Best Dog Food

tobybones · 05-03-2007, 01:29 AM

he's a little bigger than the average boxer? How big? I have a white boxer that is Very big, 92 lbs, not an ounce of fat, actually he looks thin, he's very tall. My vet says he is fine, just a big, big boy. He'll be 2 yrs in June. Please tell me how big your dog is. My sister has a male boxer, built like a tank, 64 lbs of solid muscle, but about 4 inches shorter than mine. Everyone thinks I have an American Bulldog. Is this possible? I have his AKC papers, they say boxer, but I never saw his parents and I bought him (believe it or not) at a Flea Market. I knew they were a puppy mill, but I felt so sorry for him, I grabbed him up for $300.00. I feed both my dogs Blue Buffalo Puppy (dry, not canned) and I cook for them, fresh meat and brown rice and veggies to mix with it. They will not eat ANY dry dog food all by its-self. Spoiled!

vizslamomma · 05-04-2007, 08:01 PM

I feed my puppy Natrual Choice Large Breed Puppy. Is that good?

AndyVetra · 05-04-2007, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vizslamomma

I feed my puppy Natrual Choice Large Breed Puppy. Is that good?

Here are the ingredients. Being that chicken meal is the first ingredient, it is better than some, but it goes downhill rapidly from there. The claims of "better digestibility" are not correct. Digestibility requires enzymes. There are none in virtually any commercial food.

the overall protein versus fat percentages are OK for puppies.

Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Dried Beet Pulp, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Natural Flavor, Soybean Oil, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Lamb Meal, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Dried Egg Product, Lecithin, Dried Kelp, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Biotin, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Manganese Proteinate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Manganous Oxide, Chondroitin Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Proteinate, L-Carnitine, Sodium Selenite, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Calcium

saveourdogs · 05-05-2007, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kewade

WOW! Iams tortures animals???????????

No, there is a Animal Rights Terrorist group that had one of thier people hired by an outside testing lab that P&G used and staged photos and exaggerated claims.

They gave the dogs thier yearly shots and the claim was they injected them with 'bla bla bla' to make it look really bad.

The company had no control over this outside company and dropped them the second they heard about this and have since made a point to oversee better contractors.

So don't believe everything you hear. The site that the AR terrorist put up about this is totally 100% false and each claim has been refuted.

saveourdogs · 05-05-2007, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vizslamomma

I feed my puppy Natrual Choice Large Breed Puppy. Is that good?

Yes it's a very good food. Is it one of the super premium brands, no but it is considered to be a premium brand. I feed my dogs this line.

peacock · 05-20-2007, 12:39 PM

i was feeding my dog pedegree but she was like a loonatic .she had a dull patchy coat. i then changed that and put her on burns chicken and brown rice dried food .and its the best thing ive done shes calmed right down every one comments on how shiney her coat is she looks so much healthier and doesnt have any bald patces anymore

SammyDog · 06-04-2007, 06:53 PM

I really have not thought about food so much. My last dog lived to 15 till we put him down on a diet of all the crap food stated in here ( and a LOT of table scraps). But now I want a good food for my new pup.

Is Nutro Natural choice any good?

Ðanisty · 06-06-2007, 01:15 AM

Wow, no, I didn't read every page...lol. I was just curious because I had a friend who was a dog nutritionist. She always preferred home cooked, but since I didn't have a lot of time, she recommended Canidae to me. Previously my dogs had been eating Purina One. Once I switched them to the Canidae it was almost an immediate improvement. I don't understand how someone could open a bag of Purina and open a bag of Canidae and look at the two and not be able to see a difference just looking at it.

Border.C. · 06-07-2007, 07:04 PM

I have heard the best way to determine good dog food is to look at the ingredents.A good food is one that has a meat as the first one.I also believe that rice is easier for them to digest.

RonE · 06-07-2007, 11:03 PM

You want to look not just at what's included, but what's not included.

Wheat and rice gluten seem like ingredients to avoid. Unfortunately, several companies are now saying that some of their foods were outsourced and they really didn't know WHAT was being included.

I avoid companies that put their label on a food without knowing what's inside the can.

borzoimom · 06-08-2007, 08:46 AM

Well- I feed raw, but there are times, like traveling, or vacations etc that I can not insure proper refrigeration, or even power loss my dogs have to go back on a commercial food.
The ones I like are Eagle Pack, and Solid Gold. ( I use Bil Jac to wean puppies because of the digestability and it turns to instant mush with esbalac etc.and its made by the company itsself in a unique way and not extruded kibble. Extrustion kills alot of the water soluable vitamins and b vitamins..)..

The problem with plants like Menu foods etc is just that they run one company after another. When I was in my 20's I guess I worked a second part time job at a apple juice place. We would run one brand- change lables add a few different mixtures, then keep on trucking.. What I learned from that was to use a food that it was made by the OWNING company, in their own place to know for sure you are getting that perticular brand, without cross over " contamination"..

Elijah · 06-09-2007, 03:21 PM

What's happened to Captbob? I figured he'd be posting all over this thread.

DivaDog · 06-10-2007, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave|Xoxide

What do you guys think is the best dog food? Typically I stick with the big name brand stuff, Iams and Purina One Lamb and Rice. Those of you that have experimented with the natural / organic stuff, can you really see a difference in your dog(s), would you recommend it. Hopefully we can spark some good debate. If we come up with handful of really popular ones we can put together a poll as well.

Let's here everyone's recommendations for the Best Dog Food!

I have fed all sorts while trying to find something that would stop my dog scratching herself to death. For about 3 years JamesWellBeloved seemed to help but it went downhill from there - then I tried Burns and saw a little improvement...............now I feed a mix of homecooked and raw and can honestly say she is better than ever before. shes finally keeping weight on which has been an issue most of her life - she hardly itches - and can even tolerate some of the once 'forbidden' foods like rice and certain veggies. We still have bad days- afterall however quick I am she still sometimes picks up something to eat she shouldnt - but on the whole its fantastic, timewise I dont find it an issue - couple of hours every 2/3 months and just freeze it all - and price wise I spend maybe £10 every three months which is far cheaper than any dried food.

broadwaybones · 06-11-2007, 05:10 PM

Look at the bag! If your dog food has more ingredients in it then you can pronounce and remember.... forget it!!! I have spent four months strictly devoted to finding out what is in commercial dog food! My advice, don't buy it! Go all-natural, organic, or HIGH quality raw. Your dog may not show any effects to the commerical dog food now! But, did you know that 1 in every 3 dogs will get cancer! 50% of those will die. Currently, it is linked to the ingestion of enviromental hazards! Ask a vet, but read the bags of food in treir office as well!! I have been told Science Diet has gone down the lines of commerical foods as well!
Vets will always tell you not to let your dog to lick anti-freeze right?? Look at the label and if you see Propylene Glycol.. this is used to make antifreeze. What about Ethoxyquin?? This is used to make rubber! NOT KIDDING!! Did you also know that canines can not process sugars as effectively as humans do? Did you know that various forms of sugars are used in food and treats, and that there has been an extreme increase in canine diabetes??? All this can be found in commercial foods. Go all-natural with your food and treats! Look at my blogs on broadwaybones.com for aditional information! Good luck!

GreyhoundGirl · 06-11-2007, 07:06 PM

Chicken soup for the dog lover's soul has worked wonders with my greyhound mix.

dice336 · 06-22-2007, 04:42 PM

I have started using organic brands and have been very happy with the results. The only complaint is price.

toby toby · 06-29-2007, 02:08 AM

I have a 10 month old maltese/toy poodle. I was wondering what is the best dog food to feed him. I am looking for something that will give him a balance diet and to also help his coat become soft and shinny? Any suggestions?

broadwaybones · 06-29-2007, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toby toby

I have a 10 month old maltese/toy poodle. I was wondering what is the best dog food to feed him. I am looking for something that will give him a balance diet and to also help his coat become soft and shinny? Any suggestions?

Do some research on what particular problems your breed may encounter. Some dogs are prone to back problems other to hip and joint. Check with your vet to see watch nutrients are essential to your breed. Hopefully, your vet will have an answer for you. I regards to overall foods, I suggest staying away from any food that contains chemical preservatives, corn, soy, by-products or meals. If you are concerned about his coat I would strongly suggest a food high in Omega 3 oils. You can also find Salmon oil supplements for him.

TomN · 07-01-2007, 03:02 PM

What's the best dog food?? Boy.. that's a loaded question, one in which I don't think there is a right answer to. What one dog does well on, another might not. From an ingredient standpoint, I think there are many fine feeds out now that one could say from reading the back of the bag "boy that looks good". But you really don't know until you've tried them.

I think you have to not only read the ingredients listed, but understand what quality ingredients are. I have always believed that meat based diets whether dry or canned are best for most dogs. That is not to say that foods with the proper quantities of vegetables, grains are bad, just that they should not be the dominant ingredient in the food. Balanced diets include the essential amino acids from meat, plants, and grains. The key is the balance.

Many quality meat based diets will have a meat in the form of a meal ie.. chicken meal, turkey meal etc.. as the number #1 ingredient. This will insure that the food has a meat base and not just "chicken", which is 70% water before it is processed, so now it is no longer purely a meat base.

Ideally two meat sources at the top of the list would be even better. Foods that are heavy in grains will list several grains in the first 5 ingredients. These foods may or may not give the best results when it comes to overall general health, coat condition and stool consistency.

The other factor is cost. How much is one prepared to spend to feed their dogs. If cost is not a factor, then there are plenty of holistic brands to choose from that are fine foods, but come at an extra cost.

FWIW
Tom

mydoglovesu · 07-06-2007, 02:21 PM

I'd have to agree with Tom. There are a lot of great quality premium end Dog Foods out in the market, do your research and find out what you want your dog to have as far as ingredients, guranteed analysis, etc. We are currently feeding our goldens the Innova EVO Red Meat. Our babies absolutely love this food, never had any problems with loose stools or gas problems. We are not fortunate enough to have a local store supply this line so we do have the expense of buying online. If anyone is having problems finding this food you can purchase it at http://www.heartypet.com.

Skylar