Dog food questions...

[DogLover9501]

Jasper ran out of food, so I need to ask a couple questions...

Is adult food fine for him?(He's 10 months old), also what are the pros/cons or differences of putting a dog on adult food, or keeping a dog on puppy food?

Also, I wanted to keep him on Wellness, since I like how it doesn't have corn, boxers aren't good..at all, with corn, but Im not babysitting anymore, and also paying alot soon for my school course in September.

So I need to ask which of these cheaper foods are better, ingredient/quality wise...

-Purina One
Ingredients:
Lamb, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, oat meal, fish meal, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), poultry by-product meal, natural flavors, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, salt, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, vitamin supplements (E, A, B-12, D-3), zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, brewers dried yeast, riboflavin supplement, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, biotin, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite.

-Pedigree(Not sure about this one, but my RB lab lived his whole life on this, and was so shiny and healthy, and Jasper was also on this when we first got him, and he loved it)
Ingredients:
GROUND YELLOW CORN( Ack! First ingredient :rolleyes: ), CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, RICE, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, ANIMAL FAT (PRESERVED WITH MIXED TOCOPHEROLS, SOURCE OF VITAMIN E), NATURAL POULTRY FLAVOR, WHEAT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SALT, BREWERS DRIED YEAST, WHEAT FLOUR, CARAMEL COLOR, WHEAT GLUTEN, VEGETABLE OIL, CALCIUM CARBONATE, TAURINE*, VITAMINS (DL-ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN E], CHOLINE CHLORIDE,L-ASCORBYL-2-POLYPHOSPHATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN C*], VITAMIN A ACETATE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT [VITAMIN B2], BIOTIN, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT), MARIGOLD MEAL (SOURCE OF LUTEIN*), TRACE MINERALS (ZINC SULFATE, COPPER SULFATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE).

-Alpo(Not sure about this one either)
Ingredients:
Ground yellow corn(Ack..first again), beef and bone meal, soybean meal, beef tallow preserved with BHA, animal digest, chicken by-product meal, salt, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, added color (red 40), manganese sulfate, niacin, vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, brewers dried yeast, riboflavin supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, biotin, natural flavor, pyridoxine hydrochloride, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite.

Suggestions/Opinions..anything?

[heinz57_79]

Personally, I'd go with something that has Lamb as the first ingredient. Simply because you don't want tons of fillers and hardly any meat. Anything by-product I would stay away from, only because who knows what they're throwing in there. I think you should go with either the Purina or the Pedigree. I've seen dogs on Alpo have MAJOR gas problems, icky poops and stuff like that. But, honestly, go with what you can afford. We've all been there. As long as they get food, it's ok. No one will think any less of you for going with cheap food for once. Goodness knows I've had to get Ol Roy once or twice because I just couldn't afford the good stuff. I was living on top ramen, and I knew my dogs had to eat.

So just get what you can! :)

[heinz57_79]

Another thing, soon after I got Charlie my gf and I broke up and I coudln't afford to buy both the adult food and the puppy food, so he went on to adult food. Personally, I don't think he's any worse for wear. :) In fact, I know a lot of people don't like to feed their puppies puppy food because it can cause other problems. So I wouldn't worry about that either. :)

[DogLover9501]

Thanks, I think Im going to go with the Purina One.

Im glad nobody will think less of me, I just hope that this switch doesn't make his skin problem worse!

I would live on bread and butter if I had to, so Jasper could eat :o :p

BTW-I *LOVE* your new signature, did you change Roxxy's name? I think Anna & Arthur sounds so cute!!!

[heinz57_79]

Yep, we did change her name.
http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53360
We thought it sounded better. :)

Jasper's skin would be my only concern with going to a different food, but unfortunately you gotta do what you gotta do. Like I said, you're doing what you can. You're not starving him, and we all know how much you love him. And the fact that you're trying to do it all pretty much by yourself is commendable. I know a lot of adults who wouldn't care as much. If you start babysitting again or anything, you could always just stock up on the better food. I've done that a few times too. And I don't think there's a single person on PT who wouldn't gladly go without so their animals had what they needed. It's what makes us who we are. :D

[heinz57_79]

btw, did you get my pm about the best friends thing? :)

[K9soul]

Originally posted by DogLover9501
Im glad nobody will think less of me

No way! I agree out of those 3 choices that Purina One would probably be best ingredient wise. I am also not sure how Pro Plan compares in price but my collies were on that when my finances were tighter, the turkey and barley formula, and they did well with it. On the other hand I don't know that Pro Plan is available at the grocery store and I think Purina ONE usually is.

As others in the other dog food thread have stated, what is important is that he is fed and loved.

[binka_nugget]

I'd go with Purina One. :)

There shouldn't be a problem with you switching him to an adult formula right now. Some people (especially those with larger breeds) feed adult formula instead of puppy because there is less stress on the bones. Puppy formulas make them grow at a rapid rate. The adult formulas allow them to grow at a steady rate.

Don't worry about what type of food you feed, so long as you're actually feeding him! We've been going through some money troubles recently and I've had to mix in some sample dog food packs with their regular dog food just so it'll last longer.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I would defiantly go with Purina O.N.E. Nutrition wise you will get your moneys worth best with O.N.E. I'm not a fan of pedigree, as you can see there is no actual meat in it, just fillers.

As for feeding a 10mo. old adult food instead of puppy food, I don't see any problem with that. He's finished growing by now, at least the majority of it. He's such a cutie.

[micki76]

Of those three, definitely Purina One!

Hey, we gotta do what we gotta do when buying food for our pets. As others have said, I don't care what you feed him, as long as he's not hungry.

Just an FYI- you may end up spending as much or nearly as much on the cheaper foods that are full of fillers as you would on the more expensive foods. Dogs have to eat more of the food to feel satisfied, so it can end up costing almost as much as the higher priced foods sometimes.

[DogLover9501]

Thanks everyone!

I also heard that the puppy food makes them grow up too fast.

Well, we just got back, and I got him the Purina One Lamb & Rice Formula, he loves it, he is actually eating it by itself(before to get him tp eat the fish and potato stuff we had to mix in a little soft food with it).

Micki-I was wondering that! I was thinking well if I buy him some food that doesn't satisfy him..nutrition-wise, he'll need more of it. But with the Wellness, I was paying $70 a sack, this way its about $40 or so...I think, and the biggest sack lasts him about 2-3 months(well the Wellness did) so this stuff will probably last 1 month and a half-2 months, So even though is doesn't last as long, we can spend the gas money we would have spent on the Wellness, to get Purina more often(Only one pet store here carries Wellness, and so we would drive about an hour or so to get it)

Ack--sorry for rambling :o

[micki76]

Originally posted by DogLover9501
Micki-I was wondering that! I was thinking well if I buy him some food that doesn't satisfy him..nutrition-wise, he'll need more of it. But with the Wellness, I was paying $70 a sack, this way its about $40 or so...I think, and the biggest sack lasts him about 2-3 months(well the Wellness did) so this stuff will probably last 1 month and a half-2 months, So even though is doesn't last as long, we can spend the gas money we would have spent on the Wellness, to get Purina more often(Only one pet store here carries Wellness, and so we would drive about an hour or so to get it)

Ack--sorry for rambling :o

$70 a sack?!?!?!:eek: I think I pay 42 for the 30# bag here! And after 8, I get one free. We have a cool specialty store in Plano that I shop at.:)

[DogLover9501]

Originally posted by micki76
$70 a sack?!?!?!:eek: I think I pay 42 for the 30# bag here! And after 8, I get one free. We have a cool specialty store in Plano that I shop at.:)

Yep, I was paying $65.99 for the biggest sack!!

[ParNone]

Hi Doglover!

I order Wellness across the internet and get a 30lb bag for $40.

Par...

[CorgiLuvr]

I would not go with any of those dog foods, ESPECIALLY anything made by purina. They put preservatives in their food called ethoxquin and proplene glycol that can cause very bad damage to their liver and kidneys. I would recommend a food such as innova, canidae, or nature's variety. Canidae is probably the best, and they have an all life stages formula. Take a look at their website. Just don't buy anything from a store; you can't find a good dog food like that.

visit:
www.canidae.com

www.naturesvariety.com

www.naturapet.com
(innova)

[Kfamr]

My dogs are fed Purina ONE.

I'm personally SO sick of people saying "Feed your dogs this, Purina is crap, blah blah blah"

My dogs are healthy and my dogs are living. I know dogs who were fed Kibbles n Bits their whole lives and lived to be 17+ and dogs who were fed these overly expensive foods and lived short lives.


Robyn, feed your dogs what you can afford. If Purina ONE is what you can afford, go for it! As long as they're being fed, that is what matters.

[DogLover9501]

Originally posted by CorgiLuvr
I would not go with any of those dog foods, ESPECIALLY anything made by purina. They put preservatives in their food called ethoxquin and proplene glycol that can cause very bad damage to their liver and kidneys. I would recommend a food such as innova, canidae, or nature's variety. Canidae is probably the best, and they have an all life stages formula. Take a look at their website. Just don't buy anything from a store; you can't find a good dog food like that.

visit:
www.canidae.com

www.naturesvariety.com

www.naturapet.com
(innova)

I would not *usually* go with any of these either, but as I said, Im short on money, I know about those other foods, and they are all about $60-$70 a sack...here anyway.

I also do not just buy anything from a store, I have fed Jasper tons of different foods, I have searched for and FOUND the only pet store around here that carries good foods like Wellness and Canidae, but just cannot afford them right now!

Also like others said, he's not going hungry, and if dogs can live 17-18-19 years on some of that stuff, then it can't be *that* bad...

[wolfie]

Our dogs eat Purina One, and they love it, and people compliment on how shiny and soft they are. As long as Jasper's okay with it, I say go for it. ^_^

[jenfer]

I don't know which one is the best. But whatever works best for Jasper, then go with it. Jasper's health is the most important thing!!!

Like for Gigi...a lot of people say Chicken Soup for Pet Lover is great. Gigi tried it, but it just makes her itch and her stool soft, so that won't work for her though tons of people say how good it is. Now she is on Royal Canin and it works fine, so I am sticking with it.

I know I am not much help. Oh well. :o

[micki76]

Originally posted by ParNone
Hi Doglover!

I order Wellness across the internet and get a 30lb bag for $40.

Par...

Hey Les, could you give Robyn the link where you were buying from? That's about the price she's going to pay for one of the foods she listed as an option for Jasper.

Robyn, could you order his food online? Even if you don't choose to stay with the Wellness, maybe you could try Nutro or Nature's Recipe? I've fed both of those and they're good foods. No gas, and very little waste in the yard, which I'm afraid may be a yucky by-product of the lesser quality foods.

[Tina]

My dogs eat Purina One and they are doing just fine on it.:)

[jazzcat]

Disney eats Purina One. It's the only thing she will eat and I've tried a few of the more expensive brands. I'm going to look into Chicken Soup for her if and when she grows tired of Purina One but for now it's her favorite and I am pleased with it. BTW, she is 12+ years old and has eaten Purina brand products for most of that time with no health problems.

[K9soul]

Originally posted by CorgiLuvr
I would not go with any of those dog foods, ESPECIALLY anything made by purina. They put preservatives in their food called ethoxquin and proplene glycol that can cause very bad damage to their liver and kidneys.

No offense, but if there were really solid data showing this to be the common case, I seriously doubt so many dogs would be on it and thriving on it just fine. It is kind of like how one is always reading articles about certain people foods that can cause cancer or cause this or that. If these foods commonly caused these disorders I don't think the foods could survive being on the market, there would be too many studies and too much evidence as to how harmful it is. That kind of information I only see when reading competitor foods' labels, when they start going into how harmful the ingredients of other foods are. I think it more likely to be a sales pitch than any proven fact.

[ParNone]

Here's the link to Dr. Foster and Smith, where I order Wellness, but it looks like they only service the US.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/

As to buying what you can afford, you just gotta know your own dog and what'll work for them. It was actually more expensive for me to feed Purina One then Wellness, because of Maddie's food allergies, my vet bills went down on Wellness. I have a friend however, whose JRT continually throws up on any of the expensive brands, so for her the cheaper stuff works better.

Par...

[Denyce]

The bottom line is you have to feed not only what your pet does best on but what you can afford. There is always the questions of price versus quality versus quantity. I know you can feed less of a higher quality food thereby it negates some of the higher costs. BUT...it doesnt' always make enough of a difference if your finances are tight. Purina isn't the horrible food some make it out to be. Many animals do well on it. The same as for Iams (hiding behind something preparing for the slings and arrows). We all haver personal preferences and I have seen and participated in many debates on here about pet food.

Basically it is better for any cat or dog to be fed the worst pet food there is than to get nothing or lose their home due to tight income.

Purina is fine. Just watch how his health seems to you on it. One of my cats eats Purina Pro Plan canned food and she has never looked better. When I had them all on Wellness I had a variety of problems. We had six cats on it and 3 of them were having diet related problems. So just because the label looks good doesn't mean it will work for your pet. Two of my other cats have to eat what most would consider not as good as a food because the higher quality and quantity of protein upsets their irritable bowel problems. They throw it all up. Doesn't matter how good the formula is...if they can't keep it in the tummy it doesn't do a darn bit of good.

As far as Ethoxyquin goes there has been extensive research done on it and it has been found to possibly lead to a greater incidence of intestinal cancers in dogs and cats. Most pet food manufacters have eliminated it as a primary source of preservative. But it can still be used as a fat preservative in the meats that are added without being on the label.

But then they did a study years ago and found the water in the city of San Diego can cause cancer...:rolleyes: . So take it all with a grain of salt and do what your pocketbook and conscience allows.

Denyce