Your choice in dog food?
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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/8185836
I would want to shop at this pet store.
If I had my own pet store I would do the exact same thing.0 -
We feed our dog Beneful. She's 12 years old,
and still going strong.0 -
I would love to be a client at your vet clinic. I told my vet to let me worry about my dogs nutrition and so he now remains quiet.We own a vet clinic (DH is a vet) and we recommend raw diets. *G* I do bravo because good sources and it is the cheapest if y
ou buy it in 20lb chubs. Nature's Variety instinct we like a lot (no grains and good quality meats), but we are really just big proponents of grain free. Then pastured/grass fed and then organic, but grassfed is more important than the organic because organic does not mean much beyond certain chemical and such limitations.
Even better, we raise our own chickens, pigs, beef and milk a cow so they get the best of both worlds.
Taste of the wild is great.
The person who works in a vet clinic and says purino pro, iams, science diet and such are good - which vet clinic are you at so we know to avoid it. . Seriously, science diet is one of the most disgusting filler loaded garbage dog food I have ever read ingredients on. By products, beet pulp, and should be priced at Ol Roy level for the nutrition in it. Our liver, kidney and renal dogs have done great since going off it . . . the guy in the white coat on the bag is what sells it. Plus the fact that through 4 years of vet school science diet gives all the vet students free dog and cat food (when you can't afford to have pets they make it so you can). . . oh and they also gave us free pizza every Friday and subs the rest of the year. They figure they'll have loyalty then and it works - all the vet clinics sell it like it is a good product.
Who not to trust with animal nutrition . . . vets are given zero nutrition training and the one course we had in vet school, the large text book was put out by . . . tada Science Diet . . . there's unbiased nutritional education. Vets know squat about nutrition if they go on what they are taught during vet school. So if you go to a vet who says diet makes no difference and that you can have a healthy pet regardless of what you feed . . . run the other way and find somebody who has actually done some research!
By changing pets diets we have been able to eliminate insulin shots, kidney failure, liver blood work goes down, allergy dogs get better - there really isn't much that isn't changed with good diet.
Having said that, we know that we all have only so much money for food, so I would say taste of the wild is one of the better priced grain free diets. Watch the switch - high protein can make them constipated if they are used to fillers. But in our experience dogs that switch use about 1/3rd less the kibble than on the other things. Another plus is how much less poop there is to scoop *G*0 -
Thank you @Justa_Paperbag...that list is awesome! I usually use Nutro, but with a B rating I guess it's time to move up...0
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I work in a veterinary clinic, and we get this kind of question all the time. There are a lot of "fru fru' dog foods out there that claim to be nutritional, healthy, and delicious. The new refrigerated kinds of foods are a big fad right now. However, we try and steer our patients away from such foods. Iams, Purina, Eukanuba, and Hill's are all wonderful foods. You don't need anything special or pricey. Purina puppy chow is a perfectly fine food for your new puppy. Good luck, and remember that everything you do with your puppy is part of it's training.
Don't listen to this. vet offices are paid to push these products (especially science diet), i assure you.0 -
I work in a veterinary clinic, and we get this kind of question all the time. There are a lot of "fru fru' dog foods out there that claim to be nutritional, healthy, and delicious. The new refrigerated kinds of foods are a big fad right now. However, we try and steer our patients away from such foods. Iams, Purina, Eukanuba, and Hill's are all wonderful foods. You don't need anything special or pricey. Purina puppy chow is a perfectly fine food for your new puppy. Good luck, and remember that everything you do with your puppy is part of it's training.
These are the Vet offices I try to stay away from.
There is nothing healthy about Iams, Purina, Hill's etc.
Purina is the WORST. I can't believe a vet tech is actually advocating feeding Purina Puppy Chow to a growing pup that needs MEAT, not grains and other fillers.0 -
I feed Taste of The Wild. My male saint has a tummy issues, and this works for him.0
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Our doggie eats Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice Puppy - he will switch to adult food on the next bag tho - it's not cheap, but he has a very sensitive tummy and is finicky (we tried to switch him to one that was the same brand and flavor, but with more of certain nutrients, and he shunned it) and he also can't have anything with corn or corn meal, etc in it. I'm actually nervous about switching him to the adult formula, even though we will stick with the same brand, he's really stubborn!
oh, p.s. he's a Pitbull puppy 8 and 1/2 months, and the vet said after 9 months, switch him to adult formula or he will get chubby!0 -
I'm another one that cooks for my dog.
Pretty inexpensive, and once you get into a routine, not that much effort.
The routine is about what made me give up, but I'm so glad I didn't. It took about 2-3 weeks for me to get into the "groove" of preparing his meals daily.
Edited to add: YES, very inexpensive. I spend about $15 per month to feed my Doxie, whereas specialty organic foods can easily cost upwards of $35.0 -
Kirkland regular food. Thinking of switching to the grain free one.0
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We feed our two Newfs Purina Pro Plan...never had a problem!0
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Nature's Recipe adult lamb and rice.
Its the only food that keeps my Corgi svelt and at a perfect weight :]
It also gave my Chihuahua an AMAZING coat.
I wouldn't feed them anything else.0 -
I have 3 dogs and my oldest has digestive issues and skin problems - he's almost 18 years old. I feed Natural Balance Limited Ingredients Lamb flavor and for treats they get Per Guard My Pugsley (the grain base is organic quinoa) and they all do great on it. Oh, any my oldest is almost 18 pounds and for a 65 lb dog that's doing pretty good!!0
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Raw. Less expensive than kibble, and easy to do. No skin problems, his coat is so shiny he glows in pictures, no stomach issues, and it's a species appropriate diet.
Also, most dogs aren't allergic to chicken.....they're allergic to the processed, immunogically unrecognizable substance labeled a chicken in kibble.0 -
Both of my dogs were on Iams when I got them. Horrible flatulence, ploppy poopies, and my female would go days without eating. After much research, I decided on Chicken Soup For The Dog's Lover's Soul-Adult Light. Now my girlie dances and runs when I put the bowl down. My male has a very, VERY delicate tum, so to keep him on track, they get a pumpkin "cookie" twice a day. (Cream of Rice and canned 100% pumpkin, mixed, squished, and baked)
As far as treats, Sophie ADORES chicken (Luke eats mulch-he's easy to please), so I tend to get high-end chicken treats. I spend a a lot of time and money to keep these dogs GI tracts percolating properly.
...aaaand my husband feeds them Doritos.:noway:
BTW-I used to work for a vet in the '80s, we put our cats on Science Diet and they did marvelously. I do question the corn content.0 -
Organix by Castor and Pollux. First ingredient: organic chicken. Also includes peas, salmon, quinoa, egg, flaxseed, blueberries, apples, carrots, broccoli, pumpkin, and pears. No corn or artificial coloring.
I've also used Wellness and Merrick, which are excellent choices, but my picky Havanese didn't like them very well.
You can can look at dog food reviews at dogfoodanalysis.com, which rates and reviews most of the brands and lists all the ingredients and gives opinions on why you would or would not want to use them.0 -
I work in a veterinary clinic, and we get this kind of question all the time. There are a lot of "fru fru' dog foods out there that claim to be nutritional, healthy, and delicious. The new refrigerated kinds of foods are a big fad right now. However, we try and steer our patients away from such foods. Iams, Purina, Eukanuba, and Hill's are all wonderful foods. You don't need anything special or pricey. Purina puppy chow is a perfectly fine food for your new puppy. Good luck, and remember that everything you do with your puppy is part of it's training.
These are the Vet offices I try to stay away from.
There is nothing healthy about Iams, Purina, Hill's etc.
Yes, Purina Puppy Chow is mostly by products, CORN, and chemicals. I would never feed that crap to my dog.
Purina is the WORST. I can't believe a vet tech is actually advocating feeding Purina Puppy Chow to a growing pup that needs MEAT, not grains and other fillers.0 -
Science diet0
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Not sure if it has been mentioned but Diamond Natural, there's no junk in it and the price is amazing. however if you can't find it near you I would go with Premium Edge0
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Kibble: Canidae All Life Stages or 4Health Performance + GlycoFlex III (joint supplement) and Grizzly Salmon Oil.
She's been on the joint supplement since she was 3 because she has a luxating patella. Hers wasn't bad enough that it needed surgery, but any improperly moving joint predisposes the dog to arthritis and our vet thought this supplement (along with very carefully managing her weight and exercise) could delay the arthritis. She was x-rayed at 8 and still had no arthritis.
The Grizzly Salmon Oil is for the Omega 3s, as the ones in the kibble don't survive the heat of the processing or the exposure to air once the bag is opened.
Treats:
-She gets one or two small-dog IAMS biscuits per day.
-Zuke's Mini-Naturals
-Sometimes a little yogurt or cottage cheese or cooked eggs (raw eggs impede the absorption of biotin). Sometimes meat.
-I also have a Peanut Butter Oatmeal biscuit recipe that I make for her and we use those in place of the IAMs biscuits.0 -
I used the same dog food for my Golden Retriever until he was a year old. Then I switched to Purina Dog Chow. I tried switching both of my dogs to 2 different brands of all natural expensive feeds. They were on them for 4 months and during the entire 4 months they had bad gas and irregular bowels. I put them back on Purina and their systems are back to normal.0
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My Cats eat raw food and get a good mix of companies, UC, Red Dog Blue Kat, Arusha, Pets go raw. I also give them chicken necks for their teeth, egg yolks and salmon oil. When we get dogs (Roti, Dane) we will use the "Fru fru" food like Orijen/Acana or Go/Now and raw. Both great foods and both Canadian (I like to buy things that don't travel as much if I can) I would have used Evo/Innova but they have been bought out by P&G who own Iams and eukanuba and don't want to risk the change in quality. I have 2 other cats who are on them right now and are not doing to good in the last few months on the food and now have to switch. (I do also avoid P&G in my household all together and yes i do realize how big of a company they are. As for the vet who promotes raw you are my hero! I have had a lot of clients who say that their vet have told them that raw food will kill their pets and to never feed it to them then go on to recommend the lower quality foods. I then have to re educate them on the proper nutrition for their pets.
Feed them right in the first place and you wont have to take them to the vets. And feed them raw bones to chew. It keeps their teeth clean, keeps their muscles working well and has them burn off some energy.0 -
Our 4 legged family member eats Kirkland's Salmon and Sweet Potato. She used to eat Taste of the Wild. TOTW is made by Diamond and is the exact same food as the Costco Kirkland Salmon and Sweet Potato. However the Salmon & Sweet Potato is about $32 for a 30 lb bag. Last time I checked TOTW was pushing $50 in our local store.
We switched our picky (and allergic to almost everything) female nearly 6 months ago. No issues. She loves the food and is doing great on it.
Also check dogfoodadvisor.com. They have some great recommendations for dog food by brand.0 -
Both my animals (dog and cat) get fed Fromm. Love the ingredients, love that it's a local brand and is bought at a local pet store. If I were to change it'd be to go raw, but that's just a bit too expensive right now. Both the cat and the dog love the Zukes mini treats. Nani (the dog) will occassionally get a bully stick, but she goes through them so fast, it's usually a once a month treat. She also will get the occasional raw bone from the butcher and that lasts a lot longer. I'm not worried about calories or fat with them as Nani seems to regulate herself and Remus gets a strict amount each day. I like my animals lean, now to work on that myself.0
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I work in a veterinary clinic, and we get this kind of question all the time. There are a lot of "fru fru' dog foods out there that claim to be nutritional, healthy, and delicious. The new refrigerated kinds of foods are a big fad right now. However, we try and steer our patients away from such foods. Iams, Purina, Eukanuba, and Hill's are all wonderful foods. You don't need anything special or pricey. Purina puppy chow is a perfectly fine food for your new puppy. Good luck, and remember that everything you do with your puppy is part of it's training.
Sure you can feed your dog food like that and they'll have a perfectly fine life. The family golden ate only Science Diet and lived to be 13, no hip problems, coat was fine, no food allergies. His teeth were disgusting, but that wasn't really food related. The difference between feeding Purina or the like and something "fru fru"-ier is much like what we eat. Sure you can live off potato chips and hamburgers and processed foods and live a perfectly fine life, or you could eat fresh foods and quality meats, and live a fuller, healthier life. If you're willing and able to pay extra money to eat the healthier foods, why not? If you're wanting that for your pet, and you're willing and able to, why not?0 -
Eaglepack. Seriously my dogs look amazing when we feed them this we have two Boxers and we have tried all sorts this is the best.0
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Diamond Naturals here - dogs have food allergies so have to be very careful what I feed them. Spoiled hounds eat mostly rice, chicken, and french fries more than dog food, though lol0
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bump0
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My dogs get a combination of prey model raw and homecooked and table scraps.
My biggest rule with dog food and treats is that I don't feed them anything specifically made for dogs, including the premade raw. I stay away from poisonous foods(chocolate, grapes, onions, various nuts, artificial sweeteners), and my one girl has a wheat allergy, so nothing with wheat for her.
I get the same results others have mentioned that actually feed their dogs real food: my 50lb dogs leave piles about the size of a kibble-fed Chihuahua, and it doesn't stink to high heaven. I have a foster dog right now that is eating kibble (as per the rescue organization sponsoring her fostering). My foster girl is the same size as the other two, eats wellness core, and poops gigantic stinky piles at least five times the size of our dogs' piles.
ETA: our dogs (minus the foster) eat different food every day, variety being the spice of life, and never get upset tummies from food switches.0 -
I was feedng my pup a cheap store brand and she was to thin and not eating . We switched to Blue Buffalo and she LOVES it, she has more energy and her skin problems have cleared up!0
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