[Curbside Prophet]

Mmmmmm...if Purina comes out with a dark chocolate dog food I might try it for myself.

[DC Whittier]

I knew I needed something better than "Beef n more"(too many leftover grains,by-products)and raw or homemade didnt seem practical to me,and there were some safety issues..so i looked for any super-premium brand of dry/canned food i could find that met the following criteria:

1.preferrably organic-sourced ingredients

2.whole-grains rather than fractionated grains(no corn,soy or wheat)

3.no by-products

4.naturally preserved

5.includes probiotics/enzymes(important in any processed and cooked food)

6.chelated minerals(for better utilization)

7.includes some veggies and/or botanicals

8.whole meats(not parts)

There are several brands in this category,but the one I picked was "Newmans Own organics",so far,my dog has done well on it..reduced scratching and licking and better coat

[mrbingley]

Originally Posted by DFrost

Arguments about what to feed have gone on for years. I feed 42 working dogs, they all get Nutro. We don't have skin problems, the dogs have all then energy they need to have. The coats look great and the dogs have better than average life spans. These are all working dogs, Labs, GSD's, Mals, Goldens etc. I've been feeding the same food for at leat the past 15 years and we just don't have any problems. There are always those that say the dogs could be healthier, I have to ask, healthier than what?

DFrost

Originally Posted by Chrissie

You are doing well by your dogs..Nutro is a pretty good food, especially Nutro Ultra, and Hollistic..and hey we could all behealthier, right?! LOL

I recently switched my dogs to Nutro Natural Choice. I like it because it has glucosamine and chondritin in it, and there is no corn or chicken by-product in it. Both dogs seem to be doing very well on it.
Over the years I've fed Iams (liked it), Science Diet (didn't like it--my old dog developed joint stiffness on it which went away as soon as I quit feeding it to him), and Purina Beneful (it was alright).
I don't like to feed canned if it can be avoided just because kibble is so much better for their teeth. I do give canned as a treat to my big dog, and my toy poodle now gets it mixed in with his kibble as he doesn't eat enough otherwise. Both dogs have unlimited access to water--so I don't worry too much about their food's moisture content.
I don't think there is an easy answer to the dog food question. My vet swore by Science Diet, but my old dog had a horrible experience with it.
What we know about health and nutrition is constantly changing, so I base my decisions on my continued learning and, most importantly, what seems to work the best for my dogs.

[Debbie]

Have any of you tried Natural Balance dog food? Had my dogs on the Potato & Duck Formula but my Cocker didn't like it, our English Bulldog did. I have switched them to the Natural Balance Venison & Brown Rice formula they both like it. The Cocker has allergies so finding a good for her as well as the EB was important. It's good quality food.

Debbie

[Meghan&Pedro]

I've taken pet nutrition courses, and have been in pet food and supply for almost five years now.

Most of my brain-power is spent learning as much as I can about dog and cat nutrition.

In my opinion for dogs, the best kibble foods available are :

Orijen - I love it!
Innova
Solid Gold (which is a life-stage formula, which I can't say I'm 100% on board with, but great for active adults!)

I like the idea of feeding raw diet or cooked diet - but the biggest thing is that most of the time the dogs teeth suffer - it's hard to keep up with brushing the dogs teeth enough - feeding enough hard cookies and bones to chew, and adding the supplements to the water to help clean the teeth also when they're eating a soft diet. It's not ideal for most people, but the nutrition is there for sure.

[klhaymon]

I have experimented with different dog foods, so far I have only had great results with two types of food, table food and Pedigree but I see no mention of Pedigree here

My very first dog was a german shepard and being that we lived in country, all she ate was table food. She was very healthy until she died (my neighbor's poisoned her)

I had a great dane, a rescue, that came to me in the poorest health :-( He was severely underweight and I gave him Pedigree Puppy mixture of dry and canned combined with multivitamins and had him at an acceptable weight in no time. Everyone suggested the more expensive dogs foods but he wouldn't eat them, he did eat the Bill Jac but it attracted flies and that's when I went back to what I knew worked...Pedigree.

Someone told me that Pedigree was junk food but I have not had any bad experiences with it, I haven't had a single pet that needed any extra veterinary attention while they were on it.

[Meghan&Pedro]

Pedigree is not an awful food. It meets the AAFCO standards for a complete diet, HOWEVER I've pulled the ingredients list off of their website to help explain why there are better foods out there.

Ingredients
GROUND YELLOW CORN, MEAT AND BONE MEAL, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, ANIMAL FAT (PRESERVED WITH BHA/BHT), WHEAT MILL RUN, NATURAL POULTRY FLAVOR, RICE, WHEAT FLOUR, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, CARAMEL COLOR, VEGETABLE OIL (SOURCE OF LINOLEIC ACID), VITAMINS (CHOLINE CHLORIDE, dl-ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN E], L-ASCORBYL-2- POLYPHOSPHATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN C*], VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], BIOTIN, d-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT [VITAMIN B2], VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT), TRACE MINERALS (ZINC SULPHATE, COPPER SULPHATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE).
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:
CRUDE PROTEIN, MIN. 21.0%
CRUDE FAT, MIN. 9.0%
CRUDE FIBRE, MAX. 4.0%
MOISTURE, MAX. 12.0%
VITAMIN E, MIN. 225 IU/kg
ASCORBIC ACID (VIT. C*), MIN. 70 mg/kg

*NOT RECOGNIZED AS AN ESSENTIAL NUTRIENT BY THE AAFCO DOG FOOD NUTRIENT PROFILES.
Calorie Content:
Metabolized Energy (ME) (Calculated): 3300 kcal/kg
305 kcal/cup

Corn is a cheap filler that goes in one end of the dog and out the other. The second ingredient is "meat and bone meal" - what type of meats are these? I have not a clue. And thirdly, the chicken that is it in is Chicken-By-Product.

When they say "by product" it doesn't mean that it's all nessicarily the gross leftovers of the animal, but it does include some of the gross leftovers of the animal, and could be mostly made up of this. They also weigh the meat 'wet' which means with hair (or featers), water, and unusable parts still on it. With the weight of the meat, they come up with the guarenteed analysis for protein. They THEN strip off the feathers (or hair), unusable parts, and dehydrate it. That's the amount of meat that is ACTUALLY going into the food.

A good rule of thumb is : Any dog food that you can buy at a grocery store, is not top quality.

If you don't want to go up too much in price, but want to go up HUGE in quality, you could do one of the high-end-mid-grade foods such as Nutro (either natural choice or Ultra!)

At the average store (speaking in canadian dollars, and in regards to prices of these foods on Vancouver Island where I live!) most retailers sell Nutro Natural Choice foods for the big bags (13.6kg - 17.1kg, depending on the specific forumla) at about 34.00-42.00, depending on where you go. Nutro also offers a buy 10 bags get 1 free program.

There are definatly steps up in quality from Nutro too, but Nutro is a GREAT food, it's definatly under-priced for what it is compared to foods such as Science Diet and Iams that are lower-quality ingrediets for a much higher price, and eukanuba, which is similar quality for a much higher price!

Just for example, here's the nutritional information of Nutro Natural Choice Chicken And Rice

Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Rice Flour, Ground Rice, Rice Bran, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Oatmeal, Soybean Oil, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Natural Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp, Potassium Chloride, Dried Egg Product, Dried Kelp (source of Iodine), Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Biotin, Niacin, Garlic Flavor, Manganese Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Vitamin A Supplement, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Chondroitin Sulfate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid.
Nutro supports the safe, ethical and humane treatment of all animals, including those used by our suppliers who provide our ingredients.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (minimum) 21.00%
Crude Fat (minimum) 12.00%
Crude Fiber (maximum) 5.00%
Moisture (maximum) 10.00%
Linoleic Acid (minimum) 3.50%
Zinc (minimum) 250 mg/kg
Vitamin E (minimum) 150 IU/kg
Ascorbic Acid (minimum)* 35 mg/kg
Glucosamine (minimum)* 450 mg/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate (minimum)* 350 mg/kg

[Debbie]

Originally Posted by Meghan&Pedro

I've taken pet nutrition courses, and have been in pet food and supply for almost five years now.

Most of my brain-power is spent learning as much as I can about dog and cat nutrition.

In my opinion for dogs, the best kibble foods available are :

Orijen - I love it!
Innova
Solid Gold (which is a life-stage formula, which I can't say I'm 100% on board with, but great for active adults!)

I like the idea of feeding raw diet or cooked diet - but the biggest thing is that most of the time the dogs teeth suffer - it's hard to keep up with brushing the dogs teeth enough - feeding enough hard cookies and bones to chew, and adding the supplements to the water to help clean the teeth also when they're eating a soft diet. It's not ideal for most people, but the nutrition is there for sure.

How about the ingerdients in
**** Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium Dog Food

Chicken, Brown Rice, Duck, Lamb Meal, Oatmeal, Pearled Barley, Potatoes, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols-a source of Vitamin E, Citric Acid, and Rosemary Extract), Natural Flavor, Tomato Pomace, Canola Oil, Brewers Yeast, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Carrots, Potassium Chloride, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Dried Kelp, Sodium Chloride, Parsley Flakes, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplements, Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C), Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Lysine, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Inositol, Folic Acid (Vitamin B, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), D-Activated Animal Sterol (source of Vitamin D-3), Biotin, Ethylene Diamine Dihydriodide (source of Iodine), Cobalt Sulfate, Vitamin K Supplement, Sodium Selenite.
Or these
**** Van Patten's Natural Balance Potato & Duck Formula

Potatoes, duck, duck meal, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), potato fiber, dl-methionine, l-lysine, sodium chloride, salmon oil, flaxseed oil, rosemary extract, natural flavor, yucca schidigera extract, potassium chloride, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid.

Natural Balance Venison & Brown Rice Formula Dog Food
Venison, whole grain brown rice, rice flour, venison meal, rice bran, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), natural flavor, flaxseed oil, kelp meal, yucca schidigera extract, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, choline chloride, l-lysine, dl-methionine, dicalcium phosphate, dried parsley, rosemary extract, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin E supplement, taurine, ferrous sulfate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, vitamin A supplement, biotin supplement, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid.

[Debbie]

Is any one of the above foods better than the other?

Thanks,

Debbie

[ice.llagas]

ive already tried different brands of pet food for my dog. ive tried optima, pro plan, eukanuba, pet one and beef pro. been switching from one brand to another just to look for a food that my canine loves. but mine is a finicky eater. for awhile, i thought ive found a food that is good for her but after awhile she suddenly loose her appetite. until now, i still couldnt find a food that would really makes a difference. my dilema is that the brands that you guys recommended are not available to me. except for nutro, nutra and eagle pack. my question is what do you guys think is the better food among the brands i mentioned which would also make her coat shine? tnx.

[Debbie]

Do you have a Petco or PetSmart near you? They both have good food. I get the Natural Balance dog food at Petco. Also Tractor Supply and some feed stores sell the good food.
Debbie

[Keylow]

Okay, so I have this one question. What is the best brand of food to feed a pitbull. I have a 1 year old pit and a 3 month old pit. I want to bread them but I want them to look good, shinny, strong, and with muscles wel defined.
What is the right type of food to feed a pitbull?

[Dulce]

Originally Posted by Keylow

Okay, so I have this one question. What is the best brand of food to feed a pitbull. I have a 1 year old pit and a 3 month old pit. I want to bread them but I want them to look good, shinny, strong, and with muscles wel defined.
What is the right type of food to feed a pitbull?

It makes me cringe that you want to breed your Pit Bulls. There are so many homeless Pits out there, why continue to overpopulate, and let others die?

Anyway, back to topic...

Innova, and Innova EVO are great foods. Anything FISH & POTATO are great for their coats (That's what I feed mine)
Neutro, Natural Balance, are also great foods.

For the most part, Fish is the best for the conditioning of coats.


(PS...you can't breed a 3 month old dog...is that what you're doing?)


I want to add, food won't give your dog muscle definition, only exercise will do that. Weight pulling, spring poles, and tread mills will build great muscle mass.

[Whitney]

Has anyone heard of Nutrience dog food? I have looked through some of the posts to see if it was mentioned, and I just saw it at the pet store (I went to buy some Merrick doggie bones) but I was in a real rush and didn't get to look at the package. We have Eagle Pack brand and something else that starts with an "A" here... otherwise we are pretty limited. I looked at the Nutrience web site:

http://www.nutrience.com/english-eu/dog/index.html

And... I looked at one of there products, 8+ years for large/giant breeds. The first product is Maize. I don't really know what maize is to be exact, but isn't it kind of like a corn...? or a grain? I don't know much about dry kibble, other than to look for certain preservatives that are bad for people let alone dogs, and a bunch of other stuff. I feed Eagle Pack brand, currently... but was just curious about this other food.

[Dulce]

Corn is NOT good for dogs. THat's all I know about the food you mentioned

[Meghan&Pedro]

Corn goes in one end and out the other.

It does not fill the dog up for very long, and often your dog will be left hungry shortly after eating.

They tend to have larger stools, and a larger VOLUME of stools because they're eating something that they don't digest much of.

It's cheap to use in food, and that's why a lot of brands still use it.

If your dog does not have any type of corn allergy or sensativity, then it's not BAD for your dog to be eating, but it's not good for your dog to be eating. It doesn't benefit them in any way.

[Honeyshuman]

I've been reading thru all the info you all have given...I have been feeding 'the girls' (my 3 cats) Nutro,Natural Choice for a yr or so, they seem to be thriving.
When I brought Ginger home from the shelter, they gave me Science Diet..I took it..and have been gradually weaning her off of it. (One of my girlfriend's has been denouncing SD to anyone who will hear, because it had a serious negative effect on her poms, that has been at least 15yrs!) Since I have seen her on it, she itches.
Anyway, so I stopped at PetsSmart on the way home from the shelter and got her Nature's Recipe, the ingredients sound good, after listening to y'all:
Chicken meal, ground rice, pearled barley...at least it lists no corn, soy or wheat.
But I am researching where I can purchase Eagle Pack near me..and will check it out.
Am I ok continuing with the Natures Recipe for the time being?
I also purchased some 'cows ears' the other day to give her something to do while I was not occupied with her ( ) for a few minutes.
Please redirect me, if I need to be!
I appreciate it!
Nancy

[LabLady101]

Originally Posted by ice.llagas

ive already tried different brands of pet food for my dog. ive tried optima, pro plan, eukanuba, pet one and beef pro. been switching from one brand to another just to look for a food that my canine loves. but mine is a finicky eater. for awhile, i thought ive found a food that is good for her but after awhile she suddenly loose her appetite. until now, i still couldnt find a food that would really makes a difference. my dilema is that the brands that you guys recommended are not available to me. except for nutro, nutra and eagle pack. my question is what do you guys think is the better food among the brands i mentioned which would also make her coat shine? tnx.

Just MHO, but that sounds like too much switching to me. How long do you keep her on a food before switching again? IMHO, it takes at least a good 8 weeks to see true results from a food change. And her being a "finicky eater" or "losing her appetite" is a behavior that she's training you in. You need to be the alpha dog. You decide when & what she eats- not her. To remedy this, I would first suggestion buying one brand of food. Then, go to scheduled meal times- if you're not on them already. Next, at meal times, leave the bowl down for only 10 minutes and then pick it up- no cheating on time either. If she eats it all, she'll get the regular amount of food at the next feeding. If she doesn't eat or only eats a portion, she gets that same meal at the next feeding. Keep doing this (that's right, no cheating no matter how "hungry" she looks), and she should begin to eat her meals right away. She will not starve herself unless there is something medically wrong with her. As for the food, you're the only one who'll be able to tell if it's right for your dog. If her energy level & weight are good, poops are pretty firm and small (but not like rabbit pellets), eyes & ears are clear, and coat is in good condition, then I'd say it's working. If not and she's got large, plentiful poops, poor body condition, and/or she appears to have an allergy (licking, scratching, overly yeasty ears), then switch. But keep in mind that it takes time to see true results. Good luck!

Just MHO and 2c,
Darcy

[tsteele93]

Originally Posted by Alpha

So I switched to Eagle Pack, I'd prefer to feed Solid Gold or Innova, but neither are available to me. But Eagle Pack is a top of the line food as well.

I don't know what your situation is, but I use Innova Puppy and if you are on this forum, it is available to you.

http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/

You have to pay shipping, but if you order the largest size bags the shipping isn't quite so bad.

I do think Eagle Pack is a decent food though. But the Innova sure looks a lot better on paper and my dog goes nuts for it.

-Tom Steele
www.myspace.com/dermotdog
www.myspace.com/nordbert

[tsteele93]

Originally Posted by toniaxp

Well my parents fed their dog generic food from co-op and that dog never had any health problems and lived to be 16 years old and died from old age.....Beat that Purina lol

Yeah, I think that is amusing since my first dog lived to 13+ and ate nothing but pure unadulterated junk. Mostly moist and meaty or gaines burgers. He liked it, and he seemed just fine.

Now with my new dog I am mail-ordering Innova and wondering if even it might be deficient in some area.

I think the reality is that if you find a food your pet likes and tolerates well, you are probably just fine rather than worrying about whether your corn content is too high or whatever.

I still like the idea of avoiding ethoxyquin and BHT and BHA.

-Tom Steele
www.myspace.com/dermotdog
www.myspace.com/nordbert