Yet again, Dog Food

[MariaM]

Ok I know this has caused many arguments in the past, but I hope this will be different (probably won't but maybe!)
My question here is, what are the GOOD ingredients? (this can include raw or not but please specify, if that makes any sense)

Everyone sais to read the ingredients but I don't know what's good and what isn't. On websites they tell you what ingredients, but not if they are good or bad (assuming you already know, which most people do, but I don't

Right now we are feeding Major Ol' Roy. I know its not great and I know some dogs live to be 16 off it and all that stuff. My point is, he is running out and I don't know if I should pay the extra money for better stuff.

Do you know any good (or ok, better than Ol' Roy) dog foods that are available at Wal-Mart/Zellers/Superstore? We don't have a petstore here, only one really small one but I think it just has Iams.

I used to think Purina and Pedigree were really good but looking at previous threads, I see that thay *might* not be.

What do you guys think?

[binka_nugget]

Here is Wolfsoul's dog food site: http://www.freewebs.com/dog-food

She's really knowledgeable when it comes to dog foods so you may want to PM her about it.

I don't know what's in Ol Roy exactly but..I'd imagine that Pedigree, Iams, and Purina are of better quality. But, there are still foods with better ingredients out there.

Look out for foods with BHA/BHT in them. A LOT of treats have it and ever since Jordan told me about it, I've stopped buying treats with it in it. About 95% of the dog treats at Zellars/Walmart and Petcetera have BHA/BHT.

Also, look out for corn/grain ingredients. Alot of foods like to break down corn into sub categories. They are required to list ingredients in order of the amount of it found in the food BUT, if they break it down, they can list it further down the list. When it adds up, the corn can be more than the good ingredients.

Good foods will have some kind of meat listed as the first ingredient. I think someone told me that Chicken/Turkey Meal is better than just "chicken" or "Turkey" because when it's just Chicken/turkey, alot of it is water. When it says Chicken meal or turkey meal, the water is gone. Look out for Chicken By-Products. That could mean, beaks, feet and feathers. Also, be wary of "Meat Meal" or "Meat By-Product" because "meat" could easily mean road kill.

I think I've read that there were studies that found dog remains in Ol' Roy. I don't know if there's any truth to that statement but in my opinion, Ol Roy is one of the lower quality foods out there.

And you're right. Some dogs do eat ol' roy for their entire lives and end up just fine. But, I don't see any harm in buying a better quality food (so long as he does well on that as well). I don't know if you have much selection where you live but if you look at other places other than Superstore, Zellars and Walmart, you'll be able to find dog foods that are superior to Ol' Roy. Alot of smaller pet supply stores carry holistic foods. If you're in Canada, Petcetera has started carrying a more natural blend.

[Glacier]

Feed him what your comfortable with, what's available in your area and what fits in your budget. And since you're pretty young--what your parents will agree to!

I used to be much more opinonated about this subject. Then I adopted a dog who had been starved by her first owner. Three years later, she still has issues with food, she always will. Now when I see someone with a cart full of Ol'Roy or a similar food, I think "at least he cares enough to buy his dog food!"

[cloverfdx]

Now when I see someone with a cart full of Ol'Roy or a similar food, I think "at least he cares enough to buy his dog food!"

Ditto. :) Well said. At least it is some sort of food.


If you can afford a better quality food then go for it, do your research etc and do what is best for Major.

[delidog]

Thank You,Glacier!!!!
Well Said!!!!!

We can Analyze this subject to death....They Need FOOD....
Like Glacier Said....Whatever You & Your Parents are comfortable with....
Hug Major For Me!!!!!

[DogLover9501]

Ol'roy is not a very good food, surprising is thats what Jasper's breeder recomended :eek: I didn't listen..

When I first got Jasper, I would look for foods at the grocery store, and wal-mart, places like that, and none of them have any good choices, iams, pedigree, purina dog chow, alpo...

I found a great pet supply store with great foods like Fromms, Wellness, Canidae..etc.

Do you have a store called "The dog house" there? I never thought we had good pet supply stores, but it's worth it to look into.

Although I am paying almost $70 a sack, $20 just for a 2.5 bag, it's definatly worth it because there's no corn in it, and the ingredients are alot better than the wal-mart brands :)

[K9soul]

Although I am paying almost $70 a sack, $20 just for a 2.5 bag...

Wow :eek:, That is an expensive bag of dogfood. I think that would definitely be hard on my budget. As it is now we scrape to keep enough people groceries in the house ;)

But I heartily agree with others, to feed what you feel most comfortable with and can afford. I feed Royal Canin Natural Blend, which has no corn but does have some rice. Still, overall I think it is a good food, the best I could really find in this area, and costs me about $30 for a 37.5 pound bag. The food review site rates the grade as human quality.

Most importantly though, the pups do well on it, look good, have energy, digest it well, etc., and I feel comfortable myself with it, so that is the way to go for me.

Pro-Plan actually is a better quality food than just about any grocery store brand dog food, I'd say better than Science Diet, Ol Roy, Pedigree and so on in my opinion. If that is affordable for you and you feel it would be good for Major, I would say go for it. :)

[MariaM]

Ok thanks everyone. But what exactly *is* BHA/BHT?

$70 a bag!:eek: Ol' Roy is $15 a bad, Canadian, which is why my mom gets it. But she really doesn't like the idea of getting different food, even if I pay the extra amount.

She finally agreed on Purina Puppy Chow but I *thought* all those brands (Alpo, Iams, Pedigree) were better than they are. So we might just get another Ol' Roy until I can do some more research and find out what we have around here.

I *think* there might be a store, you can buy grains and stuff, where "pet supplies" is sold. Or something. I'll see on a day we aren't that busy. I also always though that "chicken" was better than "chicken meal" and so on.

I really didn't know all this information, and I'm sure this is a LOT more:rolleyes: for me to learn!

Thanks for your help!

[MariaM]

Oh, and because Major is a lab, and they grow quick (and he is!) when do you think I should switch to Adult food? The vet said something about dolescence formula but that is only available there (that I have ever seen) Major is around 4 months old (a few days more we're guessing)

[cali]

I dont know where you live, but my vets carrys food called Medi-Cal, my mom does not consider it a good food, but the owner of happys sister wone a bag at a raffle, she said she has never seen her dogs healthier, there coats have started comming in thick and shiny and soft, they are feeling better healthwise etc.. where they used to get bald spots and thin hair from IAMS have completly filled in etc.. its not the best food but its the best for HER dogs.

Medi-Cal (http://www.medi-cal.ca/consumers/AboutMediCal/AboutMedi-cal_EN.asp)

[binka_nugget]

Originally posted by MariaM
Ok thanks everyone. But what exactly *is* BHA/BHT?

I'll quote what's listed on Jordan's site:

"BHA (Butylated Hydroxysanisole) & BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) - Often seen together, these carcinogenic chemical preservatives have been known to cause cancer, tumors, epilepsy, kidney failure, and a number of other things. A dog who eats food containing one or both of these has a 60% chance of developing urinary stones."

There's alot more listed on the site but.. don't feel bad if you can't change his food. By all means, feed him whatever you and your family can afford and what he does well on. My best friend has an older Golden (I think 12?) who has been fed Pedigree all her life. No problems what so ever. But then again, I've fed a couple of feed grade foods (Eukanuba and Nutro) and didn't get the same results with my dogs. So look around. If he does well on something and you guys are happy with it, stick with it.

Some people feed their dogs adult foods straight from puppy hood. Kai's breeder recommended this but I think I mistakened it for lack of knowledge. Puppy food is loaded with stuff that helps the dog grow faster. Growing too fast in larger breeds can lead to problems with the bones. I think I've read on a dane listing that alot of the owners feed adult formula right away so they can grow slowly and keep the stress on their bones minimal.

edit:
Here's what I found on Jordan's site.

When to stop feeding puppy food... A highly controversial subject. Believe it or not, puppy food does more harm than good. A dog's growth should be very slow, or else a dog may end up with bone problems. Puppy food is loaded with extra nutrients that can make your dog grow at a very fast rate and also make your dog end up with severe bone problems, such as dysplasia. Dog food companies will tell you that a puppy needs these extra nutrients to grow properly -- but these nutrients don't make a puppy grow properly at all; just faster. Most breeders won't recommend feeding puppy food beyond the age of eight weeks.

[DogLover9501]

Originally posted by K9soul
Wow :eek:, That is an expensive bag of dogfood. I think that would definitely be hard on my budget. As it is now we scrape to keep enough people groceries in the house ;)

lol yes it is, Im going to take him off it when I find out his alergy results, as it has be babysitting all week and still looking for another job so I can feed the dog..at 17 :p

[dragondawg]

Mine has always been a brand called Pro-Pet. It originally went under the wierd name of Big Red, before being bought up by Carnation. Why Pro-Pet? Highest protein/fat puppy/performance dog food on the market at about 1/2 the price of the name brands. Ingredients were of the equivalent order as the name brands.

A lot of discussion occurs per dog food vs "natural" vs "raw" foods when the issue of health arises. Most of the time diet is irrelevant in health except in regards to protein and fat ratios.

Although some of the by-products in dog food may sound less than appetizing to us as humans, as long as the dog thrives on it, can it be so bad?

[crazycait]

Not trying to step on anybody's toes here but...
All the dogs my family has (and our neighbors now that I think about it) ever owned have lived off of Ol' Roy. They lived to a old age and lived happy lives. If, they didn't like, they never told us!:D

****** just as a side note*********
It is proven that love can make u fat.. so if your pup seems to be skinnier than usual... i would recomend an extra hug!!!1:) :p

[cloverfdx]

That is interesting about the puppy food and the pups growing too fast. You have got me thinking now, Mum and i were just having that discussion about when Elvis should come off puppy food (He is nearly 8 months old) and i thought he should stay on puppy food a bit longer Mum did not agree. Hmmm. :confused:

Well i will do abit of research and see what i come up with. Thankyou for meantioning it. :)

[heinz57_79]

Having limited resources for pet supplies can be tough. Have you thought of possibly ordering some from online if you can't find what you want in the stores around? I have always feed my dogs Nutro... Nutro Natural when I'm doing ok financially, Nutro Max when things are a little tight. I used to feed them Pedigree and things like that, and noticed a BIG difference when I switched their food. THe first ingredient in the Lamb and Rice formulas is Lamb Meal which, as already mentioned, is really good for them. Their poop is smaller, doesn't stink half as bad, which generally means that there's more being digested than passed thru. Most of the other dog food brands have corn or rice as the first ingredient and it's just a filler. It can't really be digested so it just goes straight thru.

In terms of puppy food, I've checked with at least a handful of different vets and I havent come across one that says to stop feeding puppy food early. They all told me to keep the pup on it for at least 9 months, preferably a year. I've got Arthur on Nutro Natural Large Breed Puppy right now.

But like I said, if you decide on a better food (and your parents ok it) you can order Nutro and some other brands from Petsmart.com, petco.com and places like that.

Good luck! :)

[cali]

vets know next to nothing about nutrition. so do NOT rely on what they say to be true. puppy food does make dogs grow way to fast, I really noticed it between happy and misty, happy grew up on puppy food, and grew REALLY fast, like 2 inches in one week. misty grew up on RAW, and man did I ever notice the differnace is speed of growth, misty grew VERY slow, like maybe 2 inches a month. usally only 1 inch a month, mistys structure is also WAYYYYYYY better then happys.

[Tina]

I say feed what ever you comfortable with. We don't have any pet stores that sell dog food around here. They are small pet stores mostly just sell bird food and supplies, fish food and supplies, rabbit food and supplies and etc...

We live in a very small area and the only place we can shop for dog food is at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, or a grocery store. There are feed stores for like horses,goats, and cows around here. I believe the only thing they sell is Purina.

We feed our dogs Purina One right now they have eaten other Purina dog foods. They have also had Alpo and Pedigree. We don't really have very many choices around here so we feed what we feel comfortable with. If we are low on money we have feed them Ol'Roy.

[MariaM]

I see there are quite a few replies since I went to camp, so I'm gonna reply now. Major will be switching to an Ol' Roy food that said "All Life Stages" on it. I suppose its probably adult or something, but it has less protein than the puppy food. I don't want him to grow so fast, because as it is, he is huge in my eyes (from when we got him)

Yes, the food our vet sells is called Medi-Cal. I've searched everywhere but I don't know what the price of it is. I guess I'll have to phone them, but I don't really want to lol, Not until I'm sure.

Tina: your stores sound basically the same as our stores lol. Where do you get Purina One? I have only seen it at IGA but pet supplies at IGA are more expensive.