Dog Food Recs.

[Laurajean1014]

Tucker, my 3 yo golden eats WELLNESS it's a holistic balanced dry food and he loves it. They have a Super Mix designed for puppies and even have a great line for older dogs.

Here's some info: http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I have a dog with a sensitive tummy - Natural balance was too much for him. I switched him to Ca Natural lamb and rice and he does better but still VERY gassy. My vet (I see a holistic vet who does NOT buy the Science Diet, Purina, etc marketing speels and would never recommend them) suggested to put him on a digestive enzyme as well. She said that CA Natural is one of the less "rich" foods there are so it'd be better to try that then try to find another grainy food.

The junk brands are not an option IMO so we have stuck with this and will add an enzyme. If that doesn't work, I may try Eagle Pack or Flint River to see how that fares with him.

=)

Where in Texas are you? I'd like the information on your vet, if you're in my area.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Where in Texas are you? I'd like the information on your vet, if you're in my area.

I'm in Ft Worth - but I found her through http://www.ahvma.org. I just called and did a mini-interview before making an initial visit just to make sure she was the kind of vet I wanted.

I think that Critter Advocacy is in Houston, though. I use their site for vaccination information. http://critteradvocacy.org/About Us I don't overvaccinate my boys so I get good information on their site and then talk to my vet about it. They sound like a great organization if they see animals on a regular basis.

 

[SUSIEQ]

Tucker, my 3 yo golden eats WELLNESS it's a holistic balanced dry food and he loves it. They have a Super Mix designed for puppies and even have a great line for older dogs.

Here's some info: http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/

That's what I buy also. My vet suggested the Fish & Sweet Potato formula for allergies. My dog loves it!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I'm in Ft Worth - but I found her through http://www.ahvma.org. I just called and did a mini-interview before making an initial visit just to make sure she was the kind of vet I wanted.

I think that Critter Advocacy is in Houston, though. I use their site for vaccination information. http://critteradvocacy.org/About Us I don't overvaccinate my boys so I get good information on their site and then talk to my vet about it. They sound like a great organization if they see animals on a regular basis.

I'll check that link out! Thanks!

 

[FreshTressa]

We use the old mother hubbard treats....did not know they made a food.

maybe we will try that...he does well with those treats.

He also likes the bil-jac treats.

 

[FreshTressa]

Hmm, Wellness has only 8% protein while Flint river has 32%

 

[SUSIEQ]

BTW - Costco food is made by one of the upper end dog foods, I believe Diamond. Although Diamond had a huge recall recently, for the most part they have been a high quality food.

This is scary about Costco dog food, considering all the dogs who got sick and/or died from Diamond dog food recently!

 

[SUSIEQ]

Hmm, Wellness has only 8% protein while Flint river has 32%

Are you looking at the canned food or the dry food on the Wellness site?

 

[labdogs42]

This is scary about Costco dog food, considering all the dogs who got sick and/or died from Diamond dog food recently!

Diamond food is a reputable brand who got a bad batch of grains from their supplier. They did the right thing and notified the public when they were aware of the situation. The dog did not get sick or die because it isn't a good food, it was because of a faulty test result provided by their supplier.

 

[hiwaygal]

One thing I just want to mention (although I'm guessing most of you know this by now)...when you switch your dog's food you should do it VERY gradually.

Changing it daily, or suddenly will cause many dogs to have tummy problems (vomiting, gas, etc.).

So, when you are ready to change, keep some of the old food handy for a few weeks, even if it's not the best!

 

[Pugdog007]

Ok I searched 14 pages to find this thread and update.

I spent my entire lunch hour today comparing the ingredients of premium foods at Pet Supplies Plus. I compared the following:

Chicken Soup
Natural Balance
Solid Gold
Innova
Wellness

I walked out with a bag of the Wellness Super 5 Mix. The first 2 lines of ingredients included oatmeal, whole sweet potatos, peas, carrots, whole apples & whole blueberries. No by-products, corn, grains or white rice. No additives or preservatives or animal fats. If I were a dog, this is the food I would want.

 

[TheRatPack]

Ok I searched 14 pages to find this thread and update.

I spent my entire lunch hour today comparing the ingredients of premium foods at Pet Supplies Plus. I compared the following:

Chicken Soup
Natural Balance
Solid Gold
Innova
Wellness

I walked out with a bag of the Wellness Super 5 Mix. The first 2 lines of ingredients included oatmeal, whole sweet potatos, peas, carrots, whole apples & whole blueberries. No by-products, corn, grains or white rice. No additives or preservatives or animal fats. If I were a dog, this is the food I would want.

LOL, um if you were a dog you would want meat Most dog foods aren't supposed to sound good to us, they are domesticated wild animals.....they like meat. I buy the Natural Balance regular for my Dachshund and the Duck and Potato for my Yorkie and my fosters that come through, since it's easy on tummies. I also buy the beef rolls though, which are beef heart, liver....etc all crammed together and I slice it off in disc and then chop it in to little bite size treats that I keep in the fridge. They make great training treats too if you make them tiny bites.

 

[Pugdog007]

LOL, um if you were a dog you would want meat Most dog foods aren't supposed to sound good to us, they are domesticated wild animals.....they like meat. I buy the Natural Balance regular for my Dachshund and the Duck and Potato for my Yorkie and my fosters that come through, since it's easy on tummies. I also buy the beef rolls though, which are beef heart, liver....etc all crammed together and I slice it off in disc and then chop it in to little bite size treats that I keep in the fridge. They make great training treats too if you make them tiny bites.

Sorry. I didn't mention that the first ingredients are lamb & fish. Protein 22%. Mine love raw carrots and eat them for treats. Regardless, I'd much rather feed my pets human-grade foods such as fruits & vegetables than corn filler & grains.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Ok I searched 14 pages to find this thread and update.

I spent my entire lunch hour today comparing the ingredients of premium foods at Pet Supplies Plus. I compared the following:

Chicken Soup
Natural Balance
Solid Gold
Innova
Wellness

I walked out with a bag of the Wellness Super 5 Mix. The first 2 lines of ingredients included oatmeal, whole sweet potatos, peas, carrots, whole apples & whole blueberries. No by-products, corn, grains or white rice. No additives or preservatives or animal fats. If I were a dog, this is the food I would want.

I wish I had a store with Wellness or Solid Gold - I'd try them both. Innova is too rich for one of mine but my other might do well on it.

I like to switch their food around some - the pet food companies will tell you that's a bad thing (duh! they want you to be a customer for life!) but nutritionists believe that switching foods on occasion ensures they get solid nutrition - since there is no perfect food.

Glad you found some! I hope it works well!

 

[Banshee]

It is funny we just had our Labs to the Vet for their annual check up. I have fed science diet for 15 years now and have loved it! It always seemed more readily absorbed and small stools. Well I noticed that they were getting a little on the chunky side even though our male Tex is very High Drive hunting retriever and has several titles for field champion. And our girl Annie who is 14 months is on her way to her own titles so they are Very active! When I asked the Vet she said what are you feeding them again? And I told her Science Diet. She said Ooohhh. And I said WHAT?? Well science diet was sold about two years ago and if you look at the ingredients now the first ingredient is CORN!! No wonder they were getting chunky! She showed me several bags to compare ingredients and suggested Proplan or Nutramax. She said a Dog food does not need to be expensive to be good. Just consult your vet and really examine the labels go to petco or petsmart and compare the labels of several different foods. And you know what they say "if it aint broke dont fix it!" If your baby is doing good on pro plan then leave him on it!

 

[Pugdog007]

I wish I had a store with Wellness or Solid Gold - I'd try them both. Innova is too rich for one of mine but my other might do well on it.

I like to switch their food around some - the pet food companies will tell you that's a bad thing (duh! they want you to be a customer for life!) but nutritionists believe that switching foods on occasion ensures they get solid nutrition - since there is no perfect food.

Glad you found some! I hope it works well!

Pet Supplies Plus just started carrying Solid Gold. Many people in rescue rave about Solid Gold... and I was drawn to it initially because of this. It has blueberries in it. But once I started comparing labels, I was drawn to Wellness. Chicken Soup also looked like a good one and contains peas, carrots, apples & potatoes. But one of the first ingredients was white rice, and I'm a little uneasy about buying it because it is made by Diamond.

I've dealt with all kinds of medical problems with mine (they are all rescues) including mast cell tumors, liver shunt, kidney problems, bladder stones, you name it and I've probably dealt with it. If not me, someone in our rescue organization has dealt with it. Anything I can do that may ward off health problems or at least keep them at bay... I'm willing to do and buying the best food I can find is one of those things.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

LOL, um if you were a dog you would want meat Most dog foods aren't supposed to sound good to us, they are domesticated wild animals.....they like meat.

Tell that to my knucklehead! When I was BARFing her, her favorite meal would be her canned Mackerel days.

But, oh, the breath and the farts!

I did it for the nutrients, but I couldn't stay in the same room with her! She'd see me with that can opener though, and she was almost on her hind legs with joy!

 

[Aimeedyan]

Pet Supplies Plus just started carrying Solid Gold. Many people in rescue rave about Solid Gold... and I was drawn to it initially because of this. It has blueberries in it. But once I started comparing labels, I was drawn to Wellness. Chicken Soup also looked like a good one and contains peas, carrots, apples & potatoes. But one of the first ingredients was white rice, and I'm a little uneasy about buying it because it is made by Diamond.

I've dealt with all kinds of medical problems with mine (they are all rescues) including mast cell tumors, liver shunt, kidney problems, bladder stones, you name it and I've probably dealt with it. If not me, someone in our rescue organization has dealt with it. Anything I can do that may ward off health problems or at least keep them at bay... I'm willing to do and buying the best food I can find is one of those things.

I've looked at Chicken Soup at a feed store and it looked okay - certainly better than the junk at PetsMart - but Natural Balance was cheaper and a step up, IMO.

It's amazing what GOOD food can do - I wish some people understood that but I'm slowly making converts =)