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

[Novice]

Thanks.

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

I think I'm going to try and switch Missie to Canidae (sp?). Her coat is just a wreck since her allergies and switching foods (she's on IVD right now), and I'm not real happy with the IVD (even though it is supposed to be pretty good). I've also been looking to switch our cats to a high quality food, so if I can find both at one store, that'll be awesome! Now I just hope they're cost effective for my family.

A further plus, the local supplier I found for it doesn't sell animals at all, so I don't have to support one of those chain stores! Yay! Wish me luck.

[Lilys_mommy]

I apologize if anyone has already asked this question but I'm too impatient to go through all 9 pages of posts!!
But... Has anyone tried the Three Dog Bakery brand of dog food or has anyone heard anything about it?
I was looking at their website today and came across it and was thinking I might switch Emma to it once I get her. She is currently being fed Purina Puppy Chow ( and I know it's on the really bad list)...I got a bag that is a bit too big for just weaning her off so I'll feed that to her till it's about 3/4ths done then begin to wean her onto something better for her....
but I was curious on that brand.

[Cassiepeia]

If you read the first post thoroughly and then check the ingredients on the Three Dog Bakery brand you should be able to easily figure out if it's any good.

Cass.

[Lilys_mommy]

yeah i look into that but i was curious more so as if anyone has tried it or if their pets liked it...i know all dogs have different tastes....and some will eat whatever you put in front of them...but i didn't know if anyone had had some good/bad results with that food....only because it's not a name brand like nutro and such...

[Carrie]

I think I'm going to try and switch Missie to Canidae (sp?). Her coat is just a wreck since her allergies and switching foods (she's on IVD right now), and I'm not real happy with the IVD (even though it is supposed to be pretty good). I've also been looking to switch our cats to a high quality food, so if I can find both at one store, that'll be awesome! Now I just hope they're cost effective for my family.

Sometimes with allergies a single source protein and over all simpler ingredients does the trick. My dogs eat Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance, venison and brown rice formula. It has good suppliments but just one meat source. You might check out the ingredients in that one.

Lyric has a sensative stomach and tends toward too soft stools so this has helped. It's designed for dogs with sensative stomachs and allergies. There are other good ones too out there for that purpose. Petco carries this one.

[Beryl]

My Pomeranian only ate Eukanuba his entire 18 year life.

I liked it because at the beginning of his life, I was young, on a tighter budget and we lived in a condo. I needed to refrigerate his food since only a handful was required each day. In the long run, the expensive food was economical.

Also, his waste was minimal. It was easily picked up during our walks and it was difficult to find his droppings outside when we finally got a big backyard. (It became lawn fertilizer. )

However, I'm now educated after reading this thread and know that I was wrong for feading Eukanuba. I fed Latte Royal Canin (since it was on the "good" list and although he seemed to like it, his waste was more than I'd like.

When I adoped my new dog, the rescue lady recommended Eukanuba. I'm now remembering how well it worked for my Pom and thought I'd seek some recommendations from folks here.

Can anyone tell me which of the "good" foods have tiny kibbles and work best from a waste perspective -- small, compact droppings?

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

Carrie, I just now saw your post, sorry! I've wondered for awhile now if her allergies are more environmental, and I think they are. The food never made a difference, and every so often she'll have an "itchy day." Fortunately they've been alot less frequent for several weeks now.

Missie is just eating the last of her IVD (I started the switch too soon, we've been "switching" for a couple weeks! lol), and I've switched Ollie over to the Canidae with her. I just have to say: We LOVE Canidae! Less poop, smaller poop, and wonderful coats! Both dogs coats are softer, shinier, and just beautiful! Missie sheds less, too, even though her shedding has never been real noticeable.

Beryl, Canidae kibbles are very small (Ollie's little Chi mouth crunches them perfectly ), and both dog's poops are smaller/tighter, as well as less frequent. I believe both dogs now poop twice a day instead of three times. I do recommend giving Canidae a try, but remember that not every food that's "good" will work well for your dog(s), so you just have to try and see. Good luck!

[Navygrrl]

Someone needs to tell my dog that he should only poop twice a day on Canidae, lol!

[flukespad]

Well done for pointing out what goes into feedsWe actually feed all out dogs naturally.Our rescues in kennels are fed on raw mince & terrier mix with alfalfa and kelp suppliments and also given raw bones.Our dogs in foster are fed a holistic biscuit instead of terrier mix along with veggie pasta fish etc.We advise if new owners want to feed a good complete diet then to use ones that are BVUA approved and we also give them a 15 page document all about feeding natural diets or complete and also full info on what goes nto dog foods and how they are made.Once they have read the first part about the rendering process they are usually convereted.

Such a shame that James wellbeloved has been taken over by Pedigree wonder how long it will be before they start adding non healthy extras.

[Novel]

It never takes long, many good foods have been bought out by large companies and it takes a few months and then the formulas start to change, Sigh...

[winterc0ld]

hi i`m fostering a 7yrs old papillion and i bought him ProPac Dog,Earthborn Holistic...and below is the ingredients pls advise thanks

Ingredients:Chicken Meal,Pearled Barley,Oatmeal,Potato Flour,Ground Brown Rice,Menhaden Fish Meal,Brewers Rice,Millet,Quinoa,Amaranth,Ground WHole Flaxseed,Canola Oil(preserved with mixed tocopherols,a source of natural Vitamin E, Natural Flavoring,Mednhaden Fish Oil,Lecithin,Yeast Culture,Dried Kelp,Alfalfa Leaf,Dried Blueberries,Dried Apples,Dried Carrots,Dried Peas,Dried Parsley,Dried Garlic,Yucca Schidigera Extract,Dried Chicory Root,Carotene,Potassium chloride,Choline Chloride,Salt,Vitamin E Supplement,Taurine,L-Lysine,DL-Methioine,Lactobacillus,Acideophilus,Lactobacillus Casei,Bifidobacterium Bifidum,Glucosesamine Hydrochloride,Chondroitin Sulfate,Calcium Carbonate,Zinc Oxide,Magnewium Proteinate,Copper Sulfate,Manganous Oxide,Niacin, D-Calcium,Pantothenic Acid,Vitamin A supplement,L-Carnitine, Vitamin B12 Supplement,ascorbic Acide,Ferrous Sulfate,Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex(source of Vitamin K activity),Biotin,Riboflavin(vitamin B2)Thiamine Hydrochloride(Vitamin B1),Calcium lodate,Pyridoxine,Hydrochloride(vitamin B6),Vitamin D3 Supplement,Folic Acid,Manganese Proteinate,Iron Proteinate,zinc Proteinate,Copper Proteinate

whew my hands are sore frm typin so much hope to hear frm ur advices soon

[Camz]

Originally Posted by kazkirkpatrick

Thank You Cass! Thats why I didnt reply to the "where does my food go" questions! I spent two hours on the list so people could learn how to make decisions themselves, not to do it for them!

I also dont want to appear grumpy, I just want to educate!

Greenleaf, the Fromm ingredient list I have says
#1) Poultry by products
#2) ground corn
#3) Poultry by products meal

which looks pretty ugly to me! I didnt get it from the website, but a compilation of doggy food ingredients, so maybe thats where the problem lies! Your list does look good, mine looks darn ugly

Ah, yet I dare to disagree!

Orchid is fed Fromm's Whitefish and Potato, and the first ingredient is "Whitefish" and the second ingredient is "Potato"
Plus, it contains many of your good ingredients, such as brown rice, brewers yeast, plus has probiotics.

Bearing that in mind, I'm very comfortable feeding Fromm's. Here is the rest of the ingredient list:
Ingredients:
Whitefish, Potato, Menhaden Fish Meal, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, Pearled Barley, Oatmeal, White Rice, Herring Meal, Whole Dried Egg, Millet, Dried Tomato Pomace, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Oat Hulls, Cheese, Flaxseed, Menhaden Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Apples, Lecithin, Potassium Chloride, Monosodium Phosphate, Calcium Sulfate, Cranberries, Blueberries, Salt, Monocalcium Phosphate, Chicory Root Extract, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Alfalfa Sprouts, Yucca Schidigera, Folic Acid, Whole Clove Garlic, Parsley, Chondroitin Sulfate, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Lactobacillus Salivarius, Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, D3, E, B12 Supplements, Choline Chloride, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Biotin, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sorbic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite.

[Camz]

Originally Posted by winterc0ld

hi i`m fostering a 7yrs old papillion and i bought him ProPac Dog,Earthborn Holistic...and below is the ingredients pls advise thanks

Ingredients:Chicken Meal,Pearled Barley,Oatmeal,Potato Flour,Ground Brown Rice,Menhaden Fish Meal,Brewers Rice,Millet,Quinoa,Amaranth,Ground WHole Flaxseed,Canola Oil(preserved with mixed tocopherols,a source of natural Vitamin E, Natural Flavoring,Mednhaden Fish Oil,Lecithin,Yeast Culture,Dried Kelp,Alfalfa Leaf,Dried Blueberries,Dried Apples,Dried Carrots,Dried Peas,Dried Parsley,Dried Garlic,Yucca Schidigera Extract,Dried Chicory Root,Carotene,Potassium chloride,Choline Chloride,Salt,Vitamin E Supplement,Taurine,L-Lysine,DL-Methioine,Lactobacillus,Acideophilus,Lactobacillus Casei,Bifidobacterium Bifidum,Glucosesamine Hydrochloride,Chondroitin Sulfate,Calcium Carbonate,Zinc Oxide,Magnewium Proteinate,Copper Sulfate,Manganous Oxide,Niacin, D-Calcium,Pantothenic Acid,Vitamin A supplement,L-Carnitine, Vitamin B12 Supplement,ascorbic Acide,Ferrous Sulfate,Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex(source of Vitamin K activity),Biotin,Riboflavin(vitamin B2)Thiamine Hydrochloride(Vitamin B1),Calcium lodate,Pyridoxine,Hydrochloride(vitamin B6),Vitamin D3 Supplement,Folic Acid,Manganese Proteinate,Iron Proteinate,zinc Proteinate,Copper Proteinate

whew my hands are sore frm typin so much hope to hear frm ur advices soon

Well, the first ingredient is chicken meal. That's probably not a great sign. Also, potato flour is just a cheap source of carbs.

However, it does have some ingredients that do look good, such as the pearled barley, and the dried blue berries (you should never feed a dog real blue berries, though)

[Camz]

Curious to see how you feel about it. I found it on: http://pets.families.com/blog/grade-your-dog-food

1. For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points for being sketchy!
2. For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points for being sketchy!
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 for being sketchy!
5. If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's 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 3 points
9. If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
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 isn't allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14. If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't 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 "beef" 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

Grading:

* 94-100+ = A
* 86-93 = B
* 78-85 = C
* 70-77 = D
* 69 = F