[Jono]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and new to this whole puppy/dog thing.

I have a 3 month old Australian Sheperd / Springer Spaniel, his name is Bandit.

I took him off Iams and currently trying out Chicken Soup dog food for large puppy. Any Help would be nice.

I'm on a limited budget and trying to give him the best food for the money.
Thanks in advanced!

[bully]

I'n not sure what your budget is, but that is a decent kibble. It always depends on how your dog reacts to the food - good stool, good skin, clean ears etc. I will however push a balanced RAW diet as being the best, followed by a high protein, grain free kibble as the next best thing if you don't go RAW. A lot of dogs are allergic to cereal grains and have no real nutritional value for canines.

[Labsnothers]

Chances are, you would have done better to have stuck to the Iams. Time after time people switch to ''better foods'' and have trouble. While there isn't the least bit of scientific proof the premium foods are any better, there is abundant evidence dogs do well on Iams and other common brands. More of the service dogs schools I know of are feeding it than any other brand. The professionals managing those programs look at how the dogs do on a diet, rather than whether the ingredients sound appetizing to them.

[LynnInTenn]

I tried 5 different flavors of high end kibble on my dogs. TOTW, Nutro Ultra, Blue Buffalo. Allergic to something in all of them. Runny eyes and scratching. The little one was about to chew his paws off. Got fed up with trying to figure out what the ingredient was that was causing it and went with raw 2 weeks ago. Bingo, problem solved. At least now I know exactly what they're eating and don't have to watch for recalls
If your dog does not show any food allergy problems, there's some good kibble out there. It just didn't work for me.

[bully]

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

Chances are, you would have done better to have stuck to the Iams. Time after time people switch to ''better foods'' and have trouble. While there isn't the least bit of scientific proof the premium foods are any better, there is abundant evidence dogs do well on Iams and other common brands. More of the service dogs schools I know of are feeding it than any other brand. The professionals managing those programs look at how the dogs do on a diet, rather than whether the ingredients sound appetizing to them.

You quoted Science Diets commercial didn't you? Does your dad run this Service dog company by chance? Until I see this study that says crap kibble is best for dogs - you've lost any chance for anyone to believe anything you say relating to the health of dogs of this forum.

Please investigate the history of feeding dogs, and some NEW literature on the this new concept of feeding dogs real food.

[paux]

Originally Posted by Jono

Hi, I'm new to the forum and new to this whole puppy/dog thing.

I have a 3 month old Australian Sheperd / Springer Spaniel, his name is Bandit.

I took him off Iams and currently trying out Chicken Soup dog food for large puppy. Any Help would be nice.

I'm on a limited budget and trying to give him the best food for the money.
Thanks in advanced!

Iams is not a good brand it's nice to see that you're trying to wean your pup off it. I personally recommend a RAW diet because this is healthiest and most biologically appropriate feeding method out there. However, if you aren't interested in investigating a RAW diet, there are some decent kibble brands out there. I'd highly recommend you check out the Dog Food Analysis website (http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/). I believe a high protein diet for a dog is very important because the canine gastrointestinal tract is not designed for utilizing carbs and fibers. When you find a bag of food you're interested in buying, look at the list of ingredients and make sure at least the first two ingredients are named meat sources. As far as kibble goes, I'd recommend Innova EVO, Blue Buffalo: Wilderness, Orijen, Instinct, or Call of the Wild. However, these brands can be fairly pricey because they all use premium ingredients.

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

Chances are, you would have done better to have stuck to the Iams. Time after time people switch to ''better foods'' and have trouble. While there isn't the least bit of scientific proof the premium foods are any better, there is abundant evidence dogs do well on Iams and other common brands. More of the service dogs schools I know of are feeding it than any other brand. The professionals managing those programs look at how the dogs do on a diet, rather than whether the ingredients sound appetizing to them.

Can you please show me this abundant evidence that dogs do better on Iams? It's not a matter of what sounds more "appetizing," it's a matter of whether or not the dog can utilize the ingredients in the food. As much as you may think dogs are omnivores, they are not. Not to brag but I'm a veterinary student and I think my professors know a little more about canine nutrition than service dog school managers do.

[Labsnothers]

If so, you would think they would have told the school's staff vets about it when they consult with them.

[SandyPuppy]

Ever since I switched Sandy over to Kirkland brand from Costco, everyone comments on how soft her fur is. It has premium ingredients but is WAY cheaper than any other premium brand.

I also switched my cats over to the Kirkland cat food and their fur is soooo silky now.

[bully]

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

If so, you would think they would have told the school's staff vets about it when they consult with them.

It's not your fault...

There are plenty of people in your shoes who are now, or soon will, realize the truth about dog nutrition and the saw dust on the grocery store shelf just may not be the best thing.

Say it: "It's not my fault"

There....

[Jono]

Thanks everyone for your help so far. I'd have to agree with Bully and Paux, thats why I took my dog off of Iams. As for budget wise i'm willing to spend as much as i pay for Chicken Soup maybe even a little more. You guys know any brand thats close to raw diet?

Paux i live in LA too and curious where you buy your dog food at?

[Labsnothers]

Originally Posted by bully

It's not your fault...

There are plenty of people in your shoes who are now, or soon will, realize the truth about dog nutrition and the saw dust on the grocery store shelf just may not be the best thing.

Say it: "It's not my fault"

There....

No Bully, not only have I seen all the nonsense about dog food, but I have seen through all that stuff long ago. So you can lose your idea that only you know anything.

I will change my mind when I see some real facts, not the same old sawdust lies. If you had any real arguments, why do people keep pulling out the same tired lies?

[Ayanla]

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

No Bully, not only have I seen all the nonsense about dog food, but I have seen through all that stuff long ago. So you can lose your idea that only you know anything.

I will change my mind when I see some real facts, not the same old sawdust lies. If you had any real arguments, why do people keep pulling out the same tired lies?

And perhaps we will buy your tripe about grains and fillers being just as good for dogs as meat when you provide some actual fact.

I don't need dog food studies to understand the basic biology of a dog and see that it is intended to eat a diet consisting primarily of meat and not corn gluten.

[Keechak]

What do you mean! There was a pack of wolves chowing down on the cobs in the corn field just the other day! Oh Wait no, those were deer.

[Jono]

I'm feeding him Wellness for Large Breed Pups, which he seems to like

[paux]

Originally Posted by Jono

Thanks everyone for your help so far. I'd have to agree with Bully and Paux, thats why I took my dog off of Iams. As for budget wise i'm willing to spend as much as i pay for Chicken Soup maybe even a little more. You guys know any brand thats close to raw diet?

Paux i live in LA too and curious where you buy your dog food at?

Well, I feed my dog a raw diet but when I did feed my dog kibble, I went to Pet Depot in Santa Clarita. I know there are some in the LA area as well but I've never been to them. I'm pretty sure that Pet Depot does a good job in carrying premium brands at all their locations though.

[bully]

Originally Posted by Ayanla

And perhaps we will buy your tripe about grains and fillers being just as good for dogs as meat when you provide some actual fact.

I don't need dog food studies to understand the basic biology of a dog and see that it is intended to eat a diet consisting primarily of meat and not corn gluten.

That sounds like common sense to me. I didn't realize we changed canines into deer so quickly according to some people I don't think corn is good for deer either is it? Actually corn has almost zero metabolized energy value if I'm not mistaken - but boy is it cheap!

[Labsnothers]

It is well know that the deer in the margins of farm country that have access to corn are bigger and healthier than the ones away from developed areas. Better game managers plant corn for the deer.

Perhaps dogs weren't designed to eat corn, but common sense includes pulling your head out of the sand and looking at all the dogs doing well on high corn kibbles.

[bully]

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

Perhaps dogs weren't designed to eat corn, but common sense includes pulling your head out of the sand and looking at all the dogs doing well on high corn kibbles.

This is the point, they will do better on average eating a very low grain, low filler, low preservative food. Can we stop arguing this?

[Ayanla]

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

It is well know that the deer in the margins of farm country that have access to corn are bigger and healthier than the ones away from developed areas. Better game managers plant corn for the deer.

Perhaps dogs weren't designed to eat corn, but common sense includes pulling your head out of the sand and looking at all the dogs doing well on high corn kibbles.

That doesn't mean they might not do better on something else. I'm not one who says everyone everywhere should feed raw or grain free. I really honestly don't judge anyone for making the decisions that work best for them and their family, be it human or fur covered. But there is a difference in understanding that dogs can survive on less than optimal food, and denying that one food is healthier than the other.

To use a different, non dog related, example.
My children go to public school. Study after study shows that home schooling and/or private school are superior (in terms of test performance, graduation rates, college performance, and college graduation rates) than public schools. I'm comfortable with my decision to put them in public school. I feel they are doing fine and headed towards college. That doesn't mean I'm oblivious to the fact that there are better education options that I've chosen not to use. Nor am I out advocating that other people who have chosen to utilize private school or home schooling are just "buying the hype", or recommending to people questioning schooling that they should just not worry about it because lots of kids do great in public school.

[Jono]

So what do you feed your dog Ayalana? >_<