Dog Food suggestions?

[Wayne@Genesis]

Hey guys. I just adopted a 1 year old Doberman/German Shepard mix from my local shelter yesterday, and I get to bring her home on Monday. I am looking for good food to feed her. I used to feed a Jack Russell that I had Science Diet, and never really looked into anything else. I was reading John's post about his new husky and noticed you guys posted about EVO, Orijen and Acana. My new dog used to be a stray, picked up by the shelter about 2 weeks ago, so I think she is a little on the thin side. What is a good food for me to feed her? Also, what prices do you currently pay for your dog food? My mom mentioned to me about the food at Costco, which I have researched to be manufactured by Diamond and on other forums they say its a premium mid-range dog food, what are your thoughts on this? Thanks

[TOYr32]

Choosing a food for you dog can be as easy or as difficult as you make it. Just like a person, dogs can be picky. I'd recommend not letting them be picky, but you'll know if one food settles better than other foods.

Try buying smaller bags until you find the right one. My boxer liked science diet, but it was pricey. My boxer and bulldog both ended up with Eukanuba Lamb and Rice. Wehn they were smaller I would soak the food in warm water for a few seconds and then drain it. They would a eat a lot, and then drink a lot, so I was worried about their stomachs bursting from expansion.

I personally think, most dog foods are the same, with a few additive being the difference. But vitamin and mineral differences should be about the same.

If you find that your dog isn't picky, I would settle on the best for your pocket, cause like I said, there aren't really any bad dogs foods. One way to tell if a dog food may be a lower grade will definitely be the price though. If you see most foods being a certain price range, and then another brand being crazy cheap . . . I would steer clear

[bugzy]

Toy has some good recommendations.

I would switch around different foods. We started DiDi off with mid-range foods, try them first, because of price and not to make your dog have "baller" taste buds.

Nutro Natural Choice is nice.

However we have switched him with a mixture 50/50 of Nutro Natural Choice and Orijin Red Meat.

I was thinking of checking out EVO next. But the expensive food is expensive. So I have been mixing it

[Wayne@Genesis]

K. Thanks for the info... I was thinking of starting her off on some mid-range foods first, then slowly working up to Orijen.

[audiracer2002]

We feed Haley the Wellness brand senior mix. They have stuff for all ages and it's really good food. All human grade ingredients and whatnot.

[dylan5990]

i would stay away from science diet because it has both a high amount of grain (which is bad for dogs) and it is relatively high priced. I would also stay away from the costco brand which also has grain, and I'm almost certain that the quality if the meat in their food is very low (how else could you sell a 40lb bag for $20). On the contrary to what toyr32 said, there are A LOT of bad dog foods and there can be a pretty big difference between a high quality and low quality food. No matter what the average dog owner tells you, rice isn't good for dogs, and although many companies use it in their food, dogs don't digest rice or get any nutrients from it. In looking for a good dog food you want to make sure it is grain free (no rice, wheat, barley, millet, corn, etc.). Nearly all dogs have a least a little bit of an allergy to grain ranging from mild to extreme which can result in small to serious issues, and often small issues can become serious ones with time. This can start with licking of the paws, constantly scratching, they smell worse, dirty ears and eyes, cataracts, and many other things with the worst possibility being cancer, which has been correlated to dogs eating grain. Now on to what foods you should look into.

For dry there are a lot of good options some of which you already mentioned (evo, orijen, and acana) here are a few more to look into.

Merrick B.G.
Merrick Pet Foods - Pet Foods

Natural balance L.I.D.

Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Allergy Formulas for Dogs

Taste of the wild

Taste of the Wild : Home

Dry is also the lowest on the totem pole as far as what is best for your dog. The next best would be wet, then dehydrated raw, and the best being the raw diet. Dry is probably the most convenient and cost effective of all of them and with a good dry, your dog will still live a perfectly happy life. But if you want to hear about the other kinds let me know.

[bugzy]

i would stay away from science diet because it has both a high amount of grain (which is bad for dogs) and it is relatively high priced. I would also stay away from the costco brand which also has grain, and I'm almost certain that the quality if the meat in their food is very low (how else could you sell a 40lb bag for $20). On the contrary to what toyr32 said, there are A LOT of bad dog foods and there can be a pretty big difference between a high quality and low quality food. No matter what the average dog owner tells you, rice isn't good for dogs, and although many companies use it in their food, dogs don't digest rice or get any nutrients from it. In looking for a good dog food you want to make sure it is grain free (no rice, wheat, barley, millet, corn, etc.). Nearly all dogs have a least a little bit of an allergy to grain ranging from mild to extreme which can result in small to serious issues, and often small issues can become serious ones with time. This can start with licking of the paws, constantly scratching, they smell worse, dirty ears and eyes, cataracts, and many other things with the worst possibility being cancer, which has been correlated to dogs eating grain. Now on to what foods you should look into.

For dry there are a lot of good options some of which you already mentioned (evo, orijen, and acana) here are a few more to look into.

Merrick B.G.
Merrick Pet Foods - Pet Foods

Natural balance L.I.D.

Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Allergy Formulas for Dogs

Taste of the wild

Taste of the Wild : Home

Dry is also the lowest on the totem pole as far as what is best for your dog. The next best would be wet, then dehydrated raw, and the best being the raw diet. Dry is probably the most convenient and cost effective of all of them and with a good dry, your dog will still live a perfectly happy life. But if you want to hear about the other kinds let me know.

wah, what he said

I agree on costco and science diet

[TOYr32]

Thank Dylan,

I had no idea about the rice . . . that's good info for my next dog!

[Wayne@Genesis]

Once again, thanks for the tips. I will keep everything in mind right now. Here is a pic if anyone is interested

[dylan5990]

Thank Dylan,

I had no idea about the rice . . . that's good info for my next dog!

no worries, its a small change that can save you a lot on vet bills in the long run

[alishaB]

I use Blue Buffalo, which is a more hollistic food. They are correct about grains. The same goes for anything that says "by-product" or "meal." Those are terrible to feed your pet.

Has anyone tried Halo?

[danielface]

we use blue buffalo with our puppy. but i heard that the kirkland chicken and rice scored higher than blue buffalo which is thought to be a great dog food.

[oc-audica]

got the pits at my house bulked up with Nutro

[Paul]

raw meat... it's what they have been eating since the beginning of the species

[bugzy]

I'm using Orijen's right now. Been very happy with it. Dont have to feed him too much, high protein.

We also get him raw buffalo bones from the store, he likes the bone marrow, and it helps clean his teeth chewing on the bone

raw meat is definitely good for doggies, but can be pricey too

[RoccoRacer]

Almost a year later on this post, but I personally use Taste of the Wild for my two Border mixes.