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Dog food research

1875 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  ziggy29, 
I
Researching dog food is frustrating. Marketing buzz words that don't always have to meet the definition exactly. Labels and ingredients can be misleading, ingredient splitting, and other tricks, meat vs deboned meat vs specific meat meals. You can find different companies stating each is better than the other. By-products are considered bad but Orijen, and Acana use organs in their recipes which are by-products. Some other companies use liver which is also a by-product.

Sodium Selenite is bad but most companies use it. They will tell you it is good and they only use very small quantities. Coconut oil should not be given to dogs but some of the better companies use it and tell you it is good and they use very small quantities. Some say high meat and or high protein diets are best but others disagree with that. Some companies show a lot of meat and meals in the first several ingredients but their protein % would indicate animal protein is not as high as it should be for that much meat according to professional reviews.

There is conflicting information about a lot of things. You see animal protein percentages in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s. Which is the right balance? They push the inclusion of probiotics but info leads you to believe that it is really not necessary if the dog does not have issues. Company's definitions of low carbs can vary. Grain-free causing DCM is debatable. A lot of vets will recommend Science Diet so they are not helpful. I am done with this nonsense and I am just going to make a choice.

Orijen has higher protein than I want, I am looking for moderate protein but I am just not drawn to Orijen or Acana anyway. I want grain-inclusive dry food with no peas, pea products, or potatoes. I had considered Farmina but I see comments that the smell is very strong and that would bother the wife so that is out. I had considered Nulo but I ran into some conflicting info with them. I had also considered Natures Logic but right now, I am deciding between Nutrisource and Honest Kitchen clusters. I want to rotate within brand and Nutrisource has more options but Honest Kitchen is human-grade food made in a human-grade food facility so it is a tough choice.
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LeoRose
I recommend reading this book. Dog Food Logic - Making Smart Decisions for Your Dog In An Age Of Too Many Choices She also has a blog called The Science Dog. The Science Dog

Also, I recommend that you be familiar with reading labels. Reading Labels

I've fed a lot of different foods over the years. I've been feeding Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Salmon and Rice the past few years, since that's what my GSD seems to do best on.
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Abbylynn
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Irrivirsible said:
Researching dog food is frustrating. Marketing buzz words that don't always have to meet the definition exactly. Labels and ingredients can be misleading, ingredient splitting, and other tricks, meat vs deboned meat vs specific meat meals. You can find different companies stating each is better than the other. By-products are considered bad but Orijen, and Acana use organs in their recipes which are by-products. Some other companies use liver which is also a by-product.

Sodium Selenite is bad but most companies use it. They will tell you it is good and they only use very small quantities. Coconut oil should not be given to dogs but some of the better companies use it and tell you it is good and they use very small quantities. Some say high meat and or high protein diets are best but others disagree with that. Some companies show a lot of meat and meals in the first several ingredients but their protein % would indicate animal protein is not as high as it should be for that much meat according to professional reviews.

There is conflicting information about a lot of things. You see animal protein percentages in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s. Which is the right balance? They push the inclusion of probiotics but info leads you to believe that it is really not necessary if the dog does not have issues. Company's definitions of low carbs can vary. Grain-free causing DCM is debatable. A lot of vets will recommend Science Diet so they are not helpful. I am done with this nonsense and I am just going to make a choice.

Orijen has higher protein than I want, I am looking for moderate protein but I am just not drawn to Orijen or Acana anyway. I want grain-inclusive dry food with no peas, pea products, or potatoes. I had considered Farmina but I see comments that the smell is very strong and that would bother the wife so that is out. I had considered Nulo but I ran into some conflicting info with them. I had also considered Natures Logic but right now, I am deciding between Nutrisource and Honest Kitchen clusters. I want to rotate within brand and Nutrisource has more options but Honest Kitchen is human-grade food made in a human-grade food facility so it is a tough choice.
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Check out Victor Dog Food. Never had a recall and I have been feeding for two years with no issues at all. Firm stools and nice shiny coats. You can find it at Chewy. My Breeder introduced it to me when my pups were little. There are all sorts of protein to fat percentages to choose from. All ingredients are from the USA as well as made here. No corn. Wheat, or Soy.
VICTOR for Dogs - Free shipping | Chewy

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Irrivirsible said:
By-products are considered bad but Orijen, and Acana use organs in their recipes which are by-products. Some other companies use liver which is also a by-product.
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I’m not sure what you mean by this. Organ meats ARE quality ingredients. Granted, they should be in relatively small proportions to come close to an ancestral diet where most animal protein comes from muscle tissue, but there is nothing “bad” about the inclusion of some organ meat. “Ancestral” diets generally suggest that about 10% of a dog’s diet should be organ meats. I would be more worried about a food that included no organ meats as a named protein source.
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