Eukanuba Puppy- Large Breed? Iams- Smart Puppy? THoughts, good the bad the ugly?

My opinion?
You could be feeding worse, but you could be feeding a better food.

Those foods tend to be a little grain heavy, but if your dogs aren't itchy, yeasty, or appearing sick in anyway, I wouldn't worry too much about.

Me? I would not feed those foods, and since you're asking for our opinions, I'll tell you what I feed.
Someone will be along with a list of online sources of what better foods there are.

This is what I feed, when I feed kibble, that is.

[linkhttp://www.timberwolforganics.com]Timberwolf Organics[/link]

read the ingredients on the food you feed, then read the ingredients on that food.

Again, this is only what I feed.

We went with these strictly because it is what they were eating when we got them, didnt want to switch it on them. Charlie and Bella have soft stool sometimes and other times is dry.... periodic softer stood though, is it possible that they are getting too much fiber from this? What is a good brand I can get at say Petsmart for them and how should I go about switching it?

Butterfly this will end up a heated topic.
 
I currently feed Harley a 2 year old Shih Tzu Purina One.  I am planning on switching him to Purina Pro Plan Sensitive.
 
I like Purina products...they have worked well with my dogs in comparison to "premium brands" but this is my experience.  I am sure many others will tell you how horrible Purina and the other non premium brands are.
 
Another thing to look into is the availability of a different food in your area.  If you can only mail order?  Is that something you are willing to do?  Also it depends on how much you want to spend. 
 
Some dogs do not do well on the "premium foods" while others do.  If they are vomiting or having diarhea...that is not a good thing...those have beent the problems I have had with my dog and the better feeds.  I also did a gradual change and it happened with several.
 
Not easy having a dog with a sensitive stomach and who cannot process the premiums. 
 
Listen to what the others have to say and take and decide for yourself and your dogs.  Good Luck in your search!

Iams-puppy was the worst food I ever feed my dog (next to beniful).  It made her stool runny and created her anal gland problem.  One of her anal glands ruperted while on that food because it filled too quickly for me to notice what was going on, she's had problems back there ever since.  I personly would not recoment that food to anyone.  But, you have to find what works for your dog...
 
It's important your dog has firm stool, for many reasons, but it helps empty out the anal glands.  Thoes glands are what makes each dog have a unique sent.  Their poop has their scent[]  With a long run of soft stool the gland will contunue to fill and never express properly on their own.  It's more common in smaller breeds to have problems back there but for the most part can be controlled with the food you feed your dog.

at Petsmart?

hm...do they sell Natural Balance there?
Or Solid Gold?

If they sell Solid Gold, I'd get that.

ORIGINAL: Firestorm

Some dogs do not do well on the "premium foods" while others do.  If they are vomiting or having diarhea...that is not a good thing...those have beent the problems I have had with my dog and the better feeds.  I also did a gradual change and it happened with several.

Not easy having a dog with a sensitive stomach and who cannot process the premiums. 

I don't think those are fair statements at all. From what I remember, the couple of other foods that you tried all had a lot of ingredients. I think that has everything to do with the vomiting, diarrhea, etc.

Since then, several people have suggested simpler foods like California Natural and Natural Balance allergy formulas. If you don't want to try those foods that's fine, but I don't think it's fair to lump ALL premium foods into one category as something that your dog or other sensitive dogs can't handle.

Butterfly- I personally wouldn't feed either Iams or Eukanuba. I think they're middle of the road foods, better than foods like Pedigree, Dog Chow, and Alpo. But not as good as foods like Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul and Nature's Variety.

Iams Smart Puppy
Chicken, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken By-Product Meal, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E, and Citric Acid), Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), DL-Methionine, Rosemary Extract

Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy
Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Brewers Rice, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a source of vitamin E, and Citric Acid), Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Flax Meal, Choline Chloride, Marigold Extract (source of Lutein), DL-Methionine, Ferrous Sulfate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Beta-Carotene, Manganous Oxide, Chondroitin Sulfate, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Rosemary Extract, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Cobalt Carbonate.

They don't have a lot of grains, but the grains they do have (like grain sorghum) are highly processed and seem more likely to trigger allergies. The foods could use some fruits/veggies since they have a lot of nutritional value and since dog's are omnivores it only stands to reason that they can benefit from them.

Use what works for your dogs, be it Ol Roy, EP, Purina, Wellness, Science Diet, TW, Eukanumba.  Mine get purina one as it works great for them.  But it doens't work for every dog.  No brand does.What works for one will make another have mushy poop, and what works for it will make another itch, etc.

Luvntzus, Harley has tried that within the last month and he had vomiting and diarhea.  I was only stating my experience with "my dog".  I said "some" dogs not all.  I do not see how that is an unfair statement.  I also stated that she should take and listen and decide what is best for her dog/s.

Aside from a plain kibble based diet there are also other healthy alternatives to feeding. 
 
Plain kibble alone does little for my dog but I also do half homecooked that I add to her diet and she does well on that.  I make a large batch of a thick soupy mixture of what I think she needs and then freeze most of it in plasic baggies and when I'm ready to feed it to her I microwave and mix it in her kibble.  I also add suppliments to her food as well.  Sometimes for the fun of it I give her a frozen block of her homecooked and she really enjoys playing with that.  Took me manny attempts at getting it right but I feel confortable feeding her the way I do.  It's alwasys a work in progress.
 
You also have the raw option and from what I've heard from people here is that dogs do wonderful on that kind of food.
 
IMO each dog needs a diet specilized to their needs.  Kibble only goes so far and is designed to cover a very brod range of dogs.

ORIGINAL: Firestorm

Luvntzus, Harley has tried that within the last month and he had vomiting and diarhea.  I was only stating my experience with "my dog".  I said "some" dogs not all.  I do not see how that is an unfair statement.  I also stated that she should take and listen and decide what is best for her dog/s.

What I don't think is fair is to lump ALL "premium" foods into one category. I just had a thought about Harley's digestive reaction when you switch him to other foods. How long has he been on Purina products? I think if he's been eating it for a long time then switching him to ANY other food is bound to be a huge shock to his system. Like if a person ate only chicken/rice for years and you gave them a different food, they would probably have a really bad reaction. It doesn't mean that chicken/rice are the ONLY foods that they can eat and do well on, just means that's what their system is used to. [8|]

Hi guys,
 
I really dont want to have to buy 3 different foods..Bella and Charlie are the same exact size and both terrier mixes. I would love to find a food that works well for both of them and both periodcially have softer stool....and ocassionally it gets dry and I think that is when they have failed to remember to go to their water bowl enough. Beau needs large breed puppy food, obviously as he is a GSP.  I give him a vitamin paste that they gave us when we bought him and I also mix a table spoon or two of canned Eukanuba with his dry food and add some warm water.
 
Bella and Charlie will be in need of a new bag of food soon, so I want to pick something up that is going to firm their stool up and be better for them. I dont want to home cook meals though, dont ahve time for that. I would rather devote the spare time to playing with them.
 
In addition to suggestions, when I switch it, do I mix some in with their current food so its not a shock to their system? Charlie isnt a puppy anymore but the vet said also that he can stay on puppy food until he starts to gain weight if ever.

yes, you can do a gradual switch.

Look in your yellow pages for dog groomers and/or dog food stores.
When you find them, you can call them and ask them if they sell foods like Timberwolf Organics.
There's also:
Innova Evo
Innova
Nature's Variety
California Natural
Canidae
Artemis


Any of those foods are a good start and I know for a fact that if you get Timberwolf Organics Ocean Blue, it's good for all dog sizes and ages.

THX! Are these foods I can purchase at the local pet store/petsmart or petco? I dont want to have to mail order stuff you know? And it has to be puppy food as Bella is a puppy and so is Beau.   I am so confused on what to give them.

It's always been a guessing game when choosing a food.  What you read on the bag may sound perfect then when you bring it home you may find your dog woun't touch the suff.  If all your dogs are healty and don't have any special needs when it comes to feeding then it should be fine to feed all the same.  Some dogs do fine on kibble alone other just need that something extra.  You know your dogs best so feed what you think is right for them. 
 
Almost anything at petsmart should be alright.  What I look for is that the first ingreadence is some kind of real meat.  I try to get something with grains really low on the list.  When swiching do it very slowly, add a little of the new food each day to the old kibble removing that amount of the old till eventuly you have made the swich.