What do you feed your dogs???(ot)

[jeankeri]

We feed our dogs Iams. When my vet asked what we were feeding our (first) dog, I told him Iams and he said there was no reason to switch to anything else.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I have to agree with the others on here. As snotty as it sounds, I wouldn't feed Chloe anything that comes from a grocery store.

I had a dog die from cancer and made radical changes in how I raise dogs after that. The food was the first thing to go. You would be shocked to read what goes in most commercial-grade dog food.

For awhile I was BARFing Chloe, but I had to stop due to time issues. I plan on starting again soon, but in the meantime, I'm feeding her Eagle Pack. It isn't perfect, but it isn't loaded with fillers and grains like most dog foods are.

Flame away, I'm married to a firefighter.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I agree that Science Diet is a scam -- and a lousy food. Look at the ingredients. Garbage.

ITA. Science Diet is sold and pushed by vets for reasons beyond the health of your dog. All it takes is a simple google to pull up tons of info on it: http://www.simplyschnauzer.net/hills.html

 

[YorkieMom]

Science Diet Only !!!!!

 

[TENIA66]

Ol roy and he's 15 years old and still going@@@

 

[mickeysaver]

We have 4 Chihuahuas. For every other dog that I have ever owned, I have been quite happy with Purina brand dog food products. Deuce, our oldest Chihuahua that is about 4-1/2 now, has a severe food allergy to any sort of poultry. We thought that it was just Chicken, but it's not. Turkey and duck also cause him to develop severe allergic dermatitis. He is just miserable with it. So, it's always a challenge for us to find food and treats without any poultry components. We can never trust the terms bone meal or animal fat, because we have no idea if there is any poultry involved.

Also, Chihuahuas are notorious for becoming constipated on rice based foods. Beanie is our 3 year old Chihuahua with a bad heart. She has issues with constipation without rice in her diet, so we don't even want to go there. When Beanie gets constipated, it causes stress on her heart in the process of passing the stool and she becomes so ill that it's just heartbreaking to watch.

We have found a special dog food that is for allergic dogs and has no rice in it. Luckily, Chihuahuas don't eat much, because we would go broke feeding a big dog on this stuff. Maggie

 

[Chloesmom]

Ok.. I worked for Iams, Science Diet, and Several other smaller companies as marketing reps and education reps. I currently still work in the pet industry so here is my professional opinion.
First, not every food will treat every dog the same. Not every ingredient will affect every dog the same. There are some " proven" ingredients that should be avoided at all costs. The first one is soy or any type of soy by product. Dogs cannot use the protien source found in soy and it bascially ends up being a filler that gives a false protien level in the food. The second is corn . Ever eat corn and look in the potty the next day? Nuff said. It's not very digestable.. filler.. allergen..not good.
The law states that the only ingredients that HAVE to be listed on a label are ingredients the dog food company adds. Did you know that companies such as tyson add preservatives and chemicals to prolong shelf life before it's sold to other companies? So.. your label does not say ethoxyquin.. but I would bet my cat that it's in there. Grain companies use pesticides but thats not on your label either. The only sure way to know what your dog is eating is to cook it yourself.
Will any of this kill a dog? No.. there are instances of cancer and the like that are believed to be caused by pet food but its reallly hard to pin point. A really good dog food.. Nutro, Wellness, chicken soup, sensible choice, precise, etc will promote healthier coat, smaller stool, less stool odor, stronger joints, etc. Oh, and because there is no filler they actually eat less and the presumed higher cost evens out to not much more than junky foods.
I personally feed my dogs Nutro Natural Choice. I have a dog with allergies and it is the ONLY food that does not kill him. I have tried every brand out there.. literally.
After working for Science Diet and knowing what I know.. I would not feed it to anything. It is really no better than a bottom line grocery food. Its name was built by vets who oddly enough generally dont know much about nutrition ( I had to educate them frequently). Vets get financial compensation for selling SD. It is junk.
I would never feed Iams. Twenty years ago they were the top dog but times have changed and they really did not. For the money there is much better food available. It's a well promoted name and little more.
Beneful? I'm not a Purina fan . Its an Ok food.. better than dog chow but there are many more foods better out there.
There are lots of little tricks dog food companies pull which is why I got out of that business. Bottom line is pick a food that is basically healthy ( no corn or soy), keep your dog at a healthy weight, keep him immunized and you are good.

 

[Angela&Kayla]

Our brand new puppy (okay, he's almost 5 months old now) eats Royal Canin Mini for puppies. Since he is a small breed (a min-pin), finding a food he could actually chew up was a challenge, but the size of this dog food is just right for him...he is a black dog, and his coat just shines! Now, because it is a little bit more expensive, I am very happy he is a little dog and thus a little eater!

 

[juligrl]

I normally wouldn't say this, but since you asked...

I wouldn't feed my dogs either of those foods. Unfortunately, they're both loaded with chemicals and by-products that aren't healthy for your dog. Please read the article "Food Pets Die For" if you're really interested in hearing what's really in most commercial dog foods
I don't have the link right now, but you can google it and it's easy to find.

I've done a lot of research on pet foods since I used to breed Great Danes and they are very sensitive to food additives. For the record, I feed a mixture of Natural Balance dog food and human grade meats and vegetables.

Hope that helps!

Totally agree. I have a Jack Russell Terrier who would throw up regularly as a puppy when I was feeding her Purina puppy chow. I did some research and found a local shop that deals only all-natural pet foods. I brought home three sample packages and she immediately took to one. She's been eating Hundenflocken ever since with no more stomach issues.

 

[2Poodles]

I feed my 8 year old Standard Poodle Winslow Bravo frozen.

Mary & the 2Poodles
Sebastian (8/92 -- 3/06) in Dog Heaven &
Winslow

 

[southgal]

It appears to me that most everyone is speaking in terms of dry dog food. Is dry better than wet (canned) for full-grown dogs? Would love info on this. We have been feeding our mutt a can of Pedigree in the a.m. then scoops of dry Pedigree in the p.m. Of course, she really prefers the hot dogs dh grills for her on Sunday, but I know that stuff isn't healthy! Comments appreciated...

 

[MEM]

My 17 year old dachshund gets along well on Hill's prescription diet - her body has a tendency to form bladder stones so she eats Hill's Canine C/D.

While we are on the subject, can we please encourage providing the same quality of drinking water to our pets that we provide ourselves? My dog has always been given the same filtered water I give the rest of my family. I never give her tap water.

 

[MEM]

It appears to me that most everyone is speaking in terms of dry dog food. Is dry better than wet (canned) for full-grown dogs? Would love info on this. We have been feeding our mutt a can of Pedigree in the a.m. then scoops of dry Pedigree in the p.m. Of course, she really prefers the hot dogs dh grills for her on Sunday, but I know that stuff isn't healthy! Comments appreciated...

Dry is way better for their teeth. It also makes for easier poop-scooping. I never feed my dog canned food - she is now a feisty 17 years old with many more years in sight!

 

[Tarheel Tink]

I disagree, big time, with all who are claiming that Science Diet is crap. We have fed Sci Diet for ages. I had a Dalmatian back in the 1970's-80's that was fed Sci Diet and lived to be 15.5 years--and then was put down only due to the recurrance of major back problems (for which he had previously had surgery; vets said he was in excellent health otherwise).

I currently have a beagle breeding kennel, and all of my hounds are fed Science Diet Lamb & Rice formula from weaning time onwards. Just lost my oldest gal at age 15 years last Summer (to congestive heart failure on the record breaking, hottest day of the year here)--she was healthy throughout her entire lifetime, and even went out rabbit hunting with us at 14 years of age (and was not ready to quit at the end of the day, but wanted to continue running). One of my gals (a 6th generation homebred, all of whom had been raised on Sci Diet) is a multiple group placing, CH show dog who was ranked 6th in the Nation last year. She was maintained in top show condition on the Lamb & Rice formula (would not have done any winning if she were in poor condition). Another of our beagles has earned more than 30 performance titles thus far, and was the #1 beagle, #1 hound, and ranked amoung the top 5 or 6 dogs (any & all breeds) in the Nation in Agility at one point. He has set countless breed records in performance events. Again, raised on Sci Diet... and at age 11 years he is still competing successfully and racking up the wins and additional titles.

The proof of how 'good' a dog food is, is in how well the dogs are able to utilize it to maintain maximum quality of condition/health over the long haul. Sci Diet Lamb & Rice works very well for our hounds--always has. Something else may work out fine, or even better, for someone else's dogs. Just because different formulas apparently work well for different people & their pets, that doesn't make what I choose to feed, or what they choose, 'crap'.

PS: What some of those comparison studies list as the ingredients for Science Diet are not necessarily accurate. I have had discussions with people who pointed out that certain comparison studies said 'x, y & z' were ingredients found in Sci Diet that were 'bad' for my dogs. Only problem was that neither 'x, y, or z' were ever listed on the ingredient lable of the formula I feed. LOL! So don't believe everything that you read.

Ditto! I have fed Eukanuba for decades with competition, breeding, show and pet dogs and have had great success. I know someone who toured one of their factories and said it was cleaner than any human food factory he had ever graded! I am also a vet tech of 27 years who has followed many a pet through it's life on the diet and have seen how well they do. I also do like Science Diet.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

Okay, I feed my 10 month old Golden Eukanuba Veterinary Diets Low Residue Puppy. This stuff costs me a small fortune, but Sully had trouble with Giardia and this is the food that two different vets recommended. My neighbor, who is a vet, has also suggested that I continue with the adult version of this food in a few months.

Any opinions from any dog experts? This is our first dog and I don't know much about dog food. His giardia is now asymptomatic, but he still tests positive for it. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[calanniebu]

My mom who raises and trains champion agility and obediance goldens swears by Canidae - http://www.canidae.com/. She's had dogs with various allergies (though no poultry allergies as one person mentioned) and this seems to work best for all and all of the dogs like it!

(I just happened to be passing by this thread when I was on the phone with her so I thought I'd ask)

 

[Luvchefmic]

Yes I SAID 7

5 English Pointers and 2 doxies eat Iams Adult/Weight Maintenance range in age from 3 to 7 years..the oldest EP age 7 has eaten nothing but Eukanuba or Iams all her life the others came when they were a few months old and I put them on Eukanuba


Thank God BJs wholesale club carries it, I buy a 48.5 lb bag every 2 weeks

 

[Luvchefmic]

It appears to me that most everyone is speaking in terms of dry dog food. Is dry better than wet (canned) for full-grown dogs? Would love info on this. We have been feeding our mutt a can of Pedigree in the a.m. then scoops of dry Pedigree in the p.m. Of course, she really prefers the hot dogs dh grills for her on Sunday, but I know that stuff isn't healthy! Comments appreciated...

When we first got our standard doxie "Baby" he was 3 yrs old and 25 lbs!Turns out his former owner fed him Mighty Dog. We eventually got the weight off him. I steer clear of canned food because it tends to put weight on every dog I have ever had and its horrible for their teeth. FYI- "Baby" crossed over to the Rainbow Bridge last Nov at age 16..at the end I fed him Mighty Dog & Beneful both which he loved dearly...he was 16 I would have given him the moon

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I really notice the difference - on the raw diet, they don't have the "doggie breath," unpleasant gas problems, and foul-smelling poops that they do on commercial pet foods.

Teresa

Tell me about it. I just dropped Chloe off at the vet (and cried my way out) to have her teeth cleaned. It took less than one year off of BARF before plaque started forming on her teeth. Her teeth were perfect while I was BARFing her!

The only issues I had with it, was when I fed her canned Salmon. She LOVED it, but would barf on my carpet during the night. I never could figure out how she handled raw chicken bones, eggs - shells and all, and glop, but a can of fish would do her in. And the gas... oh my!

DH was never too supportive of the diet and its details, but after I fork over $400 at the vet this afternoon, something tells me BARFing is going to take on a new appreciation.

 

[hsmamato2]

Ok, dogs is dogs, you're right! They'll eat poop,old socks,and drink out of the toilet,and anything that's dead and rotting is attractive to them...
I really think whatever you want to feed is fine, just know what it is,and be informed, and if hotdogs are good enough for my children, they're good enough for puppy to eat once in a while too!
When we go to McD's, we know we're getting junkfood, that's ok,but not every day...I feel the same about my precious puppies food, I know a she's a dog, but I give her the best b/c I want her to live as long as possible...
My older dog is 10,and ate Ol'Roy all her life, before i learned about the differences-now in her old age she gets the best
but the truth is, Science Diet, Eukanuba,and Iams are now no better quality than ol' Roy you buy in Walmart. That's my big problem with those brands, they cost a FORTUNE,and they're not worth it! It's like people are paying too much for lower quality,and it makes me mad...
What I read about Iams and eukanuba stuff isn't pretty, what's in that food(euthanasia drug residues) and the rotting things we don't want our dogs to eat- also a shameful history of brutal testing on innocent dogs...
Also I read the first 3-4 ingredients should be meats, no grains or by products-up there on the list if not,it's lower quality...
I also like the smaller/less poop factor with the human grade foods, it's a big bonus! Chicken soup for the dog lovers soul is healthful, human grade,they eat less than the lower quality,poop less,have great coats,and it costs about $30 for 44 pound bag,which lasts a long time in our house-