Dog Food recommendations

[pureinsanity]

Nestlé’s bought Purina to form Nestlé Purina Petcare Company (Fancy Feast, Alpo, Friskies, Mighty Dog, Dog Chow, Cat Chow, Puppy Chow, Kitten Chow, Beneful, One, ProPlan, DeliCat, HiPro, Kit’n’Kaboodle, Tender Vittles, Purina Veterinary Diets)

.

Del Monte gobbled up Heinz (MeowMix, Gravy Train, Kibbles ’n Bits, Wagwells, 9Lives, Cycle, Skippy, Nature’s Recipe, and pet treats Milk Bone, Pup-Peroni, Snausages, Pounce).

MasterFoods owns Mars, Inc., which consumed Royal Canin (Pedigree, Waltham’s, Cesar, Sheba, Temptations, Goodlife Recipe, Sensible Choice, Excel).

Other major pet food makers are not best known for pet care, although many of their household and personal care products do use ingredients derived from animal by-products:

Procter and Gamble (P&G) purchased The Iams Company (Iams, Eukanuba) in 1999. P&G shortly thereafter introduced Iams into grocery stores, where it did very well.

Colgate-Palmolive bought Hill’s Science Diet (founded in 1939) in 1976 (Hill’s Science Diet, Prescription Diets, Nature’s Best).

[pureinsanity]

As for changing over your dogs food.

If i have a bunch of dog food left over from the other brand i just mix it in the container. if there is only a little bit left i will do 3/4 old food, 1/4 new food for two days, then switch it 1/2 & 1/2 for two days then 1/4 old food 3/4 new food. for two days then all new food.

[Setterman]

I forgot that you can not post direct links. You can google dog food advisor. That should get you there.

[reinhard1]

i went to Fleet Farm and picked up a 20 pound bag of Diamond Puppy Food. will take your advice on the feeding as far as mixing in exsisting food [ science diet ] which i have some left. she gobbled up the first batch no problem as usual. she eats about as fast as i did in basic training. good luck.

[pureinsanity]

before I changed my girlfriends dog food over to Diamond I took a handful of what he was use to eating and put it on the floor, I then took a hand full of diamond on the floor. Dog sniffed the old food, then the new food and ate the new food and left the old food.

That has to tell you something when a dog leaves food!

[reinhard1]

thanks for your advice. it's also 10 bucks cheaper than science diet. however money is not important when it come to my pup. good luck.

[deerminator]

Money isn't important I realize but no sense in paying more than needed either. Same goes with humans. I'll buy a cheap cut and prep it right to make it fabulous versus the pricey one if possible no matter what my budget or what's in the bank account - unless the fancy one is on sale or it's a special occassion. Even then. Will have to check out the Diamond as I researched the nutritional content and it looks legit. I had dismissed it without researching when the Farm employee told me they stared carrying it "because all the pet stores stopped carrying it." That was a a red flag at first but it looks good nutritionally and the price is right.

[LABS4ME]

I've fed Diamond more or less for almost 20 years...

Switched to a couple of 'premium' brands for a year each and ended up back on Diamond with no appreciable differences noted. Found out one of the 'premiums' is made at the Diamond plant and costs 20-25 bucks more per bag...

I now feed Diamond Naturals and have had great luck with it. I like the naturals but have fed the green bag and also the performance Back when my dogs were training and running in competition. Rhienhard, consider putting your pup on adult food at around 4-6 months... I do it with every one of my pups and tell all those buying pups from me to do the same. Good dog food will give the teen age pup all they need.

Good Luck!

Ken

[reinhard1]

thanks for that information. my lab pup is 4 1/2 month old now and i just bought a 20 lb bag of diamond puppy food. so when i run out i will start her with the adult. on a side note, at this age [4 1/2 months] she now weighs 42 pounds. is this the normal weight or is she going to be a big girl? thanks good luck.

[slimngrizzly]

I have a little pup on Science Diet as well... I thought that was top of the line?! Now you all have me curious about this Diamond stuff.

Is there a certain "type' of the Diamond you reccomend for a lab? Where do you get it? I have no Fleet farm around me....

thanks guys, this has been informative!

[wkngmomof2]

We have a Golden who has allergies, we used to feed Nutri-source and didn't have any issues, however, with my current job situation it was just too spendy. Went into Waconia Farm Supply and compared labels, Exclusive is another food that has almost the same exact ingredients, saving about $5 a bag and you get the sixth bag free.... Haven't had any issues with her either since making the switch. I also breed and Show Schipperke's so choice of food is important It is harder to find though, mostly available at Co-ops and such check out their HSOforum for locations.

Diamond gave most of our dogs gray looking stool and lots of it.....

[LABS4ME]

42 pounds at 4.5 mo... I'm thinking big girl!

Slim - try Menards and pet food outlet. They carry Diamond also. I prefer the Naturals to mimimize grain in the food.

Good Luck!

Ken

[xdasher19]

I feel protein and fat contents are important combined along with how active your dog is. I use purina pro plan and really like it. I started ?with science diet but he never liked it and got sick from it occassionally. Like many people have said, many foods will work it comes down to cost and what they like.

[Ufatz]

Some of you "gourmet dog feeders" ain't gonna like this but IMHO this whole "oh me oh my what will I feed fido" thing is greatly overworked and overwrought.

If fifty years of a variety of dogs I have never had a sickly, malnourised, weak or puny dog. From as far back as I can remember all the dogs in the family, the ol' coon and fox hounds, the shaggy water spaniels,the early generation Wiemaraners, GPS and Vizla, the boneheaded Chessies the many black Lab's and a plethora of little yappy-[PoorWordUsage] house dogs have been fed one or more levels of Purina dog food. I recall ONE who was a little (ahem) gassy on occasion and another who took his time adapting to the particular blend we were then using, but nobody has ever walked away from a bowl at our place. Very, very few little table scraps other than green beans and maybe rice.

Now, ya'll can buy that "trainer approved" and "vet reccomended" gourmet stuff if you wish-hey! it's your money. But when times get tough head to the Big Box place and buy a 40 Lb. bag of Purina Lamb and Rice and call it good.

If your dog turns up his nose at it after two days calle me. I'll come have a chat with him. Ha!!

PS: Go Vikings............to California! Yaaaaayyyy.

[ClownColor]

Sounds good Ufatz...though your purina may cost MORE then what others on here are suggesting. That Diamond food is the cheapest I've seen and probably cheaper $10 sheaper then Purina and you get more per bag.

Thanks everyone on here for your input...I'm tyring the Diamond brand as well and will see if the meat and rice diet help out with the allergies over the corn based food I was giving her.

[reinhard1]

sure, Purina and whatever floats your boat, it's your choice and if your having great results i think that's great. every dog i have ever had lived a long life and the last two that i got [from the humane society] lived to be almost 15 years old and they were big dogs. the vet told us after they were gone that they lived longer than average for that type of dog. well in the first place, i know they are dogs, but i to me they were always family.

heck, Lucy, the first pure bred, papers and all chocolate lab, i often call her our only child, given that we have two daughters that have labs and kids of their own. i dont remember what we fed our two loving dogs, but maby it was Purina or whatever along with letting them lick our plates after our meals.

but i know one thing that in my opinion surpasses any food [and i know food is important] and that is giving all the love to your dog or dogs that you can, because they will give you more than you can ever give. i think that is the main reason they lived that long. for now i will feed Lucy the Diamond brand, but more than that she will get the care and love with all we can muster. good luck.

[Ufatz]

You gotta good attitude man. If you were here I'd scratch you behind the ear and pat you on your asset. LOL

[reinhard1]

, . good luck.

[hanson]

I switched my Lab to Canidae when he was a pup and have fed him that ever since, so 2 years or so. 2 years ago, that seamed to be the food that was talked about quite a bit here. He still loves it and he sure loves to lick plates clean as well.

I've had a number of good conversations with salespeople at Chuck & Don's (if you're a Twin Cites resident) and they carry plenty of good foods. In many conversations, Fromm's has come up and Orijen has been highly recommended as well although my Chuck & Don's doesn't carry Orijen for some reason.

They've also said if he loves the food you're feeding him, don't switch as it is good food and much cheaper than the others.

[Kyhl]

We feed Fromm and our dogs are doing good with it.

We've tried quite a few and this was the first that didn't cause an issue with either dog.

We also use the small sample bags of Orijin from Chuck and Don's as treats. The dogs think they are the best treats ever. Little do they know, it's just another food.

[pureinsanity]

We feed Fromm and our dogs are doing good with it.

We've tried quite a few and this was the first that didn't cause an issue with either dog.

We also use the small sample bags of Orijin from Chuck and Don's as treats. The dogs think they are the best treats ever. Little do they know, it's just another food.

My dog thinks ice cubes are treats. its pretty funny, anything given to a dog by a human usually means a treat. Some dogs are just wise to certain things. For instance if I gave my dog, dogfood that he already eats every day for a treat he'd spit it out and leave it.

[SledNeck]

I feed my dog, this.

Orijin adult

Quote:

GRAIN-FREE (0)

ORIJEN is grain-free and carbohydrate-limited to match the natural diet of dogs.

[Note from Admin: Please read forum rules before posting again]

THIS IS ONE OF THE MANY REASONS WHY I, NOR ANYONE ELSE SHOULD SERVE THEIR DOGS CORN FILLER GARBAGE LIKE DIAMOND

Quote:

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that at least 76 dogs nationwide are believed to have died as a result of eating contaminated Diamond Pet Foods.

The company has recalled 19 varieties of dog and cat food because tests showed high levels of aflatoxin, a naturally occurring toxic chemical that comes from a fungus found on corn and other grains that causes severe liver damage in animals.

The company recalled products manufactured at its Gaston, S.C., plant from around September to November 2005. Based on sample testing, Diamond has narrowed down the exposure to food produced on Oct. 11, Brinkmann said Thursday.

[fishyspringer]

I have been feeding my springer Orijen and he likes it. But I have noticed since switching to a grain free higher protein diet he has been gassy. His skin has always been itchy and ears infected frequently. I decided to switch to Natures Variety Instinct. After bringing him to the vet she thought he may have a food allergy. So we are trying the duck and turkey kibble. Natures variety is a grain free and potato free food. After some research I found that potatoes can accelerate the production of yeast in dogs and also spikes their blood sugar when eating and is hard on their stomach hence the bad gas. What I like about Natures Variety is they off more of a protein specific line of food, with a good number of choices. Just started the switch today so I will post later with some results.

[deerminator]

This filler malarky is just that. A reputable vet or authority on this subject will tell you almost every dog can digest corn or any other grain fine. Some dogs can't but they are the exception, not the majority by any means. They will also tell you meat should be one of the first three ingredients in a dry dog food and that it can be a byproduct or meal. But your food doesn't need to be a majority of meat nor a raw diet, etc. I've fed my dogs Science diet, Nutro and now Diamond. All of have contained corn of some sort and I'm not about to stop feeding them it because of the news article referenced. If that were the case, then we humans should stop eating eggs, bagged salad, peanut butter, packaged hamburger and so on.

[SledNeck]

A vet will tell you whatever they have for sale in their office is the best dog food