What do you feed your dog?

[ilovejack02]

Wow, So many choices. I wonder if people do this much research for their 2 legged children as well.

I made a trip to the elietist puppy store today. Spoke with the owner, and picked up a small bag of the TOTW for the new puppy. I then left, went home did some research then went back. My oh my the research. The owner of the store suggested Merrick, which receives a FIVE star rating from the dog food advisor. However a 25lb bag of Merrick is $55 and a 30lb bag of TOTW (which receives a 4.5 rating from the dog food advisor) is $50. I have decided that I will introduce TOTW to my senior dog over the next week or two, and we'll see how it goes. The owner of the store also gave me a few samples of other flavors in case she doesn't like the one I picked.

I feel bad for not doing this research sooner, call me oblivious I guess. I knew she wasn't receiving, top of the line dog food, but I was clueless as to what she was actually eating. I feel so empowerd now, like I'm doing something good for her, and hopefully improving her quality of life.

For the millionth time, thanks again everyone! P.S. Pic's of the puppy to follow in the next few days.

LOl I do do my homework with my human kids LOL We have tried so many things with our new puppy .. who is now over a year old . EVERTHING upsets his tummy, but weight control beneful. I would LOVE to feed him high end food. All i have tried has ended badly .. vet even said , go with what keeps his stomach in check.

 

[Minerva Mouse]

LOl I do do my homework with my human kids LOL We have tried so many things with our new puppy .. who is now over a year old . EVERTHING upsets his tummy, but weight control beneful. I would LOVE to feed him high end food. All i have tried has ended badly .. vet even said , go with what keeps his stomach in check.

And there is nothing wrong with that, we're all different. My senior dog has some allergies, it never occurred to me that it could be her food. She's always done well on Beneful (or so I thought), she's a perfect weight, she has a beautiful coat, healthy stool and she's otherwise happy and healthy.

 

[skater]

Beneful's first ingredient is corn - an inexpensive processed grain used as a cheap filler. The second ingredient is chicken by-product meal described by Dog Food Advisor as a "dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste." Corn gluten meal third. The rest of the ingredients are also substandard. It always comes down to reading the ingredients.

There are some higher quality foods made for sensitive stomachs with limited but healthy ingredients. It seems that there must be a better solution for sensitive dogs than eating corn and by-products. At least I hope so .

 

[penn19]

Flame all you want, but my dogs have always eaten Pedigree. They have always been healthy and long lived dogs. One dachshund lived to 18, and I now have two that are 13 and one is 14. Pedigree will always be my choice.

This is what my dogs eat.....I will slink away quietly now...I almost didn't post. Geez. Every kid is gifted and everyones dog eats like top of the line dog food.

 

[amg35]

This is what my dogs eat.....I will slink away quietly now...I almost didn't post. Geez. Every kid is gifted and everyones dog eats like top of the line dog food.

I had posted earlier but deleted it because I felt so shamed! My dogs ate/eat Purina (puppy, adult, senior) and have been very healthy until end of life/old age issues set in. I also gave/give them a tablespoon of olive oil in their food every morning for a healthy coat and to keep away itchy skin.

Vet never had a problem with what they were fed.

And my cat eats Friskee's urinary special diet wet food!

 

[nym4588]

This is what my dogs eat.....I will slink away quietly now...I almost didn't post. Geez. Every kid is gifted and everyones dog eats like top of the line dog food.

My Australian Cattle mix is about 1.5 years old and has been eating Blue Buffalo since she was about three months old.

However, my wonderful and sweet Border Collie mix ate Purina One almost her entire life (the last year or two we gave her Rx Science Diet for Seniors). She lived 16 wonderful years and the only health problem she had was the joint problems that come with old age.

I guess every dog is different. We briefly switched our Australian to Purina and noticed that her digestion and bathroom habits (sorry, I know) were affected. We switched her back because BB just seems to work for her.

 

[luvwinnie]

I had posted earlier but deleted it because I felt so shamed! My dogs ate/eat Purina (puppy, adult, senior) and have been very healthy until end of life/old age issues set in. I also gave/give them a tablespoon of olive oil in their food every morning for a healthy coat and to keep away itchy skin.

Vet never had a problem with what they were fed.

And my cat eats Friskee's urinary special diet wet food!

My 17 year old cat eats purina One. She won't eat any of the "premium" foods. But she's 17 and hasn't needed a vet EVER. She also has not had had vaccines since she was 3 which I think has had a big effect on her health. Of course, she's indoors only. To see a vet she has to be sedated and there is no way I would take that risk at her age so she will just be happy and comfortable for as long as possible. We have 3 outdoor cats we care for also and they eat friskies because I couldn't afford to buy premium for that many. You'd be shocked how much they eat! I do supplement with a good vitamin in winter.

 

[Disney Doll]

Our late dog Ted ate California Natural because it did not contain wheat, which he was allergic to because he would get terrible skin rashes from any food at had wheat in it.

he did well on it and lived to be 13.

 

[CaptainObvious]

This is what my dogs eat.....I will slink away quietly now...I almost didn't post. Geez. Every kid is gifted and everyones dog eats like top of the line dog food.

My kid isn't gifted, in fact he is developmentally delayed, speech impaired, and has ADD...all at 4 years old, but he eats well- and so does our dog

I'm not sure why you seem surprised and even offended that people feed their dogs a good quality kibble. I personally own a breed that is known for their allergies and sensitive skin problems, and my dog is allergic to grain so I have no choice but to feed grain free and high protein.

 

[maxiesmom]

This is what my dogs eat.....I will slink away quietly now...I almost didn't post. Geez. Every kid is gifted and everyones dog eats like top of the line dog food.

I didn't feed my dogs good dog food until I had my last dog, who had so many health problems we were at the vet at least once a month, no joke. One of my current dogs, the lab, has an auto-immune disease so I have to be very careful that what she gets is high quality.

I also read the labels and nothing made in China comes home with me. And you have to be very careful when looking, as some dog treats are distributed by American companies, but made in China.

My coworkers often joke that I read my dog's food labels more carefully than I do the food I buy for me!

 

[Art 1]

Science diet.

 

[LiveYourLife]

Here is the thing, for those feeding Pedigree, Purina One, Bnenful, etc....no reason to feel the need to "slink away" from posting. If your pet(s) do fine on these foods, great! At the end of the day, most pet owners just want their pets healthy and happy. So if you've got an "oldie" that has done nothing but eat Purina his/her whole life, and you've had no health issues, again that is great. However, for a lot of pets with reoccurring health issues, a change in diet is necessary for the better good of the pet. It's amazing what a change in diet can do to alleviate health problems in pets, and also provide longevity in life to those pets with health problems, that otherwise would be shortened due to a health issue. If you have a kid with celiac disease, are you going to continue to shove gluten down your child's throat? No, you are going to make the necessary diet changes to help your child feel better, and live a longer, healthy life.

I take offense to the statement because I try to feed my dogs the best food for them that I am some sort of snob. By the way, I don't have kids, just dogs, and they are gifted. They can sit, stay, bark on command (ie: when the doorbell rings), and scratch on the door when they need to go out.

There are SO many different kinds of dog foods out there now. It's just not an Alpo or Pedigree world. The bottom line do what is best for YOUR pets.

 

[LiveYourLife]

LOl I do do my homework with my human kids LOL We have tried so many things with our new puppy .. who is now over a year old . EVERTHING upsets his tummy, but weight control beneful. I would LOVE to feed him high end food. All i have tried has ended badly .. vet even said , go with what keeps his stomach in check.

If it isn't broken, don't fix it!!!!

One of my dogs is on a hypoallergenic prescription diet from out Vet. It's not the best in quality, but he, like yours experiences tremendous gastric upset anytime I try to change him over. So we are just going to rock on with what we've got. He's happy, eats well, energy level is off the charts, and it keeps his food sensitivities in check. At the end of the day, that's all that matters to me!

 

[LiveYourLife]

I was just trying to avoid going to two different stores to pick up the two different bags of food, because the local Pet Smart doesn't sell Taste of the Wild. There are some places around town that do, I just wish they were a little closer together.

Unfortunately, this is my life right now! LOL! I feel like I am buying food every week because both foods are not carried by the same store. Vet for one, pet food specialty store for the other.

I can't wait to see pics of your newbie! What kind of pup is your nine year old???

 

[bittybabygrower]

Beneful is bad bad bad. There is actually a facebook page devoted to getting it banned as it has caused so many dogs health problems.

And do you know what the first meat type food is in pedigree canned dog food? The scrapings off of the slaughterhouse floor. No decent meat in it at all!

Just as with human food if it is cheap it is junk.

If it has a Facebook page it must be true lol. I am just telling my experience with this food. Like someone else said, I wonder if people research their food as much as this lol

 

[AnnaS]

We have been feeding our 5 yr. old boxer Purina Pro Plan. He is healthy and has never had any issues. He waits patiently also after our dinner, he always gets a bite of whatever meat/fish we are eating.

Anytime we eat a piece of fruit, he gets to taste it also (usually pear, banana or apple). We let him taste everything but chocolate, grapes, onions, etc.

I have yogurt and he waits patiently because he gets to lick the spoon or the little container - there is hardly anything on it - one lick and it's done. I do think he needs to go on a diet though.

Just came from the vet yesterday - if he should ever have any issues - I would not hesitate to feed him whatever was recommended by the vet.

 

[LiveYourLife]

I also read the labels and nothing made in China comes home with me. And you have to be very careful when looking, as some dog treats are distributed by American companies, but made in China.

My coworkers often joke that I read my dog's food labels more carefully than I do the food I buy for me!

We could be twins! LOL!!! Dog food advisor is my weakness. Although, I don't post on their forums because their RAW/BARF diet supporters are very rude and aggressive towards those that prefer a traditional kibble/canned diet. Whatever you do, don't google BPA lining in pet food cans!

 

[maxiesmom]

If it has a Facebook page it must be true lol. I am just telling my experience with this food. Like someone else said, I wonder if people research their food as much as this lol

Dog Food Adviser also gives Beneful 1 star out of 5. The first ingredient is corn, which is nothing but a filler. The second ingredient is chicken by-product meal, which is a fancy term for slaughterhouse waste.

This is interesting reading: http://dogingtonpost.com/purinas-beneful-ignores-consumer-complaints/#.UWF3RaKG170

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I find it really amazing that some RAW diet advocates seem to completely discount the recommendations of health authorities like the CDC and even the AVMA itself. I can only guess that people who do this have never experienced what can easily be a life-threatening food-borne illness through no fault of their own. Not posting to argue about it; just to make people aware there can definitely be a health risk to pets and humans alike. Studies with actual microbiologists in test kitchens trying to avoid contamination have shown them to be unsuccessful. If they can't avoid contamination, how is the average Joe supposed to? Just something to think about.

 

[CaptainObvious]

I find it really amazing that some RAW diet advocates seem to completely discount the recommendations of health authorities like the CDC and even the AVMA itself. I can only guess that people who do this have never experienced what can easily be a life-threatening food-borne illness through no fault of their own. Not posting to argue about it; just to make people aware there can definitely be a health risk to pets and humans alike. Studies with actual microbiologists in test kitchens trying to avoid contamination have shown them to be unsuccessful. If they can't avoid contamination, how is the average Joe supposed to? Just something to think about.

The AVMA says over and over that raw foods can have salmonella...the thing is, the intestines of dogs are so short that they have a low, low risk of contracting salmonella.

I do not feed a raw diet for time/patience reasons (not to mention it's expensive and I have a 70 lb dog who isn't done growing yet!), but I do give my dog a raw egg every day and he also gets a raw beef knee cap and some marrow bones a few times a week.