Purina Beneful?????????????????

[timlewis]

I Bought Some Purina Beneful Today, Just Wondering Your All Thoughts On It How Good It Is For Her? I Know Its Not As Good As Nutro And Some Others But Where I Live They R Real Hard To Find. The Web Site Says A Dealer Is Like 28 Miles From Me Thats A Straight Shot But Reality Is I Have To Cross A Mountain And Its Bout An Hour Or More Drive.

[sanford8916]

I thought the same thing, I live about 45 minutes from any of the pet store that sell dog food. But when I went to the Nutro web site and entered my zip code, I found a feed store that sell it and it's only 10 miles away. I didn't have a clue that place was even there. They also sell a limited selection at the Tractor Supply Store and some kennels around here too. I read in one of the post that you are suppose to look for a food that has meat listed in the first 4 ingrediance. Is there a grain mill close to you? The one near me sells a few of the brands that everyone talks about too! Good Luck! :)

[timlewis]

whats the name of the website?

[Lady's Human]

There are also places on the internet who do web-order shipments.

Judging by the pics you posted, the pup needs somthing other than puppy show, she's waaaaayy too thin.

[Vela]

Do what the above poster did, go to the respective websites for nutro, canidae, chicken soup, and any other names you have heard as good food and do a search. You may find a feed store close by that sells at least some of those brands, or who will order it for you. Really, nothing you can give as a supplement will make up for the amount of fillers in puppy chow/dog chow. It amounts to a whole lot of poop and not a lot of nutrition, which is probably why your girl is a little too thin, not drastic for a boxer puppy, just a tad, you just don't want it to ge to be any more. If you can't find anything, try adding a raw egg, cottage cheese, tuna fish, etc, to her kibble to help with the nutritional value.

[Lady's Human]

If you go to the nutro web site, and do a search by zip code, there's a pet store 26 miles away from you that carries Nutro.

Terry's Pets & Supplies
170 Parkway Plaza Loop
Whitesburg, KY 41858

I'm used to looking at lab pups, they tend to be a little on the chunkier side than boxers. (One of my co-workers brought in their choc. lab puppy last week.........he was Tooo cute)

[sanford8916]

www.naturalbalanceinc.com
www.solidgoldhealth.com
www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com
www.canidae.com
These are the web sites that other PT's gave to me to check out. I hope that helps! Nutro also has a program that you buy 10 bags and get the 11th free. :)

[dragondawg]

i have a boxer pup Daisy, i am feeding her puppy chow and everyone tells me its not that good for her. Or atleast not as good as other foods r, but i live in a very very small area and i cant find any of the brands they tell me. So what kind of vitamins can i give her or what can i feed her to make up the difference?

Your puppy appears to be in excellent shape, and there is no need to switch from what you are currently feeding. The usual problem with a puppy formula is that due to the high protein and fat content as the dog becomes a young adult it may gain weight- or again it may be just fine. My 3 yr olds are on a Large Puppy formula 27% protein 15% fat. You may wish to consult with your Vet as to any particular problems a high protein/fat diet might cause in a boxer.

[dragonfly]

Your puppy appears to be in excellent shape, and there is no need to switch from what you are currently feeding. The usual problem with a puppy formula is that due to the high protein and fat content as the dog becomes a young adult it may gain weight- or again it may be just fine. My 3 yr olds are on a Large Puppy formula 27% protein 15% fat. You may wish to consult with your Vet as to any particular problems a high protein/fat diet might cause in a boxer.

The puppy is 9 weeks old and is a high energy breed, I doubt she's going to get too fat on puppy food not for quite some time at least. I do not think feeding puppy chow is fine, it's like a person eating corn, wheat and lard as their only source of nurishment. Yep you could probably survive on it but obviously you won't be very healthy.

timlewis, I think that Nutro Natural Choice large breed puppy would be a great choice for your dog. It's a fairly good quality food and it's not terribly expensive. I think you'll notice a difference in your dogs condition if you make the switch. By the way, I'm not sure if I said it before, but she is absolutely adorable. :)

[Jessika]

Also keep in mind that while vets are a wealth of information on the HEALTH of your pet, vets are NOT canine nutritionalists. Vet clinics are usually sponsored by a company (Hills, Purina, etc) and are required to promote and sell that food to their customers. So just because a vet recommends a food does not mean that it is the best out there. I urge you to do your own research. I recommend Nutro, and as previously stated there is a store nearby you (well, from where you put your location as anyway). So I at least recommend checking it out or getting a sample and see how it goes from there. :)

[Vela]

I agree with Jessika about the vets and their knowledge of canine nutrition. SOME vets do research and recommend high quality diets, but many are sponsored or have deals with companies and promote their food for the benefits they get from the companies. Nutrition is not something vets are taught much about in vet school, if they know much of anything about it it's because they studied it on their own. I was todl by one of my vets that Dog Chow was fine, even though my dog's health was crappy on it. I changed foods and their health improved so I KNOW what you feed them matters. Really do try to find the best food in your area you can and her healthy WILL be better. Sometimes you ahve to try a few different foods to find the best one that works for you ad your dog but always try to make it a quality food with good ingredients, not junk and fillers.

[LilacDragon]

Your puppy appears to be in excellent shape, and there is no need to switch from what you are currently feeding. The usual problem with a puppy formula is that due to the high protein and fat content as the dog becomes a young adult it may gain weight- or again it may be just fine. My 3 yr olds are on a Large Puppy formula 27% protein 15% fat. You may wish to consult with your Vet as to any particular problems a high protein/fat diet might cause in a boxer.

Here is the ingredients list for puppy chow as listed on their website:

Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, brewers rice, soybean meal, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), pearled barley, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, animal digest, salt, egg product, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, zinc proteinate, choline chloride, DL-Methionine, vitamin supplements (E, A, B 12, D 3), manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, copper proteinate, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2), niacin, brewers dried yeast, calcium pantothenate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.
0-4001


Four of the first five ingredients are fillers - corn, corn gluten meal, and soy go in your pups mouth and come right out the other end! On the way through - you get gas. Anyone who knows Boxers knows that they sure don't need help creating gas!

Chicken by product meal is garbage. Literally. The parts of a chicken that can't be used for anything else.

Here is the ingredients list for Canidae:

Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Brown Rice, White Rice, Lamb Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Herring Meal, Flax Seed, Sun Cured Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Chicken, Lecithin, Monocalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Linoleic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract, Inulin (from Chicory root), Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Fermentation Solubles, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Mixed Tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (source of B2), Beta Carotene, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, D-Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Papaya, Vitamin B12 Supplement.





© 2006 CANIDAE Corporation

Three of the first 5 ingredients are a meat - not a by product but actual MEAT. No corn, no soy = less gas.

[dragondawg]

Four of the first five ingredients are fillers - corn, corn gluten meal, and soy go in your pups mouth and come right out the other end!

You really need to define what you consider a filler to be??? Apparently you believe corn and soy just transit the digestive system providing little if any nutritional value- except for gas. If so then you are wrong.

Shall we start with Corn?

Nutritional value of yellow corn (http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:8VoLw9P5UIQJ:www.elook.org/nutrition/grains/6586.html+yellow+corn+%2B+nutritional+value&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=4)

Shall we do the math per 100gms: Fat 5 gms, Carbohydrates 74 gms (mostly starch), Protein 5 gms. That accounts for 84 out of the 100 gms as being utiliizable.

The digestibility of the protein content of corn is approximately: 66.4% for the essential amino acids, 62.4% for non-essential aimno acids, and 64.0% for the total amino acid content of the corn protein(s).

One scientific study of the digestibility of corn protein (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=15583056&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum)

But clearly the value of corn is in the carbohydrates, where sugars are a part of this nutritional categoy. Corn is not an inert filler in foods.

I'm not here to defend any dog food that has no meat listed as the first ingredient. But I'm not going to assume the puppy chow is Purina until the original poster makes that claim.

BTW- the Canidae seems to have excellent ingredients per their order. My Propet Large Puppy has in order: Lamb meal, brewers rice, ground yellow corn, chicken, corn gluten meal, chicken fat (etc etc), ground wheat, dried beet pulp, chicken meal, dried egg product, natural flavors (whatever that is), fish meal, brewers dried yeast etc. The point there are some foods that have corn right up there as a main ingredient, and yet my 3 yr olds (as my prior dog of 10 yrs did) thrive on it.

What might be of value would be for the dog food makers to put in percentages for each ingredient. For example is the Propet 90% lamb meal (doubtful), and 10% everything else. Is the Canidae 10% Chicken meal, 9.9% Turkey meal, 9.8% brown rice, 9.79%white rice, with the remaining 4% and below for each. All we get to know is the order, but not the exact amount. It might be surprising.


The puppy is 9 weeks old and is a high energy breed, I doubt she's going to get too fat on puppy food not for quite some time at least.

And neither did I state a 9 week old puppy that is actively growing is likely to become fat. But once that puppy reaches 1 yr of age a change in volume diet may be needed. My prior dog which was 1/2 Lab lived up to her Lab reputation and at 1 yr on free choice was 90 lbs. She pigged out on her food. I quickly got her down with scheduled feedings to her ideal weight of 72-74 in the summer, and 80 in the winter. No, never had any arthritis problems. My current two I regulated the amount once they got to about 6 months of age and avoided all weight problems.


Also keep in mind that while vets are a wealth of information on the HEALTH of your pet, vets are NOT canine nutritionalists.

I wonder where one can find the courses and the colleges that offer a degree as a Canine Nutritionalist? I did come across some canine nutrition classes taught by Vets. Now getting a Vet to talk about dog food and nutrition without fast shufflling you out the door might be a trick. But a Vet DOES know food nutrition, else they would be at a loss in treating metabolic disease.

[LilacDragon]

Dogs can thrive on Ole' Roy, but that doesn't mean that it is good for them. Heck, I fed my dogs Purina for years before doing my research and learning about what was going in my dog. Since I didn't go to medical school and am not a scientist - I am sorry to say I didn't understand a word of your link to a "scientific study of the digestibility of corn protien (and I am talking about the nutritional value of corn as applies to dogs so the E-Look link for nutritional value in humans is pointless as far as I am concerned.)

I can tell you from experience, when I removed all corn and soy products from my older rottweiler's diet it was easier to manager her weight, she had more energy, her coat looked better, she farted much less and pooped less.

And yes, I do believe (though of course, can not prove) that the food she ate before I put her on a premium food was in some way, if slight, the reason that I lost her to cancer instead of old age.

[timlewis]

Please Help

[JenBKR]

I'll agree with the Nutro suggestion, it's a much healthier food. Arguments can be made for cheaper foods with lots of fillers, but the truth is that they just do not give as much nutrition, and in the end a better food will give you a healthier dog...not to mention a cheap food may lead to many more health problems when your dog gets older. The others mentioned such as Solid Gold, Canidae, etc. are awesome foods too of course :)

[MajesticCollies]

I can't put this any blunter. Without sounding rude......If you buy it from the grocery store it isn't worth feeding. Alls it does is put substance in your dogs belly. Not the proper nutrients he needs. I feed Solid Gold. You will be surprised the little private kennels and breeders close to you that are retailing the holistic and quality foods.

[mugsy]

Beneful is really pretty bad...Pedigree is better than that. See my post in one of the other dog food threads about what is in dog food that is not good.

Solid Gold: http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/

Canidae: http://www.canidae.com/

Merrick: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/

Wellness: http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/dogs/wellness_overview.html

Nature's Variety/Prairie: http://www.naturesvariety.com/

Innova/California Natural/Mother Nature/Karma: http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul: http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/

Eagle Pack: http://www.eaglepack.com/ (this one is made in northern IN)

Royal Canin: http://royalcanin.com/

[coco-bean]

I personally dont like Beneful because we got it for coco and she ate it for about a week and didnt like it, it startd making her very sick, she would throw up and the pieces of food would still be whole when they came out, and she was no longer excited to eat food anymore! She use to jump around and be excited then after she ate that for a while she turned her nose up to it and dreaded when she had to it that!

[mugsy]

Also keep in mind that while vets are a wealth of information on the HEALTH of your pet, vets are NOT canine nutritionalists. Vet clinics are usually sponsored by a company (Hills, Purina, etc) and are required to promote and sell that food to their customers. from there. :)


Boy did you hit the nail on the head!! That's what Mike uses as his selling point when people come looking for food for the animals!

[LilacDragon]

Ok - here is the skinny.

You should avoid foods with lots of fillers, ie: corn, soy, brewer's rice, and other things along this line. You should also avoid foods with meat-by-products. If you must shop at your local grocery for foods then you are going to have to do your research and read labels.

If you live in the sticks, then chances are there is a feed store near you somewhere. Most feed stores carry some of the better foods. Also, if you live in the sticks, chances are you are going to "the city" every once in a while. While you are there - get dog food.

[Vela]

Honestly, Beneful is one of the absolute worst foods on the market. I am certainly not trying to tell you this to be rude, honestly, but it's horrid. I'd honestly feed dog chow first. I would check out all of those threads someone posted to the websites for the better food. Trust me, with a Boxer you don't need extra gas LOL, and that's what you get from those crappy dog foods, LOTS of it. You can often find good foods at local feed stores, small mom and pop operations, boarding and breeding kennels, etc. At least try looking at those sites to see if any of those are anywhere near you. You can also have food delivered by mail and, depending on the place, get free shipping or reduced shipping, etc.

[mugsy]

I'll agree with the Nutro suggestion, it's a much healthier food.

I am going to respectfully disagree with this statement (although it IS significantly healthier than Beneful). Nutro has changed their formulation and has added soybean oil which is one of the top 3 allergens. Mike has converted 11 dogs from Nutro onto better (and in some cases, cheaper) food and the owners came in 2 weeks later falling all over themselves thanking him for saving the dog...they had runny, seepy ears and coat issues. Now, if your dog doesn't have allergies, then you probably won't see a difference. So....if you need Nutro come to Ft Wayne to the store and buy what we have left...the Nutro Max is marked down to $17.99 for a 35 pound bag so we can get it out of the store. Also, you will begin finding this at your local Wal-mart anytime, which is a sure sign they have lowered the quality of the food. Just an FYI (Mike gets this info from periodicals that he gets at the store).

I hope I didn't offend you!!!

[Tralee]

I can't put this any blunter. Without sounding rude......If you buy it from the grocery store it isn't worth feeding. Alls it does is put substance in your dogs belly. Not the proper nutrients he needs. I feed Solid Gold. You will be surprised the little private kennels and breeders close to you that are retailing the holistic and quality foods.

I beleived that, untill I was looking at the health food section in Hannaford and discovered they were selling Wysong dog and cat food, and a few other brands of natural dog food. Most of the brands did contain corn, but they are still much healthier than the foods found in the dog asile. Unfortunately the bags were quite small.

[timlewis]

That Thread Was Wrote Before This One, Thank You All For Your Advice It Has Been Really Helpful For Me. I Will Go Ahead And Get Some Nutro Just As Soon As Possible Which Will Be 2 To 3 Days. I Took Her To The Vet Today And Got Her Shots, She Done Great. Although She Had A Little Ear Infection Around The Outside Of Her Ear He Gave Me Some Kinda Medicine For It. I Take Her Next Week To Get Her Ears Clipped So I Definetly Need To Get Rid Of That.

[BC_MoM]

I'm not here to start a discussion about Purina,

but I fed my two Purina for a long time, and Mickey longer than Molly. The only problem they had while on it was slight tartar on their teeth. They both did nicely on Purina. Their coats were nice, their health was "athletic condition". JMO. :)

I agree there are better foods, but I, from my experience with Purina, would not label it a bad food.

[signorelli21]

^ +1

i took angel to the vet yesterday for her second round of shots and had them do tests for intestinal parasites and heartworms and something else, lol.

she is now 15 weeks old and i have had her on beneful since i got her, she has gained almost ten pounds, her teeth are immaculate, and the vet could not get over how beautiful her coat/skin looks. ( she was interested what the hell i have been feeding her, lol)

but what works for some doesn;t work well for others, and i am still going to be switching her to eagle brand of foods, even though that means buying it from the evil pet store, lol.

[K9soul]

Although She Had A Little Ear Infection Around The Outside Of Her Ear He Gave Me Some Kinda Medicine For It. I Take Her Next Week To Get Her Ears Clipped So I Definetly Need To Get Rid Of That.

Aww, I love her natural floppy ears.. they give her such a sweet soft look. The ear infection problems could very well be from the food. Many dogs have allergies to corn and other filler ingredients used in low end foods. I think boxers especially tend to be one of the more sensitive breeds when it comes to that. Good luck with her. She's adorable.

[labmomma]

After a lot of research I chose to go with Flint River Dog Food due to the quality of their product. They have free shipping and I'm on the autoship option where they automatically ship to me according to a schedule we arrived at. I live 45 minutes from the closest pet store so this is my best and healthiest option for my Labs.
Labmomma

www.flintriver.com

[Logan]

FRR is my food of choice, too, but it got too expensive with 4 big dogs. Now I have 3, one puppy, and two big dogs and I might consider going that route again. It certainly was nice to have the UPS man (poor guy) bringing it to my door! :o

My big dogs are eating Purina One Barley and Lamb, right now. It is the one in the white bag, and they are doing just fine on it. Puppy Mack is still on Iams Puppy food, which is what the breeder was using, but in time, I may switch all 3 of them back to FRR.

Good luck!

Logan

[elizabethann]

I had a coupon for Beneful & bought Fenway a couple. I love their packaging and they were great to use when we were on vacation. Of course, Fenway thought he died & went to heaven & ate it all up. Would I personally buy Beneful as his regular daily canned food? No.

He's back to his Merrick canned food. Actually, another reason I bought the Beneful was that Merrick only had large cans. But they recently came out with small (cat sized) travel cans. So I take those on vacation now. Easy and good stuff!

Buying our animals pet food is such a hard decision. If I could only tell you how long it took me to decide what to feed my animals. And now with one of my cats with kidney disease, I've probably spent over $100 trying to find a food that he will eat.

:)

[JenBKR]

I am going to respectfully disagree with this statement (although it IS significantly healthier than Beneful). Nutro has changed their formulation and has added soybean oil which is one of the top 3 allergens. Mike has converted 11 dogs from Nutro onto better (and in some cases, cheaper) food and the owners came in 2 weeks later falling all over themselves thanking him for saving the dog...they had runny, seepy ears and coat issues. Now, if your dog doesn't have allergies, then you probably won't see a difference. So....if you need Nutro come to Ft Wayne to the store and buy what we have left...the Nutro Max is marked down to $17.99 for a 35 pound bag so we can get it out of the store. Also, you will begin finding this at your local Wal-mart anytime, which is a sure sign they have lowered the quality of the food. Just an FYI (Mike gets this info from periodicals that he gets at the store).

I hope I didn't offend you!!!

Oh no, I'm not offended! I've been feeding Nutro for a little while now, and I'm very pleased with how Roscoe is doing on it. I don't know how to read labels extremely well, but what little I do know I researched and I'm comfortable with Nutro (although I hadn't heard that they changed the formula). I am curious though, you said that Mike converted some dogs off of Nutro and onto other brands, and some of them are cheaper. Mind me asking what brands those are? If something is healthier and cheaper, and I can find them anywhere around here, I might consider switching. Thanks!

[mugsy]

I believe that he switched them to a brand called Nutri Source (also on the top 30 list). I know it's hard to find here, but don't know about around you. I have heard (and know for the Ft Wayne store) that Gander Mountain is carrying Nutri Source now. Odd isn't it? The other probable brand that he switched them to would be Canidae.

I have learned SO much since Mike took over the store (a lot of which we get the "first run" information through vendors). For instance...I didn't know that Wellness has switched from baking their food to an extrusion (steaming) process and that is partly why the holistic vet in our area quit recommending it.

Mike put it very succinctly the other day....(and I believe that's how it got to the McDonald's scenario)...that is...if given a choice between McDonalds and spinich most people would take the McDonalds even though they know the spinich is better for them. Dogs are the same way...they're going to take the Beneful because it tastes like chips to them, but, they NEED better nutrition than that. It's funny that the secretary here at school and I got into this discussion this morning. She thinks it's ridiculous that people spend so much on their animals when 20 years ago they didn't the dogs lived just as long. I argued that they didn't. And I'm sure that there are dogs that do just fine on Purina, etc, but, on the whole the more expensive food isn't really that much more expensive because you don't need to feed them as much. Our Daisy is a 135 pound Great Dane and she gets 4 cups of food a day on the premium food, where she would have to eat about 7 cups of Purina to get the same nutrition as in, say, Canidae. I've got a chart at the store that shows the comparisons...if I can figure out how to duplicate it, I will post it.

The other thing to look for that is a sign that a company has changed their formula and "dumbed it down" is when you can find them in the grocery store or Wal-mart like stores. Usually they put more corn in it and take out the better stuff but still charge the higher prices.

[JenBKR]

Well if i find Nutro in the grocery store I will most likely change food. Until then I may just investigate. One more question, is it bad to switch pets' food often? I have already switched Roscoe's food a couple times, I don't want to mess him up.

sorry if I am hijacking this thread!

[mugsy]

Nutro is going to be (if it's not already) in Wal-mart soon supposedly....but they did change the formula, even if it's not...who knows...they change their minds like most people change their socks.

Mike just yelled in and said they have been bought out by someone.

And as far as switching foods...we change ours all the time without an issue, but, we use the high quality foods. You can't do it with Purina or Beneful or Pedigree etc without risking upset, but, the higher quality brands you can.

[signorelli21]

would a viable solution be to just give your dog the beneful and suppliment with other things? i have been reading into the raw food diets and have been experimenting with giving angel smaller portions of beneful and giving her chunks of raw meat ( steak) and raw eggs, she doesn;t like carrots too much though, lol.

also i heard someone talking about giving their dogs vitamin chews? do any of you have online stores where we can buy from?

[timlewis]

Dont Worry Jen Ur Not Hijacking Anything, This Is My First Pup And I Know Nothing So If U Ask A Question Im Probably Wondering It Myself.
Where Can I Find A Top 30 List Because As I Said Before I Live In Avery Small Area And Any Of These Foods R Hard To Find. Noone I Have Asked Has Ever Even Heard Of Nutro So I Dont Even Ask About The Others. There Are Only One Pet Store Within An Hour And I Wouldnt Even Want To Take Daisy N2 It. They Dont Even Sell Dog Food Of Any Kind. Again Where Can I Find A Top 30 List? And Thank You All For Ur Responses.

[elizabethann]

Can this website help you? http://www.doberdogs.com/menu.html (http://)

Or this website? http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=comp-wiz&animal=Dog (http://)

[BC_MoM]

Well if i find Nutro in the grocery store I will most likely change food. Until then I may just investigate. One more question, is it bad to switch pets' food often? I have already switched Roscoe's food a couple times, I don't want to mess him up.

sorry if I am hijacking this thread!

We often change our dogs foods with no problem. We don't even do the gradually switching.. If they had Purina one day and we finished the bag, we may go out and buy a bag of Nutro and pour it in right away. No mixing and gradual changing. :) We've never had a problem.

[mugsy]

You can find the top 30 in Whole Dog Journal. It's published by Tufts University in Boston...

[timlewis]

Having Trouble Finding The Top 30

[Jessika]

You can find the top 30 in Whole Dog Journal. It's published by Tufts University in Boston...
I'm having trouble finding it without a subscription, also

[mugsy]

I believe that you have to subscribe...let me get a copy and I'll type them to you....it won't be for a day or so, but, I'll do it!

[Jessika]

I believe that you have to subscribe...let me get a copy and I'll type them to you....it won't be for a day or so, but, I'll do it!
Oh not a problem at all I would really really appreciate it thank you so much! :)

[Giselle]

Here's a shorter list:
http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html
Scroll down to Dry Food (Kibble) or something like that.

[Lescoop77]

ok, I have to add my two cents here. I have read all your posts, and though I do agree with 90% of what has been said here...let me start off by saying I feed my two labs Nurto and switch on/off with Beneful. I switch to give them variety...they also get raw eggs every now and then and 1/2 can of wet food in the mornings.

I know that Beneful may contain some "fillers" etc, etc but....you have to realize..that dogs eat bugs, grass, sticks, dead animals, and sometimes even their own feces. As long as you are feeding your dog....and it isn't making them sick and they are staying at their ideal weight they are FINE!

Hope I didn't offend anyone ..just had to let it out. LOL

[coco-bean]

ok, I have to add my two cents here. I have read all your posts, and though I do agree with 90% of what has been said here...let me start off by saying I feed my two labs Nurto and switch on/off with Beneful. I switch to give them variety...they also get raw eggs every now and then and 1/2 can of wet food in the mornings.

I know that Beneful may contain some "fillers" etc, etc but....you have to realize..that dogs eat bugs, grass, sticks, dead animals, and sometimes even their own feces. As long as you are feeding your dog....and it isn't making them sick and they are staying at their ideal weight they are FINE!

Hope I didn't offend anyone ..just had to let it out. LOL

THANK YOU! Im totally with you on that whole post! The one problem i have is that coco my oldest lab gets sick on everything and is now doing great on EVO and cainan my youngest eats poop and wont stop until i am right next to him getting close to swatting his butt! I truely believe if your dogs eats their food and enjoys the food they are on, there is no problem with it! I would still want to give my dogs something healthy that i know is helping them but if they prefer the cheaper stuff, more power to them! My lab at my dad's house is 13 years old (in all honesty she's actually 14 or 15, but my dad refuses to believe me) and she's eating people food for as long as i can remember and she is healthy and still kickin! she still runs still chases the ball on occasion, other than being over weight she is still happy and loving life! If you find a food your dog prefers, then thats what the like!!! :)

[Lescoop77]

Amen sister!

[LilacDragon]

Hey, everyone is allowed their own opinion.

My 8 year old son would probably maintain a healthy weight and have plenty of energy on a diet of McDonald's but I sure wouldn't feed it to him. Same thing with dog food. I am quite sure that my dog could survive on Ole' Roy but I am also sure that he will live a longer, healthier life eating the premium food that I feed him.

[Lescoop77]

Does your son eat feces? Sorry, I couldn't resist. You make a valid point but I think every dog owner has their preference. Think about the old days, when dogs ate whatever you fed them, lived on a farm with hardly any vet visits, no heartguard, frontline, or even vaccine shots.....my grandma's dog lived to be like 20 years old..no joke. My neighbors outside dog is like this and is 16 years old.

[coco-bean]

Hey, everyone is allowed their own opinion.

I am quite sure that my dog could survive on Ole' Roy but I am also sure that he will live a longer, healthier life eating the premium food that I feed him.
to each their own! Like i said my dog has been WELL and kickin for 14 years on poeple food, and that includes everything that is bad for her, i have little brothers and sisters and they feed her chocolate, potato's, the list goes on the on! each dog is different and what one can survive on, another probably cant! I've had one bad experience with Beneful but that doesnt mean i hold a grudge on food of less quality! There are tons of thing that can be supplimented to make up for what the less quality takes away, all and all what your dog prefers and likes, is what they like! we cant take that away from them! Just like a person, i love subway(i cant live off of it) but i prefer it over quizno's, sub city, cafe fit and my list goes on and on! just what the persons prefers, same as dogs! either way we love our dogs/pets and try to make them happy any way we can, along with healthy! dont get me wrong for not being totally against the "less" food, but it's just a preference thing i think!

[Jessika]

My lab at my dad's house is 13 years old (in all honesty she's actually 14 or 15, but my dad refuses to believe me) and she's eating people food for as long as i can remember and she is healthy and still kickin! she still runs still chases the ball on occasion, other than being over weight she is still happy and loving life! If you find a food your dog prefers, then thats what the like!!! :)
See, "people food" is not bad to feed to dogs... at all. In fact, dog food IS people food, lol. Well, for the most part (you won't find me snacking on kibble...). But you can feed "people" food to your pet and it is perfectly fine. You just need to make sure they are getting all the nutrients they need though! There are actually diets out there from "people" food... RAW diet is one of them :P

[coco-bean]

yea i guess it sounds stupid once i read it to myself and then read what you said! i guess what i was getting at was, my other dog (her name is Lucky) eats all the "people food" that she isnt supposed to eat! all the stuff that makes doggies sick...well she gets it in mass quantity!! not saying that we just hand it out to her, but my little brothers and sisters kinda sneak it to her when the fam. isnt looking you know! ;)

[bckrazy]

Does your son eat feces? Sorry, I couldn't resist. You make a valid point but I think every dog owner has their preference. Think about the old days, when dogs ate whatever you fed them, lived on a farm with hardly any vet visits, no heartguard, frontline, or even vaccine shots.....my grandma's dog lived to be like 20 years old..no joke. My neighbors outside dog is like this and is 16 years old.

Eating feces is most often an obsessive habit. It isn't for nutritional purposes. My dogs have never even considered eating poop :p

Dogs on farms were Raw-fed either completely or mostly, in the old days. They didn't eat a diet consisting of food coloring, corn syrup, fillers & starches (referring to Beneful here...).

Last but not least, old age does not necessarily mean quality of life. I know people with a 16 year-old Yorkie who is blind, has no teeth, and is crippled by arthritis but they still spend thousands on the dog and have for the past 3-4 years. I'd rather have healthy dogs that die at a reasonable age.

[coco-bean]

Last but not least, old age does not necessarily mean quality of life. I know people with a 16 year-old Yorkie who is blind, has no teeth, and is crippled by arthritis but they still spend thousands on the dog and have for the past 3-4 years. I'd rather have healthy dogs that die at a reasonable age.

Oh most definately! Im with you on that one! just keeping a dog alive and spedning thousands on a dog that could very well not enjoy not having teeth or being able to see things, along with what could be other problems not so obvious is just mean! A healthy dog is (most of the time) a happy dog, i would take quality of life over quantity anyday! :)

[timlewis]

I Hope If My Teeth Fall Out And I Go Blind My Wife Doesnt Hope I Die Soon. Lololol

[coco-bean]

haha, i didnt mean it like that! haha!!

[Catlady711]

Not meaning to get anyone's fur up or anything here, however at the hospital I work for....

Not all vets are given perks by pet food companies or even sell regular pet food. At our hospital we ONLY carry the more common prescription only foods. Head vet says that if he wanted to run a pet food store he would have bought a pet food store! He doesn't think too highly of other vets that carry numberous brands of non prescription foods, as well as tons of toys/treats. The profit margin vs. space/inventory just isn't worth the trouble, as well as the fact that people are more likely to take his advice concerning nutrition if they realize he is not making any money on the sale of the pet foods he recommends.

I don't know about other vets, but at our hospital keeping up with the latest seminars and such on pet nutrition is a routine thing. Head vet prefers to attend the ones hosted by independent companies that aren't trying to 'push' their own product with skewed statistics.

As for our hospital's stance on pet food in general is:

Stick with major name brands, not generic store brands (you get what you pay for) We will typically recommend foods like Science Diet, Iams, Eukanuba, Nutro, etc. We never push for any particular one of these, just that they feed a high quality, well balanced diet.

Stay away from foods with dyes (particularly reds/greens) as they can sometimes cause allergies in the form of skin problems or cause stomach upset in some animals. If I'm not much mistaken Beneful is full of dyes like this.

Sudden changes in food can sometimes cause diarrhea or vomiting. We always recommend staying with one food unless there is a medical reason to switch, and then make the switch gradually over a period of a few days. While some animals may take a sudden switch well and others may not, switching foods exposes the animal to more things which makes it more difficult to track down any food allergies. Also most allergies to food can take a few years to show up from repeated exposure, and any benefits from switching to a low allergy food can take up to 3 months to show.

As for dogs eating poop..Sometimes it is simply a bad habit, however it can also be because of a lack of specific digestive enzymes. A simple test at your vet can determine this, and the remedy is a simple, fairly inexpensive pill (at least at our hospital) given daily.

While I have only been a vet assistant for just over 5 years, our head vet has been in practice over 30 years.

Just my comments.

[timlewis]

Thank You Cat Lady This Is Some Of The Best Info I Have Got Here On Pt.

[Suki Wingy]

I just have a quick question while we're (or were) on the subject of soy. Is it bad to feed my dog soy nuggets as a treat every once and a while? They're one of his favorite foods.

[wolfsoul]

We will typically recommend foods like Science Diet, Iams, Eukanuba, Nutro, etc.

Just out of curiosity --- have you read the ingredient lists of these foods?

[mugsy]

Just out of curiosity --- have you read the ingredient lists of these foods?

Yep, I have and they suck! lol I think that the best all around food that is reasonably priced is probably Canidae and they have a new formula our that is simply Lamb and Rice. But, everyone is going to feed what they feel is right and since the dog can't say, "THIS SUCKS" they're pretty much stuck.

Also, I'm sorry I have already forgotten the poster, but, the McDonald's analogy is what Mike always uses when someone comes in and says their dog likes Beneful, Pedigree, Dog Chow, etc! Great minds!!!

You also feed less with the premium and super premium foods and pets get more out of the food too...

[Catlady711]

Just out of curiosity --- have you read the ingredient lists of these foods?


Yep, I have and they suck! lol I think that the best all around food that is reasonably priced is probably Canidae and they have a new formula our that is simply Lamb and Rice. But, everyone is going to feed what they feel is right and since the dog can't say, "THIS SUCKS" they're pretty much stuck.

Also, I'm sorry I have already forgotten the poster, but, the McDonald's analogy is what Mike always uses when someone comes in and says their dog likes Beneful, Pedigree, Dog Chow, etc! Great minds!!!

You also feed less with the premium and super premium foods and pets get more out of the food too...


To both:

I did not recommend either Beneful, Pedigree, or Dog Chow in my post. I agree with the opinion on premium foods, with having to feed less and the pet getting more nutrition from them.

Our hospital recommends any of the premium or better grades of food. What I mentioned by name were Iams, Science Diet, Nutro, Eukanuba etc. All of which are easier for our clients to obtain, which makes them more likely to purchase them and thus get their pet off of the grocery store generics we see every day. Whether you regard them as premium or junk, they ARE better foods than the grocery store and generics. I have seen many, many animals on the brands I mentioned in the first post and I have always seen that their coats are healthier, glossier, and shed less than pets eating cheaper foods.

Everyone is entitled to their preference on what they refer to as premium or super premium, however I personally have fed both Iams and Science Diet for years, and my cats have better health for it vs a cheaper food. Not saying that a higher priced specialty food couldn't be better, I'm saying that just because a person doesn't prefer to special order very expensive food does not mean they care less for their animals, nor that the animals health sufferes greatly because of it (save for pets needing prescription diets for medical problems).

I've noticed that food choices around here are a volitile subject, and seem to result in many people downright arguing with one another over it. I don't think that is necessary as the whole point is the animal's health, not human preferences over the definition of premium.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and I prefer to let my cats vet (with 30 yrs experience) decide what is best for my cats health. I figure as long as the vet is not selling the same pet food he/she is recommending and stands to gain nothing in the way of profit for him/her self on the sale of said foods, and their job is regarding the health and welfare of your pet, then I don't have much of a problem with listening to the person who has a degree in animal health/medicine vs. my own opinion or the advertisement of a company trying to sell their own products for profit.

I was simply posting some more information to someone else in regards to food based on what we recommend at our hospital, it was not intended to start a war on what constitutes a premium or super premium food.

[wolfsoul]

Well, it is my opinion that none of those are better nor premium foods -- Iams IS a grocery store food btw.

These are the ingredients to President's Choice, which is a Supermarket food found at Superstore, Extra Foods, etc. IT can only be bought in grocery stores.

Chicken, chicken meal, brewers rice, ground corn, corn gluten meal, poultry fat (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), ground barely, fish meal, poultry flavour, flaxseed meal, yeast culture, dicalcium phosphate, potassium choride, dried whole egg, salt, mannannoligosaccharide, choline chloride, calcium carbonate.


Now, a prescription formula of Science Diet that can only be found at the vet.

Ground Whole Grain Corn, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Chicken By-Product Meal, Soybean Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Soybean Mill Run, Chicken Liver Flavor, Calcium Sulfate, Dried Egg Product, Soybean Oil, Flaxseed, Iodized Salt, Dicalcium Phosphate, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), preserved with BHT and BHA, Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Beta-Carotene.


I'd pick the grocery store brand over the Science Diet any day. In fact, I rarely find a grocery store brand that has less natural ingredients than Science Diet...Even Beneful's ingredients are better than that, as well as most of the other Purina formulas. Even Pedigree has some better forumlas than that. None of these are "premium" foods, yet when compared to Science Diet appear much better. Is Science Diet still a "premium" food?

[Jessika]

I think we all seem to forget that, no matter WHAT we feed to our dogs, at least they ARE being fed something and that's more than we can say for a lot of dogs that end up on the side of the road or dropped off at a shelter. Whether it be a "grocery store" brand or "super premium" brand.

[signorelli21]

lol, i switched my dog to nutro max puppy about a week ago and have noticed a few differences, she has a little more energy ( if thats possible, lol) and eats less. as for the taste vs nutrition debate, um have any of you ever actually ate dog food?
i tried a handfull of beneful, then a handful of nutro, neither was very appealing, in fact they tasted pretty much the same, just smell different. kind of like stale crackers, lol.

[Lady's Human]

Wolfsoul, you're comparing an off the shelf dog food with a prescription food. There's probably a reason that the script-only food is formulated as it is.

[Catlady711]

I repeat myself.




Everyone is entitled to their preference on what they refer to as premium or super premium......I'm saying that just because a person doesn't prefer to special order very expensive food does not mean they care less for their animals, nor that the animals health sufferes greatly because of it (save for pets needing prescription diets for medical problems).

Everyone is entitled to their opinions.....it was not intended to start a war on what constitutes a premium or super premium food.

[timlewis]

I have to agree with jessika and catlady as long as ur feeding ur pet and it isnt starving to death i dont see a big deal. And yes it may be healthier to feed them these name brand dog foods but a lot of people cant afford them, myself i can i just cant find them. So what should i do i can travel an hour and a half to get some but to be honest i probably wont, I also think its crazy to say just because wal mart or other grocery stores carry a food its not healthy. Now that may be so in most cases but it doesnt mean in all cases, just like nutro starting to sell in wal mart (maybe) everyone says they will quit buying it. They dont even know if wal mart is going to sell it and if they do how do you know nutro will change their product? Noone knows unless u have seen it in wal mart and compared the ingredients, and from what i hear everyone say is they are suppose to start selling it not that they do or that nutro HAS changed their ingredients with proof. I make $22 an hour and that doesnt mean i wont go to the rag store or to the dollar store and buy my kids something to wear im no better than anyone else and neither are any of u despite what u might think. And im not saying that u think u are because i dont honestly know but its the same thing saying u wont go to wal mart for dog food it sure sounds that way. And by no meens is this intended to accuse anyone or is it aimed at anyone but u should really think about what u say before u say it. And although we all do love our pets and want to take the best care of them possible we have to realize that they are animals and they are liveing breathing creatures. But to say that someone should spend out of their limit or go all across the country to find a dog food that is healthier and MAY help the dog in the long run is not reasonable. BUT THIS IS MY OPINION AND EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO THEIR OWN AND I HOPE NOONE HAS TOOK ANY OFFENSE TO THIS. AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR REPLIES.