Healthy Dog Food

[Dave|Xoxide]

Everyone wants healthy dog food for their dog. However, many people have different opinions on what makes a healthy dog food. Personally I prefer food that is mostly natural, but also fortified with some vitamins and minerals. I don't know what chemicals to really watch out for, so I just try and find foods without many chemicals I've never heard of. At the same time, I not all about the 100% natural stuff.

Are there specific chemicals to watch out for? Are there specific chemicals that are good that most people don't konw about? Do you think 100% natural is the best? Are foods fortified with vitamins and minerals good or bad? Please share any information or opinions you have on what makes for healthy dog food.

[Alpha]

The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare?

This is a great link to a friend of mine on another site who has done many studies on dog foods. She helped me decide on Eagle Pack

Her site is just full of information regarding, what ingredients to watch out for, and what you want.

There is actual a page on that site, that is labelled "ingredients to avoid"

A few are:
Glyceryl Monostearate
Phosphoric Acid
Propylene Glycol
Corn Gluten
Wheat Gluten

To name just a few.

I feed the Holistic Chicken Select forumla by Eagle Pack. The ingredients in there are better than what I eat most of the time LOL

I believe her e-mail address is posted on that site, and she is more than happy to help people decide on a brand. She's great in determining what brands are available to you and what would be best out of those for your dog

Why I think the food i feed is good?

The first few ingredients are things like: chicken meal, ground brown and white rice, chicken fat, pork meal

NO corn anywhere on the ingredients. And it's also got a vitamin B12 supplement.

[dogluver101]

I love these foods. California Natural, Innova, Healthwise. THey are all great foods and they do not taste that bad either.

[Danegirl2208]

i feed a raw prey model diet..its all i will ever feed, i like knowing exactly what goes into my dogs meals each day

[opokki]

Here is a pretty general list of things I avoid and things I look for when choosing a food:

Ingredients to avoid:
unspecific meats (meat meal, animal by-product meal)
plant proteins (soybean meal, corn gluten meal)
unspecific fats (vegetable oil, animal fat)
beef tallow
flours (rice flour, soy flour, wheat flour)
preservatives such as BHT, BHA, Ethoxyquin
corn syrup
artifical colors
artifical flavors

Ingredients to look for:
whole ground grains (ground brown rice, ground barely)
named meat and meat meals (chicken, turkey meal)
named organ meats (chicken liver, beef lung)
named fats (salmon oil, chicken fat, flaxseed oil)
preservatives such as mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract

[goldenlvr]

The best things to avoid are wheat gluten, soy, corn, and dairy. Also, chemicals are never good for dogs, and fillers. Even meats that have "by-product" after them are dangerous. Basically what everyone else is saying as well.

[MAX]

Bravo to those who posted on what ingredients to avoid. Read the labels as you would for your own foods. I have settled on Flint River Ranch and my dog is healthy and happy.

*Content Removed*

In a pinch I will buy Nutro at a local store if I run out.

[Cheetah]

Max, I am assuming that is your webpage, judging by your username. Advertising for personal gain is not allowed on this forum.

[MAX]

"Assume a virtue, if you have it not"

[Cheetah]

Nevermind, I'm just deleting the ad. My job here is to enforce the rules. >-\/-<

[bigdawgs]

I have always given vit c and ester e as a supplement, and added brewers yeast a couple of times a week.
ACV in the water is also good for digestion and coat. (apple cider vinegar)

[Pitbull]

I already posted this on a similar thread but I can repost it because I always find positive feedbacks from it:

If you need some more info on which dog food to choose, here's a good place to start:

The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare?

Here are my personal choices for good quality dog kibble:
- Timberwolf Organics: Timberwolf Organics - Herbal Natural Pet Food
- Merrick: Merrick Pet Foods
- Nature's Variety: Nature&rsquo;s Variety
- Wellness: Old Mother Hubbard
- Innova: http://www.naturapet.com
- Canidae: All Natural, Human Grade, Holistic Pet Foods. Dog Food, Cat Food, Kitten Food, Dog Biscuits, & Canidae Platinum Diet

The foods I would definately avoid:
- Pedigree
- Iams
- Purina
- Eukaneuba
- Science Diet
- Ol Roy

Here are some non-kibble foods that I personally like:
- Healthy Paws: Healthy Paws Incorporated - Fresh to Frozen pet food supplier
- Urban Wolf: All Natural Grain-Free Pre-mix for Raw Homemade Dog Foods - Mix With Raw or Cooked Meat & serve. raw holistic dog foods, raw barf, raw barf homemade dog foods, natural pet foods, natural barf dog foods

[Wisdombestowed]

Any name brand will be good for a dog until their later years where they will probably require a more specialized diet.
I would trust anything with a name brand on the package.
As far as the meats are concerned, even the by-products are fine. Think of what a canine/wolf would eat in the wild. Muscle and organs, you name it they pretty much pick it clean and anything that comes natural is (according to most) a good thing. Rabbit, duck, venison, chicken, beef, you name it, it's all good. I would avoid soy ingredients when choosing a brand. Purina uses soy in some of their food and if you spend a little extra you can get pork in place of the soy from Hill's and Royal Canine. Soy = never good but 90% of the time won't do any kind of damage.
Omega 3 fatty acids (fish oils) and joint formulas in at LEAST maintenance doses can be very beneficial for the mid to large breeds. Just expect to pay more and as with most consumables, you get what you pay for.

[Pamela]

Wow! I have never heard of some of the brands listed in the posts. I feed Duke large breed Iams and Dutchess Iams puppy food. They love it and Duke has done wonderful on Iams. there are so many to choose from. Are the ones listed above bought online or in specialty stores? Just curious since I have never heard of them. We have to drive an hour away just to buy Iams and 3 hours to get to a Petco or PetsMart.

[Captbob]

This is copied from Post 2 on the thread below.


http://www.dogforums.com/5-dog-food-...-question.html (Lab Question)

How to grade your dog's food:
Start with a grade of 100:

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

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

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

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

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

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

7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

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

9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 morepoints

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

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

12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

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

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

3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

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

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

8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points

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

10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

12) 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 "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point

13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

14) 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

69 = F

Here are some foods that have already been scored.

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


Foundations / Score 106 A+

Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 D

Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D

Innova Dog / Score 114 A+

Innova Evo / Score 114 A+

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

Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+

Natural Balance Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+

Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B

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 Benful / Score 17 F

Purina Dog / Score 62 F

Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F

Royal Canin Bulldog / 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+

Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

[Tankstar]

Wow! I have never heard of some of the brands listed in the posts. I feed Duke large breed Iams and Dutchess Iams puppy food. They love it and Duke has done wonderful on Iams. there are so many to choose from. Are the ones listed above bought online or in specialty stores? Just curious since I have never heard of them. We have to drive an hour away just to buy Iams and 3 hours to get to a Petco or PetsMart.

Most are sold in specialty types of pet stores. Petsmart does have a few of them. If you have a feed store near you you may find a great dog food that will be better then the IAMS and save you money int he long run since you drive so far to buy the IAMS anyway.

[Captbob]

Most are sold in specialty types of pet stores. Petsmart does have a few of them. If you have a feed store near you you may find a great dog food that will be better then the IAMS and save you money int he long run since you drive so far to buy the IAMS anyway.

Natural Balance is sold at Petco.

[MagicToller]

The grading scale Captbob posted from the other thread is a good way to gauge the food interms of nutrients and ingredients. Preservatives like BHT, BHA and ethoxyquin are ones to watch out for in particular. My Toller and Border Collie are on Half-Raw diets, with Solid Gold Barking at the Moon as their half-Kibble.

[pixiepunk]

i've been feeding my cats Flint River Ranch, and just ordered some for my puppy too. i'll have to do the scoring to see how they measure up. i like that i can order them online and have it shipped to my house (shipping is free), since i live in the boonies and even the nearest feed store is 30 minutes away - nearest pet shop is at least 45 minutes.

i'm kind of anal about what i eat and what i feed my children, and that extends to my dogs to. some of the stuff in commercial pet food is just plain disgusting, IMO.

[briteday]

Where do you get shipping for free on dog food?