Healthy dog food

[AFC-911]

Ok, so I feed my dog (a Peke) a whole variety of brands just to mix it up.

She gets to eat both wet food & dry food.

I'm pretty sure some brands are healthier than others, I'm just not sure which ones...

One brand I do know she doesn't like is Bil-Jac, she'll eat just about any other brand though.

[VINMAN]

Ive been feeding Toby, my Heeler, Blue Buffalo. Supposed to be one of the better ones. Not cheap though.

[Neilk]

We just feed out mutts some "premium" blend from Costco. After seeing all the recalls from tainted dog food, it became apparent that a few manufactures make most of the food and package it for Pedigree or Science Diet, with the only difference being the price.

It's probably more complicated than that, but our dogs seem ok with their Costco food.

[stomachmonkey]

Always fed Eukanuba, dog had acid reflux so finding the right food was most important.

Some good info here,

The Dog Food Project - Myths about Dog Nutrition

[Dottore]

You need to do some reading on this, and also talk to your breeder and vet.

Different breeds have different issues—and certainly not all dog foods are the same.

We always look at the ingredients and try to keep cereal content to an absolute minimum. Also we try to keep the fat content below 5% (not easy) and the protein content as high as possible.

Cereal and peanut butter cookies, doggie granola bars etc etc and similar nonsense is really not doing your dog a favour.

[MES 944]

Eukanuba for my Shepherd

[masraum]

Evo is good food. They have dry and wet food. We also feed or dogs frozen food (thawed first of course) called Stella and Chewy's.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Dottore

....protein content as high as possible....

Bad for a "general" comment.

Like anything else it depends on the age, breed, activity level and absence/presence of underlying medical issues.

[red-beard]

One of my cousins back in Oklahoma is a vet. He said Purina knows what they are doing.

[Tim Hancock]

Our dogs/cats have always gotten whatever the cheapest dry food a store has (along with occasional table scraps). Last two outside dogs made it into their teens.... present dog is about 5 yrs old and is very healthy. The dog has several acres to do his business, so no issues with big piles of crap in the yard near the house to worry about.

[Chocaholic]

Funny...our vet says the same. We have three big dogs, so boutique dogfood can make a dent. He says..."the people who make Purina know what they're doing. Don't waste your money". Anyway, we feed lamb and rice dry food from Costco mixed with a can of plain ol' Alpo canned food (divided between the 3 dogs) for flavor/texture, whatever.

Our golden lived to be almost 16 without a health issue until the day her heart stopped....(and ours broke). Our rescue mutt, stray golden and english mastiff are doing great, and there's money left over for hookers and blow. Kids can fend for themselves.


Kidding, of course.

[glewis80SC]

Nutra-nuggets from Costco for our Lab. Recommended by the breeder, plus a Nutra-Vet vitamin every day.

[dhoward]

Purina.
Dogs and Cats.

[RWebb]

one thing you want is human grade food for your dog - NOT all the leftover crap full of bacteria that some heavily advertised brands grind up and sell

yes, talk to your Vet - usually not a good place to buy tho

I use Solid Gold.

[nota]

my dog eats dry cat food
[ I have heard cat food is more protein and far less filler ]
her choice we got several dog food brands
but she ignores dog food and raids the cats food

we tryed mixing cat and dog food in her bowl
she eats the cat food and leaves the dog food in the bowl
so we gave up and just buy cat food now

[kanadary]

We have a golden retreiver and she is allergic to chicken and duck or the grain in the food, anyways she now eats firstmate fish formula which is a grain free food from canada. They make other types like chicken and bison and lamb which we haven't tried. I've heard evo is really good too.
here's a site that has evaluated alot of the common foods.
Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings

[dhoward]

Originally Posted by RWebb

one thing you want is human grade food for your dog - NOT all the leftover crap full of bacteria that some heavily advertised brands grind up and sell

yes, talk to your Vet - usually not a good place to buy tho

I use Solid Gold.

There is no such thing as 'human grade'. Complete myth. Also, everything is cooked and processed in commecial pet food. Otherwise you'd have sacks of rotting bacterial cultures sitting in warehouses and stores.
Vets who tell you that should lose their license.

[t6dpilot]

Thumbs up for Stella and Chewy's! Our dog likes the Duck Duck Goose the best. We also feed our dog Nature's Variety. Both are raw frozen foods and about the best you can buy IMO (including other raw frozen brands). Some are higher in protein than others and you really need to mix it up with brands that have a higher vegatable content.

Our dog suffers from IBD and was literally dying before our very eyes before we changed to a raw frozen diet. Her weight was down 28% at the lowest point and she is now back up to a healthy 52 pounds. Getting away from dog foods that contain mostly filler (yes, even the high end brands) saved my dog's life. She also suffered from regular ear infections that disappeared after we switched to a raw diet. Diet changes everything - regularity, coat and skin, allergies, ect. Lots of dogs have food allergies brought on by mediocre dog foods with lots of filler. Think about how a human feels after eating junk food for every meal versus good whole foods...

[azasadny]

We feed our Golden Retriever "Nature's Recipe Lamb and rice" from PetSmart after trying many, many of the "boutique" foods that had her clearing a room after dinner! She liked them all, but it seemed like the liver-based foods really gave her gas. She is doing great on Nature's Recipe and it's reasonably priced and the Vet and breeder we got her from both recommended it.

[R K T]

Our doxie, Speedster, nick-named ShopVac, will eat anything and everything. There is no "off" switch for her when it comes to eating. If we visit friends we have to make sure that their dog's and cat's food dish is either empty or put up where Speedster can't get to it.
But she had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever when we rescued her. It ravaged her pancreas and now she can't break down fat. She's been on Prescription Diet RD since she recovered. Any other food usually comes back up because she can't process it.

gratuitous pic.....