Dog Food Question... ANYONE???

[jackie]

bumping it up for a reply.

[Freedom]

I can't say about the specific brands; I don't think we have them here.

I can say looking at the ingredients, I have been staying away from anything with "animal byproducts." It contains a lot of stuff you would cringe at. And that stuff has a higher risk of contamination.

Just my thoughts.

Oh, I'm wondering why you are buying the food at the vet to begin with? Do you not have pet food stores like we have? Or is one a prescription food? It didn't sound like it, though.

[wolfsoul]

I wouldn't consider either of them high quality by any means but if I had to choose one I'd pick the Advance. Mixing them together won't hurt them, it might upset their tummies a bit for a while but it won't cause any long term harm.

[jackie]

I wouldn't consider either of them high quality by any means but if I had to choose one I'd pick the Advance. Mixing them together won't hurt them, it might upset their tummies a bit for a while but it won't cause any long term harm.

Can you recommend a good dry food then.

I have always feed advance because it is what my vet and the animal shelter recommended.

[vinjashira]

here is a website that reviews dogfood

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

Unfortunately not all the dogfood listed there available in the UK so they may not be available in Spain either. And I believe they may not have reviews for dogfood that is only available in Spain.

[kittycats_delight]

Can you recommend a good dry food then.

I have always feed advance because it is what my vet and the animal shelter recommended.

I would stay away from science diet. It is never been to high on my list of good foods but that is JMO.

[Flatcoatluver]

I would stay away from science diet also. If you have kirkland dog food, then that is a very good option for dog food, not the highest quality, but it beats science diet and other dog food by far. T.j and Sage eat canidae, Zoey eats a mixture of canidae and solid gold.

[jackie]

OK, going to start them on this diet.

Hills Science Diet

Ingredients: Chicken, Brown Rice, Whole Grain Wheat, Cracked Pearled Barley, Soybean Meal, Chicken Meal, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavour, Whole Grain Oats, Apples, Cranberries, Soybean Oil, Peas, Carrots, Dried Beet Pulp, Iodized Salt, Flaxseed, Broccoli, 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), Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein......................................Min. 21.5%
Crude Fat............................................Min . 12.5%
Crude Fibre.........................................Max. 3.5%
Moisture.......................................... ....Max. 10.0%
Ash............................................... .......Max. 5.5%
Calcium........................................... ....Min. 0.5%
Phosphorus........................................ .Min. 0.4%
Vitamin E.............................................Min. 400 IU/kg
Ascorbic acid*(Vitamin C)....................Min. 120 mg/kg


Thoughts?

[Danegirl2208]

I wouldn't consider either of them high quality by any means but if I had to choose one I'd pick the Advance. Mixing them together won't hurt them, it might upset their tummies a bit for a while but it won't cause any long term harm.

I would have to agree..I was shocked to see the price aswell! I would go broke feedng that! Seeing as a 40lb bag of kibble lasts maybe 2 weeks around here LOL

But I do agree there ARE better options out there, and for a more reasonable price. You may find this helpful in finding a good quality food:

-------------------


How to grade your dog’s food: (Some brands are done at the very bottom)

Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of “by-product”, subtract 10 points.

2) For every non-specific animal source (”meat” or “poultry”, meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points.

3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points.

4) For every grain “mill run” or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points.

5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. “ground brown rice”, “brewer’s rice”, “rice flour” are all the same grain), subtract 5 points.

6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points.

7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points.

8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points.

9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points.

10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points.

11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points.

12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points.

13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points.

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to beef), subtract 1 point.

15) If it contains salt (or sodium, as it is also called), subtract 1 point.

Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points.

2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points.

3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points.

4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points.

5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points.

6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points.

7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points.

8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points.

9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points.

10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point.

11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point.

12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count “chicken” and “chicken meal” as only one protein source but “chicken” and “salmon” as 2 different sources), add 1 point.

13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point.

14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free add 1 point.

94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F

Here are some foods that have already been scored.

Dog Food scores:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten’s Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Beneful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

[jackie]

Thx Danegirl and Vinjashira!

The only brands I recognize that Vinjashira listed are Kirkland and Science Diet. I will look into them both.

P.S. I am never buying the cheap food again, there are some pretty large poops to pick up in the past two days.

[kittycats_delight]

I would suggest Royal Canin. I get this for Artica and it is good quality. One of the better dog foods on the market. There are a bunch of different type so you would need to see what suits your dogs best. You should be able to get it at a good pet food supplier. I buy it at out local pet supply store. You can get a 15kg of royal canin mini, royal canin medium or royal canin large breed for about €50 maybe a little more for the large breed.

here is the link in spanish.
http://www.royalcanin.es/default.cfm