, they'll eat less because better food has more calories. Think of it this way - I buy a bag of food that is about 50 bucks after taxes, it's a 30lb bag. That's about a 1.50 a lb. My dog eat 2-3 cups a day - that's it. So, on average, he's eating about 1.50-2.00 a day of dog food. We can't survive on 2.00 a day and stay healthy!

*I supplement, just FYI, with raw frozen carrot, raw frozen green beans, cheese, peanut butter, and I also have apple and yougurt bars (dog treats) that have very little grain in them, just so you think my boy isn't starving. 75lbs of lean, solid muscle. The healthiest dog I've ever had - because I'M choosing what he gets!

katie070563

I swear by Royal Canine...I feed both my dogs on this. It may be expensive to buy, but it lasts ages, and I spend less now on the best food than I did when buying the cheaper sorts. Try Royal Canine club....I feed my German Shepherd on this, and a 20kg bag (lasts about three months) is around £30.00.

Fox_889

Purina One Lamb and Rice---Has Vit. E for the healthy coat and skin, glucosmine for joints, highly digestable. My German Shepherd never looked so good!

x_JT_x

I have a bichon/maltese mix and feed him Wellness Small Breed. He loves it and it's significantly cleared up the tear-staining around his eyes. I also give him raw veggies (he LOVES lettuce and broccoli) and some fruit during the week. Sometimes he gets tuna and other meats as well.

lindseymruth

I have a Westie who has lots of allergies (mainly environmental) and I feed her Fromm. It is pretty expensive ($35 for 12lbs) but she is small and her allergies are completely unnoticeable now. I figure it is the only thing she gets to eat so I want it to be the best for her.

JustJennie1

My dog eats purina. No issues with it and my vet didn't have anything negative to say about it. It's what she feeds her dog.

redrdghood40

I feed my dogs Deli Fresh. But they are small and don't eat much. It's kind of pricey. Frankie still gets some lesions now and then. They think it might be environmental. I'm trying to pay attention to grasses and blooms and to see if he gets them in the winter.

kenazfehu

Avoderm lamb and rice. I started this when I had one dog with a weeping rash and another dog desperately sick from leishmaniasis. Avoderm is the first food I tried that both did well on. The sick dog did eventually die from her illness, but the other dog still gets Avoderm, and the only time she gets a rash is when I run out of food and pick up a small bag of something else because the store where I buy the Avoderm is closed, even when that something else is lamb and rice and supposedly a good food.

mamagooskie

I feed my dog nutrience. It was what he was on when I bought him over 6 years ago and I've never changed. It's about 40$ for a 40 lbs bag.

apatheticLog

my dog too had skin problems and patchiness. flakes everywhere. i then switched her to Royal Canin. i cannot tell you how much of a difference it made. her hair is now beautiful and no patchiness anywhere!

AmberJo1984

BUMP for further reading.

Malozing0809

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)

Add a bit of flax seed oil or grounds in to her food will help

swopely

Chicken Soup For The Dog Lovers Soul. It's a natural and organic food and fairly low priced

hemigirl1

We have around 4 going at any given time in the house...

RAW
Acana Grain Free
Kirkland Signature
Nature's Domain Grain Free

Jimaudit

10.3 y.o. Standard Schnauzer eats 2 cups of Neutro Science daily....healthiest dog I have ever owned!