The Dogs Dinner: All You Wanted to Know About Food For Fido

[momtobella]

Originally Posted by annie_so_pink

Are the middle foods still alright to feed your dog?

The middle foods are good for your dog, if you have a Petsmart near you they also carry Blue Buffalo wich is a good food also. Good luck!

[kazkirkpatrick]

Middle foods are definitely good for your dog! Its like buying in the regular produce aisle vs the organic aisle. There is good, then there is GREAT!!!

[Jamila]

I don't live near anything that has any of these foods. The closest store is two hours away and my car is 20 years old and doesn't wanna go that far.

Has or does anyone order Canidae online? If so is that a good way to go?

[Jamilupine]

I think it is fine to order your food online. Of course, it might cost you a bit in terms of shipping. But if you can't drive out to the pet store and you are intent on feeding them that type of food, I'd go for it! Or, if anyone is coming your way who lives by the pet store you could always have them bring it and then stock up on it. It's always worth checking out any kind of store too, I went into a pet store close to my home that I didn't think would carry Canidae, and they do. they also cary Felidae, which I am planning on switching my cats to!

[Jamila]

Yeah I wanna put my Mom's pets and all mine on Canidae and Felidae. Trust me there are not towns close to me. I live in the middle of nowhere. The one pet store we have here I'm so against going to cause they do Horrid things in there....shocking I tell ya. I dont want to even try to help that establishment out. I think with ordering for a total of 5 dogs and 4 cats the shipping will be worth it, Maybe? Anything is worth it for mine and my Mom's kids...

BTW are there actions I can take against this pet store in my town. I've already got their breeding building shut down. They were breeding small animals in super bulk. ie rats, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits etc... in between two small resturants. The place was so fragrant with urine it would knock you over, plus they had so many animals together ie. several rabbits in five gallon buckets and such that they started eating each other. I would love to completely shut this place down.
Advice?
oh and may I post this issue in a another place more suited? If so where would that be on this board?

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Jamila ~

oh and may I post this issue in a another place more suited? If so where would that be on this board?

Why not start a post in our "Global Paw" section and see what others may have to offer in terms of help.

[Jamila]

Im so happy. I found a store here that sells Chicken Soup. So now my kids are being switched over, and I dont have to order online......Yippy!

[adbrody]

Thank you so much for the list!

Based on the 'Good List', does anyone have any recommendations for an allergy/healthy skin formula? Our american bulldog has had continuous problems - itching, losing patches of fur, little bumps, etc.

The vet can't decide if it's airborne or food...but he's only 11 months old and it's been happening since he was about 6 months old.

We've tried Nutro Puppy Max, Natural Balance Duck & Potato, then their Fish & Sweet Potato, and now we're using Nature's Recipe Healthy Skin (Venison & Rice). It started looking better with the Nature's Recipe, but he's breaking out again.

Seeing as he's still having issues, and that the food is ok but not great, I'm looking to switch again. Any ideas?

[Bibber]

Originally Posted by Alikins

I am currently feeding my 1.5lb puppy Iams ( which is on the last list) and I was searching for some brands on the 2 tops lists but I'm having trouble finding a food on the list in a small breed puppy form.

Any suggestions? TIA!

Wellness Puppy formula is a great balanced diet for all breeds (big and little!)
the kibble may be a little large for your little one, but a little water will help out with that .
here are the ingredients!
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Salmon Meal (natural source of DHA), Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a natural source of vitamin E), Ground Brown Rice, Rice Bran (from brown rice), Tomatoes (natural source of lycopene), Natural Chicken Flavor, Rye Flour, Ground Millet, Flaxseed, Carrots, Apples, Spinach, Blueberries, Sweet Potatoes, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate.

You can find a store that carries it through this link
http://www.omhpet.com/locator/locator_form.asp

Hope this helps!

[Bibber]

Originally Posted by adbrody

Thank you so much for the list!

Based on the 'Good List', does anyone have any recommendations for an allergy/healthy skin formula? Our american bulldog has had continuous problems - itching, losing patches of fur, little bumps, etc.

The vet can't decide if it's airborne or food...but he's only 11 months old and it's been happening since he was about 6 months old.

We've tried Nutro Puppy Max, Natural Balance Duck & Potato, then their Fish & Sweet Potato, and now we're using Nature's Recipe Healthy Skin (Venison & Rice). It started looking better with the Nature's Recipe, but he's breaking out again.

Seeing as he's still having issues, and that the food is ok but not great, I'm looking to switch again. Any ideas?

Im a wellness fan! They offer a Fish and Sweet Potato formula that is great for allergy dogs. It had the right ratio of Omega 6 and 3 to help with you pups skin.

If its a really bad allergy they also offer a simple formule (duck or venison) that is made for dogs with VERY sensitive skin.

[Tiffany0204]

I feed Wellness Super5 Puppy food to Gizmo. He's thriving on it!

[chris_3503]

anybody can say me about new dog training techniques

[DaisySunshine]

Wow! Thank you for all the research that you did for me! This has been an ongoing issue for me with all my pets. I have switched them from Eukanuba, Science Diet, Iams, Nutro and back and forth in a quandry as to which was the best for them. After going over your list, I went to my local pet supply store and purchased Natural Balance for all my animals.

Daisy loves it. I followed the directions and mixed the new food with her old but she picked out all the new food and left the old kibble in the dish. She loves it. I am sure it will be much better for her than the ProPlan I was feeding her. I was impressed the ingredients list and the price. Not too bad for a good food.

The cats are reserving judgement.

[jkruer01]

Originally Posted by kazkirkpatrick

Now I know you are still asking “is this food good”, so here is the basic lists with the research done for you (tsk tsk!)

The Good
When you want the best money can buy….
ADVANCE
BALANCE DIET
The Food ADVANTAGE
CANINE CAVIAR PET FOODS
Cripple Creek Kennels
Natural Balance
FLINT RIVER RANCH
HAPPY PAWS
HOLISTIC BLEND
SOLID GOLD
LIFE'S ABUNDANCE
TENDER LOVING CARE
NATURE'S FINEST
MATRIX
OLD MOTHER HUBBARD
Sammy Snacks
TIMBERWOLF ORGANICS
ULTRA NATURAL PET FOODS
VeRUS Pet Foods
VITA-MAX PET FOODS
AZMIRA PET FOODS
BREEDERS CHOICE
CALIFORNIA NATURAL
INNOVA CANINE
PINNACLE
ROYAL CANIN SIZE (natural blend variety)
NATURALLY CANADIAN
CANIDAE PET
KIRKLAND (KIBBLE)
Far More
NATURAL BLEND
The Bad
Well, they aren’t BAD, they just don’t quite make the A grade cut. No-one should look down on you for feeding this to Fido and Spot, its good, just not the best. Dogs will do well on these.
BENCH & FIELD
THE PET PANTRY
DIAMOND BRAND
RIDE DOG FOOD
EAGLE PACK SUPER PREMIUM PET FOOD
NATURE'S RECIPE
INOVATIVE VETERNARY DIETS
ROYAL CANIN SIZE
NUTRO
NUTRO MAX
PRECISE PET FOOD
PET FIRST
SIRIUS PET FOODS
PHD, PERFECT HEALTH DIETS
WYSONG PROFESSIONAL DIETS
ANF Specialties
ANMAR
ANNAMAET PET FOODS
APD (ADVANCED PET DIETS)
ARDEN GRANGE
NUTRA NUGGETS
OWEN & MANDEVILLE PET PRODUCTS, INC.
"PAW" TICULARS
PET CHEF EXPRESS
Burns Pet Nutrition
PROPAC DOG FOODS
CANUSA PET FOOD
SPORTSMAN'S CHOICE
LAMB AND RICE FORMULA
Pronature
STURDY
DOCK'S PET FOOD
DYNAMITE ONLINE DYNAMITE SPECIALTY PRODUCTS
K9 Gourmet
MARTINS FORMULA
NOBLE DOG FOOD
NUTRIENCE PET FOOD
NUTRIENCE
AUTHORITY PET FOODS CO
QUALITY CARE PLUS (QC+)
REGAL PET FOODS
BLACKWOOD CORPORATION
Euro Premium
MAX DOG FOOD
NATURAL LIFE PET PRODUCTS, INC.
PETGUARD
PREMIUM EDGE
Petsmart Premier
TECHNI-CAL
The Ugly
Don’t feed your dog these under any circumstances!
PURINA PRESCRIPTION DIETS (ok, so sometimes you have to, but I would beg and threaten my vet for an alternative)
Alpo
MERA DOG
Petco.
NATIONAL DOG FOODS
SPORTMIX
Tuffy's Dog Food
WALTHAM
WAYNE
SHUR-GAIN
Bil-Jac
SCIENCE DIET
EUKANUBA
LAND O' LAKES
EXCEL
MUENSTER MILLING CO.
EXPERT CONDITIONING
JOY PET FOODS
Purina Beneful
IAMS
Nutripet
BUCKEYE PET FOODS
PROFESSIONAL PET FOODS
EARL MAY PREMIUM BLEND
Prominence
CORNUCOPIA PET FOODS, INC.
PRO PLAN
VETERINARY MEDICAL DIETS Select Care and Medi-Cal
Jappy
FORZA10
LINDQUIST FOODS
FROMM
MASTERY
MY-CHAMPS MICROBIAL STYLE DOG FOOD
GEREEN ENTERPRISES
KUMPI DOG FOOD
HAPPY DOG
High Hopes
ECONOMY LINE
ECONOUF
EXCEL
1st. CHOICE
Big Red
Black Gold Pet Foods, Inc.
BLUE SEAL PREMIUM FEEDS. LTD.
BACK TO BASICS
BLUE RIBBON BRAND DOG FOOD
CYCLE ADULT
PUREBRED COMPANY
PURINA O.N.E. Brand
OL' ROY BRAND
WALTHAM
PEDIGREE
PURINA BRAND DOG FOODS
THOMPSON'S PET PASTA PRODUCTS
GRAVY TRAIN
KASCO
KIBBLES 'N BITS
DR. BALLARD ORIGINAL VETERINARIAN RECIPES
The Robert Abady Dog Food Company, Ltd
MAXXIMUM NUTRITION
But the good costs so much!
Burger King is cheap too you know…
You have to realize that the higher quality the food, the less fillers and more actual nutrition. The portion sizes are much smaller, the food lasts longer, and you are spending less time picking up landmines all over the backyard. Everybody wins.
To add to this, dont play the helpless "oh but I cant find it at Walmart or Petsmart" card. Use google, look up the webpages, more than likely they will have a store locater for their distributers. Good food is worth the 5 seconds youll have to search on google for.
Sources
http://www.healthypetnet.com/
http://www.canidae.com/
http://www.doberdogs.com
http://www.feedmypet.com
The Animal Protection Institute, "What's Really in Pet Food.", January 29, 2002.
Kerns, Nancy "Choose the Best Dry Food.", The Whole Dog Journal, February 2000, 13-17.
The Animal Protection Institute, "Selecting a Commercial Pet Food. ", October 25, 2001.

kazkirkpatrick,

I was browsing the internet and I came accross this post. First, I want to say thanks for the research you did. Although I don't totally disagree with the list, there are definately some questionable entries. Also, just because your food is in a particular place on the list doesn't mean you need to change it. Some brands have a couple formulas that are extremely high quality where other formulas are not.

Some examples:

I think it is kinda funny that Kirklands is in the Good, Diamond is in the Bad, and Professional is in the ugly even though they are ALL made by the same company, and I know for a fact, Kirklands and Diamond use almost identical ingredients.

I can't get Kirkland's because it is only sold through Costco and there are none around here. But, I will give you some examples of the Diamond and Professional. While there are some formula's from these to brands that aren't great, there are others that I think are very high quality. Considering I can get a 35/40 lb bag for about $20, this is what I feed both my dogs.

To anyone reading this, don't think ALL Kirkland/Diamond/Professional formula's are good, there are definately some sub par ones! Some examples are Diamond Maintenance Formula (TERRIBLE) and even Professional's Chicken and Rice formula is not as high quality as the Lamb and Rice formula. The 3 I list here just happen to be shinning examples and that is why I use them.

Diamond Large Breed Adult
-----------------------------
Ingredients:
Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, whole grain white rice, wheat flour, rice bran, beet pulp, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), egg product, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, brewers dried yeast, potassium chloride, salt, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, chondroitin sulfate, beta carotene, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, L-Carnitine, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganous sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice
-----------------------------
Ingredients:
Lamb meal, brewers rice, brown rice, rice flour, fish meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), egg product, beet pulp, flaxseed, natural flavor, brewers dried yeast, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganese oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Professional Adult Dog Lamb and Rice Formula
-------------------------------------------------
Ingredients:
LAMB, LAMB MEAL, RICE FLOUR, OATMEAL, WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE, BREWERS RICE, CHICKEN FAT (PRESERVED WITH MIXED TOCOPHEROLS AND CITRIC ACID), BEET PULP (SUGAR REMOVED), FLAXSEED, EGG PRODUCT, NATURAL FLAVOR, BREWERS DRIED YEAST. VITAMINS, MINERALS, SUPPLEMENTS.


Also another one to look at is Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, also made by the same company (about $30 for a 35lb bag).

Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Adult Dog Formula
-------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients:
Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, turkey meal, whole grain brown rice, whole grain white rice, oatmeal, potatoes, cracked pearled barley, millet, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), duck, salmon, egg product, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, kelp, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, chicory root extract, carrots, peas, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake. Vitamins and minerals.


I don't see why any of these four foods would not be considered TOP NOTCH, but that is just my opinion. Also, I realise that you would NEVER be able to go through each individual formula for all the brands listed!

Again, it just goes to show, there are exceptions to every rule.

Thanks for the info.

[jkruer01]

Also, let me introduce myself, I am a nobody, noone special, just an interested dog owner that took a little bit of time to learn about dog food instead of just relying on what other people told me.

Lucky for everyone else, this post is about all the research you need to do, the first part of the first post has ALOT of really good information. With this information, you can look at the ingredients in your dog food and decide whether it is good or not. Simple rules, look for meat, avoid corn. As a general rule for meat, I would prefer chicken/lamb/turkey MEAL to be high on the list(top 5), because meat meal has more substance that just chicken/lamb/turkey (mostly water), also, don't be afraid of by-products, I would rather the meat meal or just the meat be higher than the by-products, but do you think wild animals(dogs) only eat the chicken breast if they kill a chicken or do you think they eat everything they can?

Summary (preferred ingredients highest to lowest best if in top 5)
----------
1)Chicken/Lamb/Turkey/Beef meal
2)Chicken/Lamb/Turkey/Beef
3)Rice (whole grain or brown rice is better than just rice)
4)Meat by-products optional

AVOID CORN!

Just my 2 cents!

Also, NEVER rely on what a store employee or vet tells you about your food or recommends. Most either don't know and are just telling you what their boss/supervisor told them, or have a specific motive to recommend a certain brand and therefore everything else is bad. I know because I used to work at a pet store. When I worked there, I was younger and didn't do any research, whenever anyone asked me what the best food was, I recommended Brand X, because that is what everyone else that worked there recommended. As new employees came in they would do the same thing.

As far as the vets go, I asked one their opinion on Diamond Large Breed Adult, he proceeded to tell me it was an inferior food and I needed to feed Brand Y for the best results. I returned later and showed him the ingredients for the two foods and the top 5 were almost identical! He didn't have much to say after that. It just so happened that he sold Brand Y at his clinic.