[moomoomom]

I think genetics play a big role, but think food is equally important. I would never give my dog something that contained corn, by-products, sugar, or artificial colors/flavors and I also look at the company as a whole. There's no sense in feeding something that has a good ingredient list if the company keeps issuing recalls. These days there are plenty of good, reasonably priced grain free foods. I tend to err on the side of caution rather than take a risk with something that may cause health issues later in life. I currently feed raw patties from Bravo, but will be switching to The Honest Kitchen soon.

As a pet sitter, many of the dogs I sit who are fed Beneful or Science Diet have a lot of health issues and are always on some kind of medication.