dog food

So much for kinder and gentler............

How so?

good grief - I did not mean to infer ALL their products had the problem. This is why I said it affected a lot of their lines/recipes and also why I suggested to go the web sites for more info.
As for it all being "off the shelves" it is in fact still out there, to a degree. In fact, a dog just got affected here in my area from a bag the owner bought @ 2 weeks ago. The affected lots of food HAVA been recalled.
One of the problems (aside from folks not hearing about it and still feeding it at thome) is that not all stores got all the bags off the shelves. Most were either innocent omisions or from who knows what reason. Conversly, some stores did not quite get the recall "right" and pulled all Diamond made roducts. For example: Diamond Premium adult food is affected and is listed as part of the recall; but Diamond's Premium Edge adult food line is not affected, thus not subjected to the recall.
I am sorry for any confusion. I did not intend to infer otherwise. Still friends?

I like to think of it as getting all that extra stuff for the same low price.

The two nexus links don't work. The homevet linked book review mentions a "Ministry of Agriculture." The U.S. doesn't have a Ministry of Agriculture. Perhaps, the author was speaking of Canada or the U.K.?

[color=#000000]good grief - I did not mean to infer ALL their products had the problem.[/color]
 
[color=#0000cc]I'm sure you knew better, just wanted to let Jay know since she doesn't seem to know about the Diamond recall.  Was I not supposed to write what I did?  I have no allegiance to Diamond, I don't feed it, if fact that is what Bubblegum was fed before I got her and I switched her to Eagle---way before the recall![/color]
 
So in the end, you're paying about 9¢ a day more for premium food.

If money is really tight, I wouldn't fault anyone for feeding almost any kind of dog food. I'd rather a dog get junk food than no food at all. If, however, you have the extra 9-20¢ a day, splurge, imo.
Except, in the end, as in Abbysdad, he had fed several of the higher priced foods and they didn't agree with his dog,, so he would be spending more than this amount if he was running his dog to the vet because of illness and buying medicines. 
Maybe I am getting my conversations a little mixed up here, since this same conversation seems to be going on in another thread.  Don't know how many of you are watching this link [linkhttp://forum.dog.com/asp/tm.asp?m=13872]http://forum.dog.com/asp/tm.asp?m=13872[/link] but to me thats what this is all about...feeding your dog what you feel is best and quit knocking others for not feeding what YOU think is best.   
 I DO feed better food than grocery store, I DO go out of my way to get it and will continue to do so, I DO read everything I can about nutrition for dogs. But that being said, when dog owners are out there feeding Purina (for instance) and their dog is healthy, shiny, looking good and living to old age or above the normal, how can we possibly knock that?  Or if someone tries to feed different food and in the case of Abbysdad., BETTER food, and his dog is not doing as well on it, why should he continue to try to feed him different better food? And I don't see why we have to keep making him feel that he is less of a dog owner than us for doing that.
 
 
 
 

ORIGINAL: Asthefurflies
 


Don't forget to factor in the costs for food related illnesses and conditions along w/the over the counter remedies, supplements, vet bills and medications over time that you will most undoubtedly incur by feeding the cheaper quality food.

 
Although I choose to feed a high quality food, I think there is PLENTY of doubt about whether or not there is any tangible benefit to doing so.  I have certainly never seen anything that would prove to me that feeding Evo, for example, will result in lower health care costs than feeding Purina.  Have you?  Let me qualify by saying I THINK you're right, but I certainly think there is plenty of doubt about it.

ORIGINAL: glenmar

So much for kinder and gentler............

 
LOL.  Yep.  Nothing lasts forever, I guess.  The temporary cease fire is over. 
 
Gotta chuckle though when a guy, who has been here about 10 minutes, gives his opinion, then stamps it with a comment like, "end of discussion."

Amen! Feed what works for you and your dog.

Dyan, abbysdad is a different case, and I don't disagree with that. My point was for people like jaye who are about to get a dog and are looking for what to feed. If someone has really done the research into it and attempted to find what food works best for their dog, that's one thing. Most people, though, just think to themselves, "Oh yeah, gotta pick up food for the dog tonight at the grocery store." They don't pay any attention to nutrition at all, are pissed that the dog is shedding everywhere and stinks, and are oblivious to their dog's furious scratching.

Those people, while not feeding Kibbles & Chunks to hurt the dog, just don't know any better. If they start thinking about dog nutrition for whatever reason, often they start thinking of money. Those are the people I was addressing. I had to convince my dad lately to stop feeding his terrier mix Kibbles & Chunks because of the reasons I stated above, and had a time convincing him to drive 5 more miles to a Petco to get some better food.

Yeah your right  shlep, the conversation kind of got off track with talking about who can afford what, and what works for who.  I got thrown completely away at someone asking why abbysdad doesn't try even more premium food than that he has already tried, even though his dog is doing good with the food he is feeding.
Many people are buying what they think is best by buying the top of the line in the grocery store, no doubt.  
But your right the op was asking which foods to feed, I guess the converstation could have stopped after the first couple answers when they posted links.

schlep, when i said i would start with a mid grade dog food, i did not mean that i would just walk into a grocery store, buy whatever, and feed it forever.  of course i plan on searching very thoroughly for one with the right ingredients.  thats why im here to find out what to look for and stuff.  im surprised you thought i would do that since im already here doing research before i even have my dog.  and if it doesnt do well on whatever i initially choose, of course i will try something else.  i admit that before coming here, posting, and reading all the replies, i might not have thought it would be the food that was making a dogs coat dull, etc.  but thats why im here learning.  i dont know if it makes any difference but i plan on getting all my dogs supplies including food at petsmart, or even walmart depending on what i wind up feeding, but not a grocery store.

What I have found, Jaye, i that most people have used "mid-grade" to describe a food somewhere between ground-up roadkill and holistic, with the idea that holistic is the best. I sometimes wonder if the holistic way is more suitable to just humans. Though canids will eat fruits and berries and my dog will eat grass and pecans, most of them don't graze for broccoli or carrots or beets or kelp. We have garlic growing in the backyard and my dog thinks it suitable to pee on. Some canids do eat some of the stomach contents in a kill, even if it is just to get at the stomach lining. The stomach contents will be primarily grass and grain. They do get a lot of nutrients from organ meat, including organs that humans don't eat, known as edible byproduct.

Some dogs will eat any vegetable. My in-laws' Lhasa Apso will.

But will find that suitable foods are available, even if they don't contain a lot of different vegetables and fruits. So, don't think you need holistic just because someone else does. You find what works and stick with that. By all means, if you can afford it, get samplers of the preferred holistics. And be prepared that if they don't work, you may end up finding a main brand that does work.

One friend feeds Iams. Another, Science Diet. Another Purina, though she's thinking of switching to Nutro. That friend has a Great Pyrenees that will grow to 140 pounds. Her landlord feeds her dogs Ol Roy. Good luck with whatever you do. It is not a wrong choice if your dog does well on it. And you can always fall back on the AAFCO guidelines. On the back of a bag of food, near the guaranteed analysis, there should be a statement. It's okay if the statement says that the food was formulated according to AAFCO guidelines. It's better if it says that the food passed AAFCO feeding trials.

I read an interesting article that talked about how pet food manufacturers are producing products with ingredients lists that appeal more to humans instead of the dog, in order to make sales.

I read an interesting article that talked about how pet food manufacturers are producing products with ingredients lists that appeal more to humans instead of the dog,

I'de believe that,considering it's the humans that buy the food [] I'm sure the ingredient list would look a lot different if it was the dog that went out and bought the food [:'(]

Jaye what asthefurflies said was correct IMO. Do you honestly think everyone here who feeds a premium food is rich?That was a pretty presumptious thing to say! I'm a single mum,i scrape by week to week,a 2lb bag of evo costs me $20,thats like 4 times the price you guys pay,i couldnt afford this food if i had big dogs,hence why i dont have large dogs,because i couldnt afford to keep them in the best manner i think they deserve!I want a bull mastiff more than anything in the world,but because i couldnt afford to feed him on the best foods i will not get one,until such time that i can! I know alot of folk think differently and i may be a little compulsive in my view but when i bought my dogs i vowed to give them the best food,the best care,the best of everything,if i couldnt afford this i wouldnt have dogs [sm=happy.gif] I dont have one item of clothing that doesnt have holes or rips in it,most of my clothes have bleach stains on them(i must remember to put old stuff on when i clean![8|]) However my dogs have  everything they need and more,i buy new toys every week,and will buy stuff for them and my kids, ofcourse before even thinking of myself,i havnt bought an item of clothing in over 2 years,i kid you not!

My dogs didnt  ask to come live with me and my kids didnt ask to be born,it is up to me to make sure this is the best home they could have got!

Jaye all i ask is to compare food on a per feed basis instead of a per bag basis and see how you come out,probably cheaper or even.However something you said has made me wonder,you said you will get all your dog supplies at petsmart and walmart which leads me to think convenience is a top priority for you,in which case everything i have said above doesnt really matter.

i know alot of may see a home that feeds crap is better than no home at all,and in a way i agree with this,so no need to fire down on this line of questioning [] My neighbour feeds crap,his dog also gets no health care,because he cant or wont afford it,he never gets walks or gets to come inside,his life is relegated out to the backyard,this is a little tibetan spaniel,these are the cases where i think no home would be better,in other words i think dogs that get treated like this would be better off euthanised!