puppy food?

[RachaelA]

Here's what dogfoodanalysis says about science diet food's (and this probably is the same for Purina and Iams):

*Note this is one of Science Diet's food that has corn listed as the fourth ingredient not first*

The first ingredient is a named meat product, in meal form. This is the sole meat product in the food.


The primary grain is wheat. The use of wheat is a significant negative: wheat is believed to be the number one cause of allergy problems in dog food. This is another ingredient we prefer not to see used at all in dog food.


Corn gluten meal is another low quality ingredient. Corn is a problematic grain that is difficult for dogs to digest and thought to be the cause of a great many allergy and yeast infection problems. We prefer not to see this used in dog food. The AAFCO definition of corn gluten meal is "the dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of corn starch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm". In plain English, that which remains after all the nutritious bits have been removed.


The fourth ingredient is brewers rice which is a low quality grain and by-product. Rice flour, the fifth ingredient, is a grain fragment and filler.


Barley is a decent quality grain, but with five grains following the meat product, this starts to look like a very grain heavy food.


This is why its rated the lowest level at 1 star because its all filler and unnecessary grains. Why spend so much money on something that is giving your dog stuff it doesn't need?

My parents had been feeding their dogs Science Diet for years and thought it was awesome because their dogs were fine and didn't have health problems, but that still doesn't mean its a good food. I feed my dog Science Diet too when we first got her. Now I just feel better knowing I feed my dog something healthy. I equate a not so great dog food to fast food. Its not healthy to eat it everyday so why would I make my dog eat a bad food daily.

I'll get down off my soapbox now

 

[digitalsiren]

You should feed your puppy food labelled "for growth" until about 1 year of age. Just like our children have different nutritional requirements from us, puppies do from adult dogs as well. Among other nutritional differences they need more vitamins and fat than adults. When your puppy is ready to switch over to adult food, find a food that is labelled "for maintenance." This means the food has either been "tested" (recommended) or "formulated" to meet, but not exceed, an adult dogs nutritional requirements.

I would not recommend getting a food that is labelled for "all life stages." This means that a food must meet the nutritional requirements of both puppies and adults and that you can feed it from "womb to tomb." Imagine if we were to eat the same as our children do for our whole lifetime. Having too much of anything for an extended period can cause health problems like obesity, kidney problems or bladder stones. The AAFCO statement that is on the pet food label will indicate whether or not the food is life staged for "growth", "maintenance" or for "all life stages."

As far as science diet goes, I do feed my dog that as they have life-staged foods that are tested, not formulated. I also blend in T/D (to keep her teeth clean - 3 years later they are still pearly white!) and IVD venison/potato. Corn is not a filler as it does provide nutritional value such as fiber, carbs and protein so I find that it has no basis in my selection of a food. As far as I know most veterinarians have a money back guarentee if you are at all unpleased with science diet food. Since this is on the budget forum, Hill's is doing a lot of rebates and coupons.
Here are the websites:
Nature's Best $5 coupon
Science/Rx Diet $25 mail in rebate (w/ vet services - you'll have a few visits w/ your puppy I'm sure!)
Hill's - A series of coupons, rebates and prizes.

Also for budgeting: feed the rec. amount on the bag for your pets weight. Overfeeding will cost you more as far as buying food goes but also in the long-run as obesity can contribute to a myriad of health problems.

 

[SandrA9810]

Last holidays, petsupermarket offered a promo for Merricks
5lb bag - 1 can free
15lb bag - 2 cans free
30lb bag - 3 cans free
And I could still use my 5$ off coupon. I never buy her food without it.
I wanna say there were a few other foods on sale as well, but I didn't pay attention. I think I bought 3 bags and got 6 cans free. And the promo went on for like a whole month or two.

 

[mandysbus]

we feed our boy innova evo.
in the past we have used Solid Gold and Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul.
what an adorabloe puppy! looking at him now i understand why people confuse my white boxer for an american bull dog lol

Here is my friend's american bulldog Zoey, He's about 9 or 10 months old and is my pups half brother from the previous litter.

 

[okeydokey]

I've looked around for the Innova and the Chicken Soup. Where have you seen it lately?

 

[aja319se]

We feed our GSD Wellness for Puppy. It's great for her sensitive belly. We also give her a little Merrick canned food as well (she likes it a little wet).

 

[jtdl]

Just a word about vet recommended foods - my vet recommend (and sells by the way!) a speciality Purina food (can't remember what is was called) that is only available through vets. After our lab was diagnosed with cancer I decided to research food options and that vet recommended and sold food had corn listed as its number one ingredient and a meat product third or fourth on the list! Prior to that I had just assumed that since my vet recommended it, it must be good.

So just because a vet recommends a food, in no way does that mean it is a good quality food - they profit from the food they sell!

 

[ceecee]

My vet admits that he didn't learn much about nutrional issues regarding food. I did find out when Iams sold to P&G it went down in quality significantly. I switched my labs to Wellness Large Breed, one used to get ear infections twice a year and hasn't had one in the two years since she has been on Wellness. He did say to stay away from beet pulp (which can be a filler in some foods) because it can cause bloat and labs tend to get that easily.
The rule is the first four ingredients should be meat.
Your pup is so darling...good luck with the puppy stage, it can be trying!

 

[ma2jr]

My dogs like Fromms duck & sweet potato.

I agree your fur-iend is an absolute cutie

 

[daisax]

"Puppy" food is actually more of a marketing than a nutritional decision, and many breeders, especially of large breed dogs, avoid it because it can lead to too rapid growth and damage to the growth plates of the legs. I would consult with your breeder and other American bulldog experts to see what their recommended feeding regimens are.

Once canine and human children have their teeth, they really shouldn't have a diet any different from an adult... assuming the adult eats an appropriate, healthy diet!

Larger, heavier dogs, particularly the active ones, need special attention to avoid joint problems later in life. Early nutrition is one element of that, and avoiding "puppy food" may be an important part.

 

[1stTimeDisneyer]

Last holidays, petsupermarket offered a promo for Merricks
5lb bag - 1 can free
15lb bag - 2 cans free
30lb bag - 3 cans free
And I could still use my 5$ off coupon. I never buy her food without it.
I wanna say there were a few other foods on sale as well, but I didn't pay attention. I think I bought 3 bags and got 6 cans free. And the promo went on for like a whole month or two.

Can you tell me where on their site you sign up fo these coupons? I have two large dogs and they eat alot. I could use the $5 off per bag.

 

[stace1214]

As long as you stay away from brands that are filled with fillers and meat by products you should be fine. Unfortunately, many brands that are sold in grocery stores are really just junk. We feed our goldendoodle Canidae and haven't had any problems. It can get a little pricey, but if you look online you can usually find great deals. Remember, the higher the quality food the less the dog will need to eat and the less he/she will poop. Always great in my book!!

 

[stephie1012]

There is a chain store by us called Pet Value, they carry some great foods. We buy our food from a pet store sigh..i hate going there and seeing the animals but they are close and sell the innova as soon as another place has it buy me i will go there. Alot of the food websites will have an option to search in your area, there was one store that sold the solid gold and it was like a fishing store, i was not expecting them to have it but they did!

i think people get my boy confused bc of his markings, he has the same patch on his back by his tail as your dog and his face has the markings as well and hes big i guess around 75lbs
heres a recent pic

 

[SandrA9810]

Vets that sell just one brand like Purina or Science Diet are paid by those companies to "promote" their food. However sometimes science diet have certain foods for certain reasons, that may or may not be better than regular food. It's just one more way for vets to bring money into their office. I wanna say both vets that I have been too with Kiani promoted Science Diet.


Here's the link to sign up to the Pet Supermarket "Pet Scoop" newsletter.
https://builder.campaigner.com/app/...tinrequest.jsp?oilb=87582354&builderType=paid
If it doesn't work, PM me your email address and I can "forward to a friend".

One thing about Merrick food, is it's more expensive online than in the stores. The food I spend about 24$ on is 40$ online. But on amazon I think they've got some treats on clearance for about half the price or less than in the store.

 

[GottaLuvMickey]

I haven't read any responses yet, but firstly... that is an ADORABLE puppy butt picture! I spent quite a few years working at a vet and my sister has done tons and tons of research on what kinds of food are good/bad... She feeds her dogs the Authority brand dog food (PetSmart's store brand) and I feed my dogs the new Rachel Ray food... The key thing you want to look for is meat as the main ingredient, no/low animal byproducts, and very few 'fillers' (corn, etc...) in the food. Good luck with your puppy!

 

[1stTimeDisneyer]

Here's the link to sign up to the Pet Supermarket "Pet Scoop" newsletter.
https://builder.campaigner.com/app/...tinrequest.jsp?oilb=87582354&builderType=paid
If it doesn't work, PM me your email address and I can "forward to a friend".

One thing about Merrick food, is it's more expensive online than in the stores. The food I spend about 24$ on is 40$ online. But on amazon I think they've got some treats on clearance for about half the price or less than in the store.

Thank you the link worked!