Help with finding the right food for dogs LONG

[Stina]

I didn't say relics dogs don't do fine or that people can't feed whatever they want......I was reacting to his vet's advice as its not something I've ever heard recommended by any vet or animal nutritionist I've ever met, spoke with, or corresponded with in any way.

I have not presented anything I have said as fact, simply as my opinion...and I am allowed to share my opinion just like everyone else.

 

[()relics]

I generally don't do this but here goes anyway...My point was feed your dog the best food that works for your dog that you can find/afford and stick with it...No dog benefits when you switch foods because you get a coupon or pick up some other variety because it was convienent for you...I used to buy a cheaper brand of food and "top dressed" with other ingredients ,raw eggs,oil,vits/mins...but found that it was easier for me to simply find a bagged feed that contained everything I was looking for and feed it...In my situation it has worked extremely well...
Left unsaid there are hundreds of breeds of dogs available...Everyone expects their dog to do different things...If my dogs were simply house dogs I would certainly not feed them like I do...they would get a cheaper formula that kept them in condition...Don't get me wrong...My dogs do live in the house and are lazy 5 months of the year but when the time comes; they are all too ready to get into the brush but with out the added energy from their food ration they would waste away in a matter of a few days....
Now the vet thing....I , for years had 3 vets...Each one was a "specialist" with something,goats,horses,dogs....I've come to find that my Horses vet seems to be less interested in making the "extra couple of dollars" and more interested in the actual well-being of my animals....She would much rather sugest something over the phone and not visit the farm than for me to come to her office so she could tell me the exact thing yet charge me an office visit....Dog vet bills are extremely minor in comparison to Horse vet bills...My advice for all you "vet" people out there: If you think you are a vet than start charging for your services...If you aren't then find a good vet and do what they say <---that would be me.

 

[ams3651]

forgive me for skipping ahead...........I was told its pretty common for beagles to have an allergy to corn. The main ingredient in most dog foods. Mine scratches almost to the point of compulsion and was actually missing some fur in spots when I got her. I fed her California Naturals for the last 2 years. Its a little pricey at $10 a 5lb bag locally but for one dog we were fine with it. Lately I discovered Iams Healthy Naturals, a little better at $7 for 10 pound locally I think. If you know about ingredients most grocery store brands are all the same and are primarily corn. The main ingredient is Chicken and third is rice i think. She is doing just fine with it. When I was a kid and had outside dogs my grandfather would mix things like scrambled eggs and mashed potatoes into their food with a warm "gravy" or broth given in the early evening to help warm them.

 

[Wifezilla]

Iams, Eukanuba are owned BY Purina, and they are nutritionally useless.

Exactly. I am another Taste of the Wild fan and buy the cat version for my kitties.

As for cutting back on kibble....all that will get you is a skinny fat dog. What I mean by that is that calorie restriction might get them to lose weight, but if they are getting mostly cheap fillers from their crappy commercial corn-filled food, they will not be HEALTHIER. They will be what is called TOFI... Thin Outside - Fat Inside.

They will still have fat packed around their internal organs. Their livers will be in very bad shape. They will get tumors. Their hearts will be weak. They will act starved all the time because they WILL be starved.

Corn, soy, wheat, rice, etc... are basically sugar. Your dog doesn't need them.​

 

[Stina]

Iams, Eukanuba are owned BY Purina

...no they're not...

Iams and Eukanuba are owned by Proctor & Gamble. Nestle owns Purina and their brands include Alpo, Beneful, Dog Chow, Purina One, Purina Proplan, Fancy Feast, Felix, Cat Chow, Friskies, and Gourmet. That is not to say that that makes Iams and Eukanuba good....but they are NOT owned by Purina, nor have they ever been. Not that I would ever go back to either...but if I had to choose between an Iams/Eukanuba or Pro Plan product...I'd choose Iams/Eukanuba any day.​

 

[Wifezilla]

Ah...gotcha...but I still stand by the nutritionally useless comment

 

[Chickens n' more]

My DH and I raise Labs and have for the past 5 years. One of our females, after having litters, was losing nearly all of her hair and would lose tons of weight! At the time, we were feeding 8 full grown labs and their puppies so we were feeding DuraMax from our local farm store. It was slightly cheaper than the Diamond and was on sale ALOT. It was recommended to us by a local vet! My husbands 100 lb male lab started losing weight. Which was a good thing at the time. He was a little overweight. They all seemed to have skin allergy stuff. Itching ALL the time! Never had a flea one. After much research, we switched to River Run. They have a soy based and a non soy. We use the non soy. I also started making my own dog food. Turkey or chicken, brown rice, and frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. I just simmer it all down to a mush and feed them each a cup every day, along with their River Run dry food daily. My dogs are now all at perfect weights, no more itching, and no more hair loss!

 

[Brindlebtch]

Yeah, they love that meat/rice/vegi stuff. That is how I used to cook for my dogs and still do occassionally. I have one that is allergic to rice and chicken so I'll sub in potatoes of some sort and a different meat now. They still LOVE it.

 

[BlackBart]

()relics :

My point was feed your dog the best food that works for your dog that you can find/afford and stick with it...

I agree, what works for one dog might not for another.

Reading a feed bag can be misleading but there are allot of websites that explain how/what the ingredients are listed and why they are in the order they are listed.​

 

[Brindlebtch]

Quote:
I agree, what works for one dog might not for another.

Reading a feed bag can be misleading but there are allot of websites that explain how/what the ingredients are listed and why they are in the order they are listed.

Yes yes

I have a question. I heard that the part of the vit E 'mixed tocopherols' used as preservative for kibble can be soy oil. Has anyone else heard this or know if this is true or not?