Which would you prefer?

She didn't get so much infected, just very stinky and itchy and her skin (she's got seborrhea) got much, much worse, HUGE flakes.  And, her IBS would also flare up and she'd have four days or so of diarrhea that would make her whine and miserable.

OK, here's the point.  Too many people here disregard food based on the name of the food.  Dog Food #2 is obviously a better food based on ingredients.  Now, how many of you would still agree when I told you that it is Diamond? #1 is Sensible Choice.  Don't disregard a food based on name alone.  Do some research and really look into what is best for your dog. 

ORIGINAL: ColleenC

OK, here's the point.  Too many people here disregard food based on the name of the food.  Dog Food #2 is obviously a better food based on ingredients.  Now, how many of you would still agree when I told you that it is Diamond? #1 is Sensible Choice.  Don't disregard a food based on name alone.  Do some research and really look into what is best for your dog. 

Actually I think you'll find that most of us here DO use the ingredient list for making our decisions and have been told countless times that "you can't use an ingredient list to judge a food".[8|] Also, there's nothing wrong with not feeding a food because of bad experiences with the company- like poor quality control or inhumane testing on animals.

ORIGINAL: Luvntzus

ORIGINAL: ColleenC

OK, here's the point.  Too many people here disregard food based on the name of the food.  Dog Food #2 is obviously a better food based on ingredients.  Now, how many of you would still agree when I told you that it is Diamond? #1 is Sensible Choice.  Don't disregard a food based on name alone.  Do some research and really look into what is best for your dog. 

Actually I think you'll find that most of us here DO use the ingredient list for making our decisions and have been told countless times that "you can't use an ingredient list to judge a food".[8|] Also, there's nothing wrong with not feeding a food because of bad experiences with the company- like poor quality control or inhumane testing on animals.

 
I agree, the Diamond bias is more based on the quaity control issues of the past.  Not really a fair example.
 
I also agree that most of our opinons are based on the ingredients, not the name. 

Yes, I agree.  I'm not a fan of Diamond based on quality control issues.  It has nothing to do with ingredients.  However, I wonder why some will say these ingredients are OK yet have issue with Nutro. 

ORIGINAL: ColleenC

OK, here's the point.  Too many people here disregard food based on the name of the food.  Dog Food #2 is obviously a better food based on ingredients.  Now, how many of you would still agree when I told you that it is Diamond? #1 is Sensible Choice.  Don't disregard a food based on name alone.  Do some research and really look into what is best for your dog. 

You're not making a new point. Many of us DO shop by ingredients list andI personally have posted messages comparing ingredients lists as have many others. Frankly, given the two ingredients lists posted, I don't like either one. The question was which would I prefer - of those two the second, given any other options neither.

Paula

I've used both Diamond and Sensible Choice recently - not the Diamond formula with all the rice, however. There isn't a Sensible Choice that avoids a bunch of rice, to my knowlege, and that's how I found out my dogs don't do well on rice. Horrible gas and stinky poops, body odor, it was crazy. Diamond offers a formula that is oatmeal based and the Puppy Natural is in my rotation.

The point I try and make is that the ingredients list should be used as a guide, not the end all be all litmus test of the quality of a food, there are too many other variables that affect quality, and the true test of quality are the results you get from a food, and you cannot necessarily predict what results you will get just from reading the ingredients list.

I understand they have had some quality control issues.  If I had used Nutro, the example would be the same.  Good ingredients but many people feel it is not a high quality food.  Even if you choose not to feed a food because of quality control issues, you should look and see what is around.  You may be surprised at what you find.  So, in your search for a great food, look at brands you wouldn't normally consider.  Even if you choose not to use them, you may find something that can help you later. 

ORIGINAL: ColleenC

I understand they have had some quality control issues.  If I had used Nutro, the example would be the same.  Good ingredients but many people feel it is not a high quality food.  Even if you choose not to feed a food because of quality control issues, you should look and see what is around.  You may be surprised at what you find.  So, in your search for a great food, look at brands you wouldn't normally consider.  Even if you choose not to use them, you may find something that can help you later. 

I do not consider nutro a good food because I do not like the ingredients. And, like I said, I don't shop brands I shop ingredients.

Paula

 It may not be fair to compare Sensible Choice Lamb with the Diamond food since Sensible Choice is marketed as being a good food for dogs with food allergies which is why I fed it to Jessie;
    [linkhttp://www.sensiblechoice.com/SCHDLRA.HTM]http://www.sensiblechoice.com/SCHDLRA.HTM[/link];   "Does your dog have sensitive skin?  Even if he doesn't, shouldn't his food be just as gentle.  Sensible Choice Lamb Meal & Rice contains only one meat source - LAMB, and one grain source - RICE to limit your dog's exposure to possible allergens."

I wanted to eliminate barley and other grains as well as eggs, and she did very well on this food.

Because if the rice grains weren't fragmented, than rice would be the first ingredient in the list instead of meat, therefore discerning consumers would be less likely to buy it

 
IMHO, that would depend on the proprietary recipe. You could have all those grains or fragments and still have the meat product weigh more. The ingredient list is not a formula but a listing of ingredients by weight. Protein density, I think, matters more.
 
Example, NB Potatos and Duck. The potato is listed first, by weight, but the duck has higher protein density. So, duck ingredient weighs less than the potato ingredient but does not mean it's a bad food. Purina could put out the same recipe and it would be a bad food because it's Purina. Good because it's NB.
 
The ingredient list is good for excluding ingredients we don't want or are allergenic to our dogs. I agree that I don't want my dog eating saw dust. On his own, he will not eat the shell of a pecan but he will eat the pecan, itself. So, I could steer clear of foods that contain nut shells. But I'm not saying that the nut shell has no benefit or nutrient. Ground to a powder necessary for extruded kibble, it may yield plenty of protein for use.
 
I will say that, from what I have seen, IMHO, premium tends to mean fruits and vegetables, most of which my dog won't eat on his own. But he will eat grain products on his own. But my food is barely called mid-grade because it has a grain in it. Maybe fractions of the same grain.
 
It's statistically impossible for one food or food recipe to work well with all dogs.
 
Be that as it may, there are some foods I won't feed my dog.

Example, NB Potatos and Duck. The potato is listed first, by weight, but the duck has higher protein density. So, duck ingredient weighs less than the potato ingredient but does not mean it's a bad food.

I'm not sure how I see this, Ron. Wouldn't you have to know what weight of duck and what weight of potato to compare their relative protein density? I mean if I put one metric tonne of potato and one pound of duck - all you see is the ingredients listing potato, duck.....  How can you deduce from that that this is a duck rich food?

Paula

ORIGINAL: ron2


Example, NB Potatos and Duck. The potato is listed first, by weight, but the duck has higher protein density. So, duck ingredient weighs less than the potato ingredient but does not mean it's a bad food. Purina could put out the same recipe and it would be a bad food because it's Purina. Good because it's NB.

 
 
 Ron2, all kibble is grain heavy, pure and simple.The difference is you'll notice that with the NB that potato is listed first and then duck.  There are no mind games or clever ingredient fragmenting to make people believe that it's something other than what it is.

I THOUGHT NB is grain free?