Can Anyone Recommend Good Quality Kibble?

[wolf82]

Currently the beasts are on Supercoat.

There were on Optimum at one stage but after reading the ingrediants it looked like it was full of fillers.

After hearing both good and bad about Supercoat, im currently leaving my options open, and would be happy to change food.

Personally i would like to get them on Royal Canin, but 40 dollars a bag is a bit much.

Can anyone recommend any good quality premium food for 2 growing pups? Amstaff and Huskie, so they need their protien and calcium!

Thanks.

Steve

[baileykira]

hi i have tried the various market brand pet foods and i would recommend really highly Royal Canin dog food ,my collie was a rescue dog severely underweight lethargic blah blah you get the drift vet obviously recommended science plan a complete food i tried him on the cans but i personally found it to be a bit dry and he wouldnt eat it unless i put puppy milk or water in it,the revelation that Royal Canin had brought out a dog food range was a true turning point,my cats had been on Royal canin for years and i knew that the company worked exceptionally hard at researching the needs of individual breeds i have persians and they have a specially designed kibble for their unique eating style well back to the dog food i went to buy my cat food from the supply store and there was a Royal Canin food rep there bailey my collie was with me and they had set up food bowls with the product in them bailey headed straight into the bowl and had to be brought up for air a feat never before managed as usually i had to stand over him to feed him and ensure he ate,i found out that the food he had eaten was specifiv to collies and large breed puppies like shepherds ect they are continually bringing new breed specific and age ect foods out i even think there is one for huskies.well the result is a happy healthy dog with all the vitality for life as you would expect from a 10mnth old pup.i would check it out there is always sample packs ect at my local supply store and an email address on the back of the packet for a free sample of food Royal Canin is also know the major sponser of guide dogs australia and all their dogs are fed on it and no im not a Royal canin food rep my uncle is a food scientist and told me the commercial brand dog foods found in the supermarket contain high quantities of sugar and other ingriedients to addict dogs to it .the other food i would reccomend is eagle pack which is totally organic and like royal canin contains no by products.hope this helps

[Ruffles]

We personally feed our pets on Eukanuba but always find whatever your dogs do best on.

As for the price of Premium dog food, yes at the time of purchase it seems like a high price to pay but you'll find that it works out cheaper because you are actually feeding them much less.

Before we got Rinse they were feeding her 1kg of Chum Dry per day... On Eukanuba Large breed she eats 3cups which is the equivalent, I think of about 400gms.

A 15 kilo bag lasts us just over a month per dog.

You may also want to explore feeding raw food to your poochies. We feed Half raw/half premium dry diet.

[Jefe's owners]

Nutrience Advance, is the only one I can recommend. Not cheap (probably the most expensive ;) ) but by far the best food I could find...A 18kb bag of large breed kibble is AU$101 and last 4 weeks.

My last two dogs, Cuervo (Rottweiler X Doberman) and now Jefe (Rottweiler) just love it. Jefe was rescued a couple of months ago, and he's doing fantastic. he's gaining about 1 Kg a month and his coat is much better. And he seems to be very happy.

But I have to agree. dogs vary and the results of using one kibble or other will also vary. Find what work best for your dog... this can be trial and error. I personally believe that my dog WILL eat whatever I decide to give him, just like kids...(*) , complaining is not an option.

(*) Disclaimer, I DON'T HAVE KIDS!

[sheltiesrule]

The only way I could afford $101 a month is if I didn't have kids

[malleerr]

We use Iams - large breed Puppy Growth Dry Food - we have an RR and have found it really good - its actually the only one that does not upset her tum

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

There are as many opinions on dog food as there are ppl with dogs. My opinion is that a dog doesn't need processed or cooked foods and in fact, does not do as well on such a regime as one fed on raw whole foods. But not everyone wants to feed raw, whole foods, and if this is you...then kibbles come in varying degrees of quality:

1. Supermarket brands - everything from no name, chum, pal/pedigree, supercoat, purina. Mostly fillers, preservatives, cereals, grains, artificial colours. Some animal-based content, usually not from a lean muscle source but from offal and other 'pet grade' ingredients.

2. Pet food supplier brands - including Bonnie and Coprice. Similar in quality to the supermarket brands.

3. Premium brands - Iams/Euk, HSD, Nutrience, Royal Canin - as some examples. Usually sold at vet surgeries as well as pet food stores. Often 'recommended' by vets. Contain a higher percentage of animal based foods than categories 1 & 2, but still full of things a dog doesn't need such as fillers.

4. Super premium brands - Eagle Pack and Eagle Pack Holistic, Dick van Patten's Natural Balance Organic Formulas, Innova esp EVO (raw). These are all imports. The ingredients are generally organic, a high percentage of lean muscle meat as the primary ingredient, complimented by appropriate plant matter.

I believe that you get what you pay for: if you buy a cheap bag of food, your dog will eat a lot more of it and will produce a lot of waste b/c of the unnecessary ingredients included to 'bulk up' the food. OTOH, buy a more expensive brand and you get more food than fillers, your dog produces less waste and will likely be in better overall condition as a result.

Aim for the best you can afford, but calculate the 'cost per feeding' rather than the 'cost of the bag'.

HTH.

[Pink Panther]

I feed both my dogs Eagle Pack Holistic, plus a bone most mornings before work, and occasional dried treats, like pig ears, hoofs etc.

Those people who feed Iams or Eukanuba, please don't, because that company tortures innocent dogs (mostly beagles) through terrible, painful and inhumane animal testing methds.

Just go to:

http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?vi...r=wm&speed=_med

for a video of this horror.

When choosing the right food for your dog, always take a small sample of the food, about enough to last a couple of days, long enough to get used to, but quick enough to be able to change, and see how your dog goes on it.

PP

[baileykira]

most of the good quality premium brand foods have money back on return of the remaining product,most dog food brands also have websites through which you can get free samples of the food as i think i have said before Petstock stores www.petstock.com.au and upmarket pets melbourne victoria market have heaps of free sample packs of food

by the way it takes my dogs about two to three months to eat a large bag of royal canin but they are a supplement to a natural diet

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

I feed Nutro Natural Choice which is another of the super premium dried foods.

[TURBOTERROR]

I use Purina Proplan Performance on my guys.

I either get the breeders pack or the 17kg bag.

[freysmum]

I have found Nutro to be very good and since it is a super premium food, it lasts my little one for ages.

As lillysmum suggests calculate the cost per feed not per bag.

Good luck

Sandra

[Melisski]

I use Purina Proplan Performance on my guys.

I either get the breeders pack or the 17kg bag.

Same here. My two do very well on ProPlan (Border Collies). I would suggest you try one of the premium/super premium brands, and then find out what works best for your dog. Every dog is different, some do just fine on supermarket kibble whereas others (like mine) are a pain and like their expensive dinners :rolleyes:

[Jacquel83]

i would also encourage feeding them premium/super premium kibbles. i think the gd premium brands, and the ones that ive tried, are Advance and Proplan...

Super premium ones i recommend would be Innova or Eagle Pack. Im currently feeding large breed puppy eagle pack now. I've heard really gd reviews from Royal Canin, you can try emailing their reps and get samples(which i did) and they're normally quite generous wif it.

As compared to supermarket brands, the results are really more outstanding, n u end up feeding less etc... however, the final decision is still up to u.

[KitKat]

I have my GSD's (18mth old and 3mth old) on Royal Canin...it works out a lot cheaper if you buy the 15kg or so bag. Mine lasts a lot longer then the recommended because i also feed raw on the side. So with their kibble they might chicken necks, mince, meat pieces, lamb/pork/beef/turkey bones/pieces etc, or might get meaty bones as a full meal every so often.

Unfortunately my 18mth old dog doesn't do well on a full raw/barf diet so it's more a side serve these days.

[Lozzie]

I feed Proplan and a raw diet to both my 9 week old greyhound, 9 month old whippet and 3 year old cat and they are all doing brilliantly on it. I have also heard Advance is excellent.

[Koza]

Look at their condition. My ridgebackXgolden is just fine on Bonnie, if he eats something better/more expensive, he gets fat. The damlatianX eats only premium, she' on Eagle pack currenty. As she eats very little, the food has to be concentrated enough. They get bones, fish oil and occasional eggs, too.

[Gottalovealab]

I feed my labrador eagle pack power. Its an excellent product and i reccomend it to anyone. The difference is amazing. What you pay for is what you get really in dog food so go with what your able to afford. A 15kg bag of eagle pack lasts me about a month, but i add meat as well. Whatever goes well with your dog, go with that.

[sas]

I think in terms of ingrediants ProPlan is probably the best I've seen.

In terms of finding the right match for your dog I think Royal is the way to go.

They all have their pros and cons, you n eed to first think of what you are trying to achieve and then go from there

[KitKat]

Out of the readily available top of the range kibbles....RC, Proplan and Nutrience are the only ones that don't use By-Products. Not sure if that will help you with your decision. I'm pretty sure EP doesn't use By-Products but i haven't read the back of a bag recently...lol - but EP isn't exactly readily available in my area either.