Dog food

[PJ's Mom]

I hope there isn't a topic started on this already, but if there is, would someone be kind enough to point me in the direction of it?

I've noticed that some of you feed your doggies some very expensive food. My question is this. Is the "regular" food bad for them? I have 2 dogs...PJ (cocker spaniel), and Bailey (attention hound), and they both love Pedigree and Purina Dog Chow, with Moist and Meaty mixed in.

Also, is canned food bad for them? I've heard it can make them overweight in a hurry.I only give them canned food once or twice a year because of this.

[AdoreMyDogs]

Hi
There is SO much debate as to what people feed their dog. Purina is fine. It's not a horrible food, it's alot better then the grocery store brand. I can say that Moist & Meaty is really not good for dogs, though. It is so full of artificial flavors/colors and presertives. I would just stick to dry Dog Chow. As for canned food, I never used canned food, but if you really like to use canned, please make sure it is not a grocery store brand, Purena Pedigree is so much better then the no-name brands.

Generally, the more money you pay, the better food you get. I give my dog a raw meat/veggie diet with a whole grain mix but it's expensive. I strongly believe in health food, but that's just me. Dogs love us no matter what we feed them. It is not nearly as important as giving them the love and attention they deserve

Canned food will only make a dog overweight if you feed more then the dog really needs, and the dog does not get enough excersise.

Hope this helps.

[PJ's Mom]

Wow! I had no idea! I've never bought the store brands (ie Walmart, etc), but perhaps I should still think about switching my babies' food.

[AdoreMyDogs]

I am not sure what your budget is like, but if you can afford Nutro Max that is a VERY good dry food. Also, there is the natural route but your are looking at more money. Innova is my natural food of choice, but that is more expensive then Nutro Max.

Purina is really fine. Don't feel you have to change diets just because of what people say, though. Do whatever is right for you and your dogs.

[AngieS]

Originally posted by AdoreMyDogs:
<STRONG>I am not sure what your budget is like, but if you can afford Nutro Max that is a VERY good dry food.
Don't feel you have to change diets just because of what people say, though. Do whatever is right for you and your dogs.</STRONG>

I agree. I use Nutro Natural Choice Chicken Meal and Rice formula. It has HUMAN grade foods in it. I got it at Petland for $32 for 40#'s. Usually at pet stores you are gonna pay more. I am going to check my local feed store for the next bag i get.
I also totally agree you should get the healthiest food that your budget allows.
Don't just take anyone's word about dog food quality.(even mine)Go research dog foods for yourself...see what YOU think...
I just recently researched pet foods (mainly dog). After i heard several people say that some dog foods have unhealthy ingredients or preservatives. I did not just want to take their word and switch foods. I researched it myself and found it to be very true.
It is hard to find web sites that are not by the dog food manufacturers. However i found ONE! http://home.hawaii.rr.com/wolfepack/
It is very infromative. It tells you how to read the labels of dog foods. Has most all dog food brands to compare ingredients with. Gives descriptions of the ingredients/preservatives. It was one of the best sites i found to help with my research.
I feel so much better now knowing what my pets eat is healthy for them and it won't cause them any problems or diseases later on.
Dog/cat food brands are a personal choice it depends on what you can afford and what you think is best for your pets.And of course it depends on what your dog/cat will eat.
Hope i gave you some helpful and informative info.

Angie

[PJ's Mom]

AdoreMyDogs, I wish I could feed my dogs an all natural diet like you do. Problem is, PJ is so picky! The only veggie he'll eat is tomatoes, and he has to have his meat very well cooked, and completely without fat. I know people who aren't that picky.

Money isn't really an issue. I just always thought regular food was good enough for them. Now I have something to think about.

[jackiesdaisy1935]

We feed our dogs canned Nature's receipe lamb and rice in the morning 1/4 can each, then they get the rest the next morning. In the afternoon we feed them Purina lamb and rice about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup and we give them other things to eat during the day to make up for the low amount of food they get at mealtime. They love minced raw carrots on the dry food. This is the diet we feed them and we notice their coat is extremely shiny.
Our Vet had suggested Lamb and Rice.
Good luck on whatever you decide on.
Jackie

[crow_noir]

Spencer, did you see my write up in General about Wysong ? thought i'd mention it just in case you wanted to go look.


as to contribute oppinion. ..it is based on what a person feels comfortable feeding there animal, and what their budget allows. IF you can afford it, i always recommend an all natural, fresh, raw diet. ...however i realize, not everyone is a millionair. ...would be nice, but not realistic. so, as other have said, do research, and see for your self what you think is best.

also, not all breeds have the same requirements, so what works well for one breed might not work well for another. (even the raw has to be altered for the Dalmation. has to do w/ how their stomache breaks stuff down.)

[shais_mom]

There are several topics we have had over the year about dog food, I personally love to talk about it and learn about different ones and try some of them.
I have found it is more beneficial to feed the better brands. They consume less and their output is less. If you feed Pedigree(which I used also) there was more output. When I fed Royal Canin or Professional there was less.
Shaianne was an 80 lb greyhound who ate a half of a SMALL can of food or 1/2 c bil jac frozen mixed with her Royal Canin. She had small output. When she was on a cheaper brand when I spent the week at my parents, my dad was totally flipping out b/c there were like 20 piles around 'tree'!!

[Dixieland Dancer]

I posted this at this link in General: Post on Food in General

I am posting it here too since I finally did the math and was really surprised. I think you all will be too!

My opinion either Canidae or Innova would be the dry food of choice. Raw would be Biljac frozen. If your dog(s) have skin problems then you can't afford not to feed one of these.

Now lets take another look at the cost. Dixie is a 65 lb. Golden girl. On Innova she gets 2 1/4 cups a day. If she was on Nutro Max she would get 3 1/3 - 4 1/4 cups. The difference is the density in the nutrients needed to supply adequate nutrition to the dog. Innova is very dense requiring less food intake for the same amount of nutrition that it takes Nutro to provide in almost double the amount of food.

Let's say I get a 20 pound bag of Innova for $23.00 and a 20 pound bag of Nutro for $14.99 (the costs in my area), am I saving? Let's just say for conversation sake that a 20 pound bag contains 100 cups of dog food. If I feed Innova at 2 1/4 cups a day that gives me 44.4 meals. That is $.52 a meal. If I feed Nutro at 3 1/3 cups a day (remember the amount can be as much as 4 1/4) then I get 30 meals. That is $.49 a meal. I get 14.4 more meals with Innova per bag. I also get less stole to clean up. The difference is only 3 cents a meal per bag! I need to purchase more Nutro than Innova in the long run.

Now you can compare the ingredients..... You decide are you really saving that much??????

[ November 14, 2001: Message edited by: Dixieland Dancer ]

[AngieS]

Dixieland Dancer
I for the most part agree with you. But some dogs don't always eat the recommended amount of food. It depends on the individual dog.
I agree that Innova is a great pet food. I would like to feed Innova to my cat and dog. But i have not found it in or near my area. And do not want to pay for shipping.

Most of us know that BARF is the way to go if you want the very best food for your pets. But then again that is also expensive.
I Feed Nutro and i also feed some BARF with the kibble. I may change to completely BARF later on but for now it will be a combination. I enjoy cooking or preparing foods for my pets.

The point was to feed a premium brand of food that you are comfortable with and that is of good Quality. A lot of pet foods have bad ingredients/preservatives. Preservatives such as BHA, BHT and Ethoquin(sp). And meat by-products and other things that are not as healthy for pets.
If you do research on this you will see what i am talking about.Check out the link i provided in the post above. It will give you some idea.
A lot of people think it is just the off brands (like wal-mart brands, etc)that have bad things in the pet foods. That is Not always true. Brands that have been around for a while also have some of the things i listed that aren't very healthy. I not only done research i also went out and compared pet food brands in the stores.
*Please remember i am Not trying to argue.*And I am Not trying to sell anyone on Nutro(or any other brand).
I just want to inform people about some things to avoid. And that they should check their ingredients on their pet foods.

Angie

[Dixieland Dancer]

Originally posted by AngieS:
<STRONG>The point was to feed a premium brand of food that you are comfortable with and that is of good Quality. A lot of pet foods have bad ingredients/preservatives. Preservatives such as BHA, BHT and Ethoquin(sp). And meat by-products and other things that are not as healthy for pets.
If you do research on this you will see what i am talking about.Check out the link i provided in the post above. It will give you some idea.
A lot of people think it is just the off brands (like wal-mart brands, etc)that have bad things in the pet foods. That is Not always true. Brands that have been around for a while also have some of the things i listed that aren't very healthy. I not only done research i also went out and compared pet food brands in the stores.
*Please remember i am Not trying to argue.*And I am Not trying to sell anyone on Nutro(or any other brand).
I just want to inform people about some things to avoid. And that they should check their ingredients on their pet foods.

Angie</STRONG>

Angie,
We agree 100%. I didn't post the entire comment of the other thread going on on the General side.

Food Discussion on Pet Talk General

It went like this to a question Shai's mom had about Biljac dry being as good as Biljac frozen:

Biljac dry is no where near as good as the frozen!

Biljac dry uses these ingredients which bring red flags to me. Chicken by-products use any and all organ meat available. Sometimes this can be dangerous since the liver is used to filter toxins and these toxins may be at extremely high counts. You never know. And why do they add so many preservatives????

My opinion is either Canidae or Innova. Raw would be Biljac frozen. If your dog(s) have skin problems then you can't afford not to feed one of these.

Now lets take another look at the cost...... and this is where the rest of the post came in.

I have also extensively checked many foods and researched why I won't feed certain ones. From a perspective of comparing Nutro to other plans like Pro Plan, Iams, etc.... I would go with the Nutro, no question about it. However, Nutro over Innova is not even a consideration for me. Nutro uses too many grains for my liking. I have had Goldens for more than 25 years and they have all had skin problems up until I switched to the Innova about 3 years ago. Goldens tend to have food allergies which cause hot spots, severe dandruff, lack of coat luster, and major shedding to the point of going almost bald in spots. Since switching to Innova my Goldens do not shed excessively (except the normal two times a year), their coats glisten even when they are not in the sun, and they do not get hot spots.

I am not telling anyone what to feed or anything else. I simply give my opinions on what I have experienced and hope that it helps someone else!

Some on this site have commented that they would switch to Innova or a super premium food if it wasn't so expensive. I was just trying to show that it really is NOT that much more expensive in the long run. And I do agree that every dog is an individual case. I was just going by the guidelines on package labels.

I am glad you did the research and came up with some of the same answers as me about by-products and preservatives. Just because it wears a super premium price tag doesn't automatically mean it's a super quality product compared to others that are available. The buyer must be educated and able to read the label and know what they are reading.

[mugsy]

We feed ours Exclusive which isn't too bad as far as expense goes, but you can go out on the net and do a search for ingredients in dog food. Some of the sites are rather disturbing, but they give you an idea. I found a site that compares a lot of different kinds of food, but I can't find the address anymore. SHEESH! sometimes I feel so stupid!

[AngieS]

Originally posted by Dixieland Dancer:
<STRONG>


Biljac dry uses these ingredients which bring red flags to me. Chicken by-products use any and all organ meat available. And why do they add so many preservatives????


I have also extensively checked many foods and researched why I won't feed certain ones. From a perspective of comparing Nutro to other plans like Pro Plan, Iams, etc.... I would go with the Nutro, no question about it. However, Nutro over Innova is not even a consideration for me. I have had Goldens for more than 25 years and they have all had skin problems up until I switched to the Innova about 3 years ago. Goldens tend to have food allergies which cause hot spots, severe dandruff, lack of coat luster, and major shedding to the point of going almost bald in spots.
</STRONG>

Dixieland Dancer
I don't know much about the "BARF in a bag" foods. Like i said i prepare my own. Yes any food that has these ingredients would defintely send up red flags to me also!
That is a great question!-Why DO they use SO MANY preservatives?! If you ever find out or come accross info. on why please let me know.I have wondered the same thing.
I have a Boxer. The Boxer breed also seems to have problems with allergies. They also seem to be more subseptable (sp) to cancers. So that was another concern for me about the preservatives.
Like i said if i could find Innova in my area i would definitely buy it over Nutro.(Actually i would rather feed BARF).

Sounds like we both do agree 100% and both done a lot of research. I am very glad there are people like you and i that do research for our pets foods and their breeds. There is so much involved in owning a pet. I like you try to share my experiences or info. to help educate others. I understand what you were doing about the cost but also wanted peole to know that not all dogs do eat the recommended amounts.

By the way Dixieland Dancer, did you check out the link? What did you think of it? Just curious...

Angie

[Dixieland Dancer]

Angie,
I checked out the link and it is very informative. Anyone who really wants to learn about labels and what's in their dog food can get great info there.
Candy