[Weebles]

When my dog was a few months old he was on Eukanuba puppy and he kept getting diarrhea. The vet put him on the bland diet, so he's been eating canned low-residue for several months now, and I want to switch him to something a little healthier. He does fine with most treats now, and he's almost a year old, so I think his stomach is a little stronger. Our vet recommended Pro Plan Selects, but I haven't been able to find out much about this food, so I was wondering what people thought?

Thanks!

[merrow]

i dont know if u can bye it but burn make fantastic food, and iv gotta say i would never look back feeding raw to teddy its helped with all of his health problems


good luck finding the right food for ur pups

xxxxx

[britishbandit]

Ugh! Your vet suggested Pro Plan. Vets rarely suggest a good food to feed, and Pro Plan isn't one of them. Your dog likely needs to get onto a premium food that isn't full of fillers. It's possible he's having allergies to one or more of the fillers (that dogs don't need) in the food, and that's what's making it appear he has a sensetive stomach.

If your going to switch again, make sure it's a premium food, and hopefully you won't need to switch yet again later on. Switching food often doesn't help, never mind a dog that is already having problems.

I'd suggest looking into Canidae, Innova, DVP's or Authority Harvest Baked (the only Petsmart brand I would suggest buying).

[Weebles]

Thanks for your suggestions. Where do I buy the ones you suggested?

[britishbandit]

If you go to the Canidae website, you can find stores that sell it located in your area. Usually the stores that do carry it, also carry the Innova and DVP (**** Van Patten). They also carry Eagle Pack, Wellness, California Natural as well usually, which are good also from what I hear. The Authority Harvest Baked can only be purchased at Petsmart, but is the best one I know of that they sell, and is rated up there with the Canidae/Innova foods.

[SheltieMan]

Hi Weebles!

One thing we discovered was that many dogs cannot digest corn, which is an ingredient in many dogs foods, especially the lower quality brands. It can give your dog gas, vomiting and diarrhea. Many of the better quality foods include rice instead of corn for that reason.

In general, a good place to start is to avoid all cheaply made, low priced brands like generics and "store brands" like Wal-Mart's versions. There's a good reason why they are so cheap..they're full of corn and animal offal. Our rescue nearly lost a Sheltie that came in very ill due to being fed Wal-Mart's brand. He was on boiled beef and rice for a month before he could eat normally again. He was "running from both ends."

If there's one thing few dog owners agree on, it's what to feed! Put two dog owners together and you'll get three opinions! LOL There are few dog topics that can set off as many hot discussions as feeding.

[Elijah]

Weebles-You can Google those foods recommended and each website will show a place where you can get it. Just type in your state/zip and they will usually list several places.
For instance, Eagle Pack has a site where you can click (at the left) on the "Where to Buy" tab and it will show you in your area.

http://www.eaglepack.com/

[diggitydog]

Corn is a highly digestible pet food ingredient and an important source of carbohydrates. It is not a filler despite what many "premium" pet food manufacturers will lead you to believe.

Read this article:
http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Commer...Bad?&id=490612

I'm not picking on anyone but this is exactly how nutritional gossip spreads and a major reason why the topic of pet nutrition is so debatable!

[poodleholic]

ROFLMAO!

There isn't much nutritional value in corn, period.

Originally Posted by diggitydog

Corn is a highly digestible pet food ingredient and an important source of carbohydrates. It is not a filler despite what many "premium" pet food manufacturers will lead you to believe.

Read this article:
http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Commer...Bad?&id=490612

I'm not picking on anyone but this is exactly how nutritional gossip spreads and a major reason why the topic of pet nutrition is so debatable!

[Weebles]

Thank for your help! I've been doing a lot of research and have decided to switch to Artemis small breed food (it was recommended by a few friends and the woman at the premium dog food store, but if anyone knows anything bad about it I'd appreciate more info). Weebles has been on it for about a week now and no diarrhea, so I'm pretty happy. Also, I've noticed that it even smells better than his other foods, hopefully it tastes better, too. The only problem is that he doesn't seem to like it as much.

Originally Posted by SheltieMan

Hi Weebles!

One thing we discovered was that many dogs cannot digest corn, which is an ingredient in many dogs foods, especially the lower quality brands. It can give your dog gas, vomiting and diarrhea.

Yeah... for a 9 pound dog Weebles can really clear the room...

[Captbob]

Originally Posted by diggitydog

Corn is a highly digestible pet food ingredient and an important source of carbohydrates. It is not a filler despite what many "premium" pet food manufacturers will lead you to believe.

Read this article:
http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Commer...Bad?&id=490612

I'm not picking on anyone but this is exactly how nutritional gossip spreads and a major reason why the topic of pet nutrition is so debatable!

Corn is good for chickens......



__________________________
This is a dog food rating system created to help people find a quality food. This is not concrete but to be used as a guide. This was created by Fredalina of the GDR.


Giving Dry Dog Food a Grade:
Start with a grade of 100:

For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points


For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points

If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points

If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer’s rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points


If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points

If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points

If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points

If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points

If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points


If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points

If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points

If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points

If the food contains barley, add 2 points

If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points

If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "turkey" as 2 different sources), add 1 point


If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point



94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
<70 = F

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+

Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F

Canidae / Score 112 A+

Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+

Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F

Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B

Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A

Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+

Natural Balance Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+

Hund-n-Flocken Adult Pet (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B

Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D

Innova Pet / Score 114 A+

Innova Evo / Score 114 A+

Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+

Merrick Grammy Pot Pie/ Score 118 A+

Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B

Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F

ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+

Purina Beneful / Score 17 F

Purina Pet / Score 62 F

Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F

Royal Canin BullPet / Score 100 A+

Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+

Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A

Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F

Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F

Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+

Wolf King Adult Pet (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

Some foods that have all ready been rated:

Originally Posted by diggitydog

Corn is a highly digestible pet food ingredient and an important source of carbohydrates. It is not a filler despite what many "premium" pet food manufacturers will lead you to believe.

Read this article:
http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Commer...Bad?&id=490612

I'm not picking on anyone but this is exactly how nutritional gossip spreads and a major reason why the topic of pet nutrition is so debatable!

The person that wrote that article is a vet Tech... Sorry, no insult to vet techs, but they know alot less than vets who usually know almost nothing about animal nutrition. Check out this site for information from someone that knows what they are talking about..

www.dogfoodproject.com

[Ginny01OT]

Originally Posted by diggitydog

Corn is a highly digestible pet food ingredient and an important source of carbohydrates. It is not a filler despite what many "premium" pet food manufacturers will lead you to believe.

Corn is not good for dogs it has never been part of their natural diet. Raw is probably the best way to go but if you want to look at some good info in helping you decide what is best for your dog here is a good website.

www.dogfoodanalysis.com