[Kengular]

Hey all, I just stumbled on this page and think its great. I have a 3 year old Boston Terrier mix named Peyton. He is my main guy... Well I got him because he was a runt, and a mix and they were gonna do away with him. Anyways I have been feeding him Beneful and he seems to like it. My girlfriend has a Cocker Spaniel named Max and today she took him to the groomer, and the groomer said Beneful isn't really the best food. It came up because Max has a little dandruff, and she thinks it maybe his food(he eats beneful too). I just wanna know what may be the best diet for my dog. He weighs 17lbs and has a lot of extra skin that I would like to see him fill out. Thanks in advance for any info!!

Ken

[RonE]

Here's a useful link that somebody provided when I was considering a change in diet for my dog.

http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html

I printed out the section on commercial kibble, took it to the pet store in my area that has the largest selection and spent an hour looking at ingredients and making comparisons.

I ended up with Canidae, but you need to make your own decision based on ingredients, availability and price. But start with that website.

BTW, I was shocked to discover that, just because a vet sells or recommends a particular food, that doesn't qualify it as a premium kibble.

[Captbob]

Here is a list that I use. I lost the link so I will post the entire list. _
_________________________
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

Some foods that have all ready been rated:
A's Score
A+ Chicken Soup for the pet lovers soul 113
A+ Eagle Pack Holistic chicken 114
A+ Eagle Pack Holistic LG and Giant Breed Adlt 113
A+ Eagle Pack Natural 104
A+ Timberwolf Organics Lamb and Venison 136
A+ Solid Gold Bison 123
A+ Solid Gold Wolf King 109
A+ Solid Gold Hund N flocken 105
A+ Solid Gold Mmillennia 111
A+ Innova 117
A+ Natural Balance Ultra 117
A+ Natural Balance Duck and Potato 114
A+ Canidae 119
A+ Foundations Chicken and Vegetable 109
A+ Flint River Ranch Fish and Chips 109
A+ Wysong Synorgon 110
A+ Flint River Ranch Lamb, Millet and Rice 117
A+ Back to Basics 107

B's
B Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice 87

C's
C Nutro Lamb and Rice 85

D's
D Iams Lamb and Rice 74

F's
F Pedigree Adult Complete 14
F Ol'Roy 9
F Science Diet Chicken Adult Maintainance 45
F Purina Beniful original 23
All Purina and Pro Plan foods rate as a F
F Pro Plan Giant Breed Adult 41
F Pro Plan Performance 53
F Pro Plan Chicken and Rice
F Purina Dog chow
F Purina Large Breed 40
F Diamond Lamb and Rice 61
F Diamond Performance (formerly professional)
F Diamond Large Breed 55
__________________
"Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe, we are the focus of their love, faith, and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made" -Roger Caras

[all4thedogs]

That list was made by a lady in The Great Dane Room (just want to be sure the author gets credit). Here is the original link:http://groups.msn.com/THEGREATDANERO...36280267754102 Just a note, Diamond has changed many of their formulas, and the Large Breed 60+, and the Lamb and Rice now score in the 90s. Their lower quality foods still score at the bottom of the list. The dog food scores have been updated on several lists...

Here is some foods from the updated list

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

**** Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+

**** Van Patten's 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

[Captbob]

Thanks for the update. I print thist list up and give it to people at the dog park when food conversation comes up.

[Kengular]

Thanks everyone. I've been reading a lot of the posts here and it seems that Canidae and Chicken Soup may be good options. I've never seen those brands around. What stores carry these brands?

Also, is the loose skin thing a big deal? He still looks and acts healthy.

p.s. Are rawhide bones good for dogs? (Family debate..lol)

Thanks again!

Ken

[luv4gsds]

Most of you pet stores and your animal feed stores will have those two kibbles. And if they don't you probably could ask and see if they can get it.

Here is a list of Chicken Soup dealers
http://www.chickensoupforthepetlover...ealer_locator/

Here is a list of Canidae dealers
http://www.canidae.com/company/storelocator.html

[Captbob]

Originally Posted by Kengular

Thanks everyone. I've been reading a lot of the posts here and it seems that Canidae and Chicken Soup may be good options. I've never seen those brands around. What stores carry these brands?

Also, is the loose skin thing a big deal? He still looks and acts healthy.

p.s. Are rawhide bones good for dogs? (Family debate..lol)

Thanks again!

Ken

You can also get Natural Balance which is higher on the chart than Canidae, at any Petco.

[CrzyBritNAmerica]

Originally Posted by luv4gsds

Most of you pet stores and your animal feed stores will have those two kibbles. And if they don't you probably could ask and see if they can get it.

Here is a list of Chicken Soup dealers
http://www.chickensoupforthepetlover...ealer_locator/

Here is a list of Canidae dealers
http://www.canidae.com/company/storelocator.html

Thanks SO much for posting the link for Canidae. I have looked around in my town and have had yet to find Canidae ANYWHERE...don't know WHY I didn't think to just look online...duh! But they do have it and it's only about $5 more than the crappy Purina Beneful we were using.

[Captbob]

Originally Posted by CrzyBritNAmerica

Thanks SO much for posting the link for Canidae. I have looked around in my town and have had yet to find Canidae ANYWHERE...don't know WHY I didn't think to just look online...duh! But they do have it and it's only about $5 more than the crappy Purina Beneful we were using.

You will probably find that you have to feed less of Canidae as opposed to Beneful, so it shouldn't cost you much more per day......

[CrzyBritNAmerica]

Originally Posted by Captbob

You will probably find that you have to feed less of Canidae as opposed to Beneful, so it shouldn't cost you much more per day......

Oh cool! I am not really worried about the price...I am careful with money when buying my own things, but when it comes to the animals...I want the best! LoL. I just feel like an idiot for not checking into Purina before now. Granted we fed our other dog Pedigree and quickly changed from that, but I heard Purina Beneful was great (from a friend) and I should have looked into it myself.

[Captbob]

Originally Posted by CrzyBritNAmerica

Oh cool! I am not really worried about the price...I am careful with money when buying my own things, but when it comes to the animals...I want the best! LoL. I just feel like an idiot for not checking into Purina before now. Granted we fed our other dog Pedigree and quickly changed from that, but I heard Purina Beneful was great (from a friend) and I should have looked into it myself.

There was a chart posted some months ago on the cost per feeding of the different foods and many people were suprised to find out that the cost per meal,even for the same size serving, was only a penny or two between the good foods and the dog junk foods. I wish I had saved the chart, but I can't find it now...

[lawlady]

We feed Zavie the Wellness, which scored very well on the chart. Zavie likes it, his poop is small (you'll find that with the more premium dog foods), and i only have to feed him about 1/2 to 3/4 a cup twice a day. Oh, he's a jack russell and weighs 15 pounds. With the higher quality food, you feed less because they get more nutrients into their body, and there is less waste. Did that make sense?

I feed the Wellness Lamb (the green bag) and when i scored it (the chicken is scored, but not the lamb) i came up with 112.

I'm just sold on Wellness.

Linda and Zavie

[Captbob]

I posted this on another thread, but this gives you all the information on every dog food available.

http://balanceit.com/p01_index.php

[cjac&mac]

Originally Posted by Captbob

You will probably find that you have to feed less of Canidae as opposed to Beneful, so it shouldn't cost you much more per day......

The higher the quality of the food the less your dog will eat, thus saving money.

Boston Terriers do have some loose skin. Unless he's skinny I wouldn't worry about it.

As for rawhide, I am not a fan. Rawhide is undigestable, so IMO why not just give your dog a shoe? There are other chews out there that are digestable that help with oral care or help to keep your dogs occupied. Some are: Pork Rolls (porkhide which is digestable), Moo tubes (trachea), Muzzles (pig and cow snouts), Pigs ears, Hooves, Veal and Beef Chews (Calf and Bull penis), Tendons, Real Chicken Jerky (chicken breast), Bones, and many more. Just make sure you monitor your pets to make sure they eat any of these things properly, ie. no swallowing big pieces, and no gulping.

[Kengular]

Thanks everyone for the replies and helpful advice. My girlfriend and I went to a local pet health food store and decided on the Canidae Lamb and Rice meal. The lady at the store was very helpful and even gave us samples of the food plus a couple others(Eagle Pack and Natural Balance) for the guys to try. I thought that was really cool. Anyways, you all helped us very much as well as the local store owner. She will have my business from now on!! Have a great day everyone!

[Captbob]

Originally Posted by Kengular

Thanks everyone for the replies and helpful advice. My girlfriend and I went to a local pet health food store and decided on the Canidae Lamb and Rice meal. The lady at the store was very helpful and even gave us samples of the food plus a couple others(Eagle Pack and Natural Balance) for the guys to try. I thought that was really cool. Anyways, you all helped us very much as well as the local store owner. She will have my business from now on!! Have a great day everyone!

Your dog will thank you for giving it a healthy diet.....