Need help choosing the best puppy food

Of your first list I'd go with Innova.  Of your second list, I'd go with Innova.  The second list isn't all that great honestly.  And yeah, Euk is pretty bad.

yes i know

however I do not have much of an option as there aren't any other brands here (Malta)

so I really have to choose out of that 2nd list until I find a way to get a better quality dog food

ORIGINAL: ndroo

yes i know

however I do not have much of an option as there aren't any other brands here (Malta)

so I really have to choose out of that 2nd list until I find a way to get a better quality dog food

Have I mentionedhttp://www.petfooddirect.com/store/

RC or nutro are the least objectionable on the list.  Both are decent mid-grade foods, but HERE at least RC tends to be priced like a super premium

thanks for the quick reply

yes, i was thinking of going for Royal Canine - even though I'm not very happy with it

regarding the premium dog foods - I am currently looking at Innovo Large Breed Puppy, Canidae All Life Stages and Artemis Large Breed Puppy.. am I missing out on any others? Wellness maybe?

I have no quams w/ Royal Canin [sm=proud.gif] (lol)  What formula would you be feeding? Some are good and some are not-so-good. 

As for those others....I think the Canidae or the Artemis (Fresh mix) are good choices if you can get those.

Of the list of what you have available now I would go with Nutro... I fed that for a while and my dogs were fine.  I did realize its not "the best" so I switched because I just wanted to have the most nutricious food I could possibly get for them.
 
I feed Innova Puppy dry with Wellness or something (currently Merrick) in a can.  I would say Innova or Wellness, unless your dog has special needs or doesnt do well on them.  Any food is good IMO if your dog does better on it than "better" foods.

btw, he is 10 weeks old (lab/husky mix)

 
With a name like ndroo, I wonder if you're from Down Under. Anyway, my dog is a husky/lab mix and I've been feeding him Nutro Large Breed Lamb and Rice (he weighs 58.5 pounds which is 26.6 kilos) and he's been doing fine. Of the brands you listed, RC seems to get a favorable mention around here, though it is a bit pricey, yet it offers a profile similar to Nutro. Here in Texas, I can get the 40 pound (18 kilo) bag of Nutro for $32 to $36 US. Aside from the AAFCO statement on the bag, or in support of it, I've known several people locally with labs and lab mixes who are quite happy with the performance of the food. By all means, though, if you can find something you think is better, do it, though it may be expensive. There is a member here who is from Australia and the import tax on some of the holistics is through the roof, thereby limiting her choices as to what kibble she can afford. It's cheaper for her to feed raw.
 

hey all

well I went a bit round and I ve narrowed it down to 3 (I was so frustrated that no one had any idea about pet foods - went to about 8 pet stores and they all told me that Eukanuba is the best food you can give to a dog bar none) :

Royal Canin Maxi Babydog or Junior - Chicken meal, brown rice, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, chicken fat (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols), beet pulp (sugar removed), chicken, natural chicken flavor, lamb meal, brewers yeast, zeolite, fish oil, dried eggs, monosodium phosphate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, chicory extract, salt, brewers yeast extract (Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation solubles), DLmethionine, dried kelp, glucosamine hydrochloride, vitamin E supplement, chondroitin sulfate, zinc oxide, zinc proteinate, iron sulfate, manganous oxide, rosemary extract, calcium pantothenate, manganese proteinate, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), niacin supplement, copper sulfate, vitamin A supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), copper proteinate, garlic, ginger, calcium iodate, riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2), vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, folic acid, sodium selenite, vitamin B12 supplement.

Nutro Choice Large Breed Puppy - Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Dried Beet Pulp, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Natural Flavor, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Lamb Meal, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Dried Egg Product, Lecithin, Dried Kelp, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Biotin, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Manganese Proteinate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Manganous Oxide, Chondroitin Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Proteinate, L-Carnitine, Sodium Selenite, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid.

Evolve Puppy Formula - Lamb, Chicken Meal, Ground White Rice, Brown Rice, Beet Pulp, Barley, Rice Bran, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols with rosemary extract and citric acid), Rice Bran, Menhaden Fish Meal, Dried Egg Product, Green Peas, Dried Skimmed Milk, Brewers Yeast, Menhaden Fish Oil, Canola Oil, Dried Kelp, Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Tomato Pomace, Vitamin E Supplement, Yucca Schidigera, Choline Chloride, Beets, Garlic Powder, Spinach, Parsley, Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bifidobacterium Thermophilum Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Iron Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Cobalt Proteinate, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin D Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate, Copper Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ethylene Diamine Dihydriodide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Folic Acid, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite (A Source of Vitamin K Activity), Sodium Selenite.

That's it basically - there were the various Euakanuba, Purina, Pedigree, IAMS which didnt really impress me that much.. so I would reall love it if you could help me decide to choose out of those 3..

Cheers !
Andrew

Royal Canin

ditto

mmm why is that? I was thinking more Evolve, I like that it has 3 meat products in the 1st 10 ingredients or isnt that important? its a bit confusing for me, i had never heard of any brands apart from Pedigree till  2 weeks ago

Evolve
The lamb is inclusive of water content, so after it cooks there's not that much in there. The fish meal is probably preserved with ethyquoxin (sp?), beet pulp shouldn't be before the fat, there are 6 grains, menadione should be avoided, citric acid as a preservative is somewhat controversial as is tomato pomace. 

[linkhttp://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=menadione]http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=menadione[/link]

ah ok makes sense

what about the Nutro? some ppl seem to like it quite a bit - tho i m not sure if they'd be talking about the Ultra formula, which I don't have available here