[chipinmom]

Sometimes... what works for one.. doesn't work for all.

For instance, I feed Bentley Purina Puppy Chow. Probably one of the lowest rated foods (according to the masses) on the market, BUT, he won't eat anything else. Believe me, I've tried. And you know what? He does GREAT on it. He's healthy, a good weight, great coat and no allergies. When it's time to switch to adult food, I may try a "healthier" food again. But if it doesn't go well, I plan on sticking with Dog Chow. I "COULD" make him eat something he doesn't like (and will literally starve himself for days on). But why would I do that when I know he is happy and healthy eating Purina. I don't do it because it's cheaper.. I do it because it's what works for MY dog.

My point is, everyone (yes, even YOU), does one thing or another with/for their dogs that you know is against all research/advice. But because it works, you do it. Even if most don't agree or do the same.

So I want to hear everyone's confessions! And PLEASE!.. No judgements! Just because something is best for your dog, doesn't make it best for ALL dogs.

 

[sscott87]

I like it! And that's what matters. Hey, it seems to work well for your dog and you have found no ill-effects of it. Jax came to me eating Puppy Chow. It's what he's known for who knows how many months of his roughly 6-month life prior to coming to me. I've since upgraded to Purina One and will mix maybe one bag of Puppy Chow in with every 2 of Purina One, just because I know he'll eat both and it stretches the food out a bit further on a little less $$$. He gets plenty of higher-quality treats to go along with it all (came with a big box of Ol Roy treats...ew...and gassy lol). Of course, I have been meaning to research some better quality foods to find something a bit better health-wise, without breaking the bank...but I'll probably still mix a bag of whatever with a bag of Purina. Why reinvent the wheel? I'm not sure what else, yet, I may do that may not be the "best" answer, as I don't have a history with dogs but I'm learning a lot from being on this forum so surely I'll come across something else!

 

[hanksimon]

I fed Purina dog chow to my previous dog, a 70 lb GSD x Dobie, and he lived for 17 years. I feed my current dog a rotation of Purina Pro, Purina Pro Advantage, and Costco Kirkland. I tried the better brands, but I believe that they were too rich for him.

I also give him a couple of raw carrots and a tbspn of Missing Link Plus with each meal.

 

[RCloud]

It all comes down to what works for you and your dog. While I would never feed my dogs Purina if I could help it, I'd rather know a dog is being fed low grade dog food then being neglected and starved.

 

[wvasko]

I've said it before, 15 yrs campaigning bird dogs and fed Purina Hi-Pro cause I could buy it all over the country pretty much. It did the job.

 

[tirluc]

Purina One dogs, here....i've tried other "better" foods and they looked like crap, not to mention i had to feed more....tho i know others have had no problem w/ Dog Chow/Beneful/Pedigree/etc, i won't feed those.....has to have a meat as the 1st ingredient for me....

 

[Finkie_Mom]

We do Pro Plan Performance here. Bubbles and Pentti have tried quite a few different, higher-rated foods, and they did horribly. Flat coats, shedding everywhere, bad stool... Put them back on Pro Plan, and BAM. They look great, are physically healthy, and have tons of energy! Kimma gets Natural Balance Venison because that's what SHE does best on. I'd rather see someone feeding their dog a bit of a "lower quality" food but giving their dog good vet care, enough mental/physical exercise, proper socialization/training than someone feeding the best foods but not addressing other needs.

 

[Roloni]

My point is, everyone (yes, even YOU), does one thing or another with/for their dogs that you know is against all research/advice. But because it works, you do it. Even if most don't agree or do the same.
.

LOL...
I have a very long list of "Research and Advice" that doesnt work for me and my dogs.
but there is some advice and opinions that make sense and can be very helpful.

 

[chipinmom]

Purina One dogs, here....i've tried other "better" foods and they looked like crap, not to mention i had to feed more....tho i know others have had no problem w/ Dog Chow/Beneful/Pedigree/etc, i won't feed those.....has to have a meat as the 1st ingredient for me....

I've been meaning to try Bentley on Purina One. I figure since he likes the puppy chow so much, he will like Purina One (hopefully). Plus I like the first ingredient being meat. BUT, I can never seem to find the puppy version around here anytime I go looking for it. Which is strange because I live in a big city.

 

[chipinmom]

but there is some advice and opinions that make sense and can be very helpful.

Very true! And I always welcome advice (and most opinions lol). However, I'm not a huge fan of people with the mentality of "My way is the ONLY way". Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but they are not entitled to tell me, or expect me, to agree all the time on everything.

We all love our dogs. And we all do what's best and what works for them. If I could get Bentley to eat a better food, I would. But to be honest, it would be more for my benefit than for his own. He LIKES puppy chow. Loves it actually. And he is one of the healthiest puppies I've ever owned. So I just don't see the point in changing something that is doing NO harm.

That being said, if he ever develops allergies, or any other issues, his food will be the first thing I analyze. If I find it is the cause, I will change it no matter what. But until then, I have no reason to.

 

[sscott87]

I've been meaning to try Bentley on Purina One. I figure since he likes the puppy chow so much, he will like Purina One (hopefully). Plus I like the first ingredient being meat. BUT, I can never seem to find the puppy version around here anytime I go looking for it. Which is strange because I live in a big city.

I don't think there is a puppy version of Purina One. Or perhaps there is and I've simply never seen it either! I also now feel a lot better about the particular brand after looking at a bag in Walmart today and seeing that the first ingredient is indeed meat (yeah, so sue me, I didn't know better till just recently, knew at this and on here to learn! lol)

 

[luv mi pets]

Yep would rather the owners feed them a dog food that meets nutritional requirments than none at all.

In my confessional box. shush. I used to feed my dogs an off brand dog food from a local farm store. All my dogs except for one lived to be in their teen years. The one who died at the age of 10, a doberman, was in a house fire as a pup. The firemen rescued the litter and gave them oxygen. X-rays always showed crappy lungs. So for him to live to be 10 was an amazement in itself.

 

[Spirit_of_Cotons]

I don't think that should be a confession. If your dog likes and eats it, than feed it to your dog. I feed Luke ProPlan because I hear it's good, Luke likes it and my one co-worker fed it to her Rottie. She said her Rottie lasted till he was 13yrs old and most don't like that long I hear. I know Buffalo Blue is supposed to be good and Luke did like that food, but my father said it was too expensive, so we went with the ProPlan.

But yeah, I think you're A-OK!!

 

[kafkabeetle]

I try to feed the highest quality I can afford but I'll admit to getting a small bag of one of the not so terrible brands you can get at Wal-Mart when there's a gap between when I can get to TSC and when her food is going to run out. We've fed Purina One Beyond and right now she's on a small bag of Nutrish. Both are much worse than I'd like so I feed a lot more extras when she's on it, like scraps of leftover meat, eggs, cans of tuna, etc. I do have a dog that I think greatly benefits from the higher fat content of grain-free foods, though, so I would never happily feed these things for long.

The rest of how I vary from the norm around here isn't really about my choosing to handle something differently-- more they are behaviors I have not been able to alter through training so I've given up. Mostly her barking at strangers and having terrible manners when someone comes in the door. If I had the time or expertise to change these things, I would, but as it is, I've made so much progress in the past three years in other training matters that I've finally accepted that I can let those two go and just manage them.

 

[luv mi pets]

But yeah, I think you're A-OK!!

Thanks!


Oh if I fed what my dogs what they truly loved would be a disaster. I can not keep them from eating horse poo!

Cost is a big factor to many pet owners. The topic of what to feed your dog has become equivalent to bringing up politics in a conversation. I can not for health concerns bring myself to feed my dogs a raw food diet. But go to the dog food forum and by not doing so spells disaster for my pets. My dogs do well on what I feed them and that should be the most important thing. I can not afford to feed dog food that costs $60 for a 30 pound bag of food. A co-worker gave me some crap about that. I told her if she was so concerned about the welfare of my dogs, she can buy my dog's food.


At least we feed our dogs!

 

[krystina alayne]

confession confession.. lets see..

i dont vaccinate my dog, aside from the rabies vaccine.
i bought him milk bones [grain] because he loves them so much.
i forget to brush his teeth some nights. :[
sometimes i use baby shampoo on him just because i like the smell [all natural house here.. baby shampoo is far from natural!]

 

[Mdawn]

I don't really care what food someone feeds their dog if the dog does well on it.

I feed Eddie and Uallis Diamond Naturals because its the best food I can afford that they do well on. I just switched my cats from TOTW to 4Health because it is $6 cheaper per bag and I get 3 lbs more food...and they do just as well on it as they did on TOTW.

The most important thing is that the dog has food in their belly and the owner is doing the best they can when it comes to caring for their pets.

 

[KodiBarracuda]

i bought him milk bones [grain] because he loves them so much.

Wait... That's bad? Each dog gets 2 or 3 milk bones a day! What can I say? They love them.

 

[chipinmom]

Wait... That's bad? Each dog gets 2 or 3 milk bones a day! What can I say? They love them.

Same here. Bentley loves the things!

 

[Roloni]

Very true! And I always welcome advice (and most opinions lol). However, I'm not a huge fan of people with the mentality of "My way is the ONLY way". Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but they are not entitled to tell me, or expect me, to agree all the time on everything.

We all love our dogs. And we all do what's best and what works for them. If I could get Bentley to eat a better food, I would. But to be honest, it would be more for my benefit than for his own. He LIKES puppy chow. Loves it actually. And he is one of the healthiest puppies I've ever owned. So I just don't see the point in changing something that is doing NO harm.

That being said, if he ever develops allergies, or any other issues, his food will be the first thing I analyze. If I find it is the cause, I will change it no matter what. But until then, I have no reason to.

I agree 100%...