And Cat food has TURINE which is very bad for dogs...you are essentially poisoning them. Then "Table scraps" is not dog food and can be detrimental to them..they are different than you and can not tolerate some of the things you eat. One of the things is Fat, in a small dog beef, pork fat or cheese can cause Pancreaitis.

Dogs and even cats love to drink pool water. Problem is that the chlorine you put into the pool as a disinfectant is A SOLID which over time makes pool water very hard. That is why you have to drain pool water every so many years because the chlorine has a diminishing effect on disinfecting the water and it creates scale which creates cosmetic problems and is hard on the pool equipment.

I digress the real problem is if you or your pet drinks the stuff on a continued basis it will destroy your Kidneys.

Purina is cheap....and lots of dog people will not touch the stuff.


The FDA does not cover dog food..so they can put anything they like into it...and they do

Purina has been around a long time and I think respected in the industry . I have heard they do more R&D than all others combined . Doesn't make them the best but best is subjective . I have looked at some recall history WOW there is/was a lot of crappy food out there . Our pets deserve better .

And yeah I like Brad Penn oil also 😁

I use kirkland, but also feed chicken thighs-occasionally raw, but usually i pressure cook 5 lbs or so once or twice a week, debone, and feed with the dry.

Better check that out..

It is a cost point dog food..

Our male dachshund would eat anything I put down that is remotely edible. All they have ever had is Science Diet brand dry dog food. No table scraps or people food by order of the wife. Trying to keep their weight down is the main thing. Both dogs are happy to drink from our kio pond and it is filled with our water well or rain, and the koi are happy in it.

There is a Purina dog food plant 2.5 miles away (as the wind blows) from our house. Some days it smells like toast, other days it smells just like a fresh bag of dog food. We only smell it on the days when the wind is coming from an unusual direction. I can only smell it outside as a faint odor, I am sure it makes any dog hungry. I can imagine it is like having a bakery next door.

Back in 08 when the Chinese dog food poisoning was going on they stopped carrying their own brand of dog food for awhile...Hmmm.

They may have cleaned up their act but check them out beofre you serve your beloved pet another cup of the stuff.


I give my lil guy Trader Joe Holistic dry..only after I checked them out..It does not have any recalls and is given a B+ rating..The knock on it is that no one except TJ's knows who makes it for them.

TJ's has recently DISCONTINUED their wet dog food line because the mfg had made some changes to the recipe. That tells you something now doesn't it?

Ignorance and stupidity can be costly in so many ways.

A friend of mine was a Chicken Grower for Sanderson Farms. He said NOTHING on the bird goes to waste..the chicken feet for instance go to China.

Yep on avoiding China crap... food & treats.

It tastes like crap :D

Had been feeding our golden Blue Buffalo. Sr Vet student daughter came home and said "no". Did an ingredient check on most of the major brands and switched us to Purina One. Told us under no uncertain circumstances to never feed the dog a grain free food. Seems large breeds develop lots of medical issues without grain, and most of the current grain free pet foods are marketing to grain free humans. (some exceptions if dogs actually have grain issues). After that it came down to which protiens and which grains and by products. Seems there is a very specific definition about what ingredient terms mean (guess it tells those in the know how much of the chicken is actually in the food).

Also seems that many of the major dog food producers do not have Vets on staff, so how much "research" are they doing into how the food effects animals.

YMMV but ....I will listen to her.

Fed all my previous goldens Pro Plan. Only switched to Blue because it seemed to have better protien (turned out it had better marketing)

Oh yeah .... if yer poopie is over 50lbs or gonna be ... get the "large breed" formula.

Purina Pro Plan. I have fed all my dogs Purina from "womb to tomb" for the past 35+ years. No issues ever.

We have a personal relationship with our Vet, who has also earned our respect over a very long period of time. I asked this same question. Without regards of cost or where to buy, what dog food brand do you recommend?
Without hesitation = Purina Pro-Plan. He said that Purina invests more $$$ in R&D for the health and well being of the animals nutrition than ALL the other brands COMBINED.

Now that's a bold statement, but true.

It's all we use.......

I did a recall search on Purina dry food and I find one in 2007 and another in 2013 . Nothing since 2013 . Found reviews rating two stars to five stars . Did the same search on other brands mentioned here with similar results . It's very difficult to know who actually is doing the rating .

When looking at Pro Plan specifically the ratings are generally higher . I assume like many companies Purina offers a good/better/best with associated cost . The more research I do the more confused I get on grains good vs grains bad . I do appreciate everyone's thoughts . Thanks

The amino acid taurine is in all meats naturally
and dogs make it out of other amino acids naturally in their system
cats can't make taurine out of other amino acids naturally like dogs do

my dog is not small or big at about 40 lbs and in good health at age 11

https://www.onlynaturalpet.com/blogs/holistic-healthcare-library/taurine-dog-food-and-heart-disease-in-dogs-1
''However, it is also known that large dogs produce taurine at a slower rate than small dogs, putting them at risk for a deficiency. Genetics also play a significant role, with certain breeds and family lines being predisposed to developing DCM.''

so yes small dogs may have a problem with excess taurine
but normal sized dogs can be deficient in taurine and need more of it

Diamond Naturals. Can find it where we shop and has had good reviews of its ingredients.

We have been giving our 11 year old German shepherd mix Costco dog food since we got her in 2010. No real health issues. After seeing many high end dog foods recalling food after the China scandal and how low end and high end foods come from the same factories, Costco’s high ratings and reasonable prices were enough for us.

A lot of the upper end dogs foods have been having recalls lately. Just when you think you are feeding them something good. I would love to just feed my pups a raw diet but that gets pricey.

Vinman you are 100 % correct on recent " high end " dog food recalls . I found that in my internet searches today . And a raw diet would be great but only if a relative or close friend was a butcher . That's the only way it could be economical . Wouldn't hurt if that butcher also worked at a fish market :D

Solid statement thank you for that .