What dog food

[Sploke]

I used Canidae for a while and recently switched to Innova. The dogs seem to like it more. It's marketed as the next best thing to a raw diet, if you don't have time or whatever to do the whole process. Its expensive, I think the last bag I bought was about 40 bucks for a 25lb bag.

 

[Shelby_Tempo_GT]

I'm a big fan of the Science Diet brands...both my cats and my dogs are on a variety of these diets. They are expensive, but worth the extra money for the quality.

The company itself is also top grade. During this whole recall fiasco, they found out that they bought some wheat gluten from the same distribution company as some of the recalled Menu foods, so they pulled their diabetic food off the market just to be on the safe side, even though the people heading the recall said it was a bit paranoid to do so. Proves that Hill's isn't out to make that extra buck but cares for the pets instead....

and guess what?

you've been had like the rest of us.

Think about it... Menu foods made wet dog food under 50 names ranging the full price spectrum

We've all been had by the dog food industry. Premium foods are just premium priced as many suspected.

 

[naeelah]

Just responding to bits in the whole thread--

Science Diet actually isn't a very good quality food. (Referring to the kibble - I don't know much about the wet food.) We used to feed Lucy the natural choice (or whatever it's called) variety of Science Diet. It was probably the best of the science diet line but still not great. Nothing in it was bad for the dog, however, it was getting by on the minimum side of nutrition and ingredient quality. Also, Hill's is manufactured by a company that tests its food on animals. I've heard varying reports about how humane the testing is, but I don't really trust companies to be as humane as they say they are, so I prefer not to buy their products.

We now feed Lucy Authority Harvest Baked food, because it has high quality ingredients, good minimum nutritional stats, and is a good price for the quality. ($10 cheaper than Nutro Ultra for the largest bag.) Authority's wet food was involved in the recall, however, I haven't heard anything about harvest baked kibble. The Harvest baked doesn't contain wheat gluten, so I think it's safe, but I am nervous. Recall aside, I think it's a good food.

For food not involved in the recall -- we've fed Blackwood, which is pretty decent quality. I've heard nothing but high praises for Solid Gold, but I think you might have to mail order it. Other good foods, suc has Innova, have been mentioned in the thread.

Regarding the "sham" of finding out that the low end foods are the same as the high end foods -- being manufactured at the same facility only means that the common ingredients are the same. e.g. if a product contains "corn meal", each product has the same corn meal. However, if you compare the ingredients of a premium food to a low end food, you'll find most them are different. Therefore, the foods are not identical.

 

[5xevy]

I used Canidae for a while and recently switched to Innova. The dogs seem to like it more. It's marketed as the next best thing to a raw diet, if you don't have time or whatever to do the whole process. Its expensive, I think the last bag I bought was about 40 bucks for a 25lb bag.

Exactly. A lot of people use it in combination with the raw diet as well. Good stuff. My dogs seem to really enjoy it too.

and guess what?

you've been had like the rest of us.

Think about it... Menu foods made wet dog food under 50 names ranging the full price spectrum

We've all been had by the dog food industry. Premium foods are just premium priced as many suspected.

Absolutely not true. Many 'lower-end' brands use chicken and meat byproducts. Do you know what kind of things can be found in animal byproducts? Also, a lot of these brands have wheat gluten, corn meal, other wheat products, etc. as their main ingredients. The 'higher-end' foods will have actual meat and chicken (some even organic) or meat meal as their main ingredients. Most of the foods found in these chain pet stores, and grocery stores, are not considered better products. A lot of the foods that are considered more healthy and better for our pets are found in actual pet shops or places (at least here in NY) like Agway.

 

[Siren]

I was going more on the experiences I've had with other foods. Science Diet (I feed Lamb and Rice to avoid allergies developing in my Golden Retriever) is the only food among many that hasn't given my dogs indigestion, even after long term use (such as Iams and Purina). Their stool is more solid and compact and the gassiness is much less. I also supplement their diet with homemade veggie dog treats and fruits.

An easy way to find out if the food you are feeding is "better" (term used VERY loosely), check the ingredients list. The first ingredients (they are listed in order of quantity, highest to lowest) should be meat based. Meat byproducts are just the leftover parts after the "good" meat cuts are gone (trachea, tounge, lower leg meat, tail, organs, ligaments/tendons). They are still digestible and would have been eaten by canines at a kill in the wild. Not much is spared when wolves and Cape Dogs make a kill. On the other hand, corn (ground corn, corn gluten meal) is a big filler used in most low-end foods. The cellulose can't be digested efficiently and passes through your dog even though they are omnivores, equaling larger stools and more mess for you to clean up. Wheat is almost as bad. Rice is better that either of those, because it can be broken down more completely during digestion. As for cat foods- the more meat the better. Cats are strict carnivores, they don't digest plant material very well.

As for the BARF diets (biologically appropriate raw foods), make sure you cook your meat. Dogs can get salmonella and food poisoning just as easily as we can. As far as I know some of the nutrients are lost in cooking, so further supplementation might be necessary.

I think with dogs, it is like humans. Some foods agree with you, but won't agree with me. It's a matter of trial and error to find what will work best for your dog. Do your research, don't just go on the opinions you have found here. Look at nutritional values, talk to your vet, talk to the breeder you got the dog from, read everything you can. Every bit of info you get will let you make a more educated decision.

 

[5xevy]

Meat and chicken by-products can carry chicken feet, beaks, bone, metal tags, other cat and dog parts, diseased animals, teeth, intestines, etc.- things I do not want my pet consuming. These by-products lack protein and are more likely to cause allergies and digestive problems.

 

[Toirtis]

RAW diet, but if you cannot, Innova Evo or Orijen...best choices for dogs and cats.

 

[fballguy]

About the quality of dog food, it all depends on your dog. My papillon has a pretty sensitive stomach, and most all dog foods don't digest very well. Nutro max is the only dog food she can eat that won't make her sick or cause diarrhea. Unfortunatly that is on the list of recalled foods now, so we have been going through hell trying to feed her something she can digest.

 

[Shelby_Tempo_GT]

Meat and chicken by-products can carry chicken feet, beaks, bone, metal tags, other cat and dog parts, diseased animals, teeth, intestines, etc.- things I do not want my pet consuming. These by-products lack protein and are more likely to cause allergies and digestive problems.

yeah... and when they say beef they don't specify which cut.

You get beef uterus and anal sphincter.

I've worked in a major meat processing plant. I know the crap that gets sent to the pet food plants and sorry, whether they call it chicken or chicken by-product... its all seconds and cuts not fit for human consumption (including dead aniamls that don't make it off the transport truck)

 

[Sploke]

"Meat based ingredients" is a lot different than "meat". Even a lot of the "top quality" foods have poulty meal or meat byproducts listed as their first ingredients.