What do you feed your dog?

[Shelly]

I have been feeding our puppy Nutrience Junior for small breeds since finding out the food he was on (Purina puppy chow) wasn't very good for him. Now it seems a lot of you think Nutrience isn't very good either Should I switch him to one of the Nutro foods?

[Sheriffmom]

We feed Sheriff 1/3cup of soaked Science diet (we used to use Natural Balance, but it seems he dev. an allergy) We then add a level tsp of natural Yoghurt, 1tbls of cottage cheese 1%, 2 heap tbsp of organic babyfood (either chicken stew, chicken cassarole or Turkey stew), and finally some cooked chicken. It seems to have REALLY helped his digestive problems (he was hospitalized at 5mos for dehydration due to uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea... they were giving him injections of an anti-nausea and Immodium and even that wasn't helping ) The Vet thinks it may have been a combo of allergy to food, and colitis. But every test they did came back norm... so we are still not sure exactly what was wrong.
Anyway, even after all that he still had very soft stool, and we couldn't seem to get his bowels normal. I researched, and researched, and finally found this idea. We talked with the Vet and he said try it. His coat, his bowel movements, his energy, really everything has dramatically improved. The Vet says he looks healthier, and his weight is maintaining perfectly!
We are very happy with this new combo of food!!

[sue fox]

Hats off to all of you who feed the raw diet!! When I researched it definitely sounds like a great way to go. Myself with busy schedule and such just can't fit it in. And again it will all depend on the type of dog. As I mentioned before my dog is a Wheaten Terrier and a little sensitive. Just my opinion too GSD. Glad for all the info though!! It's great to have such a debate about this. Really when I researched there are a lot of sites and a lot of different opinions. But it's been great to read all these posts. I think whatever fits your dog, works for him/her is great. I just wanted to stay away from the additives, corn, soy and wheat and with Nutro Natural Balance Scottie is happy. Oh I forgot we also add a little Perforatrin can each night. We free feed too but add the can(3tbls) at 3:00 each aft. which is his biggest meal. As to slow, or immediate switch again it depends on your pref. and the dog able to handle the change, and of course your vets advice. I only know from my last experiences with 3 other dogs and things have definitely changed in knowledge!! I'm certainly learning a lot this time around. Thanks for all the great info. Keep them coming!!
Sue

[GsdDiamond]

Hey, it's all good!
We're all here for the best interests of our pets, whatever we feed them!!

I, too, like a good debate.

(see kids, it CAN be done without name calling and belittling each other!!)

Now, how about that group hug?

[heidiho]

Solid Gold Hunchenflaken has my vote............I must say thouhgt when i was growing up our dachshund got good ole regular food he livedfor a long time and was a healthy dog...........

[sue fox]

Hey!! I'm in for the group HUG And always in for a GREAT DEBATE!!

[heeler's rock!]

Yeah, raw has been AMAZING for my dogs. It doesn't that long prep wise, it's just long to deforst and such. We went and bought a deep freeze just for their raw food. I try to stock up if I have extra cash, which isn't very often!! It's worth the trouble though. The results have been awesome! As I said though, it's not for everyone. One lady said to me that she read somewhere that if dogs eat raw food, they are more likely to hunt small animals, because they get the taste of blood!! I was LMAO after that conversation! How naieve can people be? My hubby's family's mal has never eaten anything but kibble, and he hunts mice, cats, and killed our first bunny. He just has a strong prey drive. DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ PEOPLE!!!

As for Purina and Pedigree and those brands of food, they really are full of stuff that's just not good for a dogs digestive system. Dogs digestive tracts are not designed to digest fillers like corn, or unnatural sugars. In the case of dog food, the better the food, the more expensive it is, unfortunately. I would highly consider swithching your pup to a better quality food. Holistic is the best choice as all the ingredients are natural and they don't use nearly as many, if any, fillers. The fact that your pup is eating 6 cups a day, that says it all! Even if your pup is a Great Dane, they should only need 2 1/2 cups per feeding, max and that's as a puppy! Your vet may not have said anything because they might sell the dog food there. My vet's were always pushing me to by Prescription Hill, which is the same as Science Diet. The better the food, the less they eat which means you save money, and the less they poop. Any of the brands listed in pitbulliest's "good food" list are fine. I have to say my top 3 choices would be Solid Gold, Nutro, and Wellness, in no particular order.

Uh oh!! I feed my dog Pedigree Healthy Vitality. Should I really consider switching his food? I used to feed him Pro-Plan, but it was getting to costly so I switched to Pedigree. He has arthritis and gets a Hydrochloride Glucosamine(sodium free) pill twice a day (1500mg total). I tried him on Lamb and Rice Pro-Plan, but he had alot of gas! Sometimes price doesn't always mean a better dog food. He enjoys his food and eats 6 cups or less a day. My vet hasn't told me about switching to a better food and she WOULD tell me if she didn't think it was good for him. What do you all suggest??

[Mom_Of_Two_Dogs]

I feed my Scottie and my Shiba on Holistic Blend (chicken). They were previously on Nutro and Preformatrin, and I think they're much doing better on this food. Hamish's skin is better, and Suki's previously runny eyes have cleared up a lot. This food contains human standard ingrediants, which are organically grown and humanely slaughtered -- sounds better than the food I get!

[goldenblaze]

Originally Posted by GunnerX

We've talked with the owner of our local Global Pet Foods and we were informed that unlike other grocery store brands, Nutro does not add in the entire corn. Instead, they actually separate the kernels from the cob. It was actually one of the brands that they recommend.

I feed Nutro puppy and there is no corn at all...... what Nutro do you feed with corn?

[Writing4Fun]

I just bought a bag of Nutro Natural Choice - Large Breed Puppy, and I'm thinking it's the last bag I'm going to buy (can you say gassy?? ). Here are the first five ingredients:
Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Rice Flour
Has anyone tried the Actrium brand from WalMart? I think the ingredients are comparable to Nutro. Someone mentioned that the Kirkland brand from Costco is actually very good and made by another top quality manufacturer. Only problem is they don't have a large breed puppy formula at my Costco. Does Actrium fall into the same mold?

[Cflat]

Nutro Natural choice Kitten, Senior Dog and adult dog here.
The list pitbulliest gave is pretty good with the super super premiums in my opinion on it. I can't afford Canidae or Wellness or I would try/feed them.

[sue fox]

The Nutro Natural Choice Puppy that I feed Scottie has no corn, wheat, soy. It's Lamb and Rice, do you think the Large Breed just has the fillers? I didn't know there would be a different one for med. to lrg. breeds. I guess that would be for their rapid growth? I didn't really pay attention to that as my vet said "research it and try lamb/rice as easier on the digestion, also to look for calcium content" Which with Nutro was higher than some of the others. Scottie only eats about 1 1/2 to 2cups per day total with the Performatrin can. He's 15lbs now and isn't pooping like crazy like he was with the ProPlan, yuck
I agree about the Science Diet which is Hills brand(I think) we had looked at those too and it too is full of fillers.
Wish I had looked into all of this before for our first Wheaten maybe she wouldn't have been stricken with cancer sooooo young.
Anyway have a great Thanks giving everyone!!
Sue

[pitbulliest]

Just to clarify...about Nutro..I'm not sure whether or not there are different kinds..or..different lines of the food, but the one I looked up was pretty lousy..I guess maybe the one you are all referring to is a holistic or natural line of Nutro..that's very possible..

...someone asked about the Pedigree? I would definately consider switching...it has too many additives, chemicals, and hormones in it..just not a healthy choice for your dog...as for Nutrience...yes someone mentioned it was made by Hagen..yup you're right it is...and like I said, I personally WOULD NOT feed my dog any of those brands.

Waggie. If your dogs are really active, you could start with any of those brands really. They are all holistic and contain good, human grade sources of protein for active dogs. Not to mention, the Wellness, and some of the other brands (I don't remember which ones from the top of my head) have blueberries and other fruit, which are a great energy booster and antioxidant...so it would be great for an active dog. Notice that with the "better" brands, the amount you feed your dog decreases? So its, say, 2 cups instead of 3...and so on? It really makes a difference...so back to your question..

I would start off with Wellness, just because I have more experience with that food than all the others. You'll definately notice a difference in your dog's coats...alot shinnier, thicker, less shedding...no smell..MY DOG DOESN'T SMELL! lol...
There are 3 main varieties with the Wellness:
Fish and Sweet Potatoe
Chicken
and Lamb..
it all depends on what your dogs like..mine personally aren't that crazy about the chicken...but they love the fish..moreso than the lamb...and lamb is a little higher in fat so you might want to consider that as well..but if you say your dogs are quite active, then its not a problem. I tend to rotate between the three since no dog wants to eat the same thing for the rest of their lives..

I noticed Messina getting a little tubbier from the food..because it is quite rich...if you ever have that problem..well you know what to..increase exercise, OR lower the amount of food give, OR switch to the Wellness "lite"...

Hope that my rumbling on and on answered some of your guys' questions

[Sheriffmom]

Just a quick question.... We were originally feeding Sheriff with Natural Balance (no perservatives etc...) this is the brand our breeder recommended. After Sheriff got sick though, we switched (as the vet said he probably had an allergy, and the fact Natural Balance doesn't make a puppy food, or any other size/age specific food). We asked the Vet what he recommended and he gave us a list of 4. We asked him to just tell us what to buy, what his opinion was on which was best. He told us to go with Science diet med. breed puppy. Why is it that Science Diet is so bad? (The vet doesn't sell it in his clinic either... they only sell Med-cal) Why would a vet recommend a sub-standard food? Sheriff has definetly improved since we started adding the SD into his mix, instead of the Natural Balance.
I really want to be feeding Sheriff the healthiest possible food, and am wondering what makes Science Diet so bad. (Honestly looking for opinons... not trying to stir any pots )

[pitbulliest]

About science diet..the most obvious reasons about why its definately "down there"...to start off with, it contains BHA and BHT as a preservative..which is a big no no...its definately not a good thing...and good quality dog foods do not use BHA as a preservative..so your vet lied when he told you it contained no junk in it...BHA has been proven to cause cancer as far as I remember reading...

Second of all..science diet contains corn, soybean meal, and peanut hulls. Corn is not the greatest thing to be feeding your dog...and soybean is known to cause some severe allergies in dogs..not to mention, large amounts of it have been found toxic...peanut hulls..well...lol I think that one speaks for itself...

Third of all, it doesn't contain any chelated minerals, probiotics, or good sources of antioxidants (veggies)..which make the food, in my opinion, pretty pointless...

Here's a part of an article about dog food ingredients that I found quite interesting..surprisingly..these chemicals/additives are found in alot of brands of dog food:

"The salt content of many pet foods can be as high as 1000 times more salt than what your pet needs in one day. The excess salt can cause high blood pressure and heart disease in animals. Epilepsy is now more common in dogs than in humans. Semi-moist pet food usually contain as much as 25% sugar which can come in many forms such as sucrose, corn syrup, beet pulp, and caramel to name a few. Other foods can contain up to 10% propylene glycol. Both sugar and propylene glycol are linked to obesity, allergies, tooth decay and other problems like forms cancer. Propylene glycol sister ethylene glycol is used in the making of anti-freeze and to think it's in the food we feed our pets. Once again, our foods like common salad dressings contain propylene glycol also (just read the label). A relatively new ingredient in pet food is ethoxyquin which has been implicated with thyroid problems, hair loss and reproductive disorders. A component of ethoxyquin - quinoline - is regarded by some in the scientific community as the ultimate carcinogen. Ethoxyquin is made by Monsanto, the same company that makes the lawn pesticide known as Roundup, the Bovine Growth Hormone and Monsanto also makes the chemicals sprayed onto new carpets. Ethoxyquin which was originally created as a rubber hardener has also been used as a pesticide and at one point was deemed 'harmful and deleterious', but in 1958, Monsanto had its lobbyists influence politicians. The result was Monsanto had the laws changed. Monsanto must have had good lobbyists because in order to get the laws changed, it took an Act of Congress known as 'The Food Additive Amendment of 1958'. This ammendment was passed making the words in the law say that exthoxyquin was safe even though studies showed its toxicity! The real scary part about ethoxyquin is that it is undectable and so even though a label may not read it has ethoxyquin, it could be there."

[wAggie]

pitbulliest, thanx a bunch for bolding my name!! It's hard to notice w so many posts right now

I am VERY cautious of getting them onto Wellness. It seems to me as a complete fad - this veggie diet. ...

hmm, I've just checked out the ingredients:

Super5Mix® Chicken - Dry contains : Deboned Chicken, Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Rye Flour, Menhaden Fishmeal, Whitefish, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Millet, Canola Oil (preserved with Rosemary, Vitamin C & E), Flax Seed, Amaranth, Dried Peas, Dried Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Whole Apples, Whole Blueberries, Whole Clove Garlic, Alfalfa Leaf, Yucca Schidigera, Probiotics (Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Casei, Lactobacillus Acidophilus), Prebiotics (Inulin, Fructose), Glucosamine, Chondroitin Sulfate, Beta-Carotene, Potassium Chloride, Zinc Proteinate (a chelated source of Zinc), Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate (a chelated source of Copper), Copper Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate ( a chelated source of Manganese), Sodium Selenite, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid.

the bold, i'm not happy over.
the italicized is good
and the underlined... wtf?! do HUmans take in copper w their foods??

here's Lamb:
Lamb, Lamb Meal, White Fish, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Rye Flour, Ground Millet, Amaranth, Flax Seed, Canola Oil (preserved with Rosemary, Vitamin C & E), Dried Peas, Dried Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Whole Apples, Whole Blueberries, Whole Clove Garlic, Alfalfa Leaf, Yucca Schidigera, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Casei, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Chicory Extract, Glucosamine, Chondroitin Sulfate, Beta-Carotene, Potassium Chloride, Zinc Proteinate (a chelated source of Zinc), Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate (a chelated source of Copper), Copper Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate ( a chelated source of Manganese), Sodium Selenite, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid.

fish & potato:
White Fish, Ground Barley, Rye Flour, Menhaden Fish Meal, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Canola Oil (preserved with Rosemary, Vitamin C & E), Flax Seed, Beta-Carotene, Potassium Chloride, Zinc Proteinate (a chelated source of Zinc), Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate (a chelated source of Copper), Copper Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate ( a chelated source of Manganese), Sodium Selenite, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid.

this last one doesnt have the fruits and veggies.. but I HAVE heard that this mix is excellent for dogs w allergies..

HMM>.... thanx for the info, I'll plan to head out to the pet stores this wk, and do some more research

[Sheriffmom]

Thanks Pitbulliest.... I had no idea it contained those perservatives!! I have read about them, and wanted to avoid giving them to Sheriff, so when I didn't se them listed on the bag, I thought Science Diet didn't use them!! I am thinking strongly of switching his food.... I might wait though until it's time to get him off Puppy food and into adult food... simply because this is the first food that he's been on that doesn't give him diarrhea, it is also the first food he's been on that has not led to the Vet (for vomiting). He also has had more energy, and his coat has been much improved (this could all be attributed to the additives of baby food, cottage cheese, and Yoghurt though), but I am just worried that if we switch him again, he'll get sick again . But, I will think about it, you've made a strong case for us to switch. What do you guys think about us waiting until he goes to adult food? (He's 8.5ms now) I'd love to hear your guys suggestions... I really respect what most of you have to say, and would love to get your spin on it. (Especially due to his past medical probs)
Thanks in advance
Jess

[wAggie]

I checked out Nutro Natural Choice today at Pet Valu, and OMG, how gross!

I looked over Chicken, and Lamb ingredients and saw FAR too much "filler."

Eagle Pack did NOT look any better.

those two are definitely off my list in attempt to improve my dogs' diets.


this afternoon, we gave them chicken, potatoes, and penne, oh and some cooked califlower (left overs)

btw, isn't performatrim pet valu's brand name? noooooo thank u. that's not "high" quality food either.


my narrowed list now:

Timberwolf Organics
Wellness (by Old Mother Hubbard): unsure at this time
Wysong
Urban Wolf
Solid Gold: I'm most interested in this one right now
Canidae (this is borderline between good food and decent)
Innova (same opinion as Canidae)

[Shelly]

Hi, I was just wondering where you can buy Wellness or Solid Gold dog food in Canada? Particularly BC?

[wAggie]

I see Welness @ Super Pet, they highly recommand it.

[melanie]

i have said before that i use predigree, and i use the australian version which has many products with no corn, preservatives or addatives and contains lots of meats. dont rag out a company or entire brand, how about saying in canada or the USA, but not a generalisation. i consider myself a very well informed dog owner and have found some of the pedigree product in australia to be brilliant and i personally use them often and would reccomend them to anyone, i would not reccomend canadian or anything but these products have been great for us in australia and they are made in australia..

i also use a product called natures gift, aussie owned and made, no addatives or anything but meat and veges.

a new product is being advertised here, it is called optimum. i know several ppl using it and the first ingredient is corn, so fancy does not equate to quality. the price is also $10 for 3kg which is a joke if you ask me.

for us its either pedigree, natures gift or supercoat which is supported by Dr harry, the aussie celebraty vet.

[pitbulliest]

Hmm...alot of posts since I last checked..

Uhm..about performatrin...why did you say it was a bad food? I actually found it quite appealing...the ingredient chart I was checking out made me happy..lol so I dunno...

As for Eagle Pack..which line did you look at? It has to be the holistic premium...as Eagle Pack also carries just their regular line of food..which I agree..isn't that dandy..

The question about rice...and barley..and oats..or ...whatever was asked..those things are bad for your dog..most foods WILL contain some traces of those carbs...I feed my dog rice and its not a problem..I don't see why people freak out over it so much...barley is quite healthy as well..it aids in digestion and is used as an ingredient when feeding sick dogs with stomach problems...

Anyways...I guess everyone just has to look around and see whats best for your dogs.

[wAggie]

the day I adopted Chocolate from the scar. SPCA, we walked into the Pet Valu where the guy told me Performatrin was best for my pup. I only bought that one bag. for the life of me, I cannot recall what the ingredients were/are.. do you?

as for the Eagle Pack, yes, I was checking out the Holistics.

anyways, I can only feed my dogs so much pasta/potatos/rice. they need meat!! as do we.


this sounds to me as tho we may be beginning a discussion on the pros and cons of vegetarian foods... ??

[sue fox]

Again about the Nutro, I checked out the ingred. the other day and on the net. The Nutro Max contains all the fillers the Nutro Natural Choice does not with the exception of the Puppy Large Breed. Nutro does not contain all the extras like vegies and fruit but if you feed the treats with these and flax seed than doesn't that balance things out? Doesn't make sense but if you are including Rice as a filler I guess you're right. I'm thinking the wheat, corn, soy, preservatives are the NO NO's? Isn't this right? rice is better than wheat from all the research I've done. But I did look at Nutros treats and was VERY disappointed all the fillers were in there, no wonder they were so cheap!LOL! So the owner suggested the Wellness treats, the one with yogurt oatmeal apples bananas flax seed etc. Scottie just loves them sniffed the carpet for 5min afterwards But oH!!! The GAS Hopefully he just has to get used to them. I also checked out the Canadea(sp) snap biscuits and they contain all the fillers too. Guess I'll just stick with the dogsownpantry and Wellness.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We had our big doo yesterday at our house and Scottie just loved all the attention, I was very proud of him we had a few kids over and he was the perfect GENTLEman but is POOPED today

[sue fox]

Shelly Is there a PETVALUE in BC? If they don't have what you need they will order it. At least here in Southern Ont. they have offered to and they carry a lot of the holistic brands. Hope you find it.
Sue/Scottie
Soft coated Wheaten Terrier 18wks

[pitbulliest]

Originally Posted by Dinah

Newsflash

Commercial pet food companies must list on their food packages all preservatives, etc. that they use when producing same.

Commercial pet food companies do NOT have to list on their food packages any preservatives, etc. contained in products they buy from their suppliers. Point being, their suppliers could be using God knows what to preserve products they sell to pet food companies.

Your sarcasm and rudeness never ceases to amaze me...I've heard alot of people complain about your sarcasm and snotty attitude in different posts..we're having a discussion about dog food..I don't know what you're trying to do here.

Although you're right about certain preservatives not showing up on ingredient lists..you'll find which companies use BHA or BHT on the internet...just by reading the basic ingredients, its really not that difficult to figure it out...usually takes most people some COMMON SENSE. if its NOT hormone free, it won't say its hormone free...not to mention, certain holistic brand companies have their livestock that is used in the food...Wellness is my primary example...have you ever personally been to any of their food processing plants?

Anyways..here's another link about natural pet food for anyone that wants to read up on it some more:
http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/natural.html

Do some research..its not that difficult to figure out which foods are crap and which aren't..most people in here get the hang of it..and none of us are arguing..we're just sharing information to help one another make the best decisions for our dogs..I don't understand why you need to bring your rude attitude into it.

[sue fox]

Gee I'm not sure how to respond to you two

[heidiho]

I understand feeding your dog the best food possible,but i do know plenty of people who cant and there dogs are healthy happy dogs also....My mothers dog lived til 13 and ate one of those regular brands of dog food,and he wasnt always at the vet for problems....Just my opinion.......

[Shelly]

What is the difference between the ground corn and corn meal? Which one is the better of the two?

[wAggie]

i would presume it's ground corn.

kinda like the difference bc ground chicken or chicken meal.

"meal" consists of all and any part of the chicken. kinda like mcdonalds meat