What are you feeding the dog??

[btmacken]

Right now we are giving the little guy Nupro, but we are ready to switch it up. I am posting the below from another forum.. a beer to who knows where I got the info (stairs in your house? ) , but I'm curious to what you guys are feeding your dogs. I am sure it's different for pups to older guys.. but either way I am looking for suggestions for our labradoodle pup.

"Brand Name Foods - The Good, The Bad, and the 'Oh God, you're dog's been eating this and is still ALIVE?!'

And I'm not kidding either and I'll explain why.

Some of those nasty ingredients listed in the previous post can lead to serious health problems and even death (in worst-case scenarios). Not too long ago, Diamond had to recall large quantities of their dog food for extremely high aflotoxin content that killed dozens of dogs. Aflotoxin comes from corn, one of the ingredients to avoid in your doggy healthcare plan. Another problem that can occur in dog and cat foods with high sugar-content is diabetes. Yep, your critter could be getting insulin shots, from you, for the rest of its life. My boyfriend's mothers cats are all becoming diabetic, and she still doesn't understand why.

Here's a list of DOG foods and the things you should know about them -

Ultra Premium
Merrick / Merrick 'Before Grains'
Taste of the Wild
TimberWolf Organics
Wellness
Prarie / Instinct
Innova / Innova Evo / Evo / Ancestral
Orijen
Weruva

All these foods contain whole meats, fruits, vegetables, and often cater to sensitive stomachs and unusual allergies. These foods all have a wide range of flavours including bison, venison, salmon and trout, as well as chicken and turkey for the less fancy Many of these brands have come out with Grain-Free varieties of their original formulas, especially in canned foods. There's NO by-product, corn, wheat or mill runs in any of these foods. They are available at Petco (for Solid Gold), Canine Commissary (all three), or Pet Supplies Plus (all three).

Premium
Chicken Soup
Natural Balance
Blue Buffalo
Solid Gold
Canidae
Pinnacle
Addiction

Admittedly, I'm hesitant to put Nutro on this list, as it DOES contain Corn and Corn-Meal. However, it's also a decent enough in-between from the 'Acceptable' to the 'Premium' foods. Chicken Soup and Natural Balance have the same no by-product, no-corn policy and are excellent foods as well. They don't have the lavish flavour choices of Ultra Premium foods, and tend to be more grain-heavy, but cater to some very picky critters. Natural Balance has a Potato and Duck for dogs allergic to chicken, and many of these brands are coming out with completely 'Grain Free' options and 95% meat-type canned foods. These are all easily available at your local Petco, and Blue Buffalo can be found at Petsmart. Removed Nutro from list due to large number of consumers reporting contaminated bags.- Lioness

Acceptable
Iams
Purina
Diamond
Eagle Pack
Eukanuba
Royal Canin

I hate to have to put Eagle Pack on here, but with the recent increase in corn on their ingredient list, they're falling fast. These are foods that're... well, they're okay. I guess. They contain corn and/or by-products, are generally cheaper and are available at grocery stores. This stuff wont necessarily KILL your dog (despite the Diamond mass-death thing earlier this year), but it's certainly not the best. If your vet tells you to buy this stuff, punch him.

Horrid
Alpo
Pedigree
Regular Science Diet (non-perscription)
Mainstay
Kibbles and Bits
Good Day Chunks

This is the worst of the worst. Usually no whole meats, or in the case of 'Good Day' no meat AT ALL. 90% of these foods are composed of corn, wheat, mill runs, followed by steamed bone-meal and by-product meal. Unfortunetly, a majority of the foods you'll see available to the public are this grade, and can lead to many health problems. Also, these foods are GREASY, they make your dog's coat oil and often smelly, and make waste large, frequent, and often nasty-smelling. Science Diet I'm probably opening a can of worms with. But seriously, next time you have a bag at your finger tips, especially Adult Maintanence, just look at it.

Edit: A note about Science Diet - If your vet has put your dog on a perscription Science Diet in relation to a medical issue (such as kidney or urinary problems), my suggestion is to heed his advice. Regular Science Diet is terrible for a day-to-day use, but these perscription formulas may be what saves your pet's life."



End quote.

[OSECS]

"Natural Balance" duck and potato I think $55 a 25 lb. bag but it goes a long way.

[hutash]

I don't know your source, but I can to you it is full of shit. It was composed by someone who does not know shit about nutrition. My guess it was by somebody who runs a pet shop, since that is where I usually hear such tripe.

I have covered this topic several times, so do a little searching.

[doughboyshredder]

I use redbarn lamb&rice formula, mixed with some hot water and Taste of the Wild kibble.

[btmacken]

I don't know your source, but I can to you it is full of shit. It was composed by someone who does not know shit about nutrition. My guess it was by somebody who runs a pet shop, since that is where I usually hear such tripe.

I have covered this topic several times, so do a little searching.

Ya my bad should've down some searching, I was more concerned with what that post was saying because I have seen conflicting statements all over the net etc. I just want my pup to be happy, healthy and have a nice coat.

But... my wife is saying we are getting Iams and that's it.. so we'll see. haha

[pointemstraight]

We feed our 2 year old black lab Blue Buffalo. It's good shit - fit for humans to eat, if you needed. He poops less, has tons of energy, and a local rep who works for Purina recommended it (it is NOT a Purina product).

[smmokan]

We give our dogs (two labs, 4 & 5 yrs old) Purina Pro Plan Premium for Sensitive Stomachs.... our younger dog had some major stomach issues when she was younger so we had to choose something that catered to her. No problems in the 3-4 years we've been feeding it to them, knock on wood.

If some of the more premium choices were cheaper (like Blue Buffalo), we'd probably switch.

[Art Shirk]

"Natural Balance" duck and potato I think $55 a 25 lb. bag but it goes a long way.

Same here. With a dose of tomato juice here and there to keep the lawn in better shape. Not sure if that's really helping but we do it anyway.

[Edgnar]

My 1.5 year old mutt is on Blue Buff. Expensive, but she goes through a big bag every two months(ish), so manageable. She has a great coat, lots of energy. Seems pretty happy.

I'll have to search, but care to summarize for us Hutash?

[Fat City]

I have a 5.5 yr old Golden. I've fed him Eukanuba Naturally Wild since we became best buds when he was ~6 months. I go back and forth between the "Venison and Potato" and "Wild Salmon and Rice" menu as he likes the variety. I usually give him the Venison/Potato formula in the winter as it's a bit heartier and bulks him up a bit.
The Salmon/Rice formula in the summer helps his energy level and the Salmon oil/omega 3 helps with his "hot spots" (skin irritation).
Pretty spendy stuff ($55/30lb bag) but I figure, he's my best bud and if he could choose for himself, he wouldn't choose shit food, so why would I do that to him? Only the good stuff. And, as weird as it may sound, I have tried a piece or two of it to see what it's all about. Honestly, it really does taste like dried salmon.
I always serve it to him with a dose of warm water and a bit of garlic powder, to help digestion. It actually smells pretty damn good. He digs.

Fats-

[doughboyshredder]

I thought garlic was bad for dogs?

Mike Richards, DVM of vetinfo.com advises that garlic is a member of the onion family, high in sulfur, and given in long term can cause anemic reaction and severe bleeding in dogs, especially small dogs and cats. However, small amounts used in cooking and flea medications do not seem to cause a problem.

Read more at Suite101: Is Garlic Good or Bad for Dogs?: Veterinarians Explain Garlic’s Benefits and Dangers http://dog-care.suite101.com/article...#ixzz0v8QlBvI9

[haydukelives]

i found this site helpful
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/
some of the 4stars are reasonably priced

[hutash]

But... my wife is saying we are getting Iams and that's it.. so we'll see. haha

Your wife is smarter then the interwebs...she's a keeper.

[concretejungle]

Stray cats.

[My Pet Powder Goat]

Lils' likes the Solid gold lamb, or chicken, and Iams dry bits, couple splashes of water mixed up real nice. she's getting old so the small bits with water help her scarf it down. th

I try to use the wet food in moderation because I always figured that it was worst for them then dry. Is that true?

[doughboyshredder]

Your wife is smarter then the interwebs...she's a keeper.

I am sure a human can live off rice and beans, but if you like them, you might want to give them something decent.

Not a chance in hell I would feed my best friend that garbage.

[concretejungle]

I am sure a human can live off rice and beans, but if you like them, you might want to give them something decent.

Not a chance in hell I would feed my best friend that garbage.

Yeah but your a fat fuck so you'd probably feed your dog cheese fries.

[doughboyshredder]

not a fat fuck anymore and my dog probably eats better than you bitch.

[fez]

Today? my dog decided he wanted my new $100 bluetooth headset for dinner. the thing only cost me about $33 per each time i got to use it.
Yesterday? a pair of my wife's shoes

in between the chewing and eating our possessions, he eats a bowl of Nutro every now and then.

[mmmthmtskier]

I gleaned these results from four websites(animalark.com,
dogaware.com, dogfoodanalysis.com, and Whole Dog Journal). Cross-
referenced results by number of websites listed, 4-2. I listed the
manufacturer's name and not the specific type(chicken, fish, etc.) of
food. Here we go:

All Four- Solid Gold

Three of Four- Artemis, Canidae, Eagle Pack, Innova.

Two of Four- By Nature, California Natural, Canine Caviar, Castor &
Pollux, Drs. Foster and Smith, Evanger's, Flint River Ranch, Fromm,
Go! Natural, Merrick, Natura, Orijen, Taste of the Wild, Wellness,
Wysong.

These results are two years old but you'll see many of the same brands as on the OP's list.

We feed our two huskies a mix of Canidae(a bit of no grain salmon formula with the majority all-life stages formula), a squirt of salmon oil, and a Nature's Variety raw chicken ball(female, 6yo) and a raw chunk of london broil(male, 10yo). They just get the kibble and salmon oil in the evening. They rarely get any human food and their treats are healthy as well, Three Dog Bakery, Plato, and Charlee Bear.
The male just got his senior check-up and the vet said he had "beautiful blood".

I just felt we needed to research what kind of food our dogs were getting. My thought: Good food, less vet bills. It seems to be working so far.
A raw diet is the best for dogs but is pretty labor intensive for the owner. Any owner who feeds their dog a raw diet, I applaud them...

[Art Shirk]

Today? my dog decided he wanted my new $100 bluetooth headset for dinner. the thing only cost me about $33 per each time i got to use it.
Yesterday? a pair of my wife's shoes

in between the chewing and eating our possessions, he eats a bowl of Nutro every now and then.

Yup, forgot about my lady's previous diet of 4 pairs of Rainbow flip flops, a few pairs of socks and one transgendered go-go dancer in a two week period.

[neck beard]

For 11 years I have fed cheap dry dog food to my seemingly very healthy dog. Perhaps I could improve it a little as every now and then he vomits yellow foam. As he gets older I may improve his diet.

[Woodlandclown]

Eagle pack for the majority of his 12 1/2 years and he is a big healthy boy who gets mistaken for a much younger dog--that is until people see him try to sit down or get up from sitting down. ;-(

[Missing Sock]

My dog (lab/weim mix) eats solid gold and usually a bit of whatever I'm eating.....

He seems happy with it so we certainly don't see any reason to change though I think he would eat just about anything put in front of him

[mmmthmtskier]

i found this site helpful
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/
some of the 4stars are reasonably priced

hdl, thanks for the link.
Took a quick look last night and this site has a lot of info.
For cheapskates, he even rates Kirkland(Costco) dry food for small dogs as a 4/5 stars.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-fo...ture-dog-food/