What Brand Of Commercial Dry Food To Feed?

[DogsLover]

Hello Everyone,

Just want to get some of your opinions of the commercial dry food that is in the market today.

There are so many brands in the market today. IAMS, Eukanuba, Super Coat, Bonnie, Science Diet, Pedigree, Purina and so on........

What do you feed your dogs? And why??

Thanks

[Staffyluv]

Ollie is fed HSD - UD for a kidney/bladder problem, we have not had any kidney/bladder problems since we started with this...

Cannot comment on the others as I have not used them. Before HSD, he was fed home cooked food...

Jodie

[kelpiecuddles]

If you do a search on this you will find quite a few threads to this effect.

Incidentally I feed my dogs Coprice as Beau gets sick on almost everything else and Sasch stunk on Supercoat, so now it's coprice for both plus the odd meaty bone and a raw egg a few times a week.

[cassie]

DogsLover, what knid of dog/s do you have? Big or small? Puppy or adult? Working or not very active? All these factors can have an impact on what you should feed.

As kelpiecuddles said, if you do a search you will find many previous threads on this topic.

Personally I am a HUGE fan of Eagle Pack holistic food

[Dogsfevr]

How long is a piece of string & thats your answer but having said that all that Bernese said is important,some breeds have food intolerances so you now not to risk some brands,if its a pup you should follow the breeders diet sheet.

I feed one of the brands because it suits my dog & its needs,doesnt mean it will suit yours

[goldielover]

Hi Dogslover,

We use Eagle Pack Holistic (Large breed puppy for Goldens, then change to adult at 6 months or so). It's a great dry food, especially if you want to add other foods to your dogs diet. Some of the other super premium dry foods are a COMPLETE food (eagle pack can also be given as a complete food), and you really need to be careful if you feed anything else other than the dry. Also, if you have a large breed, be careful of foods containing a lot of protein, and if you are using a puppy food, change over at 6 months to ensure a sustained growth which won't put too much pressure on the joints.

[Staff'n'Toller]

My oldies are on Hills and I think they look great on it.

My 12mth old Toller is on Eagle Pack Natural...barf patties and raw meaty bones.

I tried him on Hills but wasn't satisfied with how his coat was looking etc.

Mel.

[axxl]

My Golden gets Eagle Pack now, have tried both Supercoat and Pro Plan and have found the best results with the EP, so I'm sticking with that for now.

[KitKat]

My dog is fed Royal Canin (just finishing Maxi Adult before going to the GSD specific RC) My pup will also be fed RC :p So far my older dog does very nicely on it and hopefully my pup will be the same. If not i'll try other foods till i find one that suits him.

In general easy availability it kinda goes like this -

Super Premium - ProPlan, Advance, EaglePack, Royal Canin, Hills Science Diet, Nutrience, Nutro, Innova, Eukaneuba (sp).

Premium - Iams

Very good food - SuperCoat, Bonnie, Optimum, Purina One.

Ok food - Pal Meaty Bites, Chum, Lucky Dog.

I'm sure there's more for each group but that's all i could think of off the top of my head. There has been a bundle of threads on this topic...many have gotten quite heated but they are all very very interesting ;) Also there is BARF/RAW if you decide kibble isn't for you and there is heaps of threads on that as well

"The best food for your dog is the food your dog does best on! Packaged or unpackaged!" ;)

[greentea]

I don't feed my dogs very much dry food anymore, usually if they are going to my parents' house for the day or at daycare- I'll pack them some. At home I prepare their food myself.

The only dry food they like is the Royal Canin minis. I have tried Eukanuba and Eagle Pack but they weren't that interested.

[cavNrott]

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Edited May 8, 2009 by cavNrott

[KitKat]

I know i meant to add one! I've had the Natural Balance advocated by a couple of people now...seems pretty good stuff

[DogsLover]

Eagle Pack???? I don't think I see it at the pet stores. My vet sells Hills (Science Diet).

I have a 9weeks old Golden Retriever pup. Currently he is on home-cook food because of diarrhea. The vet advised something bland like cooked rice & rice.

[Ittybitty_]

I feed my Poms on Advance mixed with Royal Canin and the GSDs are fed on Coprice Working Dog - Chicken & Rice Mixed with Royal Canin & Pedigree Performance.

I tried Eagle Pack on the Poms and their skin developed a scabby/pimply rash. I put them back on Advance and it cleared up.

[~Myschafis~]

if you scroll down on this part of the forum I have a poll on the best kibble!

Seems supercoat and eagle pack to be the more popular

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Has anyone tried that Natural Balance that Priceless Pets sells?

This is NOT to be confused with the genuinely super-premium Dick van Patten's Natural Balance Organic Formulas from the USA - which is completely organic, GMO free, and contains only the highest quality ingredients. A 2.2 kg bag of this product is approximately $23.50. So please be aware that the Priceless Pets product is what I consider to be (based upon the ingredients and nutritional info) a hugely inferior product.

I feed my dogs a raw, whole foods diet predominately. But my tiny dog is fed on raw plus the above DVPNBOF b/c she has to have two meals daily and my time is limited in the mornings...she takes around 30 minutes to eat a raw meal versus ten minutes to eat kibble.

IMO, the right kibble is the one that is made with top quality ingredients, made without animal testing that involves keeping dogs in laboratories for years on end, made by an ethical organisation that has your pet's health and well-being as its primary motivator, and is NOT part of a multinational conglomerate that puts profits above all else. Having said that, you'll get a huge amount of conflicting "advice" b/c everyone thinks what they feed is the best choice or they wouldn't feed it...perhaps. I choose a raw, whole foods approach b/c it works best for my dogs even though it's a little more work than buying a bag of stuff every month.

If you want to feed processed, then IMO the only products worth buying are the one above, one that is totally raw made by Innova (EVO) but you can only buy it at Pet's Paradise which also sell pets (I no longer buy this product for that reason alone, b/c it's unethical IMO to sell pets in pet shops and I stand by my ethics), or any of the Eagle Pack Holistic range. Yes, at first glance these might seem expensive, but you get what you pay for. If you want a superbly healthy dog that is receiving only the best in nutrition (that is, no factory farmed ingredients that simply roll off a "production line"), combined with supporting ethical manufacturers that genuinly care about animals not just profits, then these choices are for you AND your dog.

OTOH, if you aren't bothered by animal cruelty (factory farming is by its very nature, very cruel), could care less that your money is lining the pockets of the already ridiculously wealthy multinational giants, and it doesn't matter that your dog isn't getting the best in nutrition, and you don't mind that the company which makes the product you buy tests on dogs that spend their lives in a laboratory environment, go for something else - any of the foods on your list are "adequate" in that they provide fuel for your dog...they go in the front end, and come out (copiously in most cases) the back end.

I'm not trying to sound mean-spirited, but I have done extensive research over many, many years, and I'm opposed to all forms of animal cruelty...but I'm also realistic enough to know that dogs are primarily carnivores that need to eat meat and bones and organs...so that's what my dogs are primarily fed on. My choices and recommendations are based upon my ethics...humans don't have the right to treat other animals in the dreadful ways that we do sometimes, and factory farming in particular, is inherently cruel. If an animal cannot perform its basic movements and behaviours, such as standing comfortably, turning around, and lying down without restriction, then that's needlessly cruel. And that's how it is for many pigs today...just one example of how factory farming is inhumane.

I hope this helps.

[KitKat]

that the Priceless Pets product is what I consider to be (based upon the ingredients and nutritional info) a hugely inferior product.

Pricless Pets is just a supplier of the product. They stock it as they (vet clinic) consider it one of the better and value for money products on the market. And i also guess they are supporting Aussie owned and made etc when it comes down to it.

Just syaing that it's not a "priclesspets product' they are just advocating it and stock it for those this side of the country interested in it.

As to "hugely inferior product"...you consider ALL bar three kibble available in Aus in the same vein so...

"The best food for your dog is the food your dog does best on! Packaged or unpackaged!"

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Yes, apologies b/c my wording was not clear...Priceless Pets SELLS this kibble, but doesn't manufacture it...I hope that clarifies my previous post.

And yes, I can only recommend three products and I think I've explained my choices and motivations.

KK, didn't you used to feed using a BARF philosophy? Why has that changed?

ETA - all a person has to do is decipher the ingredients listing and the nutritional panel on any dog food to see how the majority are inferior to the ones I recommend. It doesn't take much research to do that...and it makes life much easier when you can "compare apples with apples". If you're not concerned with animal welfare (as in you have no issues with supporting intensive [factory] farming of livestock), then purchase a product that uses intensively farmed livestock as an ingredient. But I prefer to use organic products that provide superior nutrition (both for us and our dogs). As I keep indicating, you get what you pay for...and I'd rather pay more for a better quality product than use something of a lesser quality just b/c it's a few bucks cheaper. My dogs are worth the extra money for their food...

Edited January 29, 2006 by lillysmum

[Gone Grey]

As many others have said, the best food is what works for you.

OK, so maybe the Natural Balance that Priceless Pets sells isn't all organic etc etc but it's far from hugely inferior!! I'm really sick of people saying it's crap with no real knowledge of the product.

I've done a lot of research too and have looked at the quality of ingredients, chemical used and affordability of the food. INatural Balance is super premium, contains no colours or preservatives and uses human grade lamb, no by products or meal. The first ingredient of the list is rice, but the second is lamb and all of this makes it better for my dogs than many other foods, including Eukanuba. They use no cruel animal testing, and most of all my dogs are happy, healthy, shiny and they smell good too!

Another big plus IMO is that it's all Australian made and isn't sold exclusively by a large chain of pet stores.

[KitKat]

KK, didn't you used to feed using a BARF philosophy? Why has that changed?

Aahhh that we have discussed before but just to go over it again briefly...

I tried Barf on my GSD pup for a while, went from kibble and barf to just barf...Bronx started losing condition (fur went dry etc), his nose went all dry and crusty, and i was having to feed HUGE amounts of barf to keep any weight on him. Did everything by the book, even bought it ready made...nothing worked...

So I went back to kibble with barf on the side and his condition picked up nicely and fairly quickly, his nose went back to being healthy and he put on weight...i still have to work to keep the weight on him (I wish i had that problem!) but it's not as dramatic on the kibble with barf on the side.

Gone Grey - Nice Post