Bentleythewonderdog Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 All of these food topics, I really don't know what to look for on the label. I know to feed them a premium dog food but it seems that some of the ones promoted as being good may in fact not be so great. I fed my little maltese eukanuba for a few months and then switched him to nutro lamb and rice small kibble. He really doesn't seem to like anything. He eats maybe 2 cups of kibble each week so a bag last me forever. I worry that it may become stale so I keep his food refrigerated to help maintain some fresheness. Several of you mention brands that I have not seen at the petstore. Where do you get them? Is Nutro good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicat613 Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 I don't care much for Nutro. What foods has he seemed to like best? Can you tell us more about his history on foods? His reactions in the past to different ingredients can help give you clues about selecting the right food for him. As for finding other food choices, smaller pet stores are the best bet. Using product finders on websites like [url]http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com[/url] (Wellness, Neura) and [url]http://www.naturapet.com[/url] (Innova, CA Natural) can help you locate smaller shops near you. Natural Balance and Wysong are quality foods available at Petco that may be an option. Especially because he is so small and apparently finicky, he should be on something that is easy to digest and relatively simple. When reading a label, look for the most specific ingredients. You'd rather have chicken than poultry, and never ever ever anything that says 'animal'. Nothing with the word 'rendered' either. Also avoid the word 'product' (often seen as potato or egg product). Everything before the first fat in a food is the main ingredients. The ingredients listed after are minute. Aim for whole grains, such as rolled oats over split pieces. Go with brown rice, oats, millet, barley, and other more nutritious, low glycemic grains over corn, wheat, soy, etc. Watch out for ingredient splitting. The first ingredient may be chicken, but if the next three are all grain parts, the food is more grain than meat. Grains are harder to digest, and make more poop. Avoid chemicals. Look for naturally preserved foods, usually have vitamin e with mixed tocopherols in them. These are common allergens in dogs - wheat, corn, soy, safflower oil Lamb as a single protein source may be a cause for concern in levels of taurine, which dogs cannot manufacture on their own. Either choose a brand of lamb that has a supplemental source, such as Eagle's lamb mix, try to see if another kind of food such as beef or chicken will work, or supplement the lamb with beef heart and liver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanvean Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Bentley, I'm in the same boat as you. Macy has eaten Iams her whole life (that's what her breeder fed her dogs), but I didn't want to continue feeding that to her after what I read about their practices. Awhile ago, Jay went to the store to get some treats for Macy's obedience class. He came back with the wrong thing -- instead of the Natural Choice treats, he got the Natural Balance dog food that comes in rolls :roll: Anyway, the ingredients looked good, so we tried giving it to her with her regular kibble. She LOVES it! We're in the process of slowly switching her kibble over to the Natural Balance. You can check out the Web site at [url]www.naturalbalanceinc.com[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicat613 Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Natural Balance feeders - please save your receipts and UPC codes! If you send them in to a shelter, they can send them to the company and receive donations. More info on the site. I love the food - my dog eats a raw diet but my stubborn cats eat (and do great on) Natural Balance. The rolls do have a lot more stuff though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicat613 Posted July 2, 2003 Share Posted July 2, 2003 the info is here [url]http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/home/charities.html[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentleythewonderdog Posted July 3, 2003 Author Share Posted July 3, 2003 Ok, I'm starting to do some research and I really feel bad about feeding my little one Nutro. His food history has been Eukanuba puppy up until he was a year old and the Nutro for the past 9 months. His skin is great and nice hair(It's said that maltese don't have fur, it's hair) Poop is very small and very firm which is important with all this long hair. He has no signs of allergies. I fed Eukanuba because it was what the breeder was feeding and several people recomened it and the vet said it was fine. I switched to Nutro because he wouldn't eat Eukanuba after making the transition from puppy formula to adult formula and a Nutro representative at petsmart promoted it to me. He ate the Nutro at first but has tapered off. He eats 1-2 cups each week. I toss out what he doesn't eat in the mornings for the backyard birds, they eat more than he does. I'm interested in the following [b]Flint River Ranch[/b], [b]Innova[/b] and [b]Wellness[/b]. I'm trying locate distrbutors near me. He is very picky and will not eat many things, took him to a dog training group and the trainer was using bits of weiners for training, when he made his way to us and tried to give it to Bentley he just turned his head and wouldn't eat it. Everyone laughed and said that Bentley would probably only eat pate or caviar. He doesn't eat cheese. I'm just using this as an example of him being finicky, I have never seen a dog that wouldn't inhale cheese or weiners. So which of the above foods do you think would appeal to a finicky eater's palate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicat613 Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Were there any foods he liked? Sometimes you can get a clue from that. I think Wellness is really tasty (yes, I've tried it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanvean Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 I think those are all great foods, Bentley. Macy is quite a choosy eater herself -- maybe it's a Maltese thing! I add a few crumbs of the Natural Balance rolls (sort of a summer-sausage consistency) to her Natural Balance kibble and she gobbles it right up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentleythewonderdog Posted July 7, 2003 Author Share Posted July 7, 2003 Sanvean, how long have you been feeding Macy Natural Balance? Guess I'll add that to my list of possible foods. I'm trying to locate local distributors of these 4 brands. I have found Wellness and Natural Balance but not the other 2 brands. I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex so I hope I can locate the other brands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisysmom Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Chicken, Brown Rice, Duck, Lamb Meal, Oatmeal, Pearled Barley, Potatoes, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols-a source of Vitamin E, Citric Acid, and Rosemary Extract), Natural Flavor, Tomato Pomace, Canola Oil, Brewers Yeast, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Carrots, Potassium Chloride, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Dried Kelp, Salt, Parsley Flakes, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplements, Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C), Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Lysine, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Copper Proteinate, Grape Seed Oil, Copper Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Inositol, Folic Acid (Vitamin B, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), D-Activated Animal Sterol (source of Vitamin D-3), Biotin, Ethylene Diamine Dihydriodide (source of Iodine), Cobalt Sulfate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Sodium Selenite. [b]Wow, this looks great and our Petco carries it. I think I will switch Jake![/b] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanvean Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Bentley, we started feeding her the rolls mixed with her Iams kibble about three weeks ago. About one week ago, we switched her over to the Natural Balance kibble. I'm very happy with hit, and she seems to like it a lot, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisysmom Posted July 13, 2003 Share Posted July 13, 2003 I bought Jake: Natural Blend Holistic Dog Food The ingredients are: Chicken, brown rice, chicken meal, oatmeal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), brewers rice, dried tomato pomace, natural flavors, flax, fish meal, dried egg product, brewers dried yeast, canola oil, dried cheese, extract of chicory, salt, apples, blueberries, spinach, sweet potatoes, dried kelp, dehydrated alfalfa meal, potassium chloride, yucca schidigera extract, ginger, garlic, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, zinc proteinate, vitamin E Supplement, ascorbic acid, zinc oxide, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, extract of rosemary, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, vitamin A acetate, tuna oil, sage, niacin supplement, calcium pantothenate, sodium selenite, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, calcium iodate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus lactis fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium bifidum fermentation product, dried Enterococcus diacetylactis fermentation product, folic acid. "There's a new kind of dog food from the family of Royal Canin called Natural Blend holistic dog food. Besides having all-natural proteins, grains, fruits and vegetables, Natural Blend contains herbal supplements and antioxidant vitamins that may help reduce the occurrence of common canine health problems. COME IN AND DISCOVER for your dog what humans have known and used for many years." [url]http://www.naturalblend.com/[/url] [b]How does this sound?[/b] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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