Dog owners:what kind of food do you buy?

Blue Buffalo Wilderness, I alternate between the duck, chicken and salmon every couple months to give them something different.

Check out www.dogfoodadvisor.com.

I actually work at a pet store and I am trained to help people find the right food for their dogs. I'm so happy to hear all of the great advice given on this thread!

Excuse the long post, but this is what I do with my life about 5 days a week after classes, so I have a lot to suggest.

I would definitely switch your dog to a natural food- something with minimal grains, no fillers, lots of protein, and high quality ingredients. Some people "swear by" certain brands that have been around for quite some time, but aren't exactly up to par (Purina, Pedigree, Science Diet, Alpo, Kibbles and Bits, Eukaneuba, Beneful, Caesars, etc). Every dog is different. Some do just fine on these brands, but many have food sensitivities and can't deal with all the extra ingredients. I have customers that come in and their dogs have a grain allergy, a chicken allergy, sensitive skin, sensitive stomach... there's always a solution. The best thing to do is to go into your local pet store and read labels.

If your dog is having skin issues, first try switching to a good, high quality dry food, and go from there. Like a lot of people have said, you can try adding fish oil drops to the food, or buy the capsules, if changing the food isn't enough. I feed my dogs Blue Buffalo. It's not cheap by any means, but a medium sized bag (around $35) will last me about 3 weeks for my yellow lab. Also, with high quality foods, you don't need to feed as much as with other foods, because the nutrient-packed kibble keeps them full longer (with less waste to clean up too). A good diet helps the skin, coat, teeth, joints, energy level, helps muscle growth, and weight maintenance (well, we all know that already because we're all on MFP) . I also have been able to solve many customer's issues with the Natural Balance L.I.D line (like someone else mentioned in the beginning of the thread). The first ingredients are "the good stuff", and they are also all grain free and come in a variety of flavors to choose from, which caters to a lot of dogs with allergies. Other brands you may want to check out are Wellness, Merrick, and Innova. Other brands were suggested already that I've heard pretty good things about (Orijen, Taste of the Wild, etc.), but I'm not familiar with those because we don't sell them at my store.

Don't forget, the treats you give your pet are just as important as the food. You don't want to ruin an all-natural diet by giving it tons of milkbones. Try getting better quality treats like Natural Balance LIT, Blue Bones, Old Mother Hubbard, etc. Also, you need to make sure you ease your dog into this new diet slowly, mixing the food little by little until he completely transitions over. A lot of people switch too fast, their dogs get sick, and they get discouraged.

I hope this helps!

I buy Newman's Own from Amazon. My dog and cat LOVE IT. I get treats from there also and they love those even more. They both have beautiful coats and no dandruff. Even with shipping and handling, I find that the price is about the same as what you would buy at the vets office.

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

We use this as well. Our dogs love it and it's not too expensive.

My dog also has bad skin allergies. We use Nutro brand/ They have a sensitive skin formula that is potato/fish meal or something of the sort. They just changed the bag so the new name escapes me.

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!

This! My dogs have done a complete turn around health wise since being put on this food.

If you have a Tractor Supply nearby then I recommend any of their brand called 4 Health. They're super great! No corn, no wheat, and no soy. The best part is I'm getting a 35# bag for $30! Can't beat that and my dogs loooooove it!!!

Natures Domain is the name of the grain free Costco food. My dogs say they prefer it.

My family owns a feed store and I"m still totally lost on what's the best choice out there. Advice from my vet was choose a brand that has been around. He says there are so many new store specific "specialty" foods, that when there is a recall, many fall through the cracks. I was buying a grain free brand that my local store carried exclusively. It was of course highly recommended. Vet said nope...dogs are not carnivores, they actually needs meats and plant based nutrition, unlike cats that can do just fine on meat based only. We've switched our dog to Iams lamb and rice and her digestion has improved, she has put on lean muscle and looks great.