What dog chow do you think is best?

I feed Innova for breakfast and either homecooked or raw for dinner.

It's a subjective question. []
Take a look around the Nutrition forum (in Health), there is lots of good information on dog foods there.

Thanks. You know I didn't even think to look in health. I'm in the wrong place. I will get the hang of this I promise.

My vets office suggested something called Nutro Max. I looked at the ingredients and it definately has more of what a dog needs. It has a lot more of the protein and the rest of the goodies than anyother dog food I have found. If you look at the ingredients and it starts with some kind of flour or some sort of veggie then it isn't what you want. Nutro starts out with actual natural protein etc. This is just my opinion but I have been doing a lot of research. I also find that if you go to a Tractor Supply or a feed store they usually know quite a bit more than your average retail store.

We were given a bag of Science Diet at our local HS when we adopted our cats.  I have nothing good to say about it - 1 cat was canstantly choking on hairballs, the other cat didn't want to eat it.  My vet, at the time, suggested the Hairball formula, well the finiky cat ate it, but became constipated.  The hairball cat got a hairball every 3 days vs. every 2 days, but seemed starved, constatntly begging for food, then gorging himself.  I was spending a small fortune on Petromalt so 1 cat wouldn't choke & the other would have a bowel movement.
When we adopted our first dog, the HS was feeding her Purina One & gave us a bag.  Her skin became so dry, she chewed the inside of her hind legs raw.  SU got a sample of Nutro Natural Choice, we mixed it to not upset her stomach.  She picked a mouthful, dumped it on the floor & ate the Nutro only.  Within a few weeks the dry skin cleared up.  I tried the Nutro Max for a bit of variety, our dogs didn't like it.
We tried the Indoor cat formula on the cats, the hairballs stopped & bowels became regular.  So, in my opinion, compared to the other foods at retail stores, Nutro is better.  However, now I do feed our cats raw fish & seafood every 2-3 days and I cook for our dogs to mix with the kibble.  Since I joined this forum, Glenda has given me some useful info about Innova, which as soon as I find a local carrier, I'll try.  I'll never again buy Science Diet! 

Personally, I feed Chicken Soup for the Dog's Soul. They have solid, compact stools, and even my vet has commented on how shiny their coats are (and it had been a week and a half since their last baths).

However, you might visit this website for a good guideline for what you want to look for on the ingredient lists of dog food.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

Meralee

ORIGINAL: ladiebug

We were given a bag of Science Diet at our local HS when we adopted our cats.  I have nothing good to say about it - 1 cat was canstantly choking on hairballs, the other cat didn't want to eat it.  My vet, at the time, suggested the Hairball formula, well the finiky cat ate it, but became constipated.  The hairball cat got a hairball every 3 days vs. every 2 days, but seemed starved, constatntly begging for food, then gorging himself.  I was spending a small fortune on Petromalt so 1 cat wouldn't choke & the other would have a bowel movement.
When we adopted our first dog, the HS was feeding her Purina One & gave us a bag.  Her skin became so dry, she chewed the inside of her hind legs raw.  SU got a sample of Nutro Natural Choice, we mixed it to not upset her stomach.  She picked a mouthful, dumped it on the floor & ate the Nutro only.  Within a few weeks the dry skin cleared up.  I tried the Nutro Max for a bit of variety, our dogs didn't like it.
We tried the Indoor cat formula on the cats, the hairballs stopped & bowels became regular.  So, in my opinion, compared to the other foods at retail stores, Nutro is better.  However, now I do feed our cats raw fish & seafood every 2-3 days and I cook for our dogs to mix with the kibble.  Since I joined this forum, Glenda has given me some useful info about Innova, which as soon as I find a local carrier, I'll try.  I'll never again buy Science Diet! 

A note on the fish for the cats.  Its really not a good idea to use it on a regular basis.  According to Nutrition and Care of Companion Animals by N.A. Irlbeck(my text book for my nutrtion class): "Never feed tuna or any other fish on a consistent basis.  Some fish have thiaminase activity that can create a thiamine deficiency in your cat.  This may result in encephalitis convulsions, polyneuritis or pansteatitis.  With the high levels of tuna, pansteatitis or yellow fat disease will also occur."  Chicken or some other meat would be a better choice.  Or, best yet, a mouse, which you can buy frozen for reptiles.

thanks for the info Colleen, BTW I stay away from tuna.  I rotate, but will now limit fish & incorporate more meats (1 cat likes raw, the other cooked - lucky me)[]
 

That's good to know -- re: cats and feeding them raw fish!

I'm a fan of Nutro myself, because my crew does well on it.

I'm currently feeding California Natural to Tango, aswell as a raw diet (she gets kibble in the morning, raw in the evening). I may change the kibble next time I buy a bag, just to give her more variety but I'm not sure yet as she's doing excellent on the California Natural.

Roxie what kind of puppy are you?  Your eyes look a lot like eanut's, a GSD/Rott mix.

The Natural Balance line is very good. I feed Trudy Fish and pototo. No grain or junk in it.
 
I give her a bit of canned and a bit of dry twice a day. At the same time. Her hair has improved and it was always lovely.

Hey, beautiful Trudy! Where have you been?

ORIGINAL: ladiebug

Roxie what kind of puppy are you?  Your eyes look a lot like eanut's, a GSD/Rott mix.

Yes!  Roxie is a GSD/Rottie mix!