Is any dog food good?

[amyn22]

After reading all of these posts I feel like people think no dog food is good at the stores. I absolutely do not have time to make him food and I have had yorkies before who did perfectly fine on foods like Purina. Are all these foods bad, or are people being overly cautious?

[Patti]

Mine have always eaten dog food. I know growing up our dogs ate alpo or gaines burger as there wasn't the selection of good foods there are now, and they all did fine. I do like mine to eat a good food. Mine eat California Natural canned.

[amyn22]

is canned better? Is wellness good? You know susan gave us sensible choice, but you can only buy it online, and he only eats it if we hand feed him. He is only eating about 1/4 cup a day of food. I just want to find something he loves.

[BethPurk]

Ive had dogs all my life and I dont ever remember any of them having life threatening or even remotely dangerous problems or diseases from eating regular dog food that you buy from a grocery store. I think that right now the fad is to buy all the natural stuff because its proven right now to be the best thing. Unfortunately not everyone can afford the best thing on the market. I, for one, feed my dog Purina Puppy Chow. It might not be the best thing for her, but its not going to hurt her at all and its what the breeder was giving her. I free feed her and she eats it and likes it fine. I am thinking about switching her to Iams though because I think thats a step up from Purina and our last dog was on Iams and did fine with it. Unfortunately, there is no store in my area that sells anything but what is sold at Walmart or Safeway so I have to buy in bulk when I go to Reno and havent been since getting my puppy. I dont buy the best of the best in everything I buy for my family and we seem to survive. Aside from feeding my puppy whats apparently the worst foods out there, I think the middle of the road brands are fine. But what do I know, really?

[amyn22]

yes, my last dog ate purina for 15 years! He was a lively, healthy dog and never had any problems. I think the alot of these natural foods are a lot of hype, but that's just my opinion.

[izzy816]

I am wondering the same thing. I don't have time to cook for him either. I've done it but it is too time consuming for my lifestyle right now. Right now he is eating Solid Gold Wee Bits. I've fed him Canidae as well and he seemed to like it. I think both foods are good for them and are reasonably priced. Since I only have one yorkie spending $7-10 on a 5lb bag every 3-4 months works within my budget.

I might just go back to Canidae because the weebits is too small for him now. All he does is swallows them and ends up eating too much...then he throws it back up.

[C C Kent]

Breeding seminars typically have at least one speaker covering nutrition, and at some point they will say,"If what you are doing works....don't fix it." If you are having problems experiment and ask for references. My personal opinion is to avoid moist foods for regular feedings. Yorkies are prone to plaque build up and the dry food helps control that. Poor breeding practice has given us a high instance of allergic reaction to foods and the pet food market reacts quickly to any opportunity for profit, they will provide anything we are willing to pay for.

In one seminar taught by Pat Hastings she makes a statement that the best dog and the worst dog, nutritionally speaking, that she has ever seen were fed the same brand of food.

[YorkieChick1]

I'm sorry but just because you think your dog is doing well on a supermarket brand doesn't mean they are. Would you eat chicken feet, beaks, feathers, beef testicles, hair, eyeballs and everything scaped up off the floor? That is what a meat-by-product is!! And almost every grocery store brand has by products in it and way too much corn or wheat gluten. Dogs really shouldn't have grain anyway, that is how they have so many allergies and itching problems. Dogs are carnivores, not ominvores. If the first ingredient in your dog food isn't a named meat or meat meal then it is not a great food for your dog. All the dog foods at the grocery store are fast food for animals, would you eat McDonald's every day for the rest of your life?? Just something to think about.

[browniesmom622]

Originally Posted by YorkieChick1

I'm sorry but just because you think your dog is doing well on a supermarket brand doesn't mean they are. Would you eat chicken feet, beaks, feathers, beef testicles, hair, eyeballs and everything scaped up off the floor? That is what a meat-by-product is!! And almost every grocery store brand has by products in it and way too much corn or wheat gluten. Dogs really shouldn't have grain anyway, that is how they have so many allergies and itching problems. Dogs are carnivores, not ominvores. If the first ingredient in your dog food isn't a named meat or meat meal then it is not a great food for your dog. All the dog foods at the grocery store are fast food for animals, would you eat McDonald's every day for the rest of your life?? Just something to think about.

:thum bup:

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by YorkieChick1

I'm sorry but just because you think your dog is doing well on a supermarket brand doesn't mean they are. Would you eat chicken feet, beaks, feathers, beef testicles, hair, eyeballs and everything scaped up off the floor? That is what a meat-by-product is!! And almost every grocery store brand has by products in it and way too much corn or wheat gluten. Dogs really shouldn't have grain anyway, that is how they have so many allergies and itching problems. Dogs are carnivores, not ominvores. If the first ingredient in your dog food isn't a named meat or meat meal then it is not a great food for your dog. All the dog foods at the grocery store are fast food for animals, would you eat McDonald's every day for the rest of your life?? Just something to think about.

well said... i think ignorance is bliss but i am not feeding Layla something i wouldn't put in my own mouth.

[LuvMySissy]

I do believe it is not just hype, but proven that quality foods definitely make a difference. Purina and Iams are not middle of the road, but bottom of the barrel foods. Pay particular attention to teh list of additives and you will find known cancer causing agents in many lower grade foods. Feeding kibble will not help keep their teeth clean when it essentially has garbage and sugar in it either. And kibble alone should never be relied on to keep Yorkie teeth clean. Yorkies are notorious for poor dental health. Either brushing their teeth or providing quality chew items such as natural Bully's or quality raw bones is essential.

A quality food does not have to be ridiculously expensive either. And with a quality food, 1/4-1/2 cup for a small dog is all they need. If you look at the recommended feeding amount of Purina (for example) as compared to Canidae there will be a substantial difference because Purina has very little meat and mostly filler and junk, compared to the good ingredients in Canidae. So, if you base the price of the bag divided by how many feedings you get out of a premium brand, the premium brands are not more expensive.

[donnarod]

Originally Posted by amyn22

yes, my last dog ate purina for 15 years! He was a lively, healthy dog and never had any problems. I think the alot of these natural foods are a lot of hype, but that's just my opinion.

I am as confused as you are. My Maltese ate Casear's and lived to be 16 because of heat stroke. They say this is the worst food to feed. He was always healthy, happy, full of energy. Look at the products in our food.
When I was a kid, Daddy, was a cook in the Marine Corp. for 30 years, he cooked chicken feet, it was cleaned very well and delicious, hog brains and hog testicles that he put in corn bread. I am a very healty 64 year old.
Tricksie is on Pedigree wet with Innova EVO dry, the Vet said that she is so healthy, keep on the same diet.
I think a lot of us just get to carried away with stuff.

[lovelylf1]

I used to feed Scooter Purina One until I started noticing his coat becoming more wirey. It would look great after we got back from the groomers but as time went on, I could tell something wasn't right. He had itchy skin and stopped getting excited about meal-time. My next-door neighbors have a dog that needed to see a specialist. The specialist switched the food they gave their dogs to Wellness. After talking to them about what a difference it made, and knowing what was going on with Scooter, I decided to try Wellness.

At first, I didn't know what to think but I swear there is a major difference. Scooters coat is back to being super soft (without any products) and he loves his food. I know you don't think there is a difference now but once you switch, you will never go back. Scooter started on Wellness Just for Puppy but now that he is growing up, I am transitioning him to their adult food. When I visited family recently, their dog loved Scooters food so much that now they have switched their dog to it as well. I think you should give it a try. It takes a week or two minimum to see a change but you will see it.

for Wellness
Purina/Purina One

[PrincessDiana]

Originally Posted by LuvMySissy

I do believe it is not just hype, but proven that quality foods definitely make a difference. Purina and Iams are not middle of the road, but bottom of the barrel foods. Pay particular attention to teh list of additives and you will find known cancer causing agents in many lower grade foods. Feeding kibble will not help keep their teeth clean when it essentially has garbage and sugar in it either. And kibble alone should never be relied on to keep Yorkie teeth clean. Yorkies are notorious for poor dental health. Either brushing their teeth or providing quality chew items such as natural Bully's or quality raw bones is essential.

A quality food does not have to be ridiculously expensive either. And with a quality food, 1/4-1/2 cup for a small dog is all they need. If you look at the recommended feeding amount of Purina (for example) as compared to Canidae there will be a substantial difference because Purina has very little meat and mostly filler and junk, compared to the good ingredients in Canidae. So, if you base the price of the bag divided by how many feedings you get out of a premium brand, the premium brands are not more expensive.

This is a great post!

For the person who asked - Wellness is a GREAT quality food. Franklin and Maggie are on Wellness and I love it!

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by donnarod

I am as confused as you are. My Maltese ate Casear's and lived to be 16 because of heat stroke. They say this is the worst food to feed. He was always healthy, happy, full of energy. Look at the products in our food.
When I was a kid, Daddy, was a cook in the Marine Corp. for 30 years, he cooked chicken feet, it was cleaned very well and delicious, hog brains and hog testicles that he put in corn bread. I am a very healty 64 year old.
Tricksie is on Pedigree wet with Innova EVO dry, the Vet said that she is so healthy, keep on the same diet.
I think a lot of us just get to carried away with stuff.

in my opinion.. it doesn't matter HOW well your dogs are doing on that food (fi you can call it that) but LOOK at what the ingredients are.... i'm sure the quality if the EVO is balancing the crap of the Pedigree and for that your pup is very lucky.