What is the best dog food?

Answers:
Hi ViVi:

Wow- that question has taken a complete new meaning since the several cat/dog food recalls that started in March 2007...

The 'best dog food' depends on what type of food you give to your dog (dry, wet, or combination)

Dry food was completely safe from the contaminated wheat gluten that was found in MANY canned wet foods...

Please check to see if perhaps your canned food is listed:

http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_...

If you do feed your dog 'wet' food. Science Diet is a good choice-I feed my 2 year old Yorkie Chicken Science Diet .

As for dry food,you have many choices- depending on your budget, ofcourse. More high-end dry dog food with great reputations include Eukanuba %26 Nutro (both wonderful)

If you're more on a budget Pedigree, Iams, and Ol' Roy will do just fine.

If you're feeling extra ambitious, you can always try making your own homemade dog food. Check out the following sites:

http://www.pet-grub.com
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...
http://www.doggiesparadise.com/nutrition...

I hope I answered some of your questions/concerns- good luck and be well!

*M*

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Iams and Eukanuba in my opinion.

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hotdogs

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I have had dogs for over 20 years and have always fed them Pedigree
Never any problems or recalls!

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Iams is what we use

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RAW. Do some searches for raw feeding and you will see there is nothing that beats it!

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for me, leftovers.
nothing is wasted

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Canidae, Wellness, Innova or Artemis.

http://www.artemiscompany.com

Look for Human Grade Protien. No fillers. No byproducts. No wheat. No corn. No 'meat' without naming the meat (ie: chicken, etc).

Another positive keyword is HOLISTIC!

Do not feed Iams, Eukanuba, Purina, Pedigree or anything else you've seen a commercial for. They're all filled with crap and almost all have been a part of these recalls.

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Try to find one that doesnt list corn as one of the top ingredients. Just as humans don't really digest corn, neither do dogs. In dog food, Corn is just a filler. I feed my shelties Nutro. I put a lot of research into what I wanted to feed them, Heck they are part of the family, why shouldn't they get the benefits of good food.

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Canidae is a very good food, and priced very reasonable. Average of 36.99 for a fourty pound bad. Stick with all natural dog foods without corn and artificial preservatives. Some good foods are: Canidae, Innova, Timberwolf, Wellness Blend, Nature's Variety Prarie, Eagle Pack, Pinnacle, and Avoderm.

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Eukanuba Lamb and Rice.

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iams

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I think this dog food is the best because it has no chemicals or preservatives it and its made fresh weekly check it out.I just got some and my dog loves it.Its called Life鈥檚 Abundance Premium Health dog Food.

http://www.trilogyonline.com/trilogy/pro...

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hard to answer given the tainted food lately.Eukenuba is probably still the best but purina is fine if $ is an issue.

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I have always feed my dog Canidae, and the breeder I got him from has always fed either Canidae or Royal Canin (She breeds Australian Shepherds and shows them in conformation and in agility).

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I feed RAW. Me and my dog both love it.

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Ekuanuba. It's something like that.

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This question has been asked probably twice a day do a search please.

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it depends on the dog every animal is different we have tried about 5 different foods with our dogs before we found one that worked for them, some give gas, some cause allergies, some cause upset stomach. I would try Royal Canine or Authority Harvest.

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Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food. A grain should not be in the first couple ingredients ingredient (corn and such are mainly fillers, dogs don't digest it well). Avoid foods that have a lot of "by products" listed.

Here are some good foods (these are just a few, there are definitely more brands out there that are quality dog food, but it will give you an idea of the ingredients to look for):

Chicken Soup Brand - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssou...
Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.a...

Or check this website to find GOOD dog foods, not full of fillers and byproducts, they rate dog foods based on the ingredients, 6 being the best. I would recommend feeding only 4+ star foods. Any food 3 stars or less, I would avoid.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_...

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Here's an ingredient comparison of not-so-good food (in this case, Pedigree), to good food (in this case, Chicken Soup brand):

Pedigree:
Ground Whole Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT), Meat and Bone Meal, Natural Poultry Flavor, Wheat Mill Run, Potassium Chloride, Wheat Flour, Salt, Carmel Color, Vegetable Oil (Source of Linoleic Acid), Vitamins (Choline Chloride, dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate [Source of Vitamin E], L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate [Source of Vitamin C*], Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Biotin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement [Vitamin B2], Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Added FD%26C and Lake Colors (Yellow 6, Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5).

Chicken Soup Brand:
Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, ocean fish meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, oatmeal, millet, white rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, egg product, tomato pomace, duck, salmon, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, choline chloride, dried chicory root, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-carnitine, Enterococcus faecieum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevesiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Notice how the better food has more meats, less grain, and no by-products than the other brand? That's where to start looking for what food is higher quality. Also be aware, just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's a good food.

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Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit and kick-backs from the brands they keep on their shelves, that's why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don't focus a lot on nutrition. It's not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told "this is good food", so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it's good as well.

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When switching foods, do it slowly. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A