Dog Community

Which would you prefer?

Posted : 12/25/2006 9:26:09 PM

Here are two similar dog foods. I don't want to give names, and would prefer no names be brought in. I want to hear honest opinions on which food you feel is better based on the ingredients.

Dog Food #1
Lamb meal, brewers rice, brown rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), beet pulp, natural lamb flavor, rice hulls, brewers yeast, potassium chloride, salt, DL-methionine, monosodium phosphate, zinc proteinate, choline chloride, L-lysine, vitamin E supplement, zinc oxide, iron sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, rosemary extract, sodium selenite, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, biotin, niacin supplement, calcium iodate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B supplement, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Dog Food #2
Lamb, lamb meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, egg product, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), millet, beet pulp, potatoes, flaxseed, natural flavor, fish meal, potassium chloride, choline chloride, dried chicory root, yucca schidigera 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, L-carnitine, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin,vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Luvntzus

Posted : 12/25/2006 10:46:46 PM

I prefer food #2. I avoid foods with brewer's yeast because Gingerbread is allergic and food #1 has it. Other than that, food #1 has rice hulls which I think are nothing more than a filler. And there's not much at all to food #1. Food #2 has both lamb and lamb meal. I think that incorporates the best of both worlds and the fact that there's a meat source for the first two ingredients rather than just the first one means that it probably has more meat, but there's no way to know that without at least seeing the protein level. Food #2 also has chicory root, yucca, flaxseed, and fishmeal which are all healthy ingredients. The only thing that I don't like about food #2 is that it has barley, but it still far outweighs #1 in my opinion.

Benedict

Posted : 12/25/2006 10:51:43 PM

I'd choose food #2 as well.

Kate

ColleenC

Posted : 12/25/2006 11:05:45 PM

Ooops, sorry, I forgot the GA on there.

Dog Food #1
Crude Protein    Not less than 25.0%
Crude Fat    Not less than 15.0%
Crude Fiber    Not more than 3.1%
Moisture    Not more than 10.0%
Linoleic Acid    Not less than 2.2%

Dog Food #2

Crude Protein
25.0%
Minimum

Crude Fat
15.0%
Minimum

Crude Fiber
3.0%
Maximum

Moisture
10.0%
Maximum

Zinc
150 mg/kg
Minimum

Selenium
0.4 mg/kg
Minimum

Vitamin E
150 IU/kg
Minimum

L-Carnitine *
30 mg/kg
Minimum

Omega-6 Fatty Acids *
2.4%
Minimum

Omega-3 Fatty Acids *
0.4%

tony

Posted : 12/25/2006 11:37:12 PM

It just depends on what type of food your dog does best on. If your dog does better on a simpler, single protein, single carb food, then food 1 is better, If your dog does better on a multi protein, multi carb food with lots of ingredients then food 2 is better, it's all a matter of perspective.

WolfDog

Posted : 12/25/2006 11:37:31 PM

The second one, but whats the point of this?

jessies_mom

Posted : 12/25/2006 11:38:12 PM

I have fed Jessie Food # 1 with very good results; I won't give away the name, but it's a great food for dogs with food allergies because it is a simple formula which eliminates potential allergens like high gluten grains and eggs.

ColleenC

Posted : 12/26/2006 12:14:31 AM

ORIGINAL: abbysdad

It just depends on what type of food your dog does best on. If your dog does better on a simpler, single protein, single carb food, then food 1 is better, If your dog does better on a multi protein, multi carb food with lots of ingredients then food 2 is better, it's all a matter of perspective.

I completely agree. Ingredients are not my number one concern at all. Many people will say Bil-Jac is not a good food, but my dogs do great on it, so I think it is a super food! As for the point, I like to do research about dog foods (yes, I am a bit of a nerd). I really like to see what people think is better. To me, its fun!

jennie_c_d

Posted : 12/26/2006 12:18:05 AM

I'd prefer #2, because the salt so high up in #1 bothers me. I also like the flaxseed and fish meal in #2.

I also don't like #1's infamous ingredient splitting techniques, and wouldn't pay the price they ask for that stuff[

]

tony

Posted : 12/26/2006 8:45:33 AM

and wouldn't pay the price they ask for that stuff

Personally, I really like both foods, but if you factor price in, if food 2 is what I think it is, I think it's the best value there is for dog food.

brookcove

Posted : 12/26/2006 8:55:28 AM

I just hate it when they fragment rice like that, especially since my dogs don't do that well on rice. Barley is in the second one, above rice, and so I'd go for those if that were my only choices. But from a personal point of view, I'd be looking around for something else probably, even if it weren't as "good" as food, as rice just doesn't do it for my guys.

Pat Adamski

Posted : 12/26/2006 11:37:15 AM

I would try dog food # 2

willowchow

Posted : 12/26/2006 11:50:10 AM

Jessie's mom---Jessie was able to eat that even with chicken fat in it?

sooner

Posted : 12/26/2006 12:15:02 PM

I've had wonderful results with #1.

jenns

Posted : 12/26/2006 2:15:12 PM

I would go with #2

The only reason for grain fragmenting as in #1 in an ingredients list is so that the meat can be the first ingredient, thus duping the customer into thinking there is more meat than there really is, which is exactly why I place little importance on what the first ingredient in a food is. Not to say that dogs can not do well on #1, but if I were going soley on ingredients, that's how I would choose.