[meg&bernie]

Ok, I have have had alot of free time this summer being off work so I have been visiting DogForums alot lately. Today I was bored so I started reading the Dog Food threads and I have one thing to say.....you all have me freaked out! I have a headache and I am sick to my stomach! Here is my story.....

I have a 6 yr old chihuahua. I feed him Science Diet. I was surprised that everyone here hates SD. My dog has never(and I mean never)been sick or has not had any problems. It may sound bad but since we have no problems with it I never even thought about looking at the labels or ingredients. Which brings me back to my headache, should I really be concerned and switch brands and risk my dog getting sick or having problems develop or continue with SD since everything is fine. I'm serious you guys I feel like a HORRIBLE dog owner right now. Sorry for rambling, I'm just very confused. I am open to suggestions but keep in mind I'm feeding SD Light, he is easy to gain weight. I'm opening up the flood gates now so please be kind!!

[Wimble Woof]

Oh boy, thats an open ended question.

I dont think you are getting near the quality of food for what you are paying for for your dog. And that will be my main argument.
Sure the ingredient list in SD is... well, you know now, its not good.
And yes you could be feeding something that "MAY" just make the world of a difference in your dog.

It truely is totally up to you, your dog is not going to explode now that you know better, but your head very well might.
Welcome to the "other side"
I'd suggest doing your research, understanding ingredients, what they do, what they are in the food for and so on, then making an educated descision after that.

You are going to get the " OH MY GAWD, Change food NOW" and " YES, change immediately to ________" and so on from that post.

Dont just jump onto every food that gets suggested to you after this.
Learn a bit more, take a few days, perhaps go into a pet food store ( not Petsmart or the like, but more of the places that specialize in pet foods) and ask them.
They can usually help you make the best choice, and dont be fooled by the whole "Its the most expensive food therefore its the best", as you now know, its not.

Good luck and while you're doing this, book a massage, you are going to need it for the aches and pains in your body after this

One more thing,
You are NOT a horrible dog owner, dont even think that.
The fact that this whole thing is giving you grief, proves it

[rosemaryninja]

Don't feel like a horrible dog owner. My dogs were on Purina and Eukanuba for about two or three years because I thought all dog food was the same. I hadn't even heard of any brands beyond those in the grocery store (Pedigree, Eukanuba, Purina, Royal Canin).

I don't want to be a "food snob" and tell you to change foods immediately because SD is a lousy food. If your dog is doing great on SD, then I guess no one can really fault you for anything. My only concern is that SD is incredibly overpriced. For the same amount of money you could probably get a food that's much higher in quality.

I know it can be very overwhelming, but take the vast array of choices as a good thing rather than a bad one. Spend a little bit of time reading up. http://www.dogfoodproject.com is a site that I really like. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com is strongly recommended by some, but I tend to feel that it's a little clinical -- just slaps a rating on the food based on the ingredients list without actually telling you what the ingredients are for.

Learn about your own dog's specific nutritional needs to help narrow down a blend. You said you have trouble with him gaining weight, so maybe a low-carb, high-protein food like Innova EVO. Does he have allergies? My dog is allergic to grains, so we feed a grain-free formula.

The world of dog nutrition is quite a bewildering one, but let me tell you that until the middle of last year I had no clue how to identify a good kibble or what the heck "grain-free" was. Fortunately, it's not that hard. Ask lots of questions and do your research, then make an educated decision based on your dog's needs, quality and price.

[Criosphynx]

my chi gains wieght easy easy easy too. You'll have to watch the intake no matter what food. lol

The pounds here always send the dogs home on science diet. I used the bags up everytime (free food heck yea) but i never kept them on it. Its pricey for what you get.

[briteday]

I think one of the easiest ways is to find an independent retailer in your area. They are usually pretty good at figuring out what would work for you, your dog, and your budget. And they usually have free little sample bags for you to try before investing your money in a whole bag of the stuff. You may think a certain food is great but your dog won't touch it = not great.

I usually tell people to have a short list of 4-6 foods in mind going into the store. See what they think and what they have samples of. Then go home and test drive the foods for a few weeks to see what your dog likes best.

And having all small breeds now myself, the only way I've found to maintain their proper weights is to measure their food at each and every meal. When on high quality kibble (we usually feed raw, but I measure even then) my dogs each get 1/4 cup two times per day. All of our dogs are around 10 pounds each.

[meg&bernie]

Thank you for all your replies and for being nice! I was expecting alot worse. I know these forums can get alittle heated. I have been online all night and not really liking what I am finding. Now that I know what to look for it is hard to find a brand that corn is not the first ingredient. I am going tomorrow to read labels and just get an idea on what is out there. Again thanks and keep the suggestions coming!

[Patt]

Diets are a very hot subject. Everyone blasts SD. What can I say, I raised my dogs on that food because at the time that was the best dog food on the market. Nowadays it's a different story with everyone trying to outdo the others with better nutrition or so you think. My dogs never had a serious illness and lived well into teens. My Afghan was 17 yrs when she died. So I'm not going to knock SD. I do feel I have found something better and that's Innova or Wellness brands. If you tried to analyze all the dog foods now, your head would be spinning.

Another site to look at is www.dogaware.com they list the top dog foods available. You do the best you can when feeding your dog. If your dog is doing well why change things.... You know the old saying "don't fix it, if it ain't broke". Also not everyone can afford the high priced dog foods of today.

Good luck.

[Wimble Woof]

Originally Posted by Patt

Also not everyone can afford the high priced dog foods of today.

Good luck.

But just think of the money that the OP can save by switching I mean realistically SD is far from getting what you pay for honestly.

Here I can pick up a bag of Orijen for less than $70 ( big bags)... how much is SD running people now a days anyway?
Pukeanuba is far more over priced here than a bag of Orijen, and this is what fools many unsuspecting people into thinking they are getting the best of the best.

meg&bernie... how's your head today? I bet it feels like its about to explode

[meg&bernie]

Oh my where do I begin?! Well I think I'm better today. I was up very late last night researching just about every dog food out there. It was very overwhelming at first but I just had to take it slow and I took alot of notes. I also went way back in the DogForums and read what everyone else had to say about dog food. This whole thing opened up my eyes tremendously.

I finally narrowed it down to about 4 brands and went from there. I finally decided to go with Natures Recipe Lamb and Rice. Please don't cringe if anyone doesn't like it. Trust me I did ALOT of reading last night and I now know what to look for. Natures Recipe has no fillers, by-products, corn, wheat or artificial flavors or preservatives. There were 2 others that I would have liked to get but they were pretty pricey or they only come in big bags and I only need 5lb. bags. So, looooong story short, I figured that just about anything I decided on was better than SD.

Thank you to everyone for their support and wish me luck!!

[RonE]

I'll tell you my story.

My last dog ate Purina One all his life. He was healthy and energetic for all but the last few months of his 14 years so, when I got Esther, I started her on the same food.

I started hanging out here and thinking I could maybe be doing better than Purina One (though, in fairness, some dogs do great on it) and I went out and bought a bag of Science Diet.

It was still in the car when I did some serious reading. I came up with a list of 8-10 brands I thought would be much better. I took the list to a Pet Supplies Plus, where they happen to have a huge variety, and started reading labels, comparing prices, asking questions, etc.

I spent a couple hours there and came out with a bag of Canidae All Life Stages. Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul was a close second choice but I was, frankly, put off by the name.

I went out the my van and got the unopened bag of Science Diet and brought it in to deposit it into the Humane Society collection bin.

There is no one perfect food for all dogs, all owners and all situations. Your choice is going to be dictated by budget and availability, as well as your interpretation of the quality of ingredients. I avoid brands that were involved in the recall a year ago because I think it indicates sloppy quality control. That leaves out a LOT of brands.

[echo8287]

We've all been there.

My vet still recommends SD. I don't take his recommendation. You have to search around and find the best brands you can afford, then you have to see if they do well with YOUR dog. Sometimes at first its better to buy small bags till you find something they like and can tolerate.
Then you find you need to switch every so often, cause its better for them to change proteins. Now you are back to square one. You search again.

Each time you switch you have to watch out for recalls, bad batch's of ingredients in your brand, certain types of drugs that the main parts of the food were subjected to, the supplier to the dog food company has sent them a defective batch of crap that they have added to your food, or they just changed the formula to the food you use and your dog actually likes.
Its kind of a vicious cycle that you have to stay up on. BUT it is worth the hassle, cause we are all lovers of these animals that trust and love us.
With all the wrong things they eat, we still want them to at least have good nutricious meals in their bowls.David

[kenRC51]

Some pet shops let you refund the food if you dog does not do good on it. This this shop near my house that will give you fill refund no question asked if your dog dosent like the food.

[Wimble Woof]

Crossing my fingers for a smooth switch for your pup.
Be prepared though in the event of a hard switch, they will come through it fine, but the first few days could be quite interesting.
Keep us posted on how it works out.
Good luck *thumbs up*