Pet owners I have a question about dog food

[jerenaud]

We feed the Costco Kirkland brand to our Danes, and have had great results. It's very highly rated and is much less expensive then some of the brands we've tried in the past.

When researching foods, you want to be sure to make sure that the protein is the first ingredient listed, and the food doesn't contain fillers and known allergens such as corn. Make sure a SPECIFIC protein is listed. Anything that just says "meat" can contain anything from roadkill to euthanized pets. Google the article "foods pet die for" for more information about the pet food industry. And don't do it before lunch!

When we first got one of our dogs, she had constant diarrhea. We put her on a raw diet, which helped immensely but wasn't cheap and wasn't terribly practical with young kids. So eventually we switched to Origen (made in Alberta with local , human grade meat sources making up 70 % of the content and fruits/ veg. making up 30%). She did wonderfully. When we got our 2nd dog we couldn't afford to stay with Origen and switched to Acana (made by the same company - www.championpetfoods.com - , similar proportions of quality ingredients, including 55% meat, but there are some grains) and they're both doing well. We believe that the corn and pork in regular dog food was bothering her stomach.

I really believe that teh quality of the food makes a difference. Good luck finding one that works for you! (The website lists stores throughout Canada and the US as well as an international link - it's not just available locally)

Erica

 

[GeorgiaPeach8]

My parents and my BFF both take their dogs to Petsmart vet clinic. Six dogs between the two of them. Mostly small purebreeds to medium mixes. All six dogs have been diagnoised by Petsmart as needing some type of speciality food--that is a pretty big coincidence. My Mom finally took her Yorkie of the vet recommended food and put her an off the shelf food just because every time she went to get speciality food the vet was out or she had to wait 20 or 20 minutes to be waited on. My BFF has taken a couple of her dogs off as well.

ITA that vets don't seem to know much about the various foods. Any vet we've had has always asked what food we were feeding but never had anything particularly enlightening to say on the topic.

Two questions--1) does anybody know a good food for diabetic dogs??
2) What do you guys think of ProPlan shredded chicken and rice?

 

[JessicaR]

We feed Solid Gold. My female had allergy issues so she gets Solid Gold Holistique Blendz. My male gets Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken.

If you go to your local pet store they usually have sample sizes they can give you.

We tried Wellness for a while but my dogs didnt love it.

I have read very good things about Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul.

 

[hiwaygal]

Two questions--1) does anybody know a good food for diabetic dogs??
2) What do you guys think of ProPlan shredded chicken and rice?

My basenji is diabetic and hypothyroid. She is also prone to pancreatitis so I'm very cautious about what I will feed her.

She gets Wellness weight management dry and Hi-Tor Reduso diet canned. She's been doing very well on that mix for quite awhile and I'll keep her on it as long as I can. I do supplement every now and then with rice, broth, green beans, pumpkin, carrots, and some other things...always mindful of her sensitivity to fats and calories.

I asked the folks at Wellness for their recommendation and they suggested their CORE products. I may decide to try those as the Hi-Tor is getting hard to find.

One thing about Wellness (and a very few other brands) they were not affected at all by the mass dog food recall of last year!

Also, you might want to check out the Canine Diabetes message board for other input and ideas!

 

[Aisling]

Locally we get very few choices. Among what's available, we have settled for Royal Canin's Poodle formula and Cesar. That's because they are the only ones Mia would actually eat. Any dirt on those?

My dog gets Royal Canin, and he's very healthy and has a great coat!

 

[hellokitty86]

We feed Ruby Wellness at my vet's recommendation. She has a sensitive tummy and is prone to pancreatitis and the vet said this was the best brand for her.

Ruby loves it, and she hasn't had any episodes since we've started her on it. They sell it at Whole Foods & PetCo.

 

[Disneychix]

My beloved dog suffers frequent urinary tract infections. Several years ago she'd formed crystals in the urine. Rather than have her condition lead to developing stones, I took the vet's advice and feed her a special food I buy from the clinic. It is pricey but my dog's so worth it. I hope it decreases costs in other areas as a result. She does still get UTIs--but no bladder stones (and therefore no surgery)--but her health is undoubtedly aggravated by her allergies.

As a disclaimer, the vet and I are friends. He has heard frequently how expensive I think veterinary care is but he's an associate, not the owner. However, I also listen to his viewpoint that veterinarians have the same underlying medical preparation as human physicians, both at significant expense. He also points out that prices build in the expense of maintaining an office and staff.

If I were to get another dog in the future, I think I'd investigate the cost of pet insurance.


.

We had an issue with stones in our pug. Our other dog (JRT) had UTI issues (we can't win!) and we choose to put her on the special Vet food too. We use Royal Canine Urinary ISO. They just raised the price to $45 for the 15lb bag but since we have 2 small dogs that lasts us about 5 weeks.
Every once in awhile I get fed up and think I'll just go buy some purina but then I think of all that money we spent for 2 rounds of bladder stones and I'll pay the $45 per month!

 

[daisax]

I want to second (or third) the advice about avoiding Science Diet. In our breed rescue, there's a certain kind of coat -- dull, washed out, almost straw-like, that is almost inevitably traced to a dog eating one of two brands -- Dog Chow or Science Diet. Amazing, isn't it, considering the price differential?

Feed those same dogs a GOOD food and they often end up having a deep, rich red coat -- a coat the Science Diet had turned MANILA!

 

[Iott Family]

Thank you so much! I did not realise how mcuh harm I was doing to my pets!
I will be heading to petco/petsmart tomorrow to look see over the labeling and picking a much higher quality of food for our Luke.

BTW, Luke is a mixed breed mutt. He is ****zu/aussie mixed and looks like a ****zu with a multi colored coat. Of course he is only 4 months old so I expect his coat to change some yet.

And no we do not feed his food treats. He is rewarded with praise, affection and chews on his squeaky for biting entertainment! LOL....all night long in his kennel you can hear him squeak squeaking!

 

[Maridw]

One dog eats the Solid Gold Wolf King for large breeds.

The other eats Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit for small dogs.

We have been using so many different ones trying to find the perfect fit. Honestly better food besides being better for the dog means smaller poop! they are using more of what's in the food.
So I rationalize it that way.
I check out Dog food analysis
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

Iams is rated only 1 star. (full of fillers)

Solid Gold is a 4 star product. I try to stay in the 4 star or better. We used to use Evanger's Pheasant and Wild rice but that's hard to find(it's a 5 star rated) I do buy it when I can find it - at the agway. But the dogs seem ok with either one. My little one has trouble with the Evangers because the kibble is too large for her.

That being said back in the day before "specialty dog food" We fed our English Bulldog Purina One lamb and rice(a one star rating). He lived a long and heathy life. (14 years old when he passed away miss you Harry)

We used this website to pick a brand of dog food for our new dog. We use the Wellness Core. It is a bit pricey, but our dog loves it. We had tried Beneful and she would not eat it. She does not like anything with beef. Will eat anything else, but doesn't even eat beef dog treats. They have to be turkey or chicken or some other flavor for her to eat them.

Since she has been on the Wellness Core, she has never had any diarrhea. She was also having these "fainting type spells" and those have dropped to one maybe once a month.

 

[daisax]

Too MUCH food can also cause diarrhea in puppies.

 

[Iott Family]

Ok, I ran over to Speck's Pet Supply and looked over all they offered and thought I would try the Wellness brand Super5Mix for puppys. The first 5 ingredients are deboned chicken,chicken meal, oatmeal, ground turkey and ground barley. It is listed as a 4star on the dog food review site I also picked up a small pack of treats by Canidae because I felt bad that he has been having so many upsets because I was feeding him garbage. The store also carries a small array of canidae food so if he isnt keen on this wellness brand I will give that a try.

Again, thank you!

 

[Iott Family]

Ok, two days of the new food and no upset tummy for our guy. He is doing good!

 

[damo]

We use Wellness Core. It is grain free and both our dogs tolerate it very well. We used Wellness puppy for the first year and were very pleased with it.

 

[IDoDis]

Thank you so much! I did not realise how mcuh harm I was doing to my pets!
I will be heading to petco/petsmart tomorrow to look see over the labeling and picking a much higher quality of food for our Luke.

BTW, Luke is a mixed breed mutt. He is ****zu/aussie mixed and looks like a ****zu with a multi colored coat. Of course he is only 4 months old so I expect his coat to change some yet.

And no we do not feed his food treats. He is rewarded with praise, affection and chews on his squeaky for biting entertainment! LOL....all night long in his kennel you can hear him squeak squeaking!

Petsmart doesn't carry the top brands of dog food. You'll find the Science Diet & Nutro there, but not the good stuff that you are reading about on dogfoodanalysis. You will have to shop elsewhere.

 

[disneycruising]

Glad to hear he is doing better on the new food.

 

[hellokitty86]

So glad he is doing good on the Wellness!! Ruby loves it too. Be on the look out for coupons too, I've found some at the bottom of the bag before.