Dog food.

Wassermelone

So we moved recently and the awesome local dog food place we got stuff for our pup is obviously not local anymore and we I don't really want to have it delivered etc.

So what should I look for in a dog food? Meat first, I understand that one. Any recommendations for a 4ish year old pup with seemingly no special dietary needs?

Backstop

I read a lot at http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ and a couple dog trainers and I ended up picking Wellness Super5 Mix for our beast. We have a Collie/German Shepard rescue aged 9-ish about 65 pounds.

He was on Iams Large Breed* from age 1 to 6 and it worked out OK, but his shedding is down and his occasional fits of Dog Rage are fewer since we switched. Diet does affect dog behavior, a thing which I was not convinced of until recently. Also for a dog his size his stool volume is way less than with grocery store food, but it sounds like you know that.

I was going to go with Wellness Core but the people I spoke with said that was for really active dogs and Super5 would be better for your average house pet. Also it was available locally, which was a factor because I don't hold with getting things like that delivered for some reason.

*the only thing the prior owners tried that agreed with his sensitive stomach

Susan Delgado

What were you feeding the pup? We use nature's balance or something like that, which is excellent. You can get it at petco or you could try blue buffalo (which comes highly recommended from friends) which you can get at petco or petsmart.

Kistra

There are a lot of different dog foods out there that are perfectly good.

You might have better luck going and finding a few local pet stores, looking at what they sell, and then researching the different foods to see what is most similar to what you used to feed your pup. The two independent pet stores near me both give out little sample bags, enough for about two meals. If you find a store that does that you might be able to grab some of them and feed one food for a full day (with the pup getting normal food on surrounding days) and see if your pup gets bad gas or anything.

Also, if you aren't finding pet stores and you live in the county feed stores usually have a good selection of dog food.

Wassermelone

Yeah I found a well reviewed local pet store which I'm going to go to after work. Asking for samples is a good idea.

Thanks for link Backstop! I'm going to note down some brand names for when I head over to the store.

GungHo

Avoid corn. Meat as the first ingredient is a good sign. Veggies and seeds are ok. But corn, as a filler, sucks as bad for them as it does you.

mcp

I had my dogs on Blue Buffalo for about a year. It made them shit a distressing amount.

I switched to Trader Joe's dry food. Doesn't have corn in it, and it's reasonably priced. They like it, and they don't shit 5 times a day any more. Might give it a try if you have a Trader Joe's around you.

Wassermelone

Just got a sample bag of Orijen. Was rated really highly on that website and the ingredients looks really good. Fingers crossed!

Ande

My dog is on the Orijen grain free food. Salmon flavour or something. He used to have diarrhea a lot, but not since going on this food. He's also got a nice shiny coat and does not have horrible dog breath. Orijen is on the more expensive end, but it is good food.

Wassermelone

Ande wrote: »

My dog is on the Orijen grain free food. Salmon flavour or something. He used to have diarrhea a lot, but not since going on this food. He's also got a nice shiny coat and does not have horrible dog breath. Orijen is on the more expensive end, but it is good food.

Yeah its not one of the cheaper ones. I'm glad you've had a good experience with it!

Hes family, and as my wife would say "our little prince".

Plus we are those people that are trying to buy humanely raised meats, so a dog food that does that as well is gravy on the cake. Er.

Fireflash

Something I had no idea about I found on a website regarding labels and FDA naming conventions:

-If a food is named specifically, e.g. "Beef Dog Food", the named ingredient must not be less than 95% of the total weight...

-If a food name includes the word "dinner" (or similar ones like "formula", "nuggets" etc.), e.g. such as in "Lamb Formula", the named ingredient must not be less than 25% of the total weight...

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=labelinfo101

Dr. Frenchenstein

Ande wrote: »

My dog is on the Orijen grain free food. Salmon flavour or something. He used to have diarrhea a lot, but not since going on this food. He's also got a nice shiny coat and does not have horrible dog breath. Orijen is on the more expensive end, but it is good food.

Wow really? I have a pit lab mix and she seems to ALWAYS have soft stool, like borderline diarrhea. She's eating Eukanuba Naturally Wild Salmon, her coat is very nice but she has the loose stool all the time.

ehhh, judging from the ingredients the Eukanuba seems comparable. I wonder if i just need to keep trying foods until i find one that wont give her the shits.

mts

Dr. Frenchenstein wrote: »

Wow really? I have a pit lab mix and she seems to ALWAYS have soft stool, like borderline diarrhea. She's eating Eukanuba Naturally Wild Salmon, her coat is very nice but she has the loose stool all the time.

ehhh, judging from the ingredients the Eukanuba seems comparable. I wonder if i just need to keep trying foods until i find one that wont give her the shits.

diarhea/loose stools are a sign of a food allergies. its probably worth a switch

We are trying to find a new food for our pup. She is currently on ZD ultra which is for super allergies so its been tough to find one that works after 2 weeks

Deadfall

Yikes, I did a search for my dog's food on that review site up there....

I'm basically feeding him processed cancer.

Looks like I'll be switching.

zenpotato

Dogs can't process corn, so when it appears in the ingredients, mentally substitute "shit filler," since that's what it is.

For people switching to a higher quality dog food, realize that you'll probably have to cut back on serving sizes. Your new food is likely more nutrient rich than the old stuff, and without the corner filler adding extra volume, your dog needs much less food.

My dachshund and dachshund/Jack Russel mix get Wellness, eating 1/4 cup twice a day. And honestly, that's probably a little too much for them, as the mix is getting a little tubby.

GungHo

Deadfall wrote: »

Yikes, I did a search for my dog's food on that review site up there....

I'm basically feeding him processed cancer.

Looks like I'll be switching.

compare it to what you're eating...

we treat them better than we treat ourselves.

NailbunnyPD

We've been really picky about food and treats. Don't get anything with corn (we also avoid anything that mentions "meat by-product".)

We do Wellness dry food and Dogswell Happy Hips wet food. The 1 y.o. gets the Large Breed Puppy kibble only, and the 11 y.o. gets Senior mixed with the wet. We used to do Hill's Science Diet for the older dog, but in comparison, Wellness and Dogswell appear to be much better for her.

For treats, we buy Zuke's (recommended by Kistra.) They make a slew of moist and dry treats. For dry, we get the minis, and for moist we get the Hip Action (for older) and Power (for younger.)

The younger pup gets loose stool when he eats too much (its been a good gauge for keeping him fit, not fat.) Also, the fish ingredients give him nasty breath, but he's got a great coat and good health.

Dr. Frenchenstein

holy crap, my dog was eating the kennel's food (pretty good stuff i think, can't remember the name) for the weekend, and switched back to her food monday. This morning at about 3 am she is pacing around the room, and when i take her out: OH THE POOP DOTH FLOW. Then again two hours later.

I wonder if the salmon food is just too much fish oil? i heard that can upset their stomachs. i got it because she gets a bit itchy. maybe i'll look at what they have next time i take her to day care.

Kistra

It might be something to do with a specific ingredient in the food or it might not.

A not-insignificant number of dogs will get diarrhea if you change their food suddenly even if they would do perfectly fine on both foods if you transitioned their food more slowly.

Backstop

yeah, they say to switch food gradually so their stomachs don't get shocked. I've read you mix 1/4 new with 3/4 old for a 3-4 days, then 1/2 and 1/2 for another few days, then 3/4 new to 1/4 old for the last few days.

When we kennel Trooper they always ask us for a supply of his own food to avoid "the squirts".

mts

Switching to a new food will depend on the animal. Some can just jump ring in. For our dog we were giving 1-2 extra kibbles a day

republic of me

Wassermelone wrote: »

So we moved recently and the awesome local dog food place we got stuff for our pup is obviously not local anymore and we I don't really want to have it delivered etc.

So what should I look for in a dog food? Meat first, I understand that one. Any recommendations for a 4ish year old pup with seemingly no special dietary needs?

hes 4 and your still calling him a pup? a little odd but i call mine stranger things. like baba (slang for baby in an infant way as in cute little baby as appose to baby in a sexy way just so no one starts mocking me) well butchers offal is the best thing i ever gave my dogs boiled up with grain (as in oats maize and a bit of wheat flour or bran) but the dry dog foods i would have used you wouldnt have access to presumeing you are american but i found Red Mills Star and Red Mills Racer great. also Winalot is great too. Brandy isnt bad but my dogs hate Madra they wont even go near their dishes when i tried to feed them Madra. Pedagree is good too but in my openion you cant beat any of the Red Mills animal feeds. Red Mills Breeder Mother and Puppy Food is excellent if you ever decide to breed dogs. I use that one most often because i breed my dogs you see.