Your choice in dog food?
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I'm going to be harsh, but if you can't afford anything better than Purina Puppy Chow than you shouldn't have a dog. It is completely processed and full of junk (aka fillers). Without even looking at the label, I'm going to guess that the #1 ingredient is a byproduct.
In the long run, feeding your puppy a good food will keep him/her healthy and you won't be spending lots of time at the vet. You also will need less food (i.e. 1/4 cup vs. 1/2 cup) as the "good" food will have more protein and will actually satisfy your puppy's appetite.
Every few months, I recheck the labels the food I feed my pets (cats) as companies are always changing to try and manage costs. Buy it in bulk, buy it from Amazon (15% Subscribe & Save) or National Pet Pharmacy (no shipping if you do auto refill). I can absolutely guarantee you that your puppy will benefit in the long run.0 -
I try to stay away from the ones with so many fillers and by products. Evo, Blue Buffalo, Innova, are some really good ones. They cost more but you actually can feed the dogs less because they aren't filled with all those fillers.0
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http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/
Purina Puppy Chow is a 1-Star food, aka the lowest:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/purina-puppy-chow/
At least try and bump it up to a 3 or a 4.0 -
My lovely Dobie girl is on a combination of raw meaty bones and BARF diet. She is nearly 9 years old now can still run a 5k with me no worries, so I must be doing something right!
Treats are dried sausages, pigs ears and snouts - all natural with no additives or preservatives.0 -
Royal Canin
THIS ^^^0 -
We use dry food, Evo, small bites--I think they make a puppy chow. I like it because there is no filler and it's pretty high in protein. Our Corgi's not a big dog, so he gets the same amount 1/3 Cup 2x daily as he did when a pup, but we also do give high quality treats, like Stella and Chewy's....he has lots of rawhide chews, bones and hoofs. Now he is on Evo weight management.0
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My are eating mostly chicken (cooked). There are mostly leftovers that are not eaten by humans (back and wings etc) that I find at a local grocery. Also beef etc. But no veggies.... They are part wolfs so they practically discard anything that is not meat. For the winter I supplementing it with Novafoods Trainer (they need to be very hungry for this). They simply don't touch anything that has colorants and preservatives. They know to read the labels better than me.0
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I have a designer dog, border collie/ blue heeler cross, and feed her a designer dog food. She eats Blue Buffalo Wilderness formula most of the time. Sometimes I fix her some homemade dog food consisting of organic chicken or turkey, oats, pumpkin and peas. Sometimes I supplement her with some yogurt or kefir, especially if she got into the garbage or ate something on the ground when out for a walk.
For treats she gets hard boiled egg yolk or bacon. I monitor her calorie consumption closely because her breed has a tendency toward obesity. She is a dog-sport dog, but we have no agility clubs in our current town. I try to keep her active with frequent walks and lots of play with the ball or frisbee. She likes to go on hikes with me in the cooler weather, but she is not so keen on the hot summers and won't take to the water.
Edited to add:
When feeding a high quality food, and added bonus is less poop and less farts. Her droppings are nice and firm, which is healthy for a dog so as not to incur anal gland blockages. Also, only a dog owner can understand and appreciate a nice firm poop. I've got poopbags stashed everywhere, just in case.0 -
I feed my dog either Beneful or Science Diet... they're the only two types of food that he has consistently eaten. I tried a few other varieties and he typically refused to eat more than 1 or 2 pieces of each one so I've just stuck with what he likes. For treats I buy the 5 calorie milk bone mini's and the 7 calorie cesar moist dog treats (I forget the exact name of these) because I have a 15 lb dog who could stand to lose 1-2 lbs.0
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I didn't see the dog food I use listed, so I'll put mine out there. I use Nature's Recipe Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Pumpkin for my adult dog, and he loves it. I use a lamb recipe for my puppy. They didn't have a grain-free puppy food, but I'll switch to the same as my adult dog once she gets older.
My treats are also Nature's recipe because they have grain-free treats also. At Petsmart, there's a coupon for a free bag of treats with a bag of food so I've been getting treats every time, even though they go through food way faster than treats haha. I'll be good for quite awhile now.
Enjoy your new puppy! They're just the best.
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You do not want to feed your dog fillers and by products. 1 in 2 dogs will get cancer. Feeding your dogs a natural or whole food diet absolutely helps sustain the pups life.
I believe in feeding food where the first ingredients are meat and fruits and vegetables. I choose Grain Free as well, because dogs are very likely to get diabetes as they age.
As far as price, I think a lot of people think that feeding your dog a cheaper brand of food saves them money. Do me a favor and go to a pet store and do some comparison in feeding guidelines. You will definitely see that you will be recommended to feed almost DOUBLE with Grocery Brand dog foods than the Organic, Holistic, Healthy dog goods. So if you are feeding double the amount than you would have to if you switched...you are really not saving. The reason for the serving difference is obvious. Dogs do not have a full feeling effect. They simply need their nutrients. More nutrients are packed into a cup of healthy food than 3 cups of grocery brand. (same as Mcdonalds vs Making healthy choices.)
You will feel sooo much better about feeding them a healthier dog food. And you will literally be picking up less CRAP in your yard. BY PRODUCTS mean more ****! Literally!
I feed Earthborne Holisitic. For every bag I purchase I send the UPC in and they plant a tree too. 0 -
I buy Costco's Kirkland dog food -- it is made by Diamond dog food, which also makes Taste of the Wild.
Kirkland brand is always very highly rated by pet nutritionists and vets. One of my dogs has a very sensitive digestive system. I used to buy Avoderm Chicken and Rice, but switched to the Kirkland food and he does even better with it, plus it's much less expensive.
Like a previous poster said, if you buy a higher quality dog food with less fillers, your dog will eat less and will poop less, too!
Edited to add this link: http://petfoodtalk.com/dogfoodreviews/#best-dog-food0 -
Also, I want to point out that MOST dogs have chicken allergies. If your dogs coat seems itchy or something is wrong with their stool. Try switching.0
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Old Jack gets Blue Buffalo in his bowl. He thinks it's mighty noms, and doesn't take much to fill him up! 0
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Off topic, kinda. When I worked for a vet, he suggested to one client that she get some kind of lamb and rice food for her dog with allergies.
A week later, she came back to the vet's, saying, "I looked in EVERY store in the county, and NO ONE had any "Lemon Rice" dog food!"
:laugh:0 -
I can't really afford to feed my pups the fancy food either, but I will cook them their own special dog food to mix in with the Pedigree/Purina/Whatever we pick that week.
I cook up lean ground beef and mix it with rice and garlic and add that to their food.
You can make your own treats too. There's tons of recipes out there.
Just an FYI... garlic is bad for dogs and can cause kidney failure:( So are onions and grapes
Garlic is only bad for dogs in large amounts. A little in their food once in awhile can actually have health benefits and repel fleas.0 -
I have a Welsh Corgi. That breed tends to get overweight so we exercise her a lot and fed her Eukanuba Weight Control. Our vet said Iams has too much protein in it for her and could cause her to gain.0
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I feed Iams with some green beans mixed in and no treats because my little dog is fat. He is on a diet too. My big dog gets Iams too, but she is a brat so she will not eat the dry food alone so she gets a spoon full of canned Pedigree mixed in with it.
Each of them get 1 milk bone per week. they sneak some table scraps from time to time too.0 -
We pay around $90 for the big bag of Adult Beef Orijen. And like someone commented before, with better quality food, you feed less. She gets around 1 c of food, twice a day.
We also make our own frozen goody treats. Putter butter, applesauce, and non-fat greek yogurt- in the processor and poured into ice cube trays. She gets two of those treats a day. Since she is still going through growth spurts, our doc suggested adding calcium to her diet and thats how we get it done. She loves them, her own ice cream 0 -
Blue buffalo0
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Purina Dog Chow
He likes it, of course he also eats poop.0 -
I have a Welsh Corgi. That breed tends to get overweight so we exercise her a lot and fed her Eukanuba Weight Control. Our vet said Iams has too much protein in it for her and could cause her to gain.
That sounds kind of backwards. If the vet is the one selling you the Eukanuba Weight Control, I'd do a little independent research.
The vet I worked for sold Science Diet. He thought it was the best food in the entire world. Because that's what the SD reps told him. And so that's what he gave to his own dogs. It was definitely an improvement over Purina or Alpo, so he thought it was great. What was really great for him, though, was that he got the food at wholesale cost and delivered directly to his place of business. And a pretty sweet markup on every bag sold.0 -
She is a miniature pinscher mix. I really have no idea, she is such an adorable mutt. We got her at the shelter.. So, I did look at the ingredients list and chicken by-product? Animal digest? Wtf, some of those things sound horrible. I wish I had looked at it before I bought a big 16.5 pound bag. It was $12, so I was like great deal! I am going to definitely switch her after that.. Might take a while, though, as she only eats around 2 cups per day! I am too much of a bulk buyer, I think..0
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I have a Welsh Corgi. That breed tends to get overweight so we exercise her a lot and fed her Eukanuba Weight Control. Our vet said Iams has too much protein in it for her and could cause her to gain.
That sounds kind of backwards. If the vet is the one selling you the Eukanuba Weight Control, I'd do a little independent research.
The vet I worked for sold Science Diet. He thought it was the best food in the entire world. Because that's what the SD reps told him. And so that's what he gave to his own dogs. It was definitely an improvement over Purina or Alpo, so he thought it was great. What was really great for him, though, was that he got the food at wholesale cost and delivered directly to his place of business. And a pretty sweet markup on every bag sold.
We don't buy our food from the vet. He sells SD but said others were just as good at places like Petsmart/petco. So we choose Eukanuba. He only told us not to get Iams, Purina, etc because it makes Corgi's gain even if the are "natural or weight control"0 -
My boyfriend owns a specialty pet food and supply store. He says Purina, Pedigree, Beneful, and Science Diet are the worst. He sells only the natural stuff like Orijen (his favorite), Acana, Honest Kitchen, Blue Buffalo, EVO, Innova, Wellness, etc. He is a member on MFP. If anyone is interested in messaging him directly about particular dog foods, here you go:http://www.myfitnesspal.com/messages/new/81858360
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I'm probably even more picky about what I feed my dog than I am about what I feed myself! I feed my dog EVO food and I often give her organic coconut oil, veggies, and homemade treats. Yes, I am that crazy lady! Check out www.dogfoodadvisor.com for ratings and info on all different brands and types of food.
I am the same way as this poster.
We alternate between Acana Grain Free and EVO for both of our dogs food. I make home made treats and they are also fed some raw foods according to the BARF (Bones And Raw Food) way of eating.
We are a Paleo household and so are our dogs as they are members of our house just like my husband and I.
The better the food quality, the less they poop too and no smells.
Dogs and cats are not meant to eat grains or sawdust.0 -
She is a miniature pinscher mix. I really have no idea, she is such an adorable mutt. We got her at the shelter.. So, I did look at the ingredients list and chicken by-product? Animal digest? Wtf, some of those things sound horrible. I wish I had looked at it before I bought a big 16.5 pound bag. It was $12, so I was like great deal! I am going to definitely switch her after that.. Might take a while, though, as she only eats around 2 cups per day! I am too much of a bulk buyer, I think..
My .02, buy a small (4 lb bag if you can) bag of one of the more nutritious foods. Mix that in little by little and see how she likes it. If she doesn't pick around it, keep mixing the Purina and then switch to that food. And if the puppy doesn't take to it, either donate that food to a rescue/shelter or keep using it and then try a new food. One of my kittens was on Science Diet when I rescued and the other was on Royal Canin. Integrating a new food slowly is how you are supposed to acclimate them so it's not an overwhelming change. They already go through a lot when they get rescued, it's a huge change.0 -
She is a miniature pinscher mix. I really have no idea, she is such an adorable mutt. We got her at the shelter.. So, I did look at the ingredients list and chicken by-product? Animal digest? Wtf, some of those things sound horrible. I wish I had looked at it before I bought a big 16.5 pound bag. It was $12, so I was like great deal! I am going to definitely switch her after that.. Might take a while, though, as she only eats around 2 cups per day! I am too much of a bulk buyer, I think..
Switch her slowly. If you feed her 2 cups daily, give her 1/4 cup of the new food then the rest for a week then 1/2 and so on. It'll help her tummy and help with potty training because switching her all at once will likely result in diarrhea.0 -
Chef Michaels... my dog never seemed to care what I got him, but he goes absolutely ape *kitten* for this stuff like it's crack!0
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I wouldn't suggest Purina pro plan.
It has soy and corn in it (which dogs can not digest) as well as a few other not so nice ingredients.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/purina-pro-plan-dog-food-dry/
Also keep in mind guys.
The higher quality food, the less you have to feed.
Royal Canine I was feeding my girl SIX cups a day.
Innova I am feeding my girl THREE.
So you do save money buying higher quality foods!
this. with higher quality foods you have to feed MUCH less because its not pumped with fillers. its much more nutritionally dense! i try to avoid any foods made by the company diamond with all their recalls they have had lately. right now i am feeding Fromm. i also supplement this with The Honest Kitchen dehydrated raw food
these products are made by diamond:
Canidae Pet Food - (canidae is no longer produced at Diamond)
Costco's Kirkland Signature
Solid Gold Health Products for Pets
**** Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods
Kirkland Signature Nature's Domain (Available only at Costco)
Taste of the Wild Pet Foods
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul
4Health (Available only at Tractor Supply Company)
NutraGold Super Premium Holistic Formulas0
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