new dog food

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I'm thinking of switiching brands of dog food. Right now I feed my dogs Science Diet, but I always hear so many bad things about it that it makes me wonder. I originally fed my dogs Nutro, but they both had problems with it, and my vet suggested Science Diet. I was very hesitant to switch, but the dogs have been doing much better on it than Nutro. Still, I'm sure theres better foods out there and I'm thinking primarily of Innova or Canidae. Does anyone have any experience with either of these foods? Any suggestions would help. Thanks!

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I don't like Science Diet because of the amount of corn in it. Nutro is good, but neither Bitsy nor Buster like it. My friend feeds her dogs Nutro and they eat it just fine.
I feed my dogs Blue Buffalo. I've never fed either Innova or Canidae, but the ingredients are good. I wouldn't hesitate feeding them to my dogs, they're definitely a big step up from Science Diet.

[caseysmom]

I feed california natural chicken and rice, there are no corn products in it at all, its made by the same company as innova.

[LoudLou]

LOUD Louie who will be 7 in Feb. pretty much grew up on Canidae. I love it and Innova. Both are really great foods. I switched the cats over to Felidae a few years ago and saw a dramatic improvement in their health and skin. You would never guess that The Beans are 12 and 10! Even their vet is blown away.

[Jessika]

Science Diet is a terrible food in my opinion. By products, and LOTS of corn and other fillers!

[Giselle]

Science Diet is, indeed, primarily corn kibble loaded with by-products and synthetic vitamins and minerals. It's an incredibly wise choice for you to switch foods and I give you kudos! Innova, in my honest opinion, is one of the best foods. Regular Innova contains superior ingredients and is head and shoulders above SD. An even better kibble for your adult dog would be Innova EVO which contains minimal carbohydrates and virtually no grains, a healthy mimic of the raw diet. My Pekingese had been hopelessly deteriorating on various "top" kibbles like Wellness, Wysong, and Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul. At five years of age, he was droopy, lethargic, and could barely keep up on our usual walks. There was a noticeable decrease in energy and I knew it was time for a drastic change. As a result, I switched him to Innova EVO/homemade diet since he was too stubborn to eat a 100% homemade diet and I was, admittedly, too chicken to go all out with my aging pup Within a few weeks, his energy dramatically increased and his fur was simply glowing and full. Plus, for the first time in his life, he began producing small, firm poops!

Canidae, although it is, in my opinion, is not as top-notch as Innova/EVO, it certainly gives you the most bang for your buck. The ingredients are, without a doubt, superior to SD's and many of the other brands available. Though I wouldn't venture so far as to say it is the best out there, I will admit that a VAST majority of Greyhound owners feed Canidae and/or Nutro due to the availability and relatively "minimal" costs. It is a GREYT food for its price tag and I would definitely recommend it. Good Luck and happy shopping!

[frawri]

I find it annoying that a lot of Vets seem to be shoving Science Diet onto all their patrons. I don't know if they have looked into it to see if it truly is a good thing or not. But most vets I have been to sell it. And I have talked to a few professionals, and they say they would never feed it to their dogs. I think we should call our vets and complain.

[critter crazy]

my boy Duke who is 1 year old today!!! has been on pedigree since i have had him(7months) my vet recomended it! I had my boy zues, who passed away just before x-mas on it as well(per vet advice) and they both have done well on it! Is it okay?? you all have me worried now!! I have never heard of most of the brands you keep refering to! should i change his food??

[JenBKR]

my boy Duke who is 1 year old today!!! has been on pedigree since i have had him(7months) my vet recomended it! I had my boy zues, who passed away just before x-mas on it as well(per vet advice) and they both have done well on it! Is it okay?? you all have me worried now!! I have never heard of most of the brands you keep refering to! should i change his food??

Not necessarily - some people probably don't consider it a 'good' brand, but I still think that it's different for different dogs. The best food for your dog is what works for him/her. Sure, fillers aren't the best way to go, but if your dog is healthy, I don't personally see a problem

[critter crazy]

Not necessarily - some people probably don't consider it a 'good' brand, but I still think that it's different for different dogs. The best food for your dog is what works for him/her. Sure, fillers aren't the best way to go, but if your dog is healthy, I don't personally see a problem

thank you so much!! I was so worried i was doing something wrong!! to me he looks great! and just loves it!! I was always under the impression that just because dogfood is expensive dosent make it good! I just want ot do what is right for my dog! and my vet thinks he is in perfect weight and his coat lokks really good!

[JenBKR]

thank you so much!! I was so worried i was doing something wrong!! to me he looks great! and just loves it!! I was always under the impression that just because dogfood is expensive dosent make it good! I just want ot do what is right for my dog! and my vet thinks he is in perfect weight and his coat lokks really good!

Sure! If your dog is doing well, and looks good, and has a clean bill of health from the vet, I say go for it. Actually, expensive food is not always the best anyway, there are plenty of expensive foods that have just as many fillers as the cheaper stuff.

[lv4dogs]

Not necessarily - some people probably don't consider it a 'good' brand, but I still think that it's different for different dogs. The best food for your dog is what works for him/her. Sure, fillers aren't the best way to go, but if your dog is healthy, I don't personally see a problem

That is true to an extent. But you also have to keep in mind the long term affects that a not so good brand can cause. If the food is loaded with preservatives, colors, additives, etc... there is a much greater chance your dog will develope cancers & other life threatening diseases as he/she ages.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

my boy Duke who is 1 year old today!!! has been on pedigree since i have had him(7months) my vet recomended it! I had my boy zues, who passed away just before x-mas on it as well(per vet advice) and they both have done well on it! Is it okay?? you all have me worried now!! I have never heard of most of the brands you keep refering to! should i change his food??

The best thing you can feed your dog is whatever he thrives on. But to be honest I'd never feed Pedigree to my dogs. As I stated in my above post, vet's are not generally nutritionists. You know your dog best and it's up to you to research and find which food is best for your dog.

I have 5 dogs. I feed 3 of them (Charlie, Nacey, and Nova) Blue Buffalo. I recently switched the other 2 (Bitsy and Buster) to Innova.

When you're looking for a food you need to look carefully at the ingredients. The first ingredient should be a specific meat (ie: chicken) or a specific meat meal (ie: chicken meal). I also look for foods that don't have corn and wheat as fillers.

Here are the ingredients for pedigree:
GROUND YELLOW CORN, MEAT AND BONE MEAL, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, ANIMAL FAT (PRESERVED WITH BHA/BHT), WHEAT MILL RUN, NATURAL POULTRY FLAVOR, RICE, WHEAT FLOUR, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, CARAMEL COLOR, VEGETABLE OIL (SOURCE OF LINOLEIC ACID), VITAMINS (CHOLINE CHLORIDE, dl-ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN E], L-ASCORBYL-2-POLYPHOSPHATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN C*], VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], BIOTIN, d-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT [VITAMIN B2], VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT), MINERALS (ZINC SULFATE, COPPER SULFATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE).

1) ground yellow corn- a filler, it has no real nutritional value
2) meat and bone meal- not a specific kind of meat, it could be anything
3) corn gluten meal- more corn, again a filler
4) chicken by-product meal- by-products are all the things you'd normally not eat (ie: feet, intestines, beak, necks)

Here are the first 10 ingredients in Blue Buffalo:
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Rye , Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Citric Acid and Rosemary), Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Ground Flax Seed

Can you see the difference?

[critter crazy]

The best thing you can feed your dog is whatever he thrives on. But to be honest I'd never feed Pedigree to my dogs. As I stated in my above post, vet's are not generally nutritionists. You know your dog best and it's up to you to research and find which food is best for your dog.

I have 5 dogs. I feed 3 of them (Charlie, Nacey, and Nova) Blue Buffalo. I recently switched the other 2 (Bitsy and Buster) to Innova.

When you're looking for a food you need to look carefully at the ingredients. The first ingredient should be a specific meat (ie: chicken) or a specific meat meal (ie: chicken meal). I also look for foods that don't have corn and wheat as fillers.

Here are the ingredients for pedigree:
GROUND YELLOW CORN, MEAT AND BONE MEAL, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, ANIMAL FAT (PRESERVED WITH BHA/BHT), WHEAT MILL RUN, NATURAL POULTRY FLAVOR, RICE, WHEAT FLOUR, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, CARAMEL COLOR, VEGETABLE OIL (SOURCE OF LINOLEIC ACID), VITAMINS (CHOLINE CHLORIDE, dl-ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN E], L-ASCORBYL-2-POLYPHOSPHATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN C*], VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], BIOTIN, d-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT [VITAMIN B2], VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT), MINERALS (ZINC SULFATE, COPPER SULFATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE).

1) ground yellow corn- a filler, it has no real nutritional value
2) meat and bone meal- not a specific kind of meat, it could be anything
3) corn gluten meal- more corn, again a filler
4) chicken by-product meal- by-products are all the things you'd normally not eat (ie: chicken feet, intestines, beak, necks)

Here are the first 10 ingredients in Blue Buffalo:
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Rye , Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Citric Acid and Rosemary), Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Ground Flax Seed

Can you see the difference?

well thnk you!! i never thought to look!! I just assumed the vet would know what was best!! how would i go about changing his diet, if i do??????

[Giselle]

Not to mention the generic label "animal fat"! Even worse, the "animal fat" is preserved with BHA/BHT - possible carcinogens. Then you have wheat mill run which is an extremely low-grade filler, wheat flour - another filler, SALT (dogs don't need that added salt in their kibble), natural poultry flavor (again, dogs really don't need this!), caramel color (dogs don't care what color their food is), etc. etc. Yuck yuck, I haven't looked at the ingredients list for Pedigree in awhile, but that's just ick.

Like it was mentioned before, it does not matter what kind of food you feed your dog provided s/he does well on it. My neighbor's cat is approaching her 17th birthday and she lives off a mix of Fancy Feast and Iams. She doesn't know that she isn't eating Felidae or Wellness. The point is that she has energy, she's healthy, and the food is working for her. That's all that matters

If you would really like to switch, I would recommend any of the following brands:
Blue Buffalo
Canidae
Wellness
Wysong
Pinnacle
Fromm
Innova/EVO (I adore Innova and EVO)
California Natural
Karma
Azmira
Flint River Ranch
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul
Natural Balance
Solid Gold

There are plenty more but these are just off the top of my head.
ETA: To switch your dog's food, do so gradually. For the first few days, feed her 75% old food 25% new food. Gradually, wean her onto 50% old food 50% new food, 25% old food 75% new food. Soon, she'll be eating 0% old food and 100% new food.