Dog Food

[Carol G]

I used to spend a lot of time falling for everything I read about by-products and all of the other horrible ingredients in commercial pet foods. I carried my little soapbox around with me, and used it often, usually to no avail. Most of my friends & family would not take either the time or spend the money to feed their animals what I touted as the "best" diet. Drove me crazy.

Then, I realized... my parents' cat, Hobbes, lived happy and healthy for 17 years, on a diet of fancy feast and purina cat chow. My brothers dogs: german shepherd - 13 years, golden retriever - 10 years, and their current dogs, both mutts, both still going strong - all have lived happy, healthy lives on whatever dog food was on sale at the grocery. My dog growing up, a german shepherd, lived 12 years on purina dog chow and table scraps. I can think of countless other beloved pets, who eat commercial pet food, and are just fine. I fell for the hype, and learned an even greater lesson... everyone is trying to sell something, and they will use every tactic at their disposal to get you to buy it. It is true for everything from pet food to politics. Best lesson I ever learned.

I have spent a lot of money on pet food for my dog and cats. I buy premium foods from specialty stores, after exhaustive research. But the cost is unreal, and lately, I haven't been willing or able to spend it. I buy a bag of fancy-pants food, and mix it with a bag of grocery store kibble - lasts twice as long. My cats get canned fancy feast now too, instead of the pricey stuff. Daisy gets a scoop of cottage cheese on her food for a treat, and very very rarely a scoop of canned food. I still try to avoid glutens and corn, and make sure the first ingredient is a protein, but otherwise, I'm done falling for the hype. My animals are healthy and happy, and that's all that matters. Just my $.02.

 

[Miss Kitty]

No offense, but jdarg is so right...let that breeder go! And now that jdarg has solved the food issue for Pepper, let's talk about boarding that dog, against the breeder's wishes, so you can take a trip. ;-)

 

[avalon]

Read the list of ingredients

A little reading will make you a better judge of dog foods. Look for MEAT of some kind as the first thing in the list. You get what you pay for in most cases. Cereal is cheap, but not the best buy. I use "Evengers" brand, not too expensive for what it is- mostly chicken. Available at Unleashed, just west of Sandestin.

 

[SneakyPete]

Not to offend anyone, but a vet is going to recommend Science Diet because they make a very nice profit on it. Most vets (and most of our own doctors) have very little interest or knowledge in nutrition. Science Diet certainly isn't the worst food out there, but it's not great either -- especially for the money. You can do a LOT better if you're paying that much for a bag.

At the very least, look for a food that has no corn. Many dogs tolerate corn just fine, but corn is essentially a filler. It's not easily digested and much of it comes out the other end of your dog -- meaning bigger piles of poo. In general, the more you have to put in the mouth end for your dog to get its necessary nutrition, the more will come out the back end! If your food it more nutritionally dense, you'll feed less food, which in many instances lowers the cost per serving for the pricier brands to BELOW the cost of a less expensive brand.

I have four dogs of varying breed, age, and weight. I feed Merrick's Before Grains Buffalo. It has no grains of any kind. I've fed others over the years too: Solid Gold, Orijen, Natural Balance, Newman's Own, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, California Naturals -- and I was pleased with most of them in that my dogs coats were glossy and full; no itching/allergy issues or stinky skin and/or ear infections associated with such; small, firm, neutral-smelling poop instead of big soft smelly piles; and my dogs seemed to enjoy eating them.

Also look for a food that you can easily FIND. If you have to paddle a canoe over three rivers to buy dog food (and sometimes when you get there they didn't get a delivery), then it's not realistic to go with that food. (We switched from Orijen because of supply problems....which may have since been solved.) Many pet nutrition experts are recommending that we switch foods every now and then, rotating -- gradually -- between brands, and my dogs like when I do that.

Here's a pretty exhaustive (and reasonable) site about dog foods:Dog Food I also LOVE The Whole Dog Journal and recommend a subscription to anyone. Lots of positive reinforcement training education, product reviews, food and nutrition advice and other practical advice for dog owners written in a matter-of-fact yet fairly entertaining way.

 

[Teresa Cline]

excellent site SneakyPete!

I do feed a high grade kibble when I am busy but for the most part its homemade food and raw food.
its actually no more expensive and sometimes cheaper to feed raw than it is to buy expensive high grade kibble.
I can also tell you that no matter how "high grade" the kibble is I can tell a difference in my dogs when they have kibble too many days in a row.
They gain weight, their poop is really stinky...its not stinky when they are on raw meat, and its really small piles as well.
What comes out the "business end" can tell ya alot about how their bodies are processing food.
They also drink a ton a water when on kibble.
yes...its easier to feed kibble....but we wouldnt allow our kids to eat processed foods everyday why let your dogs eat it everyday.

 

[wrobert]

Cheap dog food, road kill, wounded animals, dead things in the yard. All seemed to have worked in the past. Helps the dog connect to their inner self. After all they are suppose to be hunters.

 

[Beach Runner]

Jdarg, thanks for all the great advice.

I have no choice but to cook lamb and rice for my dachshund. She's 17 and has severe liver problems, so I do it.

Still, I thank goodness everyday when I scoop out a half cup of Purina Pro Plan Shredded Chicken and Rice and voila! breakfast (or dinner) is served for the baby pug.

Why would you ever, for a second, consider cooking for a dog who is happy with kibble that meets all his nutritional needs? With the dachshund, we have to supplement with dog vitamins, and she still sometimes eats dirt -- something she stops as soon as we up her dose of vitamins. You'll drive yourself crazy trying to cook foods that meet the all the RDA needs of a dog. I have a great training book by the monks of New Skete that recommends supplementing good kibble with the occasional egg or brewers yeast, and that I can understand. But trust me, you don't want to start down that cooking for your dog road unless you absolutely have to.

You are right. Sorry about your dachshund.

I used to spend a lot of time falling for everything I read about by-products and all of the other horrible ingredients in commercial pet foods. I carried my little soapbox around with me, and used it often, usually to no avail. Most of my friends & family would not take either the time or spend the money to feed their animals what I touted as the "best" diet. Drove me crazy.

Then, I realized... my parents' cat, Hobbes, lived happy and healthy for 17 years, on a diet of fancy feast and purina cat chow. My brothers dogs: german shepherd - 13 years, golden retriever - 10 years, and their current dogs, both mutts, both still going strong - all have lived happy, healthy lives on whatever dog food was on sale at the grocery. My dog growing up, a german shepherd, lived 12 years on purina dog chow and table scraps. I can think of countless other beloved pets, who eat commercial pet food, and are just fine. I fell for the hype, and learned an even greater lesson... everyone is trying to sell something, and they will use every tactic at their disposal to get you to buy it. It is true for everything from pet food to politics. Best lesson I ever learned.

I have spent a lot of money on pet food for my dog and cats. I buy premium foods from specialty stores, after exhaustive research. But the cost is unreal, and lately, I haven't been willing or able to spend it. I buy a bag of fancy-pants food, and mix it with a bag of grocery store kibble - lasts twice as long. My cats get canned fancy feast now too, instead of the pricey stuff. Daisy gets a scoop of cottage cheese on her food for a treat, and very very rarely a scoop of canned food. I still try to avoid glutens and corn, and make sure the first ingredient is a protein, but otherwise, I'm done falling for the hype. My animals are healthy and happy, and that's all that matters. Just my $.02.

More great advice.

No offense, but jdarg is so right...let that breeder go! And now that jdarg has solved the food issue for Pepper, let's talk about boarding that dog, against the breeder's wishes, so you can take a trip. ;-)

You know me too well.;-)

A little reading will make you a better judge of dog foods. Look for MEAT of some kind as the first thing in the list. You get what you pay for in most cases. Cereal is cheap, but not the best buy. I use "Evengers" brand, not too expensive for what it is- mostly chicken. Available at Unleashed, just west of Sandestin.

I can buy Evanger's here at the groomer/boarding kennel where I buy the Blackwood. My only other choices for where to buy dog food without leaving town are the vet's office, the grocery store, and Wal-Mart. We don't have any pet stores here.

Not to offend anyone, but a vet is going to recommend Science Diet because they make a very nice profit on it. Most vets (and most of our own doctors) have very little interest or knowledge in nutrition. Science Diet certainly isn't the worst food out there, but it's not great either -- especially for the money. You can do a LOT better if you're paying that much for a bag.

At the very least, look for a food that has no corn. Many dogs tolerate corn just fine, but corn is essentially a filler. It's not easily digested and much of it comes out the other end of your dog -- meaning bigger piles of poo. In general, the more you have to put in the mouth end for your dog to get its necessary nutrition, the more will come out the back end! If your food it more nutritionally dense, you'll feed less food, which in many instances lowers the cost per serving for the pricier brands to BELOW the cost of a less expensive brand.

I have four dogs of varying breed, age, and weight. I feed Merrick's Before Grains Buffalo. It has no grains of any kind. I've fed others over the years too: Solid Gold, Orijen, Natural Balance, Newman's Own, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, California Naturals -- and I was pleased with most of them in that my dogs coats were glossy and full; no itching/allergy issues or stinky skin and/or ear infections associated with such; small, firm, neutral-smelling poop instead of big soft smelly piles; and my dogs seemed to enjoy eating them.

Also look for a food that you can easily FIND. If you have to paddle a canoe over three rivers to buy dog food (and sometimes when you get there they didn't get a delivery), then it's not realistic to go with that food. (We switched from Orijen because of supply problems....which may have since been solved.) Many pet nutrition experts are recommending that we switch foods every now and then, rotating -- gradually -- between brands, and my dogs like when I do that.

Here's a pretty exhaustive (and reasonable) site about dog foods:Dog Food I also LOVE The Whole Dog Journal and recommend a subscription to anyone. Lots of positive reinforcement training education, product reviews, food and nutrition advice and other practical advice for dog owners written in a matter-of-fact yet fairly entertaining way.

I will have to look at the ingredient list on the Blackwood. Thanks for the great link and advice.

 

[sarawind]

We feed our dogs EVO. Fabulous dog food. Our dogs have gorgeous caats, they are healthy, frisky and thriving. Can't recommend this food enough.

website: Protein-Rich, Meat-Based Pet Food for Optimal Energy in a Raw Pet Food Diet ? EVO Pet Food

Here's a link that shows you a video how they make the dog food.

The Healthiest Pet Foods in the World - Natural & Organic Pet Food - Natura Pet Products


About EVO
An EVOlutionary Approach to Pet Food

When our pets? ancestors roamed the wild, it wasn?t wheat and corn they craved to satisfy their energy requirements ? their carnivorous instincts led them to stalk and hunt fresh meat.

Like their ancestors, pets need protein to satisfy their energy requirements. If that protein comes from grain, the protein value is reduced since it is less digestible and lacks more of the essential amino acids needed to build and maintain tissue.

By eliminating carbohydrates from grain, which dilutes nutrient content, EVO can shift dietary proportions to higher levels of protein instead. In fact, EVO provides high-quality protein at a level that is among the highest available anywhere. In addition, EVO also contains a source of viable, naturally occurring microorganisms and has both Linoleic Acid (Omega-6 Fatty Acid) and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. EVO is preserved with Vitamin E.

The Difference Is in the Meat

EVO ingredients read like the menu at the best steakhouse. Venison, beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit and duck are featured in our canned varieties, while our Red Meat products boast a mix of beef, buffalo, venison and lamb.

In addition to our meat-based ingredients, EVO rounds out each recipe with fresh, whole fruits and vegetables to create a balanced diet complete with natural phytochemicals and key antioxidants.

Every variety in the EVO line powers the most active of pets by supplying them with the protein and energy they require. In addition, we offer a reduced fat dog food product that still provides the protein your pet needs, but can maintain weight and proper glucose levels.

Your pet needs more than a high-calorie, cereal-based pet food. It demands the protein and minerals EVO can deliver.

 

[sarawind]

Here's a link that shows you a video how they make the dog food.

The Healthiest Pet Foods in the World - Natural & Organic Pet Food - Natura Pet Products


OOPS - that's an audio not a video.

 

[sarawind]

We feed our dogs EVO. Fabulous dog food. Our dogs have gorgeous caats, they are healthy, frisky and thriving. Can't recommend this food enough.

website: Protein-Rich, Meat-Based Pet Food for Optimal Energy in a Raw Pet Food Diet ? EVO Pet Food

Here's a link that shows you a video how they make the dog food.

The Healthiest Pet Foods in the World - Natural & Organic Pet Food - Natura Pet Products


About EVO
An EVOlutionary Approach to Pet Food

When our pets? ancestors roamed the wild, it wasn?t wheat and corn they craved to satisfy their energy requirements ? their carnivorous instincts led them to stalk and hunt fresh meat.

Like their ancestors, pets need protein to satisfy their energy requirements. If that protein comes from grain, the protein value is reduced since it is less digestible and lacks more of the essential amino acids needed to build and maintain tissue.

By eliminating carbohydrates from grain, which dilutes nutrient content, EVO can shift dietary proportions to higher levels of protein instead. In fact, EVO provides high-quality protein at a level that is among the highest available anywhere. In addition, EVO also contains a source of viable, naturally occurring microorganisms and has both Linoleic Acid (Omega-6 Fatty Acid) and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. EVO is preserved with Vitamin E.

The Difference Is in the Meat

EVO ingredients read like the menu at the best steakhouse. Venison, beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit and duck are featured in our canned varieties, while our Red Meat products boast a mix of beef, buffalo, venison and lamb.

In addition to our meat-based ingredients, EVO rounds out each recipe with fresh, whole fruits and vegetables to create a balanced diet complete with natural phytochemicals and key antioxidants.

Every variety in the EVO line powers the most active of pets by supplying them with the protein and energy they require. In addition, we offer a reduced fat dog food product that still provides the protein your pet needs, but can maintain weight and proper glucose levels.

Your pet needs more than a high-calorie, cereal-based pet food. It demands the protein and minerals EVO can deliver.