Is this dog food ok?

[luckies4me]

I just switched the cats to Chicken soup and the hedgies get it as well,, mixed with Nutro................although I like Innova better. I tried Felidae canned and the cats like it, but they don't like the dry as well. Next dog will most likely get Chicken soup or Innova. Those are my favorites.

[Samantha Puppy]

Originally posted by tikeyas_mom
somtimes just because a dog likes somthing doesnt mean it is good for them.. It is like when you take a lil kid to A&W and they of corse like it, but that doesnt mean it is good for them..

I would just feed a homcooked diet if I couldent afford to get a good dog food, home hooked diets are not that bad money wize, the barf diet is much more expensive..

I had a dog that lived for 17 years eating Alpo and then Mighty Dog. So that food can't be that bad.

And maybe I'll have a little more money to spend on better food for Samantha when I'm done selling my soul to finance a simple wedding. 'Til then, she's eating Pedigree.

[ferky]

Miles' breeder had him on Eukanuba when we bought him and we continued it for about a month. He seemed to suffer from allergies so we switched him to Wellness - a natural food with more meat and vegitable products and no corn, soy or wheat. He loved it and is doing great. I highly recommend Wellness food and treats.

Keep in mind that not all good foods have to be bought at small or holistic pet stores. PetSmart just made their first endeavor into offering a natural, human grade ingredient food, and it's not too expensive! Blue Buffalo is now offered at PetSmart (that's the name of the company, there is no buffalo in the food) and from what I hear and read, it is a terrific choice. Here's their website and list of the ingredients in the adult formula:

http://www.bluebuffalocompany.com/

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Rye, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, Citric Acid and Rosemary), Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Ground Flax Seed, Alfalfa, Herring Oil, Sea Salt, Barley Grass, Sunflower Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Dried Whey, Calcium Phosphate, Dried Kelp, Whole Garlic Cloves, Lecithin, Parsley, Glucosamine, Spirulina, Yucca Schidigera, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bacillus Subtilis, Bifidobacterium Thermophilum, Bifidobacterium Longum, Enterococcus Faecium, Zinc Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Zinc), Choline Chloride, Iron Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Iron), Turmeric, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Manganese), Natural Color, Beta Carotene, Copper Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Copper), Potassium Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Potassium), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Potassium Iodide, Biotin, Cobalt Proteinate (source of Chelated Cobalt), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite (source of Vitamin K activity), Sodium Selenite

[RobiLee]

When we first got Katie we were feeding her Nutro Max. She did not seem to be thriving on this dog food. We then switched her to Eukanuba. My husband really wanted to try this food because his buddy at work has 2 akitas and this is what they eat and they are beautiful healthy akitas. Not too long after she starting eating this we noticed a difference in her. She loves the food and is definitely thriving now. She is healthy and happy and we also notice that her coat is even softer and shinier. I think it all just depends on what works for your dog.

Robin

[Dawn]

Sorry, had to go for a while...
Wow I'm surprised how many people use Chicken Soup dog food, I guess when you live in the boonies you are always the last to know about new products.
Tyr loves it and he's so finicky!
But ya'll are right there are quite a few great dog foods out there...Innova and wellness I am familiar with-they're just hard to get here. I do use natural balance canned or another canned food that I can't remember the name of, as an added treat sometimes mixed in with the dry. I needed to do it before switching to Chicken Soup, but Tyr seems okay with just the dry now.
I get the canned food at the natural grocery store, a good place is Mother Earth, or Whole Foods. They have a great Pet section. You can get natural treats there too. They also sell dry dog foods there - I know they carry Wellness, but I'm not sure of other brands.
But basically-it really helps if your dog likes it-it can be healthy, but what good is it if they won't eat it?
As far as price-well, I'm single and have no kids-so my dogs are my kids-and no orice is too high for their well being & happiness.
I know not everyone can afford to feed the best-especially if you are feeding a large breed dog-but word of advice-you will actually feed less of a good food to your dog-cause with the cheap brands they need to eat more...not sure the whole reason-but it has something to do with the fillers and all. And they will poop less on a better food and in the long run you will save lots of money because they will be much healthier.

[stacwase]

I don't know if this is true for everybody's dogs, or just for mine. But - the food seems to taste a lot better to them when it is soaked in water. I think that helps to bring the flavor out. So if you're having a hard time switching them over, you might try that. Just don't leave it soaking more than 1/2 hour or so or you might encourage bacteria.

[binka_nugget]

Originally posted by stacwase
I don't know if this is true for everybody's dogs, or just for mine. But - the food seems to taste a lot better to them when it is soaked in water. I think that helps to bring the flavor out. So if you're having a hard time switching them over, you might try that. Just don't leave it soaking more than 1/2 hour or so or you might encourage bacteria.

Yesterday, I switched them from Canidae to Chicken soup (I ran out of raw food). I soaked it after you said that it smelled fantastic so I was really curious. Kai gobbled it up. He's tried chicken soup before but he's never really been fond of kibble. He'll only eat it if he really has no choice and is really hungry.

[lv4dogs]

Originally posted by wolfsoul
I know that I am very critical when it comes to dog foods, so you may not want to listen to me lol. I don't like Eukenuba (Iams) because they are owned by a company that tests on animals (ironic, eh?). There is a rumor going around that they stopped, but it isn't true. Undercover agents have noticed only minimal changes. I also don't like them because I believe that all of their food contains corn, by-products, chemical preservatives and artificials.

Some foods I know that I like are: Wellness, Canidae, Innova and Pro Plan (not Purina Pro Plan). However these foods are pretty expensive..

I did not know of any other pro-plan. Do you know who makes it, where it is avail. at? The ingredients?

[tikeyas_mom]

Originally posted by My Peanuts
Ya know now that I think about it the Eukanuba probably was a bad choice. I thought it was good food when I first bought it, but both Sylvia and Harley were having skin problems. I didn't think much of it because they were both new to my home and I thought that maybe they just had allergies. Then I started giving them raw eggs (thanks for the advice pet talkers) and then allergies started to get better; less itching. I thought it was the seasons changing more than the egg! . I found a pet store near my home that carries the chicken soup for the pet lover’s soul food. I think we will try that. THANKS SO MUCH EVERYONE!

omg my mom got that book for me for my sweet 16 , it still hasnt come in yet, they had to ship it

[tikeyas_mom]

Originally posted by ferky
[B]Miles' breeder had him on Eukanuba when we bought him and we continued it for about a month. He seemed to suffer from allergies so we switched him to Wellness - a natural food with more meat and vegitable products and no corn, soy or wheat. He loved it and is doing great. I highly recommend Wellness food and treats.

omg WELCOME< your shih tzu is the cutest puppy!!!!

[tikeyas_mom]

personally I stick to Nutro, I feed Nutro "improve skin and coat"..Thats just what the pet store suggested but whatever..

[Samantha Puppy]

I went with what my vet suggested for the budget I was on.

[robinh]

I was having skin problems with our oldest, Max. It's been an ongoing problem for years and it never occurred to me that it could be his food. I had been giving them Nutro. The other four dogs seemed to be doing very well on it, but still Max had a lot of allergy problems.

After talking to ParNone (and with Micki's help) I've changed to Wellness Fish and Sweet Potato dry food. All five have adapted well to it. With the Wellness, Max has been off his allergy medicine for about a week and he still chews a little, but there has been a major difference n the amount of time he spends itching himself. The cheapest place I've found to get it is Drs. Foster and Smith. It's a little more expensive, but not having to pay the cost of the meds Max has more than made up for the shipping charges.

[Dakota's Mommy]

We used to use Iams, which was great for Dakota and occationally Destiny, but it messed with Destiny occationally and gave Sierra a lot of Diahrea! So, before knowing that Iams tested on animals, we switched to Nutro Max and it's been working wonderful for all three of ours girls. It's about the same price as the Iam's but it looks to be a lot more natural and better for them. So, we're very happy with that!

[Smilla]

I'm glad to have seen this thread. I read through all the posts and tallied up the number of times each of you recommended a particular product. I think I'll switch from Iams, which Lefty is eating now, to either Nutro or the Chicken Soup (whichever I can find and afford).