What brand of dog food

[tx2478]

So here is my dilima Star my GSD in her previous home they fed her puppy food and just changed it to kibbles and bits. Now since i am a new dog owner my friends are giving helpful advice that usually is the same but now they disagree

Friend 1 recommends Large Breed Pedigree

Friend 2 recommends Iams Large Breed with glucosamine.

now my question is...what is the right brand for Star due to she is a little underweight and needs a stable diet.

[ESSlover]

i second that! isnt there some Eukanuba (i think thats how u spell it) Large breed food? We feed all of our pets (2 cats, previously 1 dog) eukanuba and they love it!

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks guys I told her NO IAMS!!!!!!!! but she wanted to get on here just to see what you all said.

Well as i t ype this, she is taking pictures so we will post them in a few mins!! go look in the picture section in about 10 mins!

[ESSlover]

OMG it is?!?!?!?!?!? :o well i have to get new dog food for our new dog (when we find one) i feel so bad now.... sigh... :(

[Malamum]

I second the recommendation for Innova.

I used to feed it before I switched to BARF and think it's a great food.

[Baileysmom]

try one of the many feed stores on Pacific ave - they tend to have the good kinds...... I go to one on 99th, they have several good ones (but not innova or wellness :( ) I feed chicken soup, it seems to be good, while not horribly expensive - Id like to always feed us all the best of the best, but I have 8 mouths to feed :o

[Cairn6]

I feed my dogs California Natural which is from the company Natura that makes Innova. It can be hard to find there is only 1 store within driving distance where I can find it. But they do have a website where you can search to see if there is a store near you. Here's the link. You can also go under the heading of tools on that site and figure out which Natura product is best for you dog. I chose California Natural because of Toto's allergies and can't hurt the other dogs to have a hypo-allergenic food.

[url]http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=stores-tab[/url]

[CKMILK]

[quote name='ESSlover']i second that! isnt there some Eukanuba (i think thats how u spell it) Large breed food? We feed all of our pets (2 cats, previously 1 dog) eukanuba and they love it![/quote]

Eukanuba is owned by iams i do belive so if you are boycoting IAMS then why buy this kind???? well thought you should know. I HATE IAMS the things they did and most likely continue to do to animals is a crime. Check out peta websight!!!! IAMS IS evil the devil dog food :evilbat:
We have fed diamond and seen good results less stools firm and they eat less than the Pedigree we have tried. the other brands i have not tried I dont think they are available her and we are in the boonies so i find it easy to get the diamond brand. the kibbles and bits gives them funny red orange colored stool and a lot of it this cant be good. too much dye in food. just my oppinion

[voodoopitbull]

NO Iams or Euk! Bad, bad, nasty. Nasty company, nasty ingredients.

NO Wellness or Innova in my book. If you're like the many GSD owners with GSDs who have sensitive stomachs...both foods will do you no good. They're awesome foods with great ingredients...but it's WAY too rich for most dogs. Three fourths of my rescues (all different kinds of breeds) had loose stool and LOTS and LOTS of it when on Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken.

We plan to switch our GSD to Royal Canin adults German Shepherd Dog formula when he is old enough. Our other dogs are on Foster and Smith. I have really liked Royal Canin foods.

[TDG]

anyone interested in learning about commercial pet foods, what to stay away from and what to look for, check out this website:

[b][url]http://www.mordanna.com/dogfood[/url][/b]

it answers just about every question you could have about finding a better food.

[Guest Anonymous]

wow great site.. thanks for the link!

[Guest Anonymous]

hmmm after reading that website. i'm going to switch to Chicken Soup For dog lovers dog food or Innova.....

[Guest Anonymous]

I was feeding chicken soup, and sent Hubby to get dog food and he came back with dog food other then Chicken noodle.. ( pedigree from the commmisarry ) didn't know we were that low and he ran out real fast, and we just went back to that becuase it was closer to us and we didnt have to go to Puyuallup to get it.

[Horsefeathers!]

[quote name='DeafAussieLover']I was feeding chicken soup, and sent Hubby to get dog food and he came back with dog food other then [u]Chicken noodle[/u]..[/quote]

Well, THERE'S the problem... you sent him out for CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP!! :P

[cheekymunkee]

I feed mine Wellness, Munkee has allergies so he gets the stinky Fish & Potato & the other two get the Super 5 Mix. They LOVE it & it has made a 100% difference in their coats! The poop clean up is a breeze too.

Debby

[Shenanigans]

I feed raw here. Cheapest and healthiest option for us and our dogs.

[Guest Anonymous]

Has anyone ever heard of Healthy Pet Net? Supposedly, it's this amazing food for dogs.

check out this chart... [url]http://www.mypethaven.com/dog_food_comparison_chart.htm[/url]

[Dee]

I feed my dog Timberwolf Organics. It's an awesome food. :D

Here's the link:
[url]http://timberwolforganics.com/[/url]


Dee

[Kiger]

[color=blue]Well, Iams has a new reply to all the allegations of abuse. Not that I believe a big corporation (that makes crummy food), but I'm not a fan of PETA either. So here's the "other side" crossposted from another list:[/color]

Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding the current issues
surrounding our nutritional studies. We appreciate the fact that you want to learn about both sides of the issue. And we would greatly appreciate if you shared the facts with as many people as you wish!

You've received some incorrect and outdated information. An extreme activist organization continues a misleading campaign featuring footage that's more than a year old of a facility we no longer use. This inaccurate account includes examples of dogs and cats that were not part of our studies, and makes claims of activities that we never authorized.

We want to be perfectly clear: Iams will not fund or participate in any
study requiring or resulting in the euthanasia of cats or dogs. This
principle is just one of eight points in our strict research policy that is
approved by an independent Animal Care Advisory Board. The members of our Advisory Board are from respected animal welfare organizations such as the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). We chose these individuals because they share our interest in reducing, refining, and replacing animals in research.

In addition, the Advisory Board conducts unannounced visits to review the
care and welfare of the dogs and cats participating in our feeding studies
at our internal and external sites.

To see a summary of recent facility reports, to view video footage of
animals in our care, or to review our research policy please visit our web
site at [url]www.iamstruth.com[/url].

You can also see a facility report by utilizing the following URL:
[url]http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=iamsresearch[/url]

Other important information we'd like to share:

We support the ultimate elimination of laboratory feeding studies as
scientifically valid alternatives become available. Iams is actively working
with external partners to develop new research methods in pet nutrition
which do not require laboratory feeding studies.

We are taking full responsibility for the destiny of all dogs and cats that
participate in our feeding studies at both internal and external sites. Our
dogs and cats are either adopted into loving homes or placed in the Iams
retirement center when they no longer participate in our feeding studies.
This is unprecedented in the pet arena; we know of no other company that is taking this level of responsibility for the ongoing well-being of all dogs and cats with whom they work.

We are proactively sharing the Iams Welfare Program for dogs and cats in an effort to make it the norm. An Iams Behaviorist has shared our socialization and enrichment program with shelters, veterinarians and others to illustrate that it's possible to enrich and socialize in such an environment. In addition, we recently presented our program to others in the pet food industry. We are committed to continual improvement in this area and are looking to adopt best practices in animal care and nutritional research wherever they are created. We will continue to actively search and reapply good ideas from around the world.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact us and for giving us the
opportunity to respond with the facts. If you need further information or
have specific questions, please visit the Web site or contact Consumer Care at 800-525-4267. One of our advisors will be more than happy to speak with you about this very important issue.

Sincerely,
Sharon
Iams Consumer Care, North America

[Kiger]

Oh, and I feed [url=http://www.thehonestkitchen.com]Honest Kitchen[/url]

[bk_blue]

I would like to see an *unbiased* report of Iams' cruelties, or lack thereof. I don't believe anything they put out, nor do I believe anything PETA puts out.

[Kiger]

Well, I was surprised to see this:

[quote]The members of our Advisory Board are from respected animal welfare organizations such as the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).[/quote]

HSUS is not what I consider a mainstream organization. I think of them as PETA-lite. If the above is true, you can be assured that they would be quite vocal if they found anything wrong. So, maybe Iams is cleaning up their act. Now if they'd just change their food. [img]http://mywebpages.comcast.net/blancm3/images/icon_crazy.gif[/img]

[Kiger]

I don't know, but I doubt they are doing that kind of experimentation in front of HSUS members was my point.
So, if indeed they are stopping the testing, then that's great. Still won't buy their "cr@p in a bag", but it'll make it easier to wear an armband with their logo on it at the shows they sponsor. Heh, I fold them in half anyways - Iams, Purina, Nutro... they all get hidden. :lol:

[TDG]

also don't forget that the IAMS company is owned by procter & gamble, a corporation that is notorious for still doing excessive, unnecessary animal testing on a large scale for a variety of their products. and i'm not talking about critical stuff like medical research here.

i've been boycotting any and all P&G products in my household for over 2 years now and i can't say i'm suffering. :D

[DogPaddle]

Whatever the case with IAMS their dog food has byproduct in it so its a moot point for me - I wouldn't buy it if they were voted most noble company.

Foods I suggest you research for your pup:
Innova
Canidae
Solid Gold
Wellness
Wysong
Homemade but do your research well first.

Of these Canidae will end up being the least expensive (check the feeding instructions because it is less than some other foods - dense) and a well researched, well prepared Homemade would be the healthiest IF you do it right, it would also allow you the most customization to your dogs needs. If you aren't comfortable with homemade than Innova is prob. the healthiest but if its too rich as someone else suggested then don't get Solid Gold's Mmillenia (its really high in protien and higher in fat for hard working dogs its also beef based) I would suggest Canidae or Wysong if the others are too rich.
i have no experience with the soup type foods.