What foods are best

[luvsmy2bs]

We have just decided we want to improve the quality of food we give our furbabies, Dane and Bella. Any suggestions for what would be best without breaking the bank????????

[WBL]

One of the things to remember with higher quality food is usually you don't have to feed as much for the dogs to be able to absorb the need nutrition from it. Here is a list of foods list by the Whole Dog Journal (WDJ) 2007 List

DRY FOOD:
Addiction Foods: addictionfoods.com
Artemis: artemispetfood.com
Azmira: azmira.com
Back to Basics: beowulfs.com
Bench & Field Holistic Natural Canine:benchandfield.com
Blue Buffalo: bluebuff.com
Burns: bpn4u.com
by Nature BrightLife: bynaturepetfoods.com
by Nature Organics: bynaturepetfoods.com
California Natural: naturapet.com:
Canidae: canidae.com
Canine Caviar: caninecaviar.com
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul: chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com
Cloud Star Kibble: cloudstar.com
Drs. Foster & Smith: drsfostersmith.com
Eagle Pack Holistic Select: eaglepack.com
Evanger's Super Premium: evangersdogfood.com
Evolve: evolvepet.com
Firstmate Dog Food: firstmate.com
Foundations: petcurean.com
Fromm Four Star Nutritionals: frommfamilyfoods.com
Go! Natural: petcurean.com
Hund-N-Flocken: solidgoldhealth.com
Innova: naturapet.com
Innova Evo: naturapet.com A NEW ONE!
Karma Organic: karmaorganic.com
Lick Your Chops: healthypetfoodsinc.com
Lifespan: petguard.com
Life4K9: life4k9.com (baked & olive oil)
Merrick Pet Care: merrickpetcare.com
Mmillennia: solidgoldhealth.com
Natural Balance Organic: naturalbalanceinc.com
Natural Balance Ultra Premium: naturalbalanceinc.com
Natural Choice Ultra: nutroproducts.com
Newman's Own Organics: newmansownorganics.com
NutriSource: nutrisourcedogfood.com
(Nutro Products) Ultra Holistic Nutrition:ultraholistic.com
Organix: castorpolluxpet.com
Petguard Organic: petguard.com
Performatrin Ultra: performatrinultra.com
PHD Viand: phdproducts.com
Pinnacle: breeders-choice.com
Prairie: naturesvariety.com
Premium Edge: premiumedgepetfood.com
Prime Life Plus: ompetproducts.com
Raw Instinct: naturesvariety.com (grainfree)
Royal Canin Natural Blend: royalcanin.us
Royal Canine Veterinary Diet: royalcanin.us
Showbound Naturals: healthypetfoodsinc.com
Timberwolf Organics: timberwolforganics.com
VeRUS: veruspetfoods.com
Wellness: oldmotherhubbard.com
Wellness Simple Food Solutions: oldmotherhubbard.com
Wenawe: wenawe.com.uy
Wysong: wysong.net
Zinpro: lincolnbiotech.com

WDJ Dry Dog Food Selection Criteria:

1.) We look for foods that contain a lot of high-quality animal proteins
2.) We reject any food containing meat by-products or poultry by-products
3.) We reject foods containg fat or protein not identified by species
4.) We look for the use of whole grains & vegetables
5.) We eliminate all foods with artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
6.) We eliminate all foods with added sweeteners
7.) We look for products containing organic products

Further Attributes:

1.) A date-code or production code is easy to find, read, and interpret
2.) More than just the required nuturients (fat, protein, fiber, moisture) listed on a product
label's "guaranteed analysis" (GA)
3.) The caloric content of the food listed on the label
4.) All of the food maker's contact information listed on its product labels (and their
product literature & Web sites)
5.) A statement that a food (or one of its close "family members") has passed an AAFCO feeding
trial
6.) Certified Organic Ingredients
7.) Admire those manufacturers that have pursued and obtained noncompulsory manufacturing
certifications.

ANd here is some more info on "human grade/holistic food"

Canidae - http://www.canidae.com
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
Burns - http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/
Eagle Pack - http://www.eaglepack.com/
Flint River - http://www.flintriver.com/ProductInfo.asp?pi=Flint-River-Ranch-Ingredients.htm
Temporarily Unavailable - http://www.godaddy.com/sites.html
IVD - http://www.petrx.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=846
**** Van Patten's Natural Balance - http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/
Wellness - http://www.omhpet.com/dogs/wellness_detail.asp?pCode=dryDogSup5MixChicken
AvoDerm - http://www.breeders-choice.com/
Happy Dog - http://www.happydogfood.com/products.htm
Solid Gold - http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
Pro Pack - http://www.propacpetfood.com/dogs/index.tpl?SKU=20030327154406
Nature Diet - http://www.naturediet.net/index.html
Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
California Natural, HealthWise, Karma Organic& Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab
Organix - link to come soon
Newman's - http://www.newmansownorganics.com/pet/charity/

Raw Diet Links
Agility Boxer Sample Raw Diet: http://www.agilityboxer.com/barfpage.htm
BarfWorld (Dr. Billinghurst): http://www.barfworld.com
Canine Wholistic Nutrition: http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/riverien/nutrimap.htm
Marimat Boxers’ Raw Diet: http://www.marimat.com/diet.html
Natural Diet: Don’t “Just Do It” http://www.caberfeidh.com/NaturalDiet.htm
Newcastle Boxers’ Raw Diet: http://www.newcastleboxers.com/diet.shtml
Raw "How-To" (in pictures): http://www.touchmoon.com/dotters/raw/
Raw Meaty Bones (Dr. Lonsdale): http://www.rawmeatybones.com
Raw Learning: http://www.rawlearning.com
Switching to Raw: http://www.switchingtoraw.com
The BARF Diet: http://www.barfdiet.com
Top 50 BARF FAQs: http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm

Prepared Raw Foods
Aunt Jeni’s Homemade for Life: http://www.auntjeni.com/homemade.htm
Bravo Pet Food: http://www.bravopetfood.com
Dr. Billinghurst’s BARF Diet: http://www.barfworld.com/html/barf_diet/barfdiet.shtml
Granddad’s Pet Foods: http://www.grandadspetfoods.com/
Halshan: http://www.halshan.com/
Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow: http://www.hare-today.com/
mORIGINS: http://d21c.com/buddyx2/MORIGINS/mORIGINS.html
NuDimensions Nutrition: http://www.nudimensionsnutrition.com/NDN_For_Your_Dog.htm
Oma’s Pride: http://www.omaspride.com/
Raw4Dogs: http://www.raw4dogs.com
Steve’s Real Food for Dogs: http://www.stevesrealfood.com

Dog Food comparison sites/About dog food
AAFCO Definitions: http://www.naturedanes.com/aafco.html
Comparison – Premium Food: http://www.doberdogs.com/foodcht3.html
Comparison – Store Brands: http://www.doberdogs.com/foodcht4.html
Comparison - http://www.feedmypet.com/dog-food-comparison.html
Interpreting Labels: http://www.doberdogs.com/foodcht1.html
Pentobarbitol in Dog Food: http://www.fda.gov/cvm/index/fdavet/2002/May_June.htm#Pentobarbital
Reading Pet Food Labels: http://www.flintriverranch.org/labels.html
Selecting a Commercial Pet Food: http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=689
WDJ Top Dry Foods (2002): http://www.simplyschnauzer.net/wdjtopten.html
What’s Really In Pet Food? http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=79
Whole Dog Journal: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com

[WBL]

Sorry meant to add, best thing to do is RESEARCH and see what would work for your guys best and your budget, or what you are willing to give up for them. Like me, I moved to Germany and had a problem readliy getting Solid Gold here, it is available here in Germany but they are often sold out, and with the Euro being so much stronger than the dollar, I actually order mine from the states and pay less than what I would if I bought it here using Euros

And here is my part of sacrificing for my pets, I usually order food every 2-3 months (depending on the amount I order) I will spend about $100 on food/treats/vitamins. And the kicker, I spend more in shipping than I do the food. I just placed an order for $90 and was hit with $97 in shipping. Mostly it is because of weight, the other because I have it sent priority mail. And what did I give up for this, my movies. I used to buy new movies every tuesday, now I just get a few here and there.

And again there is not as many people as crazy as me out there that would spend this much on food

[Tayda_Lenny]

I feed Tayda and Lenny Innova Evo and they do great on it.

[jys1011]

Also you can check out this great website

www.dogfoodanalysis.com

[jenwilson]

We like Innova Dry & Merricks Wet

[youngandtired]

Sahara loves Merricks, both wet and dry. I mix the dry with alittle warm water, and add about 1/4 cup wet on top, mix well. I use the Grammy's Pot Pie the most, she also loves the Merrick Bull Stick chews. She is a Merrick girl, we tried all the rest and she eats this the best.

[achandl2]

We've been adding the Avoderm canned food to the science diet dry i/d (Rascal has a sensitive stomach) and the love it. It's the only way we can get Manning to eat and not pick at his food. PetSmart has started carrying the Avoderm brand so its pretty easy to find.

[etzbseder]

My B absolutely loves Royal Canin, and I have heard that it was really good for them.

[Mia]

I am glad I found this posting…I am looking for an alternative for our 9 month old, and we'll be bringing in a 10 week old in a few weeks. Currently I have Mia on Nature's recipe, but I read it has a very high grain/meat ratio, which I guess is not very good, might explain why she doesn't eat all that much (maybe a cup or a little more per day). So I was thinking of the raw diet, and there is store right down the road who sells a few diffrent type's of them, such as Steve's. Price is not an issue as we only eat organic, so I want something healthy for the doggies too. If I would go raw with Mia, do I have to wait until a certain age, if not can I start raw with the new puppy also? Or would it be best to go with an organic dry or wet food? Ohhhh the choices lol!

[achandl2]

I am always a little leary of raw diets just because it is more difficult to make sure the nutritive value is accurate and consistant but I haven't ever tried it so maybe it has its merits. A good alternative to raw diet is the Buffalo Blue brand, it is free of corn, wheat, and soy products. I switched mine over to that a while back and they love it. I still feed the science diet i/d for Rascal's sensitive stomach but I mix it with the canned Buffalo Blue food and they love it. The cats also seem to love the Blue cat food. Here is the website http://www.bluebuff.com/
PetSmart sells Buffalo Blue brand now so it is easier to find.

[achandl2]

Oh I forgot if you go to their website you can compare your current food with their food and Buffalo Blue will send you a sample in the mail for free.

[Mia]

@achandl2:

I am always a little leary of raw diets just because it is more difficult to make sure the nutritive value is accurate and consistant but I haven't ever tried it so maybe it has its merits. A good alternative to raw diet is the Buffalo Blue brand, it is free of corn, wheat, and soy products. I switched mine over to that a while back and they love it. I still feed the science diet i/d for Rascal's sensitive stomach but I mix it with the canned Buffalo Blue food and they love it. The cats also seem to love the Blue cat food. Here is the website http://www.bluebuff.com/
PetSmart sells Buffalo Blue brand now so it is easier to find.

Thank you, I think I might try that, upon looking further on the web, raw diets has too many opposers for me to fell comfortable going that rout, plus the Bluebuff line has organic too. Thanks for the advice

[Ninabeana26]

Do any of you recommend using Eukanuba? That is what our breeder currently is feeding the puppies but I think I might want to wean him onto another kind…inputs?

[lvoss]

@Mia:

I am glad I found this posting…I am looking for an alternative for our 9 month old, and we'll be bringing in a 10 week old in a few weeks. Currently I have Mia on Nature's recipe, but I read it has a very high grain/meat ratio, which I guess is not very good, might explain why she doesn't eat all that much (maybe a cup or a little more per day). So I was thinking of the raw diet, and there is store right down the road who sells a few diffrent type's of them, such as Steve's. Price is not an issue as we only eat organic, so I want something healthy for the doggies too. If I would go raw with Mia, do I have to wait until a certain age, if not can I start raw with the new puppy also? Or would it be best to go with an organic dry or wet food? Ohhhh the choices lol!

Ohhh the choices is right. Their are pros and cons to raw vs kibble and there are many of us who feed a hybrid diet because kibble is easier when we travel. You can start dogs on raw as puppies and there are breeders who raw wean their puppies. The packages raw foods are garunteed to be "complete" foods just like kibble is. With the high quality kibbles and even with raw diets you will find you feed less volume. My dogs are eating around a cup of food each a day, with individual differences to keep them at good weight. You can feed a grain free kibble like EVO, Origin, or Wellness Core. There are good quality foods that contain some grains like Wellness, Merricks, California Natural. You can feed a kibble and add things like veggies or even raw though you should not feed kibble at the same meal that you feed raw bones because kibble moves through the digestive tract faster than raw bones should.

As with so many things, feeding is something that you should do some research and then try to figure out what will fit best with your routine. You may also find some foods work better for your dogs than others.

[tanza]

@Ninabeana26:

Do any of you recommend using Eukanuba? That is what our breeder currently is feeding the puppies but I think I might want to wean him onto another kind…inputs?

My only problem with Euk is the corn and the beet pulp… to me those are just fillers and have value to the diet...

[TuckerVA]

Tucker is a Merrick dog also. Wilderness Blend dry and varied wet on top. He seems partial to the canned Campfire Trout Feast, Thanksgiving Day Dinner, Wingaling, Cowboy Cookout, Wild Buffalo Grill and the Venison holiday Stew. He won't touch the Medeterranean Banquet, Brats-n-Tots or the French Country Cafe. I was really surprised he wouldn't eat the Brats. It looks so yummy I almost tried it!

[Mia]

@TuckerVA:

Tucker is a Merrick dog also. Wilderness Blend dry and varied wet on top. He seems partial to the canned Campfire Trout Feast, Thanksgiving Day Dinner, Wingaling, Cowboy Cookout, Wild Buffalo Grill and the Venison holiday Stew. He won't touch the Medeterranean Banquet, Brats-n-Tots or the French Country Cafe. I was really surprised he wouldn't eat the Brats. It looks so yummy I almost tried it!

What made you chose this type of food over another brand?

[jys1011]

My only problem with Euk is the corn and the beet pulp… to me those are just fillers and have value to the diet...

I agree! My breeders fed Eukanuba & I weaned them off of this asap. I even had a dog trainer (BIG MISTAKE!) tell me to feed Purina or some other crap dog food. I knew that she was a fraud right then & there :mad:

We're mostly Merricks dry & wet…and recently I added Natural Balance Allergy Formula (my guy is allergic to everything) Sweet Potato & Duck

Tucker is a Merrick dog also. Wilderness Blend dry and varied wet on top. He seems partial to the canned Campfire Trout Feast, Thanksgiving Day Dinner, Wingaling, Cowboy Cookout, Wild Buffalo Grill and the Venison holiday Stew. He won't touch the Medeterranean Banquet, Brats-n-Tots or the French Country Cafe. I was really surprised he wouldn't eat the Brats. It looks so yummy I almost tried it!

Camp Trout is new I'll have to look for it. I also wonder if I made the wet food for dinner would my husband notice :eek:

[Mia]

@jys1011:

Camp Trout is new I'll have to look for it. I also wonder if I made the wet food for dinner would my husband notice :eek:

Ok I just looked online at the Merrick site, and yes the food looks better than most of the stuff I cook lol. I was really impressed, if I feed that to Mia, there will probably even be a chance she'll stop coming to the dinner table!