I am so sad about this puppy food talk....

[UtahBelle]

I have posted before trying to figure out this food deal. My puppy came to me on Science diet, I thought it was the best, then I learned more. I asked people for advice and got excited about giving my puppy better. I ran to the store and felt pretty good about buying her Nutro (the holistic diet). Now it looks like that isn't good either? Is all this switching around good for her? I am trying to potty train and I don't like the thought of her getting the runs from switching her to something that does not agree with her. Potty training has been hard enough.
I just don't know what to do. I really want to feed her the good stuff. It just seems like whatever brand you try, someone has had a nasty experience with it. I did not mean to start another thread that drives everyone crazy, but I am so new to this and I hope this is a place I can come to for help. I've never had a dog, I grew up with cats and we just bought them what was on sale at the grocery store.
I think I will just let her finish this bag of nuto and then move on to something else. Maybe orijen? *sigh* Having a baby would have been easier then buying this puppy! It seems like so much more work! But it has been worth it. I love my furface

Thanks again for everyone's help. If I didn't find this board my baby would still be on SD and I would still be thinking that the vet would have only given me the best

[MollysMum54]

Im sure the vets must have a deal with the science manufacturers as they always seem to recommend it, eventhough its not good for dogs!! I use mainly orijen which seems to be highly recommended, i also sometimes cook for molly. i think variety is a good thing, as long as its the good quality stuff and doesnt upset your pups tummy. i also use burns dried food and add some extra meat. As it is made with good quality ingredients, but low meat content, that works well.

[xoxodoglover89]

Originally Posted by UtahBelle

I have posted before trying to figure out this food deal. My puppy came to me on Science diet, I thought it was the best, then I learned more. I asked people for advice and got excited about giving my puppy better. I ran to the store and felt pretty good about buying her Nutro (the holistic diet). Now it looks like that isn't good either? Is all this switching around good for her? I am trying to potty train and I don't like the thought of her getting the runs from switching her to something that does not agree with her. Potty training has been hard enough.
I just don't know what to do. I really want to feed her the good stuff. It just seems like whatever brand you try, someone has had a nasty experience with it. I did not mean to start another thread that drives everyone crazy, but I am so new to this and I hope this is a place I can come to for help. I've never had a dog, I grew up with cats and we just bought them what was on sale at the grocery store.
I think I will just let her finish this bag of nuto and then move on to something else. Maybe orijen? *sigh* Having a baby would have been easier then buying this puppy! It seems like so much more work! But it has been worth it. I love my furface

Thanks again for everyone's help. If I didn't find this board my baby would still be on SD and I would still be thinking that the vet would have only given me the best

I know exactly how you feel. With my furbaby, it's a completely new expierence to me because I grew up with birds. My furbaby came to me being on Pro Plan mixed with a little bit of Solid Gold. I ended up switching her to Nutro thinking that I had made a good choice. When I came across this site and did some research on the food, I was disappointed to find that it wasn't as good as I thought it was. I have since then switched to Solid Gold Just A Wee Bit and have had great results with it. It's all about just finding which food works best for your baby. Everyone is going to tell you something different, it's just a matter of finding the right food without all those nasty by-products, corn and such in it. Good luck!

[mstrooperwife]

Don't feel bad........my yorkie won't eat any of the "good stuff" and you can't make them it it. I dare not say on here what he eats. I think it's your own preferance and what makes you and your baby happy and healthy.

I sent off to the companies listed in the sticky in the health and diet section. they all sent me samples and was willing to change his food. he wouldn't eat any of it. when i mixed it with his other food he picked out his food and left the rest. so what do you do.

I have two rat terriers that have ate food that is not reccomended on here and one is almost 12 years old. they are both healthy and full of energy. never had a problem with them.

it's your preference.......just remember that>

[Shelby&Seymour]

We, too, have used different diets for Shelby & Seymour. For the first few years, they ate Royal Canin. Then we went to Nutro Ultra. We changed because of the corn in RC and all the weight that Shelby was putting on because of it. It really helped. Now we are feeding Blue Buffalo. They LOVE it. They will probably be on it for awhile.... as long as it continues to be beneficial.

I think there are many good quality foods out there....... some better than others. I think the key is what YOUR dog's needs are. I have read of some serious "tummy" problems that "Raw" eaters have had. Maybe they just aren't able to do a Raw Diet (Kind of like people..... one of my friends can't eat lettuce at ALL without issues).

[Ellie May]

I'm sorry you're frustrated.
Of course you can come here for help.
Some days YT is just full of drama about one subject or another.
Just ignore it.

What type of food are you looking for (kibble, canned, etc.)?
What stores do you have in your area?
Do you want high protein or moderate protein?
Grainless or grain filled?
How do you feel about getting meat from China?

As for the Nutro, there are a very large number of complaints about it possibly causing illness and death. You can Google "Consumer Affairs Nutro" for details. I honestly wouldn't give your pup one more bite of it and would sooner feed Science Diet.

[jean1995]

There is at least one book about pet food. I haven't read "Food Pets Die For" yet, but I want to get it. I am interested in the health field. I know to stay away from corn which is a popular filler which is unhealthy for dogs, and the who-knows-what-it-really-is "byproducts". The first few ingredients should be meat. I have some Ultra now, our puppy was on it at the breeder. Its first ingredient is Chicken meal. I would know more about that if I read that book, but it probably is not as healthy as chicken. I believe that the healthiest choices are not found at Petsmart, but at specialty pet stores, or an animal feed store. I would like to make home made food, but life is so busy...

We have been using Innova. We tried several types of healthy food, and my dog did not like any of them. Maybe just like people food, the unhealthiest tastes the best. We sprinkle just a tad of cheese on the food to get our dog to eat it. That's probably not the best either. It's probably not bad to keep changing foods as long as you do it slowly over time, to give her time to adjust to the changes.

[QuickSilver]

Originally Posted by mstrooperwife

I dare not say on here what he eats.

Oh, do tell!! Monkey brains? Scrap metal? PURINA???

Personally, I think most dogs eat standard, store bought pet food and they do just fine on it. I suspect that vets recommend Science Diet because it is as easy brand to find and relatively cheap compared to the "top" dog foods. I want Thor to be on a high quality food because he only eats 1/4 cup of food per day, and at that amount, even a very expensive dog food is cheap over the long run. Also because he has such a small allowance, I'd like him to get quality calories.

If I had a big dog, I'm not sure I'd want to spend that kind of money on his food. But I don't have a big dog, so who knows.

[jean1995]

There is at least one book about pet food. I haven't read "Food Pets Die For" yet, but I want to get it. I am interested in the health field. I know to stay away from corn which is a popular filler which is unhealthy for dogs, and the who-knows-what-it-really-is "byproducts". The first few ingredients should be meat. I have some Ultra now, our puppy was on it at the breeder. Its first ingredient is Chicken meal. I would know more about that if I read that book, but it probably is not as healthy as chicken. I believe that the healthiest choices are not found at Petsmart, but at specialty pet stores, or an animal feed store. I would like to make home made food, but life is so busy...

We have been using Innova. We tried several types of healthy food, and my dog did not like any of them. Maybe just like people food, the unhealthiest tastes the best. We sprinkle just a tad of cheese on the food to get our dog to eat it. That's probably not the best either. It's probably not bad to keep changing foods as long as you do it slowly over time, to give her time to adjust to the changes.

[143julz]

Dog food, smag food, blah blah blah.....I fed my last Yorkie Nurto for 14 yrs, she ate it, loved it and that made us both happy.
There's always going to be something that deosn't agree with everyone. Do what works for you and your baby.
Mine is on a good quality food, but vet mentioned soemthing about the quality being to much for his litttle system to handle. (he poos a ton)
So I'll be switching it up a bit and seeing what works best. We may have to resort to a lesser quality food to avoid the richness and agreeing with him.
(IMO)Imagine eating something rich all the time in your diet, sooner or later something going to give or you're going to have problems

[phfgkl]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

Oh, do tell!! Monkey brains? Scrap metal? PURINA???

Personally, I think most dogs eat standard, store bought pet food and they do just fine on it. I suspect that vets recommend Science Diet because it is as easy brand to find and relatively cheap compared to the "top" dog foods. I want Thor to be on a high quality food because he only eats 1/4 cup of food per day, and at that amount, even a very expensive dog food is cheap over the long run. Also because he has such a small allowance, I'd like him to get quality calories.

If I had a big dog, I'm not sure I'd want to spend that kind of money on his food. But I don't have a big dog, so who knows.

I have 2 big dogs(on top of 4 small ones), and I take just as good of care as the big ones. They've been on eukanuba naturally wild(that's what all 6 were on for awhile), but, when this is gone, I'm putting the outside dogs back on The Taste of Wild. All this gets very expensive, and I'm taking out of mine and hubbys food budget to buy better food for these dogs.

[PrincessDiana]

Originally Posted by phfgkl

I have 2 big dogs(on top of 4 small ones), and I take just as good of care as the big ones. They've been on eukanuba naturally wild(that's what all 6 were on for awhile), but, when this is gone, I'm putting the outside dogs back on The Taste of Wild. All this gets very expensive, and I'm taking out of mine and hubbys food budget to buy better food for these dogs.

Taste of the Wild is GREAT food. Why don't you feed your Yorkies this too?

[LilMissy]

Orijen is GREAT

Here is a link to dog food reviews. I learned alot from looking this site over Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost

[AVERYxo]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

I'm sorry you're frustrated.
Of course you can come here for help.
Some days YT is just full of drama about one subject or another.
Just ignore it.
What type of food are you looking for (kibble, canned, etc.)?
What stores do you have in your area?
Do you want high protein or moderate protein?
Grainless or grain filled?
How do you feel about getting meat from China?
As for the Nutro, there are a very large number of complaints about it possibly causing illness and death. You can Google "Consumer Affairs Nutro" for details. I honestly wouldn't give your pup one more bite of it and would sooner feed Science Diet.

Originally Posted by LilMissy

Orijen is GREAT
Here is a link to dog food reviews. I learned alot from looking this site over Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost

there are so many choices and yes, it can get very confusing
read the ingredients of the foods you are interested in & like Crystal mentioned.. definitely, ask yourself these questions:

What type of food are you looking for (kibble, canned, etc.)?
What stores do you have in your area?
Do you want high protein or moderate protein?
Grainless or grain filled?

about NUTRO.. i, personally would NOT feed this.. with all the complaints, stories, recalls, etc. i wouldn't feel comfortable feeding it better safe than sorry, ya know!!

we feed our girls a rotation diet of:
ziwi peak - canned & cuisine.
the honest kitchen.
nature's variety - instinct, canned.
primal - raw.
and although my girls don't eat much kibble we do have it available, just incase.. right now we have nature's variety, instinct & natural balance L.I.D.(limited ingredient diet) formula.

GOOD LUCK!!

[chloesMama]

Ahh , "the talk"

Dog food is the subject around my house these days. Some days I feel like its all I talk about so I know exactly how you feel. Mine started out on Science diet and beneful I didn't know that their diet could be the cause of their problems with weight gain , itching etc. I am glad I found this site I just wish it was as easy as
1. Finding a great food
2.Putting your furbabies on it
3.They love it and everyone is happy ....

.....BUT It is not working that way for us They either hate the food , or the food hates them ( lots of poo and tummy problems ) or I cant find the food locally.

It can be frustrating and I know you probably don't want to keep switching , especially during potty training , but the right food will probably help with that also ( less poo) so don't give up.

I know their are many brands and not all brands work for all dogs , so just keep at it keep all the opinions in mind and just pick a place to start and go from there.