Which Dog Food Brand is Best?

[petindia]

I have pug(garry) and i give royalcanin and sometimes vegetables. He is very interested in this food but i heard that royalcanin make them overweight and royal canin more expansive.
what should i feed him?

Regards,
PetClubIndia

[IRescue452]

Royal Canin is really overpriced for being a lower quality food. Its about as good as Purina. Food brand doesn't make a dog fat though. It how many calories you feed them and how much exercise they get. A typical adult pug only needs about 450-500 calories a day to maintain its weight. The calories per cup should be listed on the dog food bag.

As for better brands, do you live in the US? Its hard to recommend brands if they aren't found in your country. Great brands are Innova Evo, Orijen, Before Grain, and Wellness. If you are looking to go a little cheaper I would suggest Taste of the Wild, unless your dog has any food allergies, or 4Health.

[pomtzu]

The best brand is only the opinion of what you call "the best brand" or who is pushing their favorite brand the most. As my vet says - wait long enough and every brand will get a bad rap at some time., Since Pugs tend to get chunky and lazy, it would be in your best interest to feed a diet that is geared to maintaining and keeping the weight at a good level, and every Pug I have encountered, dealt with food allergies too. Perhaps you would do good to at least start with a grain free food - especially no corn and no wheat. It's really up to you to educate yourself by reading ingredient labels, and not depending on who says what about which food. There will always be those people who will disagree with even the best advice.

I feed my Pom/mix little dog, a holistic food - Verus brand. It is relatively new on the market compared to other brands, but is only available thru select distributors, or on line. I feed him the grain free kibble and canned, and there has never been a recall on the Verus product either. He finds it to be very tasty - especially the canned beef & kiwi.

Good luck with finding the one you feel is right for your pooch!

[SWHouston]

This Website had been recommended to me by several people.
Possibly it may be of help to you as well.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

[Freedom]

You need to be educated about dog foods.

For me, the best way is to look at this site: www.dogfoodanalysis.com

Read some reviews (menu is across the top), for 6 star foods.

Then read some reviews for 2 star foods.

Then read the review for what you are feeding!

Just as with human food, you have to learn how to read the labels!

For most dogs, the best food is going to be grain free, with no BHA, or colorings or preservatives. A dry kibble with toppings, either canned / soft wet or add your own.

BTW, the 6 star foods are mainly for working dogs -- herding or dogs in Agility and such. For most house pets, those 6 star foods will be too high in protein. I use a 5 star food, which is made in a human factory (one which makes food for people), with all human grade ingredients. Earthborn Holistics has never had a recall.

Vets have little or no training in nutrition and hence they are not able to guide us very well about foods.

[Lady's Human]

Honesty, I've never used the dog food comparison charts.

We use food from Blue Seal, which is a regional company in the northeast, and have never had any issues with it.

The "highly rated" foods which we started Angel out on didn't agree with her at all, so we went back to Blue Seal and have had no issues.

Whatever works for the dog's digestive system and your budget is the best food.

[Jessika]

To put it simply.. there is no single "best" food out there. A brand that works for me may not work for you. All I can do is encourage owners to do their research; learn how to read ingredient labels, study up on what dogs' nutritional needs are, and just educate yourself in canine nutrition in general.

My rule of thumb is... grocery store brands are the worst, higher end chain pet store brands are better, and foods at boutique stores are generally best. Obviously there are exceptions to every "rule", but in general I find this to be pretty true.

Good luck!

Oh... something to keep in mind!!!! When factoring out "cost" for everything, remember that IN GENERAL the more "premium" brands of food are more caloric-dense, meaning you will need to feed LESS of it to satiate the dogs' caloric intake for each day. So while you may be feeding 3 cups a day of a lower end food, you may only need to feed 1-2 cups a day of a higher-quality food. So don't just compare prices to bags of food, you have to do a little math to figure out how much of the food you'd be feeding. So a $20 bag of food may end up being more expensive to feed than a $40 bag of food.

[SWHouston]

Some excellent advice has been offered here, but, I'd like to offer another option...

I have three types of Food out for my guys (4 dogs) 24/7. Those being a Beef, Sea and Foul formulaes. Being that all of them have been raised here as Puppies, and their food has been available like that, I have avoided them being "gobblers" (resource guarding), they just know it's there any time they want it, and usually drop by and eat about twice a day. Each one selecting the flavor and amount they desire, and each changes back and forth as it wants. All my guys are very healthy and, this method of feeding has really been convenient for me. I just drop by the bowls once a day, and add as necessary. I would offer names of the foods I feed, but, given that breeds differ, and the taste of the individual animal can be just that...individual. So, trials of different type foods, and a selection of more than one could be a possible option for you as well. This way has made it very clear to me, that my Dogs enjoy the variety.

I have a somewhat funny story to add...
I have an Adult Male Yorkie (5yo), so we know each other rather well. With four dogs eating, there has been an occasion where I have let one of the flavors run out. IF that's the one he wants then, he'll sit there by that bowl and look at me as I pass. I think I could describe his expression as a "scowl", and I'm prompted to replenish that flavor IMMEDIATELY !

[CesarMillan56]

I think pug(garry) is best and Also sometimes gives vegetables to th dogs.

Thank you

[Asiel]

I've fed raw for years now and find the dogs do better than on any kibble brand. If I was to switch then I would go with whatever I read in the analysis that made me feel it was a good food. I think every dog does well on certain brands while others do better on others. I would never never buy the cheapo stuff they sell in supermarkets or chain stores. I'm a bit skeptical of all kibble with all the recalls they've been having.

[Lady's Human]

I'm a bit skeptical of all kibble with all the recalls they've been having.

The recalls are a success of the safety systems in place.

Years ago there were few, if any, recalls, because there was no mechanism in place to track and ensure safety and safe handling of the foods. Now the manufacturer knows when they have a potential problem and can warn people and handle issues in a proactive manner rather than wait for illnesses and deaths and give people a retroactive "sorry, oopsie".

There were far more issues 15 years ago, it's just that they were hidden or people never realized the problem.

Now there are more recalls because the mechanisms are in place to ensure complete chain safety.

[Bonny]

A couple of years ago Baxter was licking himself profusely on his paws, & flanks & I took him to the veterinary. Doc figured it was some kind a allergy. I had been feeding the dogs local coop., high energy dog food. I now pay a $1.10 a lb for dry dog food that has lamb meal, & rice in it that is processed in Minnesota. Baxter & Missy eat a lot less of it & leave less in the line of dog piles out doors.

[SWHouston]

$1.10 a lb for dry dog food that has lamb meal, & rice
Baxter & Missy eat a lot less of it & leave less in the line of dog piles out doors.

WOW, that's a very good price for high quality Dog Food, I'm used to paying at least $4+ lb.

Given that I leave food out for my 4 guys 24/7, I've always encouraged them to eat more, I could care less about how many "piles" they make

[Karen]

WOW, that's a very good price for high quality Dog Food, I'm used to paying at least $4+ lb.

Given that I leave food out for my 4 guys 24/7, I've always encouraged them to eat more, I could care less about how many "piles" they make

You are lucky, as some dogs I know would overeat if food were available 24/7. I have know dogs who would eat themselves sick, and then do it again if the opportunity arose!

[Bonny]

I was wrong on the poundage runs $1.21 a pound & there is a $1.00 discount free sample bag we pick up each time.

If there are large dog piles that means a lot of what they are eating is passing through.