Puppy/dog foor

[skipdup]

We're finally getting a new dog. Pickup a German Short-hair Pointer from the airport on Saturday morning (breeder is a very good friend of a very good friend).

We fed our last dog Life's Abundance.

I basically want to feed the new guy the best I can - short of going into debt and/or cooking every day.

Just wondering what members of this community do for high end food for their pets.

Thanks,
Skip

[KFC911]

Here's a recent thread on Labs where some folks discuss some of the quality food choices (some that I'm not familiar with) ...maybe this will help.
Beautiful dog btw

Question for a Veterinarian or Some With a Long Experience on Labradors

[Steve Carlton]

My dogs really love the Nature's Variety raw frozen food in the morning. It's not cheap, but I've heard a lot of good things about raw food. I give them California Natural kibble in the evening for some variety.

[TerryH]

This brand comes highly rated and recommended. We feed out terrier a mixture of canned and dry. No grains.

Dry http://www.evopet.com/products/



This stuff is actually human grade and Kosher. Our dog just loves it.

Canned http://www.evangersdogfood.com/


I've mentioned in other dog threads that we lost a pet last year due to the poisoned wheat gluten. It caused me to scrutinize every brand of food out there. Of course we are still at the mercy of the makers unless we make it ourselves.

[Rot 911]

Holy crap, I must be an unfit dog owner. Been feeding my dog Pedigree dry dog food for 13 years now and he still acts like a puppy. $8 for 20 lbs.

[dhoward]

Purina puppy chow.

Kosher dog food? Now that's just sillyness..

[notfarnow]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

My dogs really love the Nature's Variety raw frozen food in the morning. It's not cheap, but I've heard a lot of good things about raw food. I give them California Natural kibble in the evening for some variety.

I'll second California Natural. Our vet recommended it for our old beagle who has a miriad of health issues. Not cheap, but it made a HUGE difference with his allergies and overall health. Doesn't taste bad either, I like it

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by notfarnow

I'll second California Natural. Our vet recommended it for our old beagle who has a miriad of health issues. Not cheap, but it made a HUGE difference with his allergies and overall health. Doesn't taste bad either, I like it

I can understand premium dog food for dogs with allegies/health problems, but the rest of that stuff sounds more like it is made to make the owners feel good about themselves.

[FastCarFan]

When we got our yellow Lab 12+ years ago our trainer recommended lamb & rice based dry food. She strongly suggested avoiding any food with corn meal. Many dog food companies add corn meal as a filler, but dogs can't digest it, so it is just more you have to pick up later, if you get my drift.

Anyway, we have fed her lamb & rice food exclusively & she is an incredibly healthy 12 1/2 year-old Lab. Other than a biscuit every day, & the crumbs she gets off the floor as she makes her rounds of the kitchen...oh, & the sticks she loves to chew outside, that is all she eats.

My 2 cents....

Enjoy the puppy. Good luck with the chewing & training.

[Seahawk]

Whatever you feed it, that is a great looking dog

[TerryH]

Originally Posted by Kurt V

I can understand premium dog food for dogs with allegies/health problems, but the rest of that stuff sounds more like it is made to make the owners feel good about themselves.

The kosher canned dog food is actually cheaper than almost all the brands you find at the grocery store and Pet Smart. Not being Jewish, I don't buy it because it's kosher.

If your mentality is "it's just a dog", then you can't rationalize why anyone who loves dogs would do anything out of the ordinary for it.

Allergies can develop from eating too much grain and preservatives. Better to take a preventative approach.


Most here wouldn't blink on spending huge amounts to make their beloved 911 look and perform at it's best. I love my dog more than my cars.

[Rikao4]

Agree with Terry on this,
Kurt next time you change the oil in the Carrera..just use the Wally brand..it's just oil after all.
Rika

[skipdup]

Oh, I definitely don't mind spending premium $'s for a dog. I want the healthiest, happiest and long-lived as (reasonably) possible. As long as it's for a real benefit and doesn't cause undue financial stress...

We lost our Hannah last September. I want to put off another experience like that for as long as possible. Amazing how bad I still miss her. She was a special pooch.

Thanks for the compliments and suggestions. You guys have given me lots to think about - per usual.

- Skip

[teenerted1]

Merle gets Eukanuba FP or Iams/skin&coat from the vet. it is also what they feed the dogs there when they have to stay over or when they board.
he has a few food allergies and the main ingredients are FISH and POTATO. has good ammount of fish oil in it, the kibble is kind of oily to the touch. the oil is really good for their skin and coat so you dont need any supliments. and with the potato you get to avoid all the wheat glitten issues.

for dinner i add a little tuna with his kibble, to give him a little moisture. kind of like a cat when he hears the can opener running into the kitchen. he is a northwet dog afterall so he loves his seafood. salmon is his favorite, he gets the skin after it comes off the BBQ.

also a little hint if you dog has an upset stomache, feed them some plain rice. my parents have to do that with their old dog every week or so. she is getting up there and seems to have a few more issues with her stomache than she did when she was younger. bland food for a sick dog works just like it does on people.

[skipdup]

Oh, I definitely don't mind spending premium $'s for a dog. I want the healthiest, happiest and long-lived as (reasonably) possible. As long as it's for a real benefit and doesn't cause undue financial stress...

We lost our Hannah last September. I want to put off another experience like that for as long as possible. Amazing how bad I still miss her. She was a special pooch.

Thanks for the compliments and suggestions. You guys have given me lots to think about - per usual.

- Skip

[Tim Hancock]

I buy 40 lb bags of dry cheap stuff and my dogs have always done fine with it. Same goes for the cats, whatever is the cheapest.

[TerryH]

That pointer is damn cute. Our neighbor just got his brittany back after 3 months of field training @ $1800.

I came across this pet food review site a few months ago. They seem to be pretty thorough in their analysis without bias. Not saying this site is the be-all end-all for fact, but it's probably a good place as any I found.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/


Dry Pedigree analysis:

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1881&cat=all


Dry Innova Evo analysis:

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1602&cat=8

Pretty obvious when you see ingredients exactly why one costs more than the other. Yes, the Innova is probably 3x the Pedigree, but whether I spend $10 or $30 a month to feed my dog is so irrelevant.

[skipdup]

Terry- The Evo ingredient list almost makes me hungry! Geesh...

[Stanley]

California Natural is what was recommended by our dogs vet and trainer. I think the added cost is worth it, but then again our dog is only around 20 pounds so he doesn't eat all that much food.

[TerryH]

One interesting note is usually less food is required daily of the higher ranked products. More food is absorbed and less put on the lawn.

This also offsets some of the additional costs for those worried about wasting money on their dog.