Dog owners:what kind of food do you buy?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

BUMP for further reading.

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

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