Purina Rules!

luvmyshihtzus · 12-23-2006, 11:38 AM

I have my dogs on Science Diet, and they just love it! It was my vet who suggested it, and I'll never put them on anything else.

tessa_s212 · 12-24-2006, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvmyshihtzus

I have my dogs on Science Diet, and they just love it! It was my vet who suggested it, and I'll never put them on anything else.

I recently joined a veterinarian tech myspace group, and this is what someone had to say:

Quote:

I'm a tech student and we get discounts on Hills. We also had a purina spokesman come in and buy us all pizza so we would listen to him talk about their food.
....but I do feel like they try to sway our opinions sometimes.

It is a common known fact that vets do NOT get nutritional training in school. And, what trainign or "knowledge" about dog food they do learn in vet school is only through representatives like the vet tech student mentioned above. And, those representatives don't care about your dog's health. They care about making hte company more money.

Just as vets are NOT dog trainers and taking dog training advice from a vet will come back to bite you in the butt, the same goes for food. Vets are not nutritionists and many merely promote the bad foods because they get discounts and are paid to. If you feed your dog Science Diet, THEY get more money.

Keno's Mom · 12-25-2006, 06:24 AM

Almost all the vets I've been to (in any state) have SD on the shelves. My cats HATED SD - would not touch it. There are better quality foods out there.

I agree, the vets push it only cause they get discount to sell it - doesn't mean its all that great

I'm sure if Purina company or the company that markets Ol' Roy (WalMart brand) would do the same, you'd see those foods in vets office - IMO both are one the bottom of the list for quality foods!

tirluc · 12-25-2006, 12:18 PM

i will still stay w/ Pur. One (as this is the one that my dogs have done the best on) until such time that i can afford the Pro Plan Select (which is right up there w/ your Canidae, Wellness, Eagle Pak and all those others).....but, unfortunately, $42 for a 33 lb bag (which would last my 4 about 2 wks) just isn't in the budget......that would be like me feeding my family Porterhouse 3 nights a wk.....

Cheetah · 12-25-2006, 01:45 PM

No offense meant here, but I worked at a store that sold Pro Plan, and I saw the ingredients, and I have to say, it's not right up there with Canidae and the others as far as quality of ingredients, unless they came out with some special line that got rid of the brewers rice, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole grain wheat, unspecified animal fat, and medadione. I actually don't care for Wellness either lol...

I do understand though, that these foods are more expensive in some places, for some reason. I can get a 40lb bag of Canidae here for $35, while in other places, it's a lot more. If it were that expensive for me, I wouldn't be able to buy it either lmao...

Keno's Mom · 12-26-2006, 06:51 PM

I know several breeders of cats had their cats on Pro Plan and it ruined the coats - made them really dry.

tirluc · 12-27-2006, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keno's Mom

I know several breeders of cats had their cats on Pro Plan and it ruined the coats - made them really dry.

but this is what happened to my dogs when they were put on Canidae....their coats got crappy, their energy level was down, and they had to eat 2x as much to maintain their weight....plus they went to pooping 3-5 times a day instead of the 2x on Pur. One.....even my vet was appalled at their condition after 4-5 mo on Canidae.....i still maintain, feed what works best for your dog(s)

Snowshoe · 12-29-2006, 04:23 PM

I've never had my pup on anything but Fromm's Puppy Gold and Fromm's Four Star Nutritionals.

For the most part, I really like Fromm's ingredient list. Plus, my pup has a sensitive tummy, and I'm not going to switch from what works.

I've never tried Purina on my dog, but my breeder said that the last time she had her dogs on Purina, their coats became coarser and more brittle.

Obviously, shiny coats aren't the breed standard for my pup, but the food she's on has kept her coat in what is correct for her breed.

My breeder also said that Iams turned her dogs coats' red due to the food coloring. As most keeshonden are gray, red coats can easily disqualify a dog if you are attempting to show.

Fromm's has no food coloring.

She told me that she knew what worked best for her dogs, and what fooods I should stick with, and I've had great results with her advice.

However, if my breeder had told me to feed Purina because that's what worked best for her, that's what my pup would be on. Its really about what works best for your dogs.

Pitbull · 01-04-2007, 04:43 PM

I recommend Timberwolf Organics..its one of the best foods on the market..the ingredients are the proof!
I also feed raw though...

Good dog food is expensive...but in my opinion its worth it..and alot of times, they actually do have deals..the pet food store across the street here has deals on Wellness, which is a really good food as well...at certain times a bag will cost as much as the same bag of Iams..now THAT is a deal...

I pay 75 dollars for a 33lb bag of timberwolf organics. Is that expensive? Heck yeah, and I'm a student that's on a loan right now..I'm broke, but thank GOD and knock on wood, my dogs don't see the vet except for yearly checkup! *thank you LORD!*

When I first got my pittie, she was on IAMS *the ex owners had her on it*..she smelled awful..her coat was gross...matte...her breath smelled terrible...her ears were dirty...her eyes weren't clear and had discharge..as soon as I switched her over, the changes started to occur...diet is extremely important!

MagicToller · 01-04-2007, 05:10 PM

All of the big name dog food companies (except for their premium food lines - and even then you need to be careful), are garbage. It's all marketing - even Science Diet is terrible. Just look at the first ingredient: Corn Glutton Meal.

I feed Bluebuffalo, plus two raw feedings a week.

Try to switch off the stuff later on. Look for a dog food that doesn't have as much corn, soy, and byproducts as the bigboys. It's ALL marketing. Try to see through that, it will mean a dog with a healthier diet and possibly improve the quality of life.

Pitbull · 01-04-2007, 05:47 PM

Excellent post MagicToller

atldoglover · 01-25-2007, 12:46 PM

To answer the OP's question- No, I did not feed Raven Purina. She was on Pro Plan when I got her, but I changed her to Eukanuba (Lamb and Rice). Now for my new puppies, I am really looking at Canidae All Stages.

DKaiser · 01-25-2007, 10:36 PM

I have tried my Dalmation (now 5) on Eukanuba, Iams, Nutra and all of which gave him bladder stones. I now feed him Purina One chicken and rice and he has not had any stones since. This food doesn't have any type of beef by product in it. Now I have a Yellow Lab (3) and a beagle (1) who are all on purina one. They have and are doing great on it!

Wimble Woof · 01-25-2007, 11:50 PM

I fed my dogs Pedigree for years and yes, they "looked" great, however, infection after infection, that at the time I had no idea was food related... I then switched them to Solid Gold Wolf King and WOW! Their coats were amazing, their energy levels went through the roof and suprise suprise... the yeast infections stopped!
Now I feed raw and again their coats are amazing, incredible engery and their teeth look like puppy teeth. Not to mention still no "useless" vet visits!!!!
What you feed has a huge bearing on your dogs health and appearance, just because they seem to be doing great on purina or pedigree or Ol'Roy for that matter, doesnt mean they could be better

karenrem · 03-27-2007, 10:16 PM

every one is talking about purina pro plan not being good for a dogs coat. I have a bernese mountain dog and he is only fed pro plan and his coat is awsom. For those who are not experienced with the berner, his coat is his shinning glory

luvntzus · 03-28-2007, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitbull

I pay 75 dollars for a 33lb bag of timberwolf organics.

This is an old post, so I don't know if you're still paying that much, but you can pay much less if you go through Timberwolf's website and they have free shipping. Prices for the different formulas vary, but Ocean Blue is $52.65 for 33 lb, Southwest Chicken & Herbs is also $52.65, Wild and Natural is $55.85... you get the idea.

tirluc · 03-28-2007, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKaiser

I have tried my Dalmation (now 5) on Eukanuba, Iams, Nutra and all of which gave him bladder stones. I now feed him Purina One chicken and rice and he has not had any stones since. This food doesn't have any type of beef by product in it. Now I have a Yellow Lab (3) and a beagle (1) who are all on purina one. They have and are doing great on it!

i had always fed my dogs Purina products....when i got Tipper and then Lacey i put them on Iams and Eukanuba (respectively) and they did crappy....now, i know that they are crappy foods to begin w/ but at the time the were the "best" along w/ SD.....well, needless to say, i put them back on Purina One and they have done fantastic.....their coats (all 4 of my dogs) are great; shiny, clean, bouncy, etc., their energy is outstanding, and they have gone to the vets for their regular things (vaccines, s/n, hip x-rays for the HD, etc.) and for one problem when Lacey put a hole in the roof of her mouth from a stick.....we tried Canidae and their coats went to (well, you know), their energy level dropped, i had to feed 2-3x the amount just to keep weight on them, and they were pooping 2x as much a day.....vet saw their coats and that was the first time i have ever had a vet "chastise" me for the condition of my dogs.....they are back, forever, w/ the Pur. One as far as i'm concerned.....

Weebles · 03-28-2007, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheetah

No offense meant here, but I worked at a store that sold Pro Plan, and I saw the ingredients, and I have to say, it's not right up there with Canidae and the others as far as quality of ingredients, unless they came out with some special line that got rid of the brewers rice, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole grain wheat, unspecified animal fat, and medadione. I actually don't care for Wellness either lol...

I do understand though, that these foods are more expensive in some places, for some reason. I can get a 40lb bag of Canidae here for $35, while in other places, it's a lot more. If it were that expensive for me, I wouldn't be able to buy it either lmao...

I think that poster may be talking about Pro Plan Selects which IS a high quality food. It's (I think) a newer food that has similar ingredients to the ones like Canidae but is made by Purina - it's not the same as the regular Pro Plan. It is pretty expensive though. My dog has been eating this for about a month now, and his coat is very shiny and he still has a ton of energy. Plus, he tends to have a sensitive tummy and this is the first non-prescription food that he has done well on.

squirt1968 · 03-28-2007, 11:52 AM

I switche my pup to wellness 3 weeks ago. She still has not acquired a taste for it She begs for food takes me to the fridge. By night she eats the wellness. How long is it normally before a dog accepts the new food? She was shedding badly and that has stopped, will take awhile before she has a pretty tail again.

alexnpeteysmom · 03-28-2007, 12:13 PM

My dogs eat Purina Little Bites Indoor Complete and are very healthy dogs. My vet is always impressed withe their shiny coats, beautiful teeth, and healthy body weights. (especially with their teeth, since chihuahuas are so prone to bad teeth.)

They also get Pedigree canned once a day, but not as a main meal. They get 1/2 can at dinner time (so about 1/4 can each) along with their kibble.

I tried switching them to Nutro, but even a very gradual switch made them violently ill. We'll be sticking with Purina. I donated the rest of the bag to a local rescue.

Oh one product form Purina that I would not recommend is Kibbles N Bits. I bought it once becuase it was on sale and we only fed one feeding (50/50 old to new.) The dogs threw up and had diarrhea for a whole day. It was so bad that I threw out the whole bag.

ALSO, in light of the canned food recall, where it was found that the wheat gluten was contaminated, I would never feed my dog a food with wheat in it. Keep in mind that the wheat in the dry could be the very same wheat the poisoned so many dogs in the canned.