Best Puppy & Dog Food

Hello,

Just a question to those who know more than I. I have been trying to get myself more educated as to dog food, especially, since this recall.

I have a 4 year old chow retriever who is slim, fit, and happy on what he is. It is not the cheapest dog food because I think all that stuff is just crap pretty much. I was looking at this Maxximum Nutrition Walmart brand and was curious if it was any good.

To other dog owners out there I am a little paranoid about the recent dry dogfood recalls I was wondering if someone could point me in the directions of a good dry dog food brand that should be completely safe. Some of the local stores in my town do not even have full recall information out. So anything you have that may help me will be really appreciated.

Thankyou so much for your time I do appreciated it.

Sincerely,

Jammie a concerned dog owner.

Actually, it’s a very high quality food. You’ll note that it contains no animal by-products, artificial flavors or colors and it is free of all preservatives. I feed my Schnauzer the Adult Chicken & Rice Formula. The first two ingredients are Chicken and Chicken Meal. Chicken meal is an extremely concentrated source of high quality animal protein. Other quality ingredients include carrots, peas, beet pulp, dried egg product.

This food by the way contains no wheat gluten, the component of the food recall that was believed to be contaminated.

The guaranteed analysis shows a 27%, 18%, 4% breakdown of protein, fat and fiber. This is another indication of a high quality food.

Now on to the Wal-Mart issue. Several posters will immediately pounce and advise to buy no products from Wal-Mart. Interestingly, they seldom if ever have any specific knowledge about the product in question. Most often these posts have everything to do with a political statement and nothing to do with what is good for your pet.

My advice? Try the food. My dog loves it.

Rudi

http://dogfoodguide.blogspot.com/2008/06/homemade-dog-treats.html

It depends. Home made food can fulfill the dogs needs IF you do it correctly. I don’t recommend anyone use homemade food unless you FULLY understand dogs nutritional needs. You also have to consider that every dog is different and reacts to food differently.

Does anyone feed their dog a homemade diet? I need to know some things. Okay so today I started my shih apso mix princess, on her new homemade food diet. It includes rice, potato, beef, carrots and eggs. It is in a stewy paste and was very appetizing to her. However, at night, she is still hungry. I measured out 1 cup of the mixture, just like the internet sources say for a 14 pound dog. What else can I do to fill her stomach but not make her fat?
yes i feed once in the morning and again at dinner time

I’ve been feeding my dogs home-made for about a year now, using Dr. Pitcairn’s book. My dogs get fed twice a day – is that what you’re doing, dividing her daily portion into 2 meals? If not, you might want to try that because dogs do much better being fed twice a day.

Dogs need less food cup-wise being fed home-made food because there are no fillers, there’s lots of calories in it, so if you’re following a good recipe, your dog won’t be hungry following the guidelines for her weight. There may be an adjustment period while she gets used to the new food, though.

I am interested in making homemade dog food for my 3 year old chihuahua and my 12 week old malchi. I have found a few recipes, but I need more information on what nutritional guide to go by. Like how much meat and which vegetables and fruits to use and how much. I am not interested in the raw food diet since they include bones and being that my dogs are little and one is so young. Also with the raw diets, I hear there is risk of e. coli. I definitely want to cook mine. Also which vitamins or supplements are the best to add? Thank you!
Can i get some more info. on the raw diets such as Barf and raw meaty bones diet?

I have fed my dog on raw meat, meaty bones and offal since she was nine weeks old. Her pups will be weaned straight onto this diet too.

The risk of bacterial contaimination is actually higher in cooked and minced meats that are being stored than a solid chunk of meaty bone. Commercial foods are frequently recalled due to contamination – both human and animal, so to say that raw food is riskier is a fallacy.

Dogs are NOT human – their digestive system is designed for raw meat, skin, bones and offal not vegetables, fruits and grains. Please read the attached links before you discount a raw diet. The millions of raw feeders around the world are just not experiencing the so-called problem of bacteria with their dogs.

What are some of the best dog food nutritional information sites that youve found?
I need help convincing a friend that commercial dog food is unhealthy and that Canidae,evo,ect.. would be so much better for her dogs.
Which one/ones have you found to be most helpful?
Thanks!

First have her watch this first link I listed. Ingredients are listed and explained in the second link. Don’t be surprised if she goes into a denial and doesn’t want to know about these facts, some people are just so selfish they would rather not be inconvenienced and just not know their slowly killing their pet. Believe me I personally know a few of them, pretty sad on their part. The harmfull overdose of pesticides also in some pet foods won’t be listed so your playing a lottery feeding them commercial pet foods I hope she knows. No commercial pet food made by these large manufacturers is any good. We now feed our dogs home cooked foods made from a vets book, A Dr. Pitcairn, the changes in them has been dramatic compared to the "premium" foods we feed prior. Plus now we have peace of mind these SOBs are no longer poisoning our pets for profit.

Have you heard of *’taste of the wild’* brand pet foods?
I went to purchase Petfood today and almost bought this new brand instead, because its *grain free* which is the ONLY complaint that I have about Canidae and Felidae. I wish they would come out with a grain free food.

ANYWAY, would love to hear some thoughts on this new food from you all.
I went ahead and bought some of the cat food since I was out but decided to wait on the dog food since Ive still got enough for a few more days.

One of my cats bit a hole through the bag trying to get in it before I could open it!

The ONLY thing that worries me is that I think its made by Diamond, their newest brand. Heres the link:

http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/

Heres the link to their ingredients just click on the product….sounds better than Canidae and Felidae to me! BUT, I want to know what YOU think.

http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/products/

I know someone that just started feeding it actually and they’re pleased. Diamond also makes Chicken Soup, Not all of their food is bad or tainted.

purina dog chow

I should be leary of comercilal brand dog food I this particular brand ok? is it free of the cancer causing agents that Im reading about

I have never read the ingredients list on the Kirkland brand of food. A good way to read dog food label ingredients is to look at the first 10 ingredients. How much of it is food for dogs? Even if the first ingredient is meat, what follows? Wheat products, corn products, soy products, barley, rice, oats? Usually it’s filled with grains, and that means cheap. My gut feeling tells me that Kirkland is not in the market to make a quality dog food.

You can learn more about dog food by reading this article, "What’s Really In Pet Food"

http://www.api4animals.org/facts.php?p=359&more=1

Here’s my babble on dog food:
Kibble is the cheapest food, and the least nutrient-dense. That’s because it’s processed at such a high temperature, it kills all the vitamins, minerals and enzymes. If you read the bottom part of the ingredients on any dry food, you’ll see all those things add back in; however, it’s in synthetic form. Also, all kibble, which is cheaper than canned or raw, must have grain, potato, or tapioca in it to hold it together. Potato would be cheaper than tapioca, and potato is better than grain. All of these are just filler, and have little nutritional value.

HIgh-quality means that most of the ingredients are of HUMAN-GRADE quality. None of the recall products were human-grade. And the artificial preservatives that are probably carcinogens (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin) wouldn’t be in human-grade food. If it’s not good enough for me, it’s not good enough for my dogs.

The first ingredient should be a meat. It shouldn’t be a meat by-product or a meal. Neither of these are human grade, nor can they be measured for there nutritional content. That’s because the company cooks down a bunch of different animal parts that’s different each time.

Don’t get anything with wheat, corn, soy (or soybean oil), BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, artificial flavors and colors, salt, sugars (including sucrose and fructose).

A lot of these poor-quality ingredients are cheap fillers, flavor enhancers, and preservatives. They offer a low source of nutrition, and weaken the immune system. That’s what causes allergies. The only reason they’re in the recipe is because they serve a purpose for the company, not to keep your dog healthy.

I suggest you read dog food labels carefully. Look at foods like Evo (made by Innova), Timberwolf Wild & Natural or Ocean Blue, Barking At The Moon (made by Solid Gold). They’re more expensive, but they would seriously cut down on the allergies, which would mean less trips to the vet. I also suggest adding a cold-water fish oil, like salmon, krill, anchovy or sardine. This will help a lot with the ear problem and the yeast. You could also add probiotics and dygestive enzymes.
One product that has salmon oil, pre- and probiotcs, and digestive enzymes is Positive Health by Great Life. They also make an excellent food, but is expensive. Their website is http://www.greatlife4pets.com

I feed my dogs raw, which is as close to their natural diet as possible. With a raw diet, all the naturally occurring enzymes (which also keep their teeth clean–not dentist required) vitamins and minerals are in the food. Not only are their teeth clean, they have no allergies, fleas (and we don’t use ANY flea preventative) ear crud, and cured my chihuahua’s bad anal gland problems. He was having to get expressed every few weeks, but since the raw diet, he’s been empty for over a year. I can’t tell you how much I’ve saved in vet bills.

Quote from http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/anutmed.htm#poop:

"Scientists theorize that mineral deficiency subjects us, and our animals, to more diseases, aging, sickness and destruction of our physical well-being than any other factor in personal health. A groundswell of nutrition conscious veterinarians are beginning to recommend to their clients that they supplement their animals diet with a daily dose of flaxseed oil, coconut oil and other nutrients for optimum health and vitality. The food your animal eats should provide all of the nutritional components which are necessary for all organs and systems of a healthy body to perform in harmonious unison."
Does anyone know if there is a Dog Food out there which will provide all the necessary nutrients my pup needs? Or will I have to buy supplements, in addition to, the food I am currently buying. Right now, she eats "Pedigree; Adult Complete Nutrition". Yes, it SAYS COMPLETE, but is it? LOL
Ok, I should have been a little more specific. My "pup" is a little over a year old. She’s 50% pitt, 25% shepherd and 25% lab. I call her a "pup" cuz she acts like one. LOL. She’s a big girl, though. Anywho… I originally asked this question cuz my "pup" eats her "poo". We also have another dog, 100% pitt. She is 11 yrs old. My other dog does not and never has (that I am aware of). In doing some research, MOST sites stated that she eats her "poo" because she is lacking some important nutrients in her diet.

First off dogs/puppies don’t eat poop because they lack nutrients..this is a very common myth. It is perfectly normal and natural for dogs to eat poop and most do at one time or another in their life time given the opportunity. Puppies & females are more inclined to do it, but mlaes also will.
Second..Pedigree is NOT a good food. It is so full of cheap fillers that it is pretty much crap for dogs..it would be better for goats.

I would suggest that you feed a high quality meat based food..Canidae, Wellness, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul, Innova, Solid Gold just to name a few.
If you feed a good quality meat based food there is no need of giving supplements…if you are feeding a cheap grain laden food such as Pedigree, IAMS/Eukanuba, Science Diet and the like then yes you should supplement.

Which is better to look for in dog food, rice or barley?
I know that a completly grain free food would be best but cant find one in my area….
Anyone familiar with the difference of the affects of the two?
I susepect that rice may be something my poodle is allergic to and wonder if there would be much of a difference if she had barley instead.
thanks.

I did a quick nutritional scan of both of these ingredients to find out what they provide to the dogs.

Barley (1 cup): 23g Protein, 135g Carbs (32g Fiber), 4g Fat

Brown Rice (1 cup): 15g Protein, 143g Carbs (6g Fiber), 5g Fat

If I had to say which one was better overall, I would go with the Barley because it has a higher protein content and a lower Carb/Fat content.

Dogs do require some carbs and it’s important they get them from high quality ingredients. As far as grains go, Barley and Brown Rice are much better the wheat, corn, and all those other fillers.

So, I think you can be reassured your dog is eating healthy if you use a food with barley instead of rice.

Good luck.