type of dog food

[toby]

What type of food do you feed your dog and do you have a reason for doing this (other than because of medical reasons or allergies)?

We are getting a rescue dog in a month and I am trying to figure out what to feed her. She is currently on Purina One, but I have read (on consumer research etc) that this and other grocery store brands have lots of grains and aren't great for dogs. The ones that they recommend are Innova and Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul (!!) among others. These are quite a bit more expensive.

I realize that this isn't my child, but am interested to know if people think that there is a real benefit to buying the higher priced foods.

I don't feel as though I can ask my vet, because he "pushes" Z/D (is that the name?) which he sells in the office- grrrr...

[Indianamom2]

We use Beneful (original) dry and wet.

Our German Shep/lab mix got a bottle of ibuprofen off the table about 8 months after we got her from the shelter. She ate 95 pills (200 mg each) and nearly died. Thankfully, there seems to be no major lasting effect other than that we need to keep her on a low protein diet to ensure that her kidneys stay healthy.

We tried the K/D stuff that the vet sells, but she wouldn't eat it. Since her test levels came back fine, we searched for something with as little protein as possible, and Beneful fit the bill. She seems quite healthy now (a year later).

The wet Beneful actually looks good (I know that sounds weird.) I can actually identify exactly what is in it, which makes me feel good about giving it to her.

Christina

[kayte]

I am glad you asked this question... I feel like it's something I want to do differently next time. I have two older dogs--one who had cancer earlier this year and one who is currently suffering from Granulomatous Meningoencephalitis. We have had them on IAMS and purina one their whole lives (until recently since know they are spoiled and only eat meat and cooked vegetables as I gave it them while one was ill). I try to take care when selecting our foods- organic, free range, etc...So the natural progression is to consider what I am feeding them. I am now beginning to wonder if the food choices I have made for them-- although they are living into their teens-- would have had a better effect on their health.

SO I will be watching this thread to see what others say.

Congrats on the new dog, btw.

[brittone2]

there was a really recent thread on this.

We recently (a few months into it now) converted our dog and cat over to raw food (we have a local distributor of Blue Ridge Beef who is actually closer to us than Petsmart, etc.

Before that we fed Nutro. (eta: oh, and Blue Buffalo)

I still think my 3 year old husky/shepherd died from the melamine contamination. SHe had severe kidney issues that no one could figure out the source of despite many tests, several surgeries, etc. A few months later the melamine contamination story came out. I can't help but wonder if the food was a contributer.

(eta: we actually pay less for raw food than the better brands of dog food. Our 11 year old cat is not overweight anymore for the first time ever...he finally is at a healthy weight...he was overweight when we adopted him when he was age 6 and even w/ just small amounts of dry food was always overweight).

[melissaflorida]

We have used Solid Gold Holitique Blendz for about 10 years. All human grade ingrediants.

http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/products/showproduct.php?id=6&code=160

[AngelaS]

We feed Nutro Large Breed Adult. I've considered a raw diet for her tho too.

[kellij]

We use Evo. It's a grain-free food and you have to get it from feed stores or really nice dog stores. It costs more, but it's supposed to be more filling so they eat a lot less.

We had our dogs on that or on Innova and for awhile on Natural Balance and we still had one die from cancer last year (a shih tzu and he had only just turned 8). So I don't know if it helps or not, but I figure that if you break it down to cost per day it's pretty cheap regardless.

[KarenLud]

A benefit to buying premium dog food (in addition to the ingredients), while it may appear more expensive is that you actually feed them less because the food contains little or no fillers (corn, etc) and therefore they have less waste :boogie: And so I've seen charts where cost is broken down and the premium food actually costs either the same or less per serving that the grocery store level of foods. (level isn't the right word there, but I can't think of a better one).

We use Natural Balance and both dogs (well one is a lab and she likely doesn't taste the food nor would she care but our smaller pickier dog does) seem to love it.

Good luck on your decision! There are a LOT of foods out there!

[AnnieW625]

We were a lot like you too when it came to spending money for dog food. We used to use Iams then when Sydney developed a bit of a weight problem (we got her from the pound) so we switched her to Eukanuba Weight Control at 4 at the rec. of her vet. Then the whole dog food scare happened and I started doing more research on these things, and cut out wet food out of Sydney's diet. Now at 6, and after lots of research (and finding foods that would fit in our budget) we started feeding her Natural Balance Reduced Calorie formula and so far so good. It's $40 or so (depending on when it's on sale) for a 28lb bag, which is more than the Eukanuba, but honestly I feel better knowing that I am spending a bit more money for a better food with less grains in it and she is keeping her weight at her optimal range of 75 to 80lbs.

My aunt feeds her Golden Retriever Innova because he has allergies, and honestly when I was doing research Innova was the best loved food by reviewers. Call of the Wild foods were also good, but are harder to find then something more mainstream like Natural Balance, Holistique, or Blue Buffalo. One complaint I found about Blue Buffalo was that some owners noticed that their dogs did not eat the little life bits (vitamins) that they put in the food. I would look for a breed specific formula and slowly switch the dog to that from the Purina One.

[stella]

I would say that if your rescue dog has no real health issues, you could start with Purina One or a similar mid-range food. I fed that for years and none of my dogs ever really had issues. Then I was feeding Nutro and all 5 were doing well on that, too. For finanicial reasons (5 dogs, 2 cats, 3 children!!!), I switched back to Purina One and my young male goden retriever started losing the hair all over his belly. And the rest of his coat was so dry and brittle.

So I am now supplementing their dry food (Authority) with brown rice, plain yogurt, roast chicken, and chicken broth several times a week, and they are in heaven. The golden's coat is looking better every day. I am also adding glucosamine and fish oil, as 3 of the 5 dogs are geriatric and having trouble with arthritis.

Ask the foster family/rescue organization what she is accustomed to eating, and maybe start there. But I don't think you need to feed a super-premium food (or home-made or raw diets) if teh dog doesn't have any issues and is young and healthy.

[Momof3Labs]

Kirkland dog food, from Costco. It is actually rated quite highly as far as dry dog foods go, and at $22 for a 40lb bag, it is about half the cost of most of the Petsmart options (which generally aren't as high quality).

[doberbrat]

I feed raw. Kibble is not permitted in my house at all. Why? I wouldnt eat total cereal 3 meals a day for my entire life and expect to be healthy so I dont do the same for my dogs.

If fresh, unprocessed foods is best for us, it must be best for our dogs too.

If I couldnt feed raw, I'd feed California Natural or Innova, possibly EVO.

[bubbaray]

Royal Canin labrador. Its the only brand we've found where we can feed him a decent amount (so he's not starving 24/7) and he d/n get obese. It keeps his coat super shiny too. Our vet is impressed with it.

[toby]

Thank you for all of your helpful responses- this is just what I needed! KarenLud, I also had read and then forgotten (!)about the "premium" brands being more filling and therefore more cost effective than they seem, so thanks for this info.

I think that I will gradually switch her to one of the brands that you all suggested- I will look at our two pet stores to see which ones are available.

[lizajane]

california natural.

on "cheaper" brands, tucker (choc lab) is VERY itchy and licky and bites himself. he has allergies, it appears, and both dogs get fat easily. my friend owns a pet boutique and sells california natural. it is about $50 a bag, which is SO SCARY. but the licky licky licky thing is VERY VERY ANNOYING to hear, so i can't even imagine what is like to FEEL it.

[AJP]

Solid Gold here. We tried raw, EVO, California Naturals...the Solid Gold just worked best for us. We add flax seed oil and seameal powder for her unspecified allergies. She used to get terrible hives, hotspots etc that were only temporarily "cured" with prednisone. When I found the blend of food/supplements she only needs a few benadryl once a year and her allergies are all in check! I can not stand the licky, licky, licky sound either!!!

[lchang25000]

Science diet since that's what she's been eating when she was a puppy and it's highly recommended by our vet.

[lowrioh]

How large is the rescue dog? When we had our pug we gave him Royal Canin Mini Adult because the pieces were smaller and he had an easier time eating it.
Unless your vet recommends it or there is some other health issue, I wouldn't give the dog soft food because it is very calorie rich and once they are used to it, they won't want to eat the hard food. When the pug got too fat we had to substitute canned pumpkin for the soft food....He liked it a lot but the end result was very unappetizing!

[jse107]

Purina Pro Plan Salmon. Allergy issues here too, but to chicken and beef. We've got a yellow lab, so he'd eat anything put in front of him!

We've been very happy with it. He seems to do better with it than some of the more premium-premium bags from the vet.

Also, think about the treats you'll want to use. Ripley only gets baby carrots or greenies, again reducing waste and allergy-type issues.

[mom_hanna]

Science Diet. All our pets have only ever had Science Diet and they have done great on it.

[vejemom]

I feed Canis Major (the Mastiff) and Canis Minor (the Frenchie) California Natural Lowfat Chicken and Rice. I also buy huge cans of green beans at Costco and mix them in to give them extra fiber so they feel full and eat less kibble. In general, the better quality food, the better the body digests it. Therefore, less "output"!

The vet I worked for just told clients to look for a food with a high quality protein (i.e., avoid chicken meal in favor of actual chicken) Of the supermarket brands, she liked Purina One. I don't know anything about Kirkland dog food offhand, but Costco generally puts out solid products. I'll have to take a look.

Dogs aren't obligate carnivores like cats, so they would eat some vegetables in the wild. Some grain is OK, but it shouldn't make up the bulk of their diet. Grain is something that we humans use as a convenient source of extra energy for our animals. Even my huge draft horses only get about 1 or 2 pounds of grain a day if they're not working. They don't need the extra calories unless they're working hard - grass and hay are enough.

[toby]

The kennel owner says that she is doing well on Purina One, but I would like to transition her over to a higher quality food at some point. I just don't want to upset her stomach (she is around 45 lbs and looks like a small yellow lab).

My head is spinning from all of the choices!

Here is the consumer search link in case anyone is interested:
http://www.consumersearch.com/dog-food/review

ETA: Brittone2, you mentioned that there was a recent thread on dog food...I haven't been able to find it.

[missym]

ETA: Brittone2, you mentioned that there was a recent thread on dog food...I haven't been able to find it.

I think this is the one:
http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=324332

[tylersmama]

I feed Baxter the Kirkland food from Costco. He's been on it since we got him from the breeder and has done great. It's made by Diamond, but as previously mentioned, is about half the cost of the other premium foods.