Help with Kibble

[Flatcoatluver]

Hey everybody,
I have almost raised enough money for me to get a car. So I decided I want to change to a better kibble. My parents buy the lamb and rice Kirkland brand. I recently got a raise, so now I have plenty of money to buy a higher kibble brand. I would buy the kibble at Petsmart and I was thinking Nutro. But is there any better brand kibble that will improve Zoey and T.j’s coat? Thanks for the help in advance.
Breanne, Zoey and T.j

[Roxyluvsme13]

Of course I'm going to say feed Raw.. but you may not want to do that. It would really help their coat though.

[Flatcoatluver]

No my parents don't want me to feed them raw. So once I move out I will start raw, but since I am paying for there food I want a bigh quality kibble.

[bckrazy]

Do you have a feed store nearby? If so, I'd recommend Canidae or California Natural. Both made my pups coats really nice.

If you can only buy at Petsmart, Blue Buffalo is the best brand there. You should buy the Blue Buffalo in a big bag, though, because if you buy the smallest size it's almost $2/lb! If you have a Petco nearby, Natural Balance is a really good kibble at a good price. Adding a spoonful of fish oil or flaxseed oil to their kibble will help their coats, as does raw egg.

[IRescue452]

Didn't nutro test positive for phenobarbital? Kirklands is better than nutro anyway. Authority, Wellness, or Chicken soup are all good brands to try.

[Flatcoatluver]

Didn't nutro test positive for phenobarbital? Kirklands is better than nutro anyway. Authority, Wellness, or Chicken soup are all good brands to try.
I've just recently been seeing chicken soup at work, I was considering it but wasn't sure if it was a good brand.

[BCollie_Kelly]

I feed my 2 Canidae. They both love it and do very well on it, and IMO their coats look great! :)

[Roxyluvsme13]

Okay, since you can't feed Raw (I'm sorry :/) then I guess I recommend Canidae, Innova EVO, Chicken Soup, etc. Good Luck, Bre!

[Kfamr]

Nutro isn't necessarily a step from the Kirkland brand. Over the years Nutro has been declining in quality and isn't too great. They've recently downgraded and started using more soybean oil.

If you'd like to switch to a Nutro product - I'd go with Ultra.

TimberWolf Organics
Canidae
EVO
Solid Gold
Chicken Soup
Blue Buffalo
Californial Natural

[*LabLoverKEB*]

From reading this, I think I might switch to a better quality kibble, as well. We're feeding Nutro now, but I'm thinking about switching to a different one. Which is the best possible kibble for their coat, and skin?
Thanks

[binka_nugget]

I've just recently been seeing chicken soup at work, I was considering it but wasn't sure if it was a good brand.

I don't know what PetSmart sells but Chicken Soup is a fairly good food. The ingredients are great! My boys were fed Chicken Soup before switching to raw.. they did really great on it!

[molucass]

All of our dogs are on Chicken Soup.

[Ginger's Mom]

I started switching Ginger over to Blue Buffalo about two months ago (mixed with Nutro Natural Choice) and last week I noticed that her coat looks better than it did (softer, not as many frizzies and flyaways). I think it really has made a difference.

[Giselle]

From reading this, I think I might switch to a better quality kibble, as well. We're feeding Nutro now, but I'm thinking about switching to a different one. Which is the best possible kibble for their coat, and skin?
Thanks
Ah man, we need a nutrition sticky because these topics keep coming up :p

That's the thing. There is NO perfect/best kibble. The best kibble is one that works for your dog, so the success rate of a kibble is based on each individual dog. We can only suggest a few brands that stand above the rest. Soo, building on Kay's list:

TimberWolf Organics
Canidae
EVO
Solid Gold
Chicken Soup
Blue Buffalo
Californial Natural
Natural Balance
Pinnacle
Fromm
Azmiras
Wellness
Wysong
Eagle Pack
Flint River Ranch, etc. There are plenty more!

Like Bckrazy mentioned, you'll need to add more EFA's into your dog's diet to improve his coat condition. I don't use much flaxseed oil unless it's in a powder supplement like Missing Link, but when Giselle was eating kibble, I would add a couple spoonfuls of jack mackerel (fish and oil minus the hassle of shoving a pill down her throat) into her food. You can also add a tablespoon or so of olive oil and, like said before, eggs are always a good addition!

[Alysser]

Nutro isn't necessarily a step from the Kirkland brand. Over the years Nutro has been declining in quality and isn't too great. They've recently downgraded and started using more soybean oil.

If you'd like to switch to a Nutro product - I'd go with Ultra.

TimberWolf Organics
Canidae
EVO
Solid Gold
Chicken Soup
Blue Buffalo
Californial Natural

I agree with Kay on this one. Nutro isn't the best brand for kibble. I read an article in a dog magazine saying the best kibble brand is Canidae.

[bckrazy]

Chicken Soup can be good for many dogs, for some it's too rich. It does have good ingredients, and if it's readily available you might as well try it! Canidae is one of my favorites, still, because it is generally great for dogs of all ages/sizes, very affordable (cheaper than Chicken Soup) and it has high quality ingredients.

I do not recommend Authority, as they use corn in all of their formulas (except maybe the Harvest Baked?). Wellness has also been going down hill since the new formula.

[Flatcoatluver]

:) I have a question, why is Iams so bad? I have seen so many replys that are being negative towards Iams. Sorry I won't switch to it just wanna know!!

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Alrighty then.. thanks! I'm going to try the olive oil, or the raw eggs... thanks! :)

[Giselle]

:) I have a question, why is Iams so bad? I have seen so many replys that are being negative towards Iams. Sorry I won't switch to it just wanna know!!
It all lies in Iam's ingredient list. A lot of people hate Iams because of PETA's propaganda, but, honestly, I really could not care less about that. :o

Let's do a quickie ingredient analysis:

Chicken, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp (Sugar Removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Fish Meal, Potassium Chloride, Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Flax Meal, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Fish Oil (Preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (Source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (Source of Vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), DL-Methionine, Rosemary Extract

Okay, so chicken happens to be the first ingredient. However, corn meal and ground whole grain sorghum (used to make alcoholic beverages) follow thereafter. Chances are the quantity of grain products is equal to or even more than the quantity of chicken.

Chicken by-products include feet, necks, blood, and other parts of the animal that are usually deficient in quality and nutrients. When you feed these parts fresh and whole, however, the story is entirely different.

Natural Chicken Flavor - A dog does not need artificial flavoring in his food.

Salt - A dog does not need added salt in his food. You don't see raw feeders seasoning their dog's food with salt or pepper :p

I also have qualms with dried beet pulp, but that's another controversy in itself. Hope this helps you some!

[Flatcoatluver]

Okay, so chicken happens to be the first ingredient. However, corn meal and ground whole grain sorghum (used to make alcoholic beverages) follow thereafter. Chances are the quantity of grain products is equal to or even more than the quantity of chicken.

Chicken by-products include feet, necks, blood, and other parts of the animal that are usually deficient in quality and nutrients. When you feed these parts fresh and whole, however, the story is entirely different.

Natural Chicken Flavor - A dog does not need artificial flavoring in his food.

Salt - A dog does not need added salt in his food. You don't see raw feeders seasoning their dog's food with salt or pepper :p

I also have qualms with dried beet pulp, but that's another controversy in itself. Hope this helps you some!
Thank you so much, that helps me a lot. At the dog kennel I work for almost EVERY DOG OWNER feeds their dogs either Iams or Beniful(sp?). I know Beniful is really bad.

[IRescue452]

What else about Iams... your dog is being subject to a chloride overdose, which could be harmful. By products also includes feces and the litter used on the ground where the chickens were housed. For some reason aafco allows dehydrated garbage (roughage) as an ingredient but labels do not have to include non-digestable roughage, so perhaps Iams uses a lot of this. The grains left over from processing are spent to a point where there is nothing left but empty space. They could leave them out of the recipe altogether and the dog wouldn't lose any nutrients. Dried beet pulp is sugar, so I don't know whats left after they removed it. I'm sure the list goes on.

[Karen]

What else about Iams... your dog is being subject to a chloride overdose, which could be harmful. By products also includes feces and the litter used on the ground where the chickens were housed. For some reason aafco allows dehydrated garbage (roughage) as an ingredient but labels do not have to include non-digestable roughage, so perhaps Iams uses a lot of this. The grains left over from processing are spent to a point where there is nothing left but empty space. They could leave them out of the recipe altogether and the dog wouldn't lose any nutrients. Dried beet pulp is sugar, so I don't know whats left after they removed it. I'm sure the list goes on.

Dried beet pulp is not sugar - it is what is left after the sugar is extracted. It's just pulp, probably to add the reddish color, and some roughage. Um, and we all do need some roughage in our diet. Helps your digestive tract.

How does Iams subject the dog to "chloride overdose?"

Please don't make blanket statements like that without giving proof.

[buttercup132]

Kay and Giselles list are what Id say. from theres I would pick Solid Gold or Wysong and maybe Natural Balance.

[IRescue452]

Chloride in dog food has recently been discovered to be bad there is not yet going to be a scientific peer-reviewed article on it. Its hard to find "proof" on anything in the dog food business. There's also no peer reviewed article that says raw prey food is best for carnivores, because scientists don't waste their time writing common sense and getting it reviewed, they won't get paid for that. Beet pulp is "the dried residue extracted from the processing of manufactured sugar. It contains pure sucrose, as in common white refined sugar. The fiber content of beet pulp is used as a filler and as a bunder to artificially create better formed stools" I suppose with the sucrose removed its just used to make you think the dog has good stool, therefore healthy.

[lv4dogs]

Chicken Soup can be good for many dogs, for some it's too rich. It does have good ingredients, and if it's readily available you might as well try it! Canidae is one of my favorites, still, because it is generally great for dogs of all ages/sizes, very affordable (cheaper than Chicken Soup) and it has high quality ingredients.

Both are good foods, but I just wanted to add that Chicken Soup is cheaper than Canidae in my area, by about $7ish per large bag (40ish lbs) and can OFTEN be found on sale for even cheaper than that. Canidea however is rarely on sale in my area.

I think just about any brand of kibble I would reccomend has already been listed.

[Lady's Human]

Chloride (an ionic form of chlorine) cannot exist by itself Chlorine is a highly reactive chemical, and is not found alone. Sodium Chloride, AKA table salt, is a very common compound, as are calcium and potassium chloride. All are found in the food that a dog would eat naturally.

Scientists FREQUENTLY write "common sense" and put it up for peer review.

If there is any sucrose left in the sugar beet pulp it is a damned poor refining process. The dried reside is almost certanly pure fiber, which aids digestion.

As to Sorghum being used to make alcoholic beverages, here's a challenge......find me a grain that is NOT used for that purpose. If we avoided the grains used to make alcohol as part of our diet, we would not be eating wheat, corn, rice, rye, or any other grain. That statement is a red herring.

[Sevaede]

Should I be looking at feed stores for brands such as Canidae, Innova, etc?

Natural Balance is the Dick Van Patten food or whatnot, right?

[LuvGold00]

All my Goldens are currently on Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice and are doing very well, I have nice coats, skin, and stool. I am switching my little girl Hailey onto Solid Gold to see if I like it though... It's REALLY expensive though, in this area. I pay $27.00 for a 40lb bag of Nutro, and $26.00 for a 15lb bag of Solid Gold Wolf Cub.