Best Dog Food

• 10-02-2007 12:00 AM

  carpediem111 Joined on 09-15-2007 Posts 20 Points 5

  Best Dog Food Reply Contact  Hi, I would like peoples opinion on what dog food people like best.  I am a first time dog owner and have had my dog on numerous foods during the last two years trying to figure out what works for him the best.  I never bought him the cheap grocery store food, but did start with numerous purina qualities, IAMS, and now am at Science Diet.  Have tired the lamb and rice variety, he hated that, and the regular adult dog food type, but I am still not satisfied.  His skin is still really dry and he itches all the time.  I feel bad for him and it drives me nuts.  So are any brands and varieties that would be highly recommended?  I also live in a smallish city in Idaho, 50,000 people, so I don't have access to all the high end dog food out there.  We have a Pet Smart and a few local pet shops, I would prefer to support the local stores.  Thanks for the input.

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• 10-02-2007 12:17 AM

  In reply to carpediem111

  jennie_c_d Joined on 09-10-2007 Southeast Georgia Posts 11,761 Points 370

  Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact At Petsmart, there's often Blue Buffalo. Sometimes, they carry By Nature and Avoderm. Nutro Natural or Nutro Ultra would be a definite step up, and I believe that Bil Jac produces pretty good results for some folks. As far as the little stores go, some of them probably carry some very nice foods.   Look at dogfoodproject.com for info on ingredients, and how to read labels.

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• 10-02-2007 12:31 AM

  In reply to jennie_c_d

  Luvntzus Joined on 05-09-2006 Posts 4,216 Points 105	Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact The small local stores usually have the best brands. Some that I think are really good- Innova, Canidae, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Eagle Pack Holistic, Fromm, California Natural, Nature's Variety and Orijen. My choices for food at Petsmart are- Blue Buffalo, Nutro Ultra, ByNature and Avoderm.
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• 10-02-2007 3:51 PM

  In reply to carpediem111

  shamrockmommy Joined on 09-10-2007 Innerspace Posts 1,517 Points 0

  Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact   Do you have a healthfood store near you? A lot of times they carry holistic brands of pet foods. I get PetGuard Lifespan from our hfs. I rotate a lot and give a lot of variety.  My 3 dogs all seem to do quite well this way.  Kibbles/canned which I use:  Nature's Variety (all prairie flavors), Petguard Lifespan, California Natural (Lamb/Rice), Solid Gold BATM, etc.  Raw: From time to time they get a chicken wing or beef leg bone.  Premixes:  Usually sojo's with cooked or raw ground beef/turkey/chicken. Cooked:  Strombeck recipes/dogiebag.com with beef/turkey/chicken. Generally I switch around every 3 months or so.     Good luck with the food game!  I just recommend reading labels, finding one that looks good and giving it a try wiht your dog.  Keep a notebook on which food it was, what date started and how the dog looks.  that way you'll remember which ones worked/didn't and why. :) Tiffani Shamrockmommy Furmom to Gobie the minpin terror, Lexi and Darby the bichon girls

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• 10-02-2007 4:01 PM

  In reply to shamrockmommy

  Jewlieee Joined on 03-23-2007 MI Posts 7,715 Points 4,510	Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact I'm a big fan of Canidae if you can find that by you. If you go to their website you can put in your zip code to see if it's sold near you. It's a fair price for the amount you get and quality ingredients imo.
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• 10-02-2007 5:07 PM

  In reply to carpediem111

  ksags411 Joined on 09-10-2007 Cincinnati, OH Posts 600 Points 0	Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact I second Canidae. I've had Odie on it for 3 years now and his coat is sooooo soft, his skin is healthy, and his eyes ansd teeth are bright and clean. Seriously, people tell me once a week how soft Odie is and they ask him what food I give him. Canidae is usually sold at healthfood places or speciality pet stores but if you can find it, it's worth it!
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• 10-04-2007 11:05 AM

  In reply to ksags411

  Firestorm Joined on 03-15-2006 Posts 1,610 Points 50

  Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact I really like Wellness.  My Shih Tzu has dry skin.  He also hated lamb and rice.  He really likes the Wellness Fish and Sweet Potato.  I also give him Cod Liver Oil and Vitamin C this combination for him seems to be working. Try going to the websites of the brands that have been listed on here and enter your zip code and you can find out what is available in your area. What is the world coming to? An interesting question to try and answer! LOL. Life with rules and constrictions until will all cannot breathe and express our opinions. Thats alot to fathom. No link to click here.

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• 10-04-2007 1:32 PM

  In reply to Firestorm

  ladiebug Joined on 08-19-2006 S Florida Posts 758 Points 100

  Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact We feed Canidae, too.  They like the kibble and cans, although they prefer the chicken vs. the chiken, lamb mix.  Also, I cook for them, and recently added Innova canned to the rotation.  Before Canidae we fed Royal Canin Maxi GSD formula kibble, mainly.  Now, it's a treat once in a while.  AM feed: kibble mixed with canned or home cooked. PM feed: canned or home cooked, 2-3 times a week some fish, sardines, mackerel, or salmon.  Once a week they'll get a tub of cottage cheese - they LOVE it!!!

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• 10-04-2007 2:02 PM

  In reply to ladiebug

  carpediem111 Joined on 09-15-2007 Posts 20 Points 5	Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact  Thanks for the advice I will look into Canidae; however, there aren't too many health food stores here.
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• 10-04-2007 4:05 PM

  In reply to carpediem111

  Sarah_Pyper Joined on 09-01-2007 Indiana Posts 120 Points 0	Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact   Wellness
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• 10-04-2007 10:46 PM

  In reply to carpediem111

  Luvntzus Joined on 05-09-2006 Posts 4,216 Points 105

  Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact If you go to Canidae's website they have a store locator. A lot of times there are petstores or feedstores near you that you don't even know about. I know that's what happened for me. Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul really would be a good one to consider too. They also have a store locator on their website. My best friend's Coonhound has been on Chicken Soup for a little over a year and he went from a dull, scabby, heavily shedding coat to a soft shiny coat that sheds much less.

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• 10-05-2007 12:22 AM

  In reply to Luvntzus

  Chungwa Joined on 09-22-2007 Posts 39 Points 0	Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact I'm a big fan of Orijen (and my dog is too!) I have to order it online, though, or drive a couple hours to get it. I feed Orijen 6 Fish primarily, but I also switch in Natural Balance and Blue Buffalo every so often. Canidae doesn't seem to agree with my dogs stomach, but I've heard mostly positive things about it.
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• 10-05-2007 12:56 PM

  In reply to carpediem111

  Brewster's Mom Joined on 10-05-2007 Minnesota Posts 9 Points 10

  Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact I have been doing alot of research on the subject of dog food. I have recently started my dog on Chicken Soup for the puppy lover's soul. There is an adult version also. The main thing with Iams, Purina, & Science Diet is that they use corn products in there formulas. Lots of dogs are allergic and that could be the cause of your skin problem. Good luck, I hope you find a better dog food.

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• 10-05-2007 3:58 PM

  In reply to carpediem111

  Luvntzus Joined on 05-09-2006 Posts 4,216 Points 105	Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact I just realized that I didn't answer the original question about what food people like best. I just started my dogs on Fromm Chicken A La Veg and absolutely love it. So far they're digesting it very well, I love the ingredients and the kibbles are small little squares- perfect for toy dogs.
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• 10-05-2007 7:52 PM

  In reply to Luvntzus

  carpediem111 Joined on 09-15-2007 Posts 20 Points 5

  Re: Best Dog Food Reply Contact Update,  Well I went to the pet store today.  Spoke with a lady and she recommended Nutro Max, I didn't get it and went with Natural Balance instead.  Tracker just scarfed it up.  He liked it much better then Science Diet Lamb and Rice.  Has anyone fed Natural Balance by *** Van Patten's.  Hopefully I see so changes in his skin in a few weeks.  I will also begin supplementing his food with vitamin E or fish oil.

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